PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Intranasal corticosteroid treatment appears beneficial for children with obstructive sleep apnea

2011-06-21
(Press-News.org) Using a fluticasone furoate nasal spray for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in children appears to reduce production of certain inflammatory cell proteins that may play a role in development of obstructive sleep apnea, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by prolonged partial upper airway obstruction and/or intermittent complete obstruction with disruption of normal ventilation during sleep and normal sleep patterns," the authors write as background information in the study. It is estimated that obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) occurs in 2 percent to 3 percent of children and can have a negative effect on overall quality of life. According to the authors, previous research has suggested a role for inflammation in OSAS, including increased release of certain cytokines and the presence of inflammatory cytokines.

To determine the effect of intranasal corticosteroid therapy on inflammatory cytokines (non-antibody proteins secreted by cells that act as mediators between cells) in adenoid tissues in children with OSAS, Rania Esteitie, M.D., and colleagues from The University of Chicago Medical Center and Pritzker School of Medicine, conducted a randomized, prospective exploratory study of 24 children ages 2 to 12 years who were undergoing adenotonsillectomy (surgical removal of the tonsils and adenoids) for OSAS that had been documented by polysomnography.

Children were randomized into one of two groups: treatment (n=11) or no treatment (n=13). The 11 children in the treatment group received 55µg (microgram or mcg; equal to one millionth of a gram) of fluticasone furoate nasal spray (an intranasal corticosteroid) once daily for two weeks while the 13 children in the no-treatment group received no intranasal treatment. All children included in the analysis underwent adenotonsillectomy two weeks after initiation of treatment. The main outcome of the study was to determine the number of T-regulatory cells (specialized cells that act to suppress activation of the immune system) as well as levels of various cytokine receptors in both groups.

After the adenotonsillectomy, the authors weighed the removed adenoids from children in both groups to determine if treatment had worked to reduce the size of the tissue, but they found no significant difference in adenoid weight between the two groups.

The authors found that the treatment group had reduced levels of spontaneous IL-6 (a type I cytokine receptor that regulates cell growth and differentiation) production. The IL-6 cytokine is secreted by T-regulatory cells and induces cell growth differentiation in certain cells. The authors also note that it is an important predictor of cardiovascular risk and mortality. The treatment did not appear to have reduced levels of any other cytokine receptor examined, nor was there a significant difference in the number of T-regulatory cells produced in each group.

"In this study, we show reduction of IL-6, a proinflammatory cytokine, in adenoid tissue obtained from children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome treated with fluticasone furoate nasal spray," the authors conclude. "This reduction could contribute to the clinical efficacy of this class of medications in the treatment of childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome."

###

(Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2011;137[6]:576-582. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor's Note: This study was funded by an investigator-initiated grant from GlaxoSmithKline. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

To contact corresponding author Fuad M. Baroody, M.D., call Dianna Douglas at 773-702-6241 or e-mail Dianna.douglas@uchospitals.edu.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study compares 2 types of botulinum toxin for cosmetic use

2011-06-21
Not all varieties of botulinum toxin seem to be equally effective in reducing crow's feet wrinkles, according to a report published Online First today by Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Botulinum toxin, a protein long considered harmful, is now known as a neuromodulator (a chemical that affects nerve impulses) that has cosmetic and medical uses, according to background information in the article. In 1989, botulinum toxin type A was approved in the United States for two muscular conditions that affect the appearance of the eyes. In ...

Salt marsh sediments help gauge climate-change-induced sea level rise

2011-06-21
A newly constructed, 2,000-year history of sea level elevations will help scientists refine the models used to predict climate-change-induced sea level rise, according to an international team of climate researchers. The record also shows that the past century had the fastest recorded rate of sea level rise. "One of the largest uncertainties in projecting the impacts of climate change involve predicting the amount and rate of future sea level rise," said Michael E. Mann, professor of meteorology, Penn State. "The societal ramifications are as great as any climate change ...

Nanoparticles disguised as red blood cells will deliver cancer-fighting drugs

2011-06-21
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a novel method of disguising nanoparticles as red blood cells, which will enable them to evade the body's immune system and deliver cancer-fighting drugs straight to a tumor. Their research will be published next week in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The method involves collecting the membrane from a red blood cell and wrapping it like a powerful camouflaging cloak around a biodegradable polymer nanoparticle stuffed with a cocktail of small molecule ...

New study reveals how the immune system responds to hepatitis A virus

2011-06-21
A surprising finding in a study comparing hepatitis C virus (HCV) with hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections in chimpanzees by a team that includes scientists from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute sheds new light on the nature of the body's immune response to these viruses. Understanding how hepatitis C becomes chronic is very important because some 200 million people worldwide and 3.2 million people in the U.S. are chronically infected with HCV and are at risk for progression to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis C associated liver disease is the most common ...

Adulterated cocaine causing serious skin reactions

Adulterated cocaine causing serious skin reactions
2011-06-21
LOS ANGELES—(June 20, 2011)—Doctors warned of a potential public health epidemic in a recent report on patients in Los Angeles and New York who developed serious skin reactions after smoking or snorting cocaine believed to be contaminated with a veterinary medication drug dealers are using to dilute, or "cut," up to 70% of the cocaine in the U.S. The report, published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, said six patients developed purple-colored patches of necrotic skin on their ears, nose, cheeks and other parts of their body and, in some instances, ...

