Latest in Sleep Medicine News

This study aims to clarify the diagnostic cutoff values of REM sleep without atonia (RWA) for identifying isolated RBD (iRBD) in Japanese population. We will analyze these cutoff values according to the established methods and explore their validity with clinical and neurophysiological markers.

New guidelines from the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education for critical care ultrasound (CCUS) training went into effect on July 1, 2024, for critical care medicine and combined pulmonary and critical care medicine fellows. Fellowship programs will need to ensure that their fellows demonstrate competence in skills that are essential to CCUS, which currently encompasses applications in basic cardiac, lung/pleural, abdominal, and vascular ultrasonography (US). This may be a challenge for fellowship programs that have nascent CCUS curricula and limited faculty expertise. In this Perspective, we share expert and evidence-based recommendations on how to implement a competency-based curriculum in CCUS. We review best practices for equipment requirements, introductory and longitudinal curricula, competency assessment and certification, faculty requirements and development, and continuous programmatic quality improvement.

Background/objectives Facebook is considered one of the most widely used social media platforms among young adults worldwide, including undergraduate students. Addiction to Facebook has effects on users' physical and mental health. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to investigate the association between the frequency of Facebook use and its impact on the physical and mental health of undergraduate students in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan. Methods A multi-institutional cross-sectional study was conducted on 489 students from public and private universities from May 2024 to December 2024. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. Results A total of 489 participants were enrolled in this study. 406 (83%) were males and 83 (17%) were females. More than 371 (70%) of them use Facebook for up to two hours a day. Students who spent up to two hours on Facebook were more likely to experience various physical and mental health issues, such as become angry when Facebook use is interrupted (p = 0.001), experience eye pain (p = 0.022), continuing to use Facebook despite having an urge for urination (p = 0.001), feeling of loneliness (p = 0.008), insomnia (p = 0.038), getting irritated with family members when they say something while using Facebook (p = 0.001), and postponing meals (p = 0.001). Moreover, gender (p = 0.024) and faculty of the students (p = 0.002) had a significant relationship with the duration of Facebook use. Conclusions The study concluded that excessive Facebook use among students has negative effects on their physical and mental health. Moreover, individuals who use Facebook more frequently tend to be more addicted to it than others. Therefore, higher education institutions need to implement health promotions and interventions to support youth in the healthy use of Facebook, and screening for eye and musculoskeletal conditions is advised.

Effectively working with medical interpreters is a critical skill for all physicians. We partnered with interpreters, students, and faculty to co-design and co-teach an educational session to improve medical students' knowledge and confidence in working with interpreters.

Insomnia, characterized by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, is prevalent among shift workers due to irregular work hours. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment for alleviating insomnia symptoms; however, accessibility of CBT-I for shift workers is limited. To increase the user access and usefulness of CBT-I, digital CBT-I (dCBT-I) has attracted growing clinical and research interest in the field. This scoping review examines the effects of dCBT-I on improving sleep quality among shift workers. A comprehensive literature search across multiple databases identified 11 primary studies from 2014 to 2024, encompassing various shift-working populations. The findings were synthesized into themes, including the impacts of dCBT-I on sleep quality, sleep hygiene, objective sleep data, anxiety, depression, quality of life, and user feedback. All studies showed improved sleep quality after the implementation of dCBT-I, except for one. Two studies suggest that dCBT-I is equally effective as in-person delivery of CBT-I in improving sleep quality among shift workers. Per user feedback, incorporating individualized feedback and more customization options in dCBT-I would improve engagement and adherence to the intervention. Collectively, the findings in this review suggest that dCBT-I is an accessible and effective alternative to traditionally delivered CBT-I for improving sleep quality in shift workers.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is episodes of recurrent, sleep-related partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway, which is accompanied by a decrease in oxygen saturation. The prevalence of sleep apnea is high, and significant adverse effects are associated with this. Hence, the current study assessed the prevalence of sleep apnea in Rajanagaram Mandal.

Long-term physiological, psychological, economic, and lifestyle pressures make maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients prone to anxiety and depression. This study aims to evaluate the effects of mindfulness meditation combined with progressive muscle relaxation on sleep and emotional disorders in hemodialysis patients with sarcopenia.

León, Guanajuato, Mexico, like many other places in the world, faces significant air pollution due to emissions from artisanal brick kilns. If prolonged exposure to these pollutants has been associated with neurotoxicity symptoms and potential risks of neurodegenerative diseases, their effects on ocular health remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study evaluated the visual health, prevalence of neurotoxicity symptoms and mental health conditions, as well as potential associations in residents near the Refugio Brickmaking Region, in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. A cross-sectional study was conducted on thirteen participants working or living in brick kilns and thirteen control participants. Clinical evaluations included vital signs, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), and refraction test. A Likert scale modified version of the Q16 neurotoxicity questionnaire was used to evaluate neurotoxic symptoms and mental health conditions were identified through the clinical history. Neurotoxicity scores were compared between groups using the Mann Whitney U test, while the Chi-square test was used to assess the association between working or living in brick kilns and the prevalence of ocular and neurotoxic symptoms. The groups were paired in age (44.64 ± 16.4 vs. 52.38 ± 18.4 years-old for exposed and control groups, respectively), The alleged exposed group had an average age of 44.64 years, compared to 52.38 years in the controls). Six ocular symptoms were prevalent among participants working or living in brick kilns: foreign body sensation, blurred vision, itchy eyes, watery eyes, photophobia, and decreased visual acuity. These participants also had diminished binocular uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA ≥ 0.3 logMAR), and increased prevalence of myopia. Also, a positive association was found between working or living in brick kilns and reported anxiety/depression, irritability, and insomnia. These data clearly demonstrated a deterioration in eye health, in addition to an increased prevalence of neurotoxicity symptoms, in relation to working or living in brick kilns, which highlights the need for stricter regulations to safeguard workers and residents in high-risk areas.

Parkinson's disease demonstrates increased iron concentration in the substantia nigra (SN). The progression of iron and its interaction with neuromelanin content and dopaminergic dysregulation from prodromal to early-stage Parkinson's disease remain poorly understood. Using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* relaxation rate, we investigated brain iron changes in patients with isolated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder and early-stage Parkinson's disease. Subjects were scanned longitudinally at 3.0 Tesla MRI. QSM and R2* values were calculated in the entire SN and its anterior and posterior dorsal and ventral subdivisions. Baseline and longitudinal group differences were tested using analysis of variance of multiple linear regression models controlling for age and sex and linear mixed-effects modelling respectively. We included 44/36/28 healthy volunteers (HVs), 49/20/11 isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder, 127/88/50 Parkinson's disease at first/second/third visit respectively, separated by a 2-year interval. At baseline, there was a significant increase in QSM and R2* values in Parkinson's disease versus HVs in the posteroventral SN only (QSM: +17.6%%; R2*: +7.1%), which did not reach significance in isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder (QSM: +6.9%, R2*: +3.3%). Longitudinally, only posteroventral SN values demonstrated significant effects for Group and Visit using QSM and R2*. Further, the Group-by-Visit interaction was significant only for QSM. The posteroventral SN iron increased with disease duration and was inversely correlated with the changes in nigral neuromelanin content and striatal DaT levels in Parkinson's disease. The posteroventral nigral iron increased with the progression of the disease as well as dopaminergic denervation in Parkinson's disease. QSM was a stronger quantitative longitudinal marker than R2* in detecting regional nigral iron abnormalities as the disease progressed.

Twin block has been proposed as a potential oral appliance for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children with class 2 skeletal malocclusion. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of twin block appliance on quality of life in children with OSA.