Watermark  Medical Inc, Boca Raton, Fla, recently announced that it will offer CareFusion’s  NOX-T3 Home Sleep Testing (HST) device for the diagnosis of obstructive  sleep apnea (OSA). The NOX-T3 portable sleep monitor will be available  through Watermark Medical’s network and will expand the company’s HST  product line, which already includes the ARES wireless HST device.

“We are excited to add another HST option to our current offering,”  said Charlie Alvarez, president of Watermark Medical. “As obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) awareness increased and insurance companies are mandating a home sleep test option, availability of the CareFusion NOX-T3 home sleep testing device allows us to further expand the Watermark Medical platform and allow  other HST devices to access our extensive physician, sleep lab, and DME  networks.”

CareFusion’s NOX-T3 features an array of sleep sensors, including a  Bluetooth receiver. The product will be available via Watermark  Medical’s nationwide network in Q3 2011.

The American  Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) announced plans for its 2011 Sleep Apnea  Multi-Modal  Transportation Conference (SAMTC) on November 8-9, 2011, at the  Sheraton Baltimore City Center. Currently cosponsored by the Federal  Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Railroad  Administration (FRA), this second in a series of health and safety  conferences focuses on the role of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)  management within the major modes of transportation, including air,  rail, ground, and maritime. Read the rest of this entry

The sleep medicine center opened a new diagnostic suite at the Holiday  Inn in downtown Bridgeport.

The hotel is renting out six rooms to the hospital, four of which will be  used for sleep studies on patients concerned about sleep apnea and other  problems. Patients would still go to the hospital for follow-up visits  and consultations.

Conducting sleep studies at hotels is something hospitals across the country  have experimented with, said Armand  Wolff, medical director for the sleep center. Being tested for a sleep  disorder at a hotel, for many people, is more appealing than going through the  same process at the hospital, Wolff said. “It’s certainly more comfortable for  our patients,” he said. “The rooms are much bigger here.”

Wolff said the hotel setting is particularly nice for pediatric patients, who  make up a growing percentage of the sleep medicine center’s clients. One of the  rooms in the suite is designed for kids, with two double beds, so parents can  sleep near their children as they’re tested. Patients also get to enjoy most of  the amenities offered to hotel guests, including high-speed wireless Internet,  use of the hotel’s parking garage, pool and fitness center and, of course, a  complimentary breakfast buffet after the completion of sleep studies.

The Bridgeport Holiday Inn is at 1070 Main St. For more information on the Bridgeport  Hospital Center for Sleep Medicine, call 888-357-2396.

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release ]/Minneapolis, MN/June 29, 2011/-Somnetics, International Inc., the maker of the Transcend travel CPAP, is pleased to announce the addition of four new dealers to its list of dealers selling Transcend. They include:

A.W.C.S. Medical
1392 Oliver, Ste D
Porterville, California 93257
559-784-3333

AV Respiratory Services
1601 W Ave J, Ste 201
Lancaster, California 93534

Perry Home Medical Supply
530 Park Ave East
Princeton, Illinois 61356
815-876-3068

Northshore Sleep Medicine
3451 Church Street
Evenson, Illinois 60203
847-674-3600 Read the rest of this entry

Research under way at the University of Arizona is revealing a connection between quality of sleep and the learning and memory functions in children with Down Syndrome.

“It’s well known that children with Down Syndrome are vulnerable to developing sleep apnea which results in pauses in breathing,” UA psychology student Jennifer Breslin says. Breslin has been conducting a study looking at children with Down
Syndrome and the occurrence of sleep apnea.

“if we can demonstrate that kids with poor sleep have poor cognitive outcomes, we can make a case for intervention and ultimately improving their behavior and learning ability,” she says. “If we could give these kids a better quality of life, that would be awesome.”

The developmental disorder is caused by an extra chromosome and is named after John Langdon Down, a British physician who described the illness in 1866. Read the rest of this entry

Insomnia, one of the most dreaded – yet highly common – is affecting more than 30% of the world’s population. Not surprisingly, people today have been found to experience 20% less of the good night’s sleep that people from 100 years ago tremendously enjoyed. Often caused by stress and anxiety or involving genetics, insomnia is prompting roughly 10 million Americans to pop prescription medicine to help them fall into a deep slumber.

As the number of “insomniacs” around the world soars, so does the need for trusted, relevant data on how alleviate the condition.

Established in 2005, Help-Me-To-Sleep.com aims to provide a wealth of facts and advice on a range of sleep disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome and shift work sleep disorder. The website contains insomnia definition to help visitors understand the condition, while tackling in detail what causes insomnia and how to treat it. Read the rest of this entry

A recent study by the Center for Disease Control reveals that 29 percent of Americans get less than the recommended minimum of seven hours of sleep each night.

To raise awareness of the need for better sleep, Piedmont Newnan Hospital is teaming up with the American Sleep Association to establish a local Alert, Well, and Keeping Energetic (A.W.A.K.E.) support group.

