Catathrenia can be successfully treated with CPAP

New Study in the Journal SLEEP Finds that Catathrenia Can be Successfully Treated with CPAP. – Catathrenia, or sleep related groaning, is an uncommon feature of a sleep-related breathing disorder that can be successfully treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Safety warning on fentanyl skin patch by US FDA

The FDA warned, for the second time in two years, that improper use of the fentanyl patch, a painkiller, is still claiming lives. – The US Food and Drug Administration issued its second safety warning about the fentanyl transdermal system, an adhesive patch that delivers a potent pain medicine through the skin. In July 2005, the agency issued a similar warning to the public and to health care providers, saying that the directions on the product label and on the patient package insert should be followed exactly in order to avoid overdose.

Massage eases pain and anxiety after surgery

Massage can ease pain after surgery and may complement the use of drugs for patients, US researchers said. – A 20-minute evening back massage may help relieve pain and reduce anxiety following major surgery when given in addition to pain medications, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Distorted self image the result of visual brain glitch, UCLA study

Body dysmorphic disorder tends to run in families and is especially common in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Thirty percent of people with BDD suffer from eating disorders, which are also linked to a distorted self-image.
– Although they look normal, people suffering from body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD, perceive themselves as ugly and disfigured. New imaging research reveals that the brains of these people look normal but function abnormally when processing visual details.

Sleep disordered breathing affects obese children

Sleep disordered breathing affects obese and overweight children. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can pose serious health threats.
– As the obesity epidemic grows in the U.S., doctors are discovering more and more far reaching health concerns for overweight children. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), which can include various sleep behaviors ranging in severity from snoring to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), disproportionately affects children who are overweight and African- American, according to a new study published in the December 2007 edition of Otolaryngology ? Head and Neck Surgery.

Nexavar approved for patients with inoperable liver cancer

Anticancer drug Nexavar raised survival period in inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma patients suffering from this kind of liver cancer. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Nexavar (sorafenib) for use in patients with a form of liver cancer known as hepatocellular carcinoma, when the cancer is inoperable. Nexavar was originally approved in 2005 for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer.