"Health News - Medicine, Diet and Fitness"

The prognosis for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease that mainly affects women in their reproductive years, has improved recently, prompting a shift toward improving quality of life. For men with SLE, concerns have been raised about their future fertility. However, no studies have been conducted to date on testes function and its relevance to sperm abnormalities in male SLE patients.

A new study published in the July 2007 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism examined gonad function in male SLE patients and found that they have a high frequency of sperm abnormalities associated with reduced testicular volume. In addition, the study identified intravenous treatment with the immunosuppressant cyclophosphamide (IV CYC) as the major factor in permanent damage to the testes.

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TURKU, Finland, Nov. 1 — People who tend to experience daily life as highly stressful may be more likely to develop sleep problems when traumatic events occur, researchers found.

However, the 1.5- to three-fold increased risk may persist only for the first months after a stressful event, such as divorce or family illness, reported Jussi Vahtera, M.D., of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Men’s health here, and colleagues in the November 1 issue of the journal SLEEP. Action Points
Explain to interested patients that their daily experience of anxiety may impact their sleep after a major stressful event.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 1 — The veteran with the highest risk for suicide is a younger white man, according to a longitudinal study of VA data from 1999 to 2004.Action Points
Discuss with patients the symptoms of depression and signs of suicide risk, and consider screening patients and families for suicide risk factors.

The study of more than 800,000 U.S. veterans showed that in addition to being young and white, a history of substance abuse or hospitalization for psychiatric reasons in the year before a diagnosis of depression also put veterans at increased risk for suicide, reported Kara Zivin, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, and colleagues, online in advance of publication in the December issue of the American Journal of Public (more…)

HELSINKI, Finland, Oct. 1 — Sleep excesses one way or the other can carry a roughly 20% greater mortality risk over two decades, investigators here found.Action Points
Explain to interested patients sleep has a complicated association with mortality.

Point out that both too much sleep and too little have been associated with an increased mortality risk

Point out that the optimal amount of sleep appears to be about seven to eight hours daily.

Emphasize that the study was based on evaluation of a database, not a prospective, randomized clinical study.

Men, in particular, had a significant increase in the associations between natural death and both stable long and stable short sleep, Christer Hublin, M.D., Ph.D., of the Finnish Institute of Occupational (more…)

ROCHESTER, Minn., Nov. 1 — The first comprehensive guidelines for circadian rhythm sleep disorders are out, though with few surprises for sleep medicine specialists. Action Points
Explain to interested patients that the guidelines provide a more comprehensive approach to circadian rhythm sleep disorders than was previously available.

Consider recommendations from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in diagnosis and treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

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Cannabis, pain, and sleep: lessons from therapeutic clinical trials of Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine.: Chem Biodivers. 2007 Aug;4(8):1729-43 Authors: Russo EB, Guy GW, Robson PJ

Cannabis sativa L. has been utilized for treatment of pain and sleep disorders since ancient times. This review examines modern studies on effects of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) on sleep. It goes on to report new information on the effects on sleep in the context of medical treatment of neuropathic pain and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, employing standardized oromucosal cannabis-based medicines containing primarily THC, CBD, or a 1 : 1 combination of the two (Sativex). Sleep-laboratory results indicate a mild activating effect of CBD, and slight residual sedation with THC-predominant extracts. Experience to date with Sativex in numerous Phase I-III studies in 2000 subjects with 1000 patient years of exposure demonstrate marked improvement in subjective sleep parameters in patients with a wide variety of pain conditions including multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathic pain, intractable cancer pain, and rheumatoid arthritis, with an acceptable adverse event profile. No tolerance to the benefit of Sativex on pain or sleep, nor need for dosage increases have been noted in safety extension studies of up to four years, wherein 40-50% of subjects attained good or very good sleep quality, a key source of disability in chronic pain syndromes that may contribute to patients’ quality of life.

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SAO PAULO, Brazil, Sept. 28 — Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure reverses early signs of atherosclerosis, researchers here found.Action Points
Explain to interested patients that the study affirms a causal link between obstructive sleep apnea and atherosclerosis.

Inform patients that CPAP may help reverse the cardiovascular risk caused by severe sleep apnea, but further study is needed to show it prevents heart attack and other outcomes.

In a carefully controlled, randomized trial, CPAP therapy reduced carotid intima-media thickness 9% over four months and improved arterial stiffness 10% among men with severe sleep apnea reported in the first October issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 25 — The FDA said Cephalon has agreed to update the modafinil (Provigil) label to include a warning about increased risk of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and other serious rashes and hypersensitivity reactions.

In a letter to physicians, Jeffrey M. Dayno, M.D., vice president for medical services of Cephalon, warned that worldwide post-marketing revealed rare cases of serious or life-threatening rash, including SJS, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms in adults and children.

Moreover, multi-organ hypersensitivity reactions “including at least one fatality in post-marketing experience, have occurred in close temporal association to the initiation of modafinil,” he wrote.

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CHICAGO, Oct. 25 — Surgically widening the airway — a procedure called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty — can eliminate obstructive sleep apnea in about a third of patients, a researcher said here.Action Points
Explain to interested patients that obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of many other diseases, as well as having ill effects of its own.

Note that this retrospective study shows that a surgical procedure to widen the airway can improve apnea, as measured in the sleep lab.

Note, too, that this study was published as an abstract and presented orally at a conference. The data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed publication.

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Even when a drug is administered as prescribed, side effects can happen. Viagra is no exception. Here are some common and not so common side effects one may experience after taking Viagra.