Effects of testosterone and progressive resistance exercise in healthy, highly functioning older men with low-normal testosterone levels.

Context: Aging in men is associated with reduced testosterone (T) levels and physiological changes leading to frailty, but the benefits of T supplementation are inconclusive.

Objective: We studied the effects of T supplementation with and without progressive resistance training (PRT) on functional performance, strength, and body composition.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We recruited 167 generally healthy community-dwelling older men (66 ± 5 years) with low-normal baseline total T levels (200-350 ng/dL).

Field-based pre-cooling for on-court tennis conditioning training in the heat.

Unlabelled: The present study investigated the effects of pre-cooling for on- court, tennis-specific conditioning training in the heat. Eight highly-trained tennis players performed two on-court conditioning sessions in 35°C, 55% Relative Humidity. Sessions were randomised, involved either a pre-cooling or control session, and consisted of 30-min of court- based, tennis movement drills.

Effects of maintained weight loss on sleep dynamics and neck morphology in severely obese adults.

The goals of the study were to determine if moderate weight loss in severely obese adults resulted in (i) reduction in apnea/hypopnea index (AHI), (ii) improved pharyngeal patency, (iii) reduced total body oxygen consumption (VO(2)) and carbon dioxide production (VCO(2)) during sleep, and (iv) improved sleep quality. The main outcome was the change in AHI from before to after weight loss. Fourteen severely obese (BMI > 40 kg/m(2)) patients (3 males, 11 females) completed a highly controlled weight reduction program which included 3 months of weight loss and 3 months of weight maintenance.

Management of patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Behavioral measures, such as weight loss, altered sleeping position, and avoidance of alcohol and sedatives, can benefit some patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The mainstay of therapy for OSA is administration of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Oral appliances may benefit patients who are unable or unwilling to use CPAP or other forms of PAP therapy.

Disease severity, scratching, and sleep quality in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Background: The relationship between sleep quality and disease severity in patients with atopic dermatitis has not been clearly defined.

Methods: Sleep efficiency and scratching were measured over 2 nights by polysomnography, actigraphy, and self-report in 20 adults with atopic dermatitis. Tumor necrosis factor, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 were assayed from a subset of 9 participants.

Interventions to improve compliance in sleep apnea patients previously non-compliant with continuous positive airway pressure.

Study Objectives: Despite widespread agreement that continuous positive airway pressure is effective therapy for obstructive sleep apnea, it is estimated that 50% of patients recommended for therapy are noncompliant 1 year later. Interventions to improve compliance in such patients have not been studied. We evaluated a 2 phase intervention program to improve compliance in sleep apnea patients previously noncompliant with continuous positive airway pressure.

Medical therapy for obstructive sleep apnea: a review by the Medical Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Task Force of the Standards of Practice Committee of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

A significant number of patients with obstructive sleep apnea neither tolerate positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy nor achieve successful outcomes from either upper airway surgeries or use of an oral appliance. The purpose of this paper, therefore, was to systematically evaluate available peer-reviewed data on the effectiveness of adjunctive medical therapies and summarize findings from these studies. A review from 1985 to 2005 of the English literature reveals several practical findings.

Sleep and medical disorders.

Extensive evidence links cardiovascular disease and sleep disordered breathing. OSA has adverse effects on blood pressure, cardiovascular status,and mortality. Effective CPAP therapy can improve blood pressure and cardiac function in patients who have OSA.

Phylogenetic relationships of the sweetpotato in Ipomoea series Batatas (Convolvulaceae) based on nuclear beta-amylase gene sequences.

Phylogenetic relationships of 13 accessions and a cultivar representing the sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., and its wild progenitors, were investigated using the nucleotide sequence variation of a nuclear-encoded beta-amylase gene.

Obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is an increasingly well-recognized disease characterized by periodic collapse of the upper airway during sleep. This leads to either complete or partial obstruction of the airway, resulting in apneas, hypopneas, or both. This disorder causes daytime somnolence, neurocognitive defects, and depression.