The group’s first quarterly meeting is open to friends, family members and patients with sleep apnea and will be led by board-certified physician, Vijay Patel, M.D. “Understanding Sleep Apnea and its Treatment Options” will be held tonight at 6 at the Sleep Center located at 20 Francis Way, Suite 150 in Sharpsburg. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release i]/ June 27, 2011/ – Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE: SFE), a holding company that builds value in growth-stage life sciences and technology companies, today announced that it led a $35 million Series D financing for Baltimore, MD-based NovaSom, a diagnostics company enabling home diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Safeguard provided $20 million of financing; the additional $15 million was provided by existing investors, including TPG Biotechnology II Fund and Quaker BioVentures, among others. Proceeds from the financing will be used to fund growth, expand its leadership position in payer and provider markets, and develop additional innovations within the company’s proprietary NovaSom® diagnostic medical device and cloud-based MediTrack® Patient Management Portals. Read the rest of this entry

Intranasal corticosteroid therapy can improve symptoms in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), but what is the mechanism of action for that effect?

A group of researchers from the University of Chicago School of Medicine in Illinois may have at least part of the answer: intranasal corticosteroids inhibit secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6).

“This reduction could contribute to the clinical efficacy of this class of medications in the treatment of childhood obstructive sleep apnea ” write Rania Esteitie, MD, from the Section of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Chicago Medical Center, and colleagues in an article published in the June issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery.

To assess the effects of intranasal corticosteroids on inflammatory cytokines in adenoid tissues, the researchers conducted a randomized, prospective study of 24 children, aged 2 to 12 years, who were scheduled to undergo adenotonsillectomy for documented OSAS. Read the rest of this entry

The use of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia to treat sleep  problems can reduce suicidal ideation, according to research presented  last week at SLEEP 2011,  the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep  Societies LLC, held in Minneapolis.

The findings show that about 21% of participants with insomnia—65 of  303 participants—reported having suicidal thoughts or wishes during the  past 2 weeks. Group cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia produced a  statistically significant post-treatment reduction in suicidal  ideation. Treatment sessions were conducted weekly until the final two  sessions, which were conducted bi-weekly.

According to the researchers, a growing body of evidence suggests  that self-reported insomnia and poor sleep quality constitute modifiable  risk factors for suicide. Sleep complaints are listed among the top  suicide warning signs by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service  Administration. No previous studies, however, had evaluated the impact  of a sleep intervention on suicidal ideation.

The study included 303 community outpatients between 18 and 88 years  of age who completed group cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia.  The Beck Depression Inventory, which includes a question about suicidal  thoughts or wishes, was administered at both baseline and  post-treatment.

A new study shows that people with primary insomnia may be able to  find relief by wearing a cap that cools the brain during sleep. The  findings were presented last week at SLEEP 2011, the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the  Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC, in Minneapolis.

According to the researchers, a reduction in metabolism in the  brain’s frontal cortex occurs while falling asleep and is associated  with restorative sleep. Insomnia, however, is associated with increased  metabolism in this same brain region. One way to reduce cerebral  metabolic activity is to use frontal cerebral thermal transfer to cool  the brain—a process known as “cerebral hypothermia.” Read the rest of this entry

Childhood obesity in North Carolina is at 33.5% according to the  National Conference of State Legislatures. Raleigh  weight loss problems mount as the state will pay $2.138 billion in annual  medical costs of obesity.

One in three children are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity has  increased over 300% in the past 30 years according to the CDC (Center for  Disease Control). Obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5%  in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. Obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years  increased from 5.0% to 18.1% during the same time period.

The risk factors for obesity in children and adolescents are cardiovascular  disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure. To make matters worse, they are  at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and poor self-esteem.  Overweight and obese children are more likely to be overweight or obese in their  adult years. This increases their chances of developing heart disease, type 2  diabetes, stroke, cancer and osteoarthritis.

Knowing these facts; would one ever say to your overweight or obese child,  Sweetie, let’s go get some cheeseburgers, fries and a milk shake so later in  life it can result in a heart attack.

Gaming and Internet activity are more likely to have a negative  impact on self-reported teen sleep duration than watching television,  according to a study presented at the American Psychiatric  Association Annual Meeting.

Researchers analyzed data about media usage and physical activity  from the 2009 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey maintained by the Centers for  Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers found different types  of media exposure have different impact on self-reported teen sleep  patterns. Gaming and Internet usage negatively impacted reported sleep  time, while television had no impact, and physical activity improved  sleep time.

Inspire  Medical Systems, Minneapolis, recently announced that its STAR  (Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction) trial, evaluating both the  safety and effectiveness of Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS)  therapy in patients who suffer from moderate to severe obstructive sleep  apnea (OSA), is now under way at nine medical centers in the United  States and four sites in Europe. In addition, several OSA patients have  already been implanted with Inspire therapy in the STAR trial.