Flock worker's lung disease: natural history of cases and exposed workers in Kingston, Ontario.

Background: The natural history of flock worker's lung (FWL) and longitudinal lung function changes in nylon flock-exposed workers have not been well characterized.

Methods: Symptoms, pulmonary function testing, and chest radiographs from five index cases, subsequent case referrals, and screened employees of a flocking plant in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, were compared and analyzed for changes over time (variable follow-up intervals between 1991 and 2011).

Results: Nine cases and 30 flock-exposed workers without FWL were identified.

Validation of the MediByte® type 3 portable monitor compared with polysomnography for screening of obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: Portable monitors are increasingly being used as a diagnostic screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and in-laboratory validation of these devices with polysomnography (PSG) is required.

Objective: To assess the reliability of the MediByte (Braebon Medical Corporation, Canada) type 3 screening device compared with overnight PSG.

Methods: To cover a range of OSA severity, a consecutive series of patients wore the screening device while simultaneously undergoing PSG.

Can patients with obstructive sleep apnea titrate their own continuous positive airway pressure?

Manual continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration in a sleep laboratory is costly and limits access for diagnostic studies. Many factors affect CPAP compliance, but education and support, rather than in-laboratory CPAP titration, appear to be pivotal. Self-adjustment of CPAP at home will provide equal or superior efficacy in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as compared with in-laboratory titration.