Extensive Exposure to Tear Gases in Ankara.

Objectives: The most common chemical substances used as mass control agents are chloroacetophenone, chlorobenzylidene malononitrile, and oleoresin capsicum. These agents not only have local and rapid effects but also have systemic and long-term effects. The aim of the present study was to discuss the patterns of tear gas exposure and to investigate its effects on respiratory functions.

Macular choroidal thickness measurements in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess macular choroidal thickness measurements in patients with different severities of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) versus normal controls by using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT).

Design: This paper is a descriptive study.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study, the macular area of 74 patients with OSAS and 33 controls were evaluated.

The high dependency of supine position in obstructive sleep apnea.

Objective: To define the frequency of supine positional obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients diagnosed with OSA and to describe the demographic associations with positional OSA (PO).

Methods: A retrospective study was performed in a total of 3813 patients who underwent full-night polysomnography at the Sleep Disorders Center of the Ataturk Chest Diseases, Thoracic Surgery Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey between June 2007 and June 2010. A total of 3214 patients diagnosed with OSA were included in the study.

The relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and the severity of obstructive sleep apnea.

Background And Objective: There is an increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker that predicts atherosclerotic complications. However, there are contradictory results about the correlation between serum hs-CRP levels and OSA severity.

Consequences of hypoxia-reoxygenation phenomena in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Background And Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disorder characterized by numerous episodes of absence of respiratory flow during sleep, which can be followed by a decrease in SaO2, which is rapidly normalized when ventilation resumes. We hypothesize that this hypoxia-reoxygenation phenomena may affect the generation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), erythropoietin (EPO), endothelin-1 (ENDO-1), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS).

Design And Setting: Prospective, patients referred to sleep disorders center.

Obstructive sleep apnea in ischemic stroke patients.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with ischemic stroke and to evaluate the effectiveness of nasal continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

Methods: Overnight polysomnography was performed by a computerized system in 19 subjects with ischemic stroke. Patients with an apnea-hypopnea index > or = 5 were considered to have obstructive sleep apnea.

Role of nitric oxide synthase gene intron 4 and exon 7 polymorphisms in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

The objective of our study was to assess the association of eNOS4 and eNOS296 polymorphisms of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Forty-eight patients with OSAS and 181 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Genotype analyses were performed for eNOS intron 4 VNTR and exon 7, Glu298Asp (G --> T) polymorphisms.

Comparison of serum adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels between patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Background: The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is closely associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of OSAS on plasma adiponectin levels independent of obesity in our study group. We also investigated the association between plasma adiponectin, plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), obesity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and OSAS.

Vascular endothelial growth factor and carotid intima-media thickness in patients with Behçet's disease.

There is morphologic evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis in Behçet's disease (BD) patients obtained by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography (US). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenetic factor and a marker for endothelial dysfunction. VEGF could contribute to the pathological events in BD.

Association of GABA(B)R1 receptor gene polymorphism with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Objective: GABA(B)R (gamma-amino butyric acid B receptor)-mediated neurotransmission has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. GABA(B)R1 gene variants were identified by single-strand conformation analysis. The nucleotide exchanges cause a substitution of alanine to valine in exon 1a1 (Ala20Val), a substitution of glycine to serine in exon 7 (Gly489Ser) and a silent C to G nucleotide exchange encoding the amino acid phenylalanine in exon 11 (Phe658Phe).

Insulin receptor substrate gene polymorphism is associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in men.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess significance of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) -1 gene polymorphism (Gly972Arg) at codon 972 in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

Methods: Using the polymerase chain reaction technique, the codon 972 polymorphism of the IRS-1 gene was analyzed in the DNA obtained from leukocytes of 50 patients and 143 healthy controls.

Results: An overall comparison between the genotypes and allele frequencies of the patients and controls did not reveal any statistically significant difference between the patients and controls (P > .

Comparison of right ventricular functions by tissue Doppler imaging in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with or without hypertension.

Objective: To evaluate the right ventricular function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) independent from systemic hypertension (HT) and to determine the association between OSAS severity and right ventricular dysfunction.

Methods: The study population included 77 consecutive subjects; 20 of these patients had OSAS, 20 of them had HT, but did not have OSAS, 16 patients, who constituted the study group, had both disorders, and 21 subjects without any of these two disorders represented the control group. Right ventricular function was assessed by echocardiography: standard two-dimensional, M-Mode, and conventional Doppler as well as tissue Doppler imaging.

Association of the -1438G/A polymorphism of the 5-HT2A receptor gene with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Objective: Serotonergic neurons innervating motoneurons increase their firing rates in response to respiratory challenges, and long-term facilitation of respiratory activity in response to hypoxia is serotonin (5-HT) dependent. Polymorphism of the genes which code for 5-HT receptors may affect functions of the serotonergic system, and may be associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The objective in this study was to assess the significance of T102C and -1438G/A polymorphisms of the 5-HT2A receptor gene in OSAS.

Elevated C-reactive protein levels and increased cardiovascular risk in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Inflammatory processes associated with OSAS may contribute to cardiovascular morbidity in these patients. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an important serum marker of inflammation.

Relationship between sleep complaints and proinflammatory cytokines in haemodialysis patients.

Background: Sleep complaints are common in end-stage renal disease. We aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep-related complaints and inflammatory cytokines in haemodialysis (HD) patients, and also the effects of HD on sleep patterns and cytokine levels.

Methods: Predialysis serum interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels in nine patients with sleep complaints were compared with those of nine patients without sleep complaints and nine healthy controls.

Serum homocysteine levels and cardiovascular morbidity in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Elevated levels of serum homocysteine are also associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We aimed to investigate serum homocysteine levels and conventional cardiovascular risk factors (cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides) in OSAS patients with and without cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Association of serotonin transporter gene polymorphism with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Background And Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common condition characterized by repetitive pharyngeal collapse during sleep and daytime sleepiness. There is genetic predisposition to sleep disorders. Serotonin is involved in the regulation of sleep.

Effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure in uncontrolled nocturnal asthmatic patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

The mechanisms of nocturnal asthma are intimately related to circadian rhythms, which influence inflammatory cells and mediators, hormone levels and cholinergic tone. Nocturnal airway narrowing in asthma is sometimes associated with sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The aims of this study were to evaluate the association of nocturnal asthma and OSAS, and investigate the influence of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy to improve nighttime symptoms in asthmatic patients with OSAS.

Apnea-hypopnea indexes calculated using different hypopnea definitions and their relation to major symptoms.

A major problem in the discussion of sleep-disordered breathing is caused by the use of different criteria to define its terms. Hypopnea is a good example of this: there is no consensus about its definition yet. In our study, the diagnosis value of apnea-hypopnea indexes (AHIs) determined by different hypopnea definitions was evaluated.

The relationship between serum cytokine levels with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) may have a direct effect on glucose and lipid metabolism. On the other hand, it is known that IL-6 and TNF-alpha are important pro-inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The goal of present study was to test whether sleep apnea contributes to the previously reported increases of IL-6 and TNF-alpha independent of obesity.

[Central sleep apnea syndrome].

Central sleep apnea syndrome (CSAS) is a disorder characterized by repeated apneic events during sleep with no associated ventilatory effort. CSAS is classified as either hypercapnic or non-hypercapnic. In the hypercapnic form of CSAS, increases in PaCO(2) generally result from reductions in ventilation or outright apneas due to an underlying depression of respiratory drive.