The direction of shift-work rotation impacts metabolic risk independent of chronotype and social jetlag--an exploratory pilot study.

The aim of this pilot study was to explore the risk of metabolic abnormalities in steel workers employed in different shift-work rotations. Male workers in a steel factory [16 employed in a fast clockwise rotation (CW), 18 in slow counterclockwise rotation (CC), 9 day workers (DW); mean age 43.3 ± SD 6.

A new device to mimic intermittent hypoxia in mice.

Intermittent hypoxia (hypoxia-reoxygenation) is often associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We describe a new device which can be used to submit cohorts of mice to controlled and standardised hypoxia-normoxia cycles at an individual level. Mice were placed in individual compartments to which similar gas flow parameters were provided using an open loop strategy.

Effects of a 3-week dehydroepiandrosterone administration on sleep, sex steroids and multiple 24-h hormonal profiles in postmenopausal women: a pilot study.

Objective: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) administration is widely evocated as a 'fountain of youth', but previous studies have provided inconsistent results. We aimed to investigate in healthy postmenopausal women the effects of a 3-week oral DHEA administration on individual steroid levels, multiple 24-h hormonal profiles and sleep architecture.

Design: Seven healthy nonobese postmenopausal women, off hormone replacement therapy for ≥2 months, were investigated in a randomized, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Atherosclerotic risk and social jetlag in rotating shift-workers: first evidence from a pilot study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify atherosclerotic risk using pulse wave velocity (PWV) in steel workers employed in different shift-work rotations, and to elucidate its relationship to social jetlag and shift schedule details.

Participants: Male workers in a steel factory (n=77, 32 fast clockwise (CW), 30 slow counterclockwise (CC), 15 day workers (DW); mean age 42 ± SD 7.6 yrs) with at least 5 years of experience in their current work schedule participated.

Mood, alertness, and performance in response to sleep deprivation and recovery sleep in experienced shiftworkers versus non-shiftworkers.

Previous studies have shown increased sleepiness and mood changes in shiftworkers, which may be due to sleep deprivation or circadian disruption. Few studies, however, have compared responses of experienced shiftworkers and non-shiftworkers to sleep deprivation in an identical laboratory setting. The aim of this laboratory study, therefore, was to compare long-term shiftworkers and non-shiftworkers and to investigate the effects of one night of total sleep deprivation (30.

Temporal dissociation between myeloperoxidase (MPO)-modified LDL and MPO elevations during chronic sleep restriction and recovery in healthy young men.

Objectives: Many studies have evaluated the ways in which sleep disturbances may influence inflammation and the possible links of this effect to cardiovascular risk. Our objective was to investigate the effects of chronic sleep restriction and recovery on several blood cardiovascular biomarkers.

Methods And Results: Nine healthy male non-smokers, aged 22-29 years, were admitted to the Sleep Laboratory for 11 days and nights under continuous electroencephalogram polysomnography.

Immune, inflammatory and cardiovascular consequences of sleep restriction and recovery.

In addition to its effects on cognitive function, compelling evidence links sleep loss to alterations in the neuroendocrine, immune and inflammatory systems with potential negative public-health ramifications. The evidence to suggest that shorter sleep is associated with detrimental health outcomes comes from both epidemiological and experimental sleep deprivation studies. This review will focus on the post-sleep deprivation and recovery changes in immune and inflammatory functions in well-controlled sleep restriction laboratory studies.

Progesterone prevents sleep disturbances and modulates GH, TSH, and melatonin secretion in postmenopausal women.

Context: A number of neuroactive progesterone metabolites produce sedative-like effects. However, the effects of progesterone administration on sleep are not well characterized.

Objective: To investigate the effects of a 3-wk progesterone administration on sleep architecture and multiple hormonal profiles.

Benefits of napping and an extended duration of recovery sleep on alertness and immune cells after acute sleep restriction.

Understanding the interactions between sleep and the immune system may offer insight into why short sleep duration has been linked to negative health outcomes. We, therefore, investigated the effects of napping and extended recovery sleep after sleep restriction on the immune and inflammatory systems and sleepiness. After a baseline night, healthy young men slept for a 2-h night followed by either a standard 8-h recovery night (n=12), a 30-min nap (at 1 p.

Neuropeptide Y and sleep.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a 36-amino-acid peptide from the pancreatic polypeptide family, is one of the more abundant peptides in the central nervous system. It acts as a neurohormone and as a neuromodulator. NPY is widely distributed in the brain, particularly the hypothalamus, the amygdala, the locus coeruleus and the cerebral cortex.

Sleep restriction increases white blood cells, mainly neutrophil count, in young healthy men: a pilot study.

Objectives: This study examines the effects of sleep restricted to four hours for three consecutive nights on blood parameters, known to be associated with cardiovascular risk, in young healthy men.

Material And Methods: Eight young healthy men (age 24.5 +/- 3.

Effects of sleep restriction on cognition in women.

The aim of the present study was to investigate how three nights of sleep restriction affected cognitive functions in young and aged healthy women. Ten young (20-30 years) and ten aged (55-65 years) women participated to the study. After one baseline night (11 pm-07 am), their sleep was restricted to 4h per night (01-05 am) during three nights.

Psychomotor vigilance task performance during total sleep deprivation in young and postmenopausal women.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of age on women's performance in the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) during total sleep deprivation (SD). A total of 46 healthy women volunteered. They belonged to two age groups: young (n=34; age range 19-30 years; 12 without, and 22 with oral contraceptives (OC); early phase of the menstrual cycle) and older (n=12; age range 60-68; postmenopausal; without hormone therapy).

Sleep restriction increases blood neutrophils, total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in postmenopausal women: A preliminary study.

Objectives: This study examines the effects of sleep restricted to 4h for three consecutive nights on blood parameters known to be associated with cardiovascular risk in healthy postmenopausal women.

Material And Methods: Ten healthy postmenopausal women aged 55-65 years treated with hormonal replacement therapy (HT) were included in the study. After one baseline night, three nights of sleep restricted to 4h were performed and were followed by one recovery night of 8h.

Sleep apnoea-hypopnoea index is an independent predictor of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein elevation.

Background: Recent reports have identified the apnoea and hypopnoea index (AHI) as an additional independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, several studies reported contradictory results about the association between the serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level and the severity of apnoea.

Objective: The purpose of this work is to study this association in patients referred to the sleep laboratory for clinical suspicion of sleep apnoea and presenting a wide range of AHI.

Age modulates the effects of sleep restriction in women.

Study Objectives: To investigate how age influences the effects of 3 nights of sleep restriction in healthy women.

Design: After a baseline night, sleep was restricted to 4 hours during 3 consecutive nights. One recovery night followed the sleep restriction.

Women's sleep in health and disease.

A huge amount of knowledge about sleep has accumulated during the last 5 decades following the discovery of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Nevertheless, there are numerous areas of considerable ignorance. One of these concerns the particularities of sleep in women.

Constant vs auto-continuous positive airway pressure in patients with sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and a high variability in pressure requirement.

Study Objectives: Auto-continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been reported to have no more efficacy than constant CPAP in unselected patients with sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (SAHS). The aim of this study was to evaluate patients judged to be good candidates for auto-CPAP because of a high within-night variability in pressure requirement.

Design: Single-blind, randomized, cross-over study (2 x 8 weeks) to compare auto-CPAP with constant CPAP.