Somnus Therapeutics Completes Phase I Study Of Sleep Maintenance Drug
Somnus Therapeutics, Inc., a private specialty pharmaceutical company developing a controlled-release sleep-maintenance therapy, and SkyePharma PLC (LSE:SKP) today announced the completion of the first Phase I study of SKP-1041. Under the terms of the licensing agreement between SkyePharma and Somnus, a US$1 million milestone payment is now payable to SkyePharma.
Postpartum Depression And Poor Sleep Quality Linked
Postpartum depression (PPD) can lead to poor sleep quality, recent research shows. A study published in the current issue of the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing shows that depression symptoms worsen in PPD patients when their quality of sleep declines. Sleep deprivation can hamper a mother’s ability to care for her infant, as judgment and concentration decline.
Editorials, Opinion Piece Address Recent IOM Recommendations On Work Schedules For Medical Residents
Two newspapers recently published two editorials and an opinion piece about recent recommendations by an Institute of Medicine committee that medical residents who work a 30-hour shift should have a five-hour, uninterrupted break to sleep after they have worked 16 hours. Summaries appear below.
World First Study To Investigate Novel Ways For Obese Men To Lose Weight
The world’s first study to investigate the causative link between testosterone, obesity and sleep apnea is being run by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney. Dr Peter Liu, Physician at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, said “It is already known that obesity and sleep apnea decrease testosterone levels and that low testosterone levels causes obesity and sleep apnea, creating a vicious cycle.
Low Blood Pressure In Preterm Infants May Increase SIDS Risk
Scientists from Monash University, Melbourne have shown that infants born prematurely have lower blood pressure during sleep in the first six months of life, compared to healthy, full-term infants. Scientists at the Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research, Monash Institute of Medical Research, believe this may be one reason premature infants are at an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Diabetes, High Blood Sugar And Body Clock All Linked In New Study
Diabetes and high levels of blood sugar may be linked to abnormalities in a person’s body clock and sleep patterns, according to a genome-wide association study published today in the journal Nature Genetics.
Diabetes Risk Linked To Body Clock Gene
Reviewing the results of ten genome-wide association scans covering over 36,000 people of European descent, an international group of scientists found that a variant of a gene involved in regulating the body clock may also be linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea And Erectile Dysfunction: Still A Neglected Risk Factor?
UroToday.com - Erectile dysfunction (ED) and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) have recently been correlated in a scientific manner. Previous attempts to link these two entities consisted mainly of case reports as well as observations of the impact of hypoxic conditions on erectile function. The literature on this topic involves the review of early studies by Sir Edmund Hilary and his scientific team in the Himalayan expedition up to recent mice experiments performed in the lab.
IOM Panel Recommends Medical Residents Get Five Hours Of Uninterrupted Sleep After Working 16 Hours
Medical residents working a 30-hour shift should get a five-hour, uninterrupted break to sleep after working 16 hours, an Institute of Medicine panel recommended on Tuesday, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (AP/Houston Chronicle, 12/2).
Sleeping In School
Up to 10% of children starting school suffer from sleep disturbances and these may lead to poor performance or behavioral difficulties. In the current edition of Deutsches Arzteblatt International, the child and adolescent psychiatrist Gerd Lehmkuhl and his colleagues present the results of a study from Cologne, Germany. The authors have as yet interviewed 1388 children starting school and their parents from all parts of Cologne.