Australian Sun Protective Wear Now Available in the U.S.

Australian Sun Protective Wear Now Available in the U.S.
2011-06-21
Solartex Sun Gear, Inc., a leader in sun protective clothing in the United States, is introducing its newest line that provides the maximum (50+) SPF/UPF in sun protection. Designed in Australia, these colorful rash shirts, swimsuits and hats come in a full range of sizes from 0 to 8xl, offering something for everyone from the newborn to the plus-sized adult. Since its founding in 1998, Solartex has specialized in locating, importing, manufacturing, and retailing sun protective UV clothing to U.S. and international consumers. It is now designing and manufacturing private ...

3 postulates to help identify the cause of Alzheimer's disease

2011-06-21
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 20, 2011 -- After more than 100 years following its pathologic description, the cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unknown. To test the validity of present and future proposals related to the probable cause of AD, three postulates, or necessary conditions, are recommended by Jack de la Torre, MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, in an article published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. "Knowing what causes AD is critically important because it would allow more effective therapy to specifically ...

Unexpected function of dyslexia gene

2011-06-21
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that a gene linked to dyslexia has a surprising biological function: it controls cilia, the antenna-like projections that cells use to communicate. Dyslexia is largely hereditary and linked to a number of genes, the functions of which are, however, largely unknown. This present study from Karolinska Institutet and Helsinki University now shows that one of these genes, DCDC2, is involved in regulating the signalling of cilia in brain neurons. "Our discovery presents us with a possible new neurobiological ...

Research reveals that 10 percent of middle-aged Europeans are on antidepressants

Research reveals that 10 percent of middle-aged Europeans are on antidepressants
2011-06-21
New research from the University of Warwick and the IZA Institute in Bonn shows that 10% of middle-aged Europeans took antidepressants in 2010. The researchers looked in detail at the lives of a randomly selected sample of nearly 30,000 Europeans. The study covered 27 countries. Andrew Oswald, an economics professor at the University of Warwick, and co-author of the study, described the results as concerning, he said: "Antidepressants are a relatively new kind of commodity. We are only starting to get proper data on who takes them. But as we live in the richest and safest ...

Let your fingers do the talking: Sexting and infidelity in cyberspace

2011-06-21
Although sex and infidelity are now only a keyboard away, at the end of the day, there is no substitute for physical, face-to-face contact in our sexual relationships. That's according to a new study by Diane Kholos Wysocki, from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Cheryl Childers, from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. They investigated the behaviors of infidelity on the internet and sexting - sending sexually explicit text messages and photographs via email or cell phone. Their findings are published online in Springer's journal, Sexuality & Culture. The ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Common pregnancy complications may be a signal of future stroke risk

Barcodes uncover early blueprints of our cellular origins

Stanford Medicine-led phase 3 trial shows gene therapy skin grafts help epidermolysis bullosa

‘Pill-on-a-thread’ could replace endoscopies for half of all patients being monitored for esophageal cancer risk

Study casts doubt on ‘incestuous royalty’ in Neolithic Ireland

Heart valve developed at UC Irvine shines in early-stage preclinical testing

In diseases due to exposure to toxic particles like gout, macrophages elicit separate pathways for inflammation and lysosomal function

Zoning out could be beneficial—and may actually help us learn faster

Weekly semaglutide improves blood sugar and weight in adults with Type 1 diabetes

Concerned father, statistician develops software to improve skills therapy

Your smartwatch might know you’re sick before you do — and it might help stop pandemics

ImmunoPET tracer enhances early detection of liver cancer

AI-based brain-mapping software receives FDA market authorization

New PET tracer identifies diverse invasive mold infections behind life-threatening illnesses in cancer and transplant patients

Current Pharmaceutical Analysis (CPA) achieves notable impact factor growth in latest journal citation reports

AI chatbot safeguards fail to prevent spread of health disinformation

UTIA researcher to receive award from the Soil and Water Conservation Society

HSE linguists study how bilinguals use phrases with numerals in Russian

Cold winters halt the northward spread of species in a warming climate

Study finds early signs of widespread coastal marsh decline

Massive burps of carbon dioxide led to oxygen-less ocean environments in the deep past

US muslims’ attitudes toward psychedelic therapy

HSE scientists reveal how staying at alma mater can affect early-career researchers

Durham University scientists reveal new cosmic insights as first Rubin Observatory images released

Emotional and directional enabled programmable flexible haptic interface for enhanced cognition in disabled community

Music on the brain: exploring how songs boost memory

Non-contact and nanometer-scale measurement of shallow PN junction depth buried in Si wafers

A unified approach to first principles calculations of Parton physics in hadrons

Killer whales groom each other using tools made from kelp

Killer whales make seaweed ‘tools’ to scratch each other’s backs

[Press-News.org] Intranasal corticosteroid treatment appears beneficial for children with obstructive sleep apnea