The eye in sleep apnea syndrome.

Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is a disease characterized by recurrent complete or partial upper airway obstructions during sleep. The majority of patients with SAS demonstrate this obstruction either at the nasopharynx or the oropharynx. Risk factors for SAS include obesity, male gender, upper airway abnormalities, alcohol use, snoring, and neck girth of more than 17 in.

Melatonin receptors in human fetal brain: 2-[(125)I]iodomelatonin binding and MT1 gene expression.

The purpose of this study was to identify sites of action of melatonin in the human fetal brain by in vitro autoradiography and in situ hybridization. Specific, guanosine triphosphate (GTP) sensitive, binding of 2-[(125)I]iodomelatonin was localized to the leptomeninges, cerebellum, thalamus, hypothalamus, and brainstem. In the hypothalalmus, specific binding was present in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) as well as the arcuate, ventromedial and mammillary nuclei.