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Shedding Light On Esophageal Disease
Canadian Light (CLS) staff scientist Luca Quaroni and Dr. Alan Casson, Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) used the synchrotron"s infrared microscope to identify tissue afflicted with a condition known as Barrett"s Esophagus from chemical fingerprints associated with the disease, which can lead to esophageal cancer. The finding is published in the June, 2009 issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, The Analyst.
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Obama To Replace Bush Bioethics Panel To Redirect Focus Toward Practical Policy Matters
President Obama last week disbanded the Bush administration"s Council on Bioethics and announced plans to form a new commission with a mandate that will offer "practical policy options," according to White House press officer Reid Cherlin, the New York Times reports. According to Cherlin, the old council was disbanded because former President George W. Bush"s administration designed it to be "a philosophically leaning advisory group" that focused on discussion rather than forming a shared consensus. Presidential bioethics commissions, which have existed since 1974, typically serve to inform the public of advances in science and develop guidance on controversial issues such as stem cells, human cloning and genetic engineering, the Times reports.The Bush administration"s council was created in November 2001, shortly after Bush restricted federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to lines existing at the time. Bush"s council at times was accused of being more ideological than previous commissions, particularly under the leadership of Leon Kass of the University of Chicago, the Times reports. It often produced reports with "a somewhat philosophical bent" on issues like how to determine death or the genetic screening of newborns, according to the Times. Alta Charo, an ethicist at the University of Wisconsin, said much of the council"s work "seemed more like a public debating society." Ruth Faden, a bioethicist at Johns Hopkins University, said, "The other view is that all presidential commissions are structured in the context of a particular administration" (Wade, New York Times, 6/18).
News of the day
Even At High Doses, Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents Cannot By Themselves Cause Patients To Develop Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis
Even at very high doses, gadolinium-based contrast agents alone are not sufficient to cause nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with kidney problems, according to a study performed at the Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL. NSF is a rare and serious syndrome that leads to fibrosis of the skin, joints and even internal organs. Some research indicates NSF is caused by gadolinium-based contrast agents that are commonly used today during MR procedures.
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Increased Occurrences Of Parasomnia Symptoms Experienced By Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients

Patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have an increased prevalence of parasomnia symptoms compared with the prevalence rates of individual parasomnias, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Results indicate that the frequency of parasomnia symptoms in individuals with OSA was 9.5 percent, compared to the 2.9 to 4 percent prevalence of parasomnias in adults older than 15 years of age without OSA. Twenty percent of the study"s participants reported an improvement of their parasomnia symptoms with use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. According to lead author Maria Viola-Saltzman, DO, at the University of Washington in Seattle, OSA is known to cause sleep fragmentation, which predisposes patients to the expression of parasomnia symptoms. "We found it interesting that the parasomnia symptoms reported in this patient population were amongst all age groups, as parasomnias are most common in children and young adults," said Viola-Saltzman. The study was based on retrospective chart reviews of 537 new patient referrals for evaluation of OSA at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. Patients were at least 18 years of age, had a polysomnogram diagnostic of OSA and documentation of the presence or absence of parasomnia symptoms. Fifty-one patients (59 percent women, 84 percent of non-Hispanic origin and average age of 47 years) had one or more types of parasomnia complaints. Twenty-one people (38 percent) reported sleep paralysis, 16 (29 percent) reported sleep-related hallucinations, 11 (20 percent) reported acting-out dreams (suggesting REM sleep behavior disorder), five (9 percent) reported sleepwalking, one person reported sleep-related eating and one person felt a "pulling down sensation" on her spine at sleep onset. Abstract Title: The Frequency of Parasomnia Symptoms in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Presentation Date: Tuesday, June 9 Category: Sleep Disorders - Breathing Abstract ID: 0600 Kelly Wagner American Academy of Sleep Medicine


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