Respiratory physiology & neurobiology
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Respir Physiol Neurobiol · Sep 2011
ReviewInflammatory pathways in children with insufficient or disordered sleep.
Sleep is not only an essential physiological function, but also serves important roles in promoting growth, maturation, and overall health of children and adolescents. There is increasing interest regarding the impact of sleep and its disorders on the regulation of inflammatory processes and end-organ morbidities, particularly in the context of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their complications. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an increasingly common health problem in children, and in the last decade, the emergence of increasing obesity rates has further led to remarkable increases in the prevalence of OSAS, along with more prominent neurocognitive, behavioral, cardiovascular and metabolic morbidities. ⋯ To this effect, it would appear that OSAS could be viewed as a chronic, low-grade inflammatory disorder. Furthermore, the concurrent presence of obesity and OSAS poses a theoretically increased risk of OSAS-related complications. In this review, we will critically review the current state of research regarding the impact of insufficient and disrupted sleep and OSAS on the immune processes and inflammatory pathways that underlie childhood OSAS as a distinctive systemic inflammatory condition in children, and will explore potential interactions between OSAS and obesity.
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Respir Physiol Neurobiol · Sep 2011
ReviewCongenital central hypoventilation syndrome and desogestrel: a call for caution: addendum to "C. Straus, H. Trang, M.H. Becquemin, P. Touraine, T. Similowski, Chemosensitivity recovery in Ondine's curse syndrome under treatment with desogestrel" [Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 171 (2010) 171-174].
Patients suffering from congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) depend on mechanical ventilation during sleep, from birth and throughout life. They lack CO₂-chemosensitivity. ⋯ Desogestrel should not be prescribed to CCHS patients with a respiratory purpose until the results of a pending clinical trial (clinicaltrials.gov. NCT01243697) are available.