No abstract

Naps are an effective strategy for maintaining alertness and cognitive performance; however, upon abrupt wakening from naps, sleep inertia (temporary performance degradation) may ensue. In the present study, attenuation of post-nap sleep inertia was attempted by administration of caffeine gum. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, 15 healthy, non-smoking adults were awakened at 1 hr. and again at 6 hr. after lights out (0100 and 0600, respectively) and were immediately administered a gum pellet containing 100 mg of caffeine or placebo. A 5-min. psychomotor vigilance task was administered at 0 min., 6 min., 12 min., and 18 min. post-awakening. At 0100, response speed with caffeine was significantly better at 12 min. and 18 min. post-awakening compared to placebo; at 0600, caffeine's effects were evident at 18 min. post-awakening. Caffeinated gum is a viable means of rapidly attenuating sleep inertia, suggesting that the adenosine receptor system is involved in sleep maintenance.

Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) is the most common bacterial cause of acute pharyngitis. Clinical criteria alone are not reliable enough to diagnose GABHS pharyngitis. Microbiological-testing is required for correct diagnosis. Although a throat swab culture remains the gold standard for documenting the presence of GABHS, a significant disadvantage of the culture is the delayed time of 1-2 days to obtain results. Most rapid antigen detection tests can provide results in less than 15 min. Rapid identification and treatment of patients with GABHS pharyngitis can reduce the risk of the spread of disease, may shorten the duration of symptoms, decrease the incidence of suppurative complications, decrease the amount of time lost from school/work, decrease the inappropriate use of antibiotics, reduce patient/parent dissatisfaction and alleviate the need for costly follow-up visits. All rapid antigen detection tests involve extraction of the group-specific carbohydrate antigen from the GABHS cell wall and identification of the antigen by an immunological reaction. There are numerous rapid antigen detection testing methods, namely latex agglutination, enzyme immunoassay, optical immunoassay, chemiluminescent DNA probes and PCR methods. Most of the rapid antigen detection tests that are currently in use have an excellent specificity of greater than 95% and a sensitivity of greater than or equal to 90%. Owing to the high specificity of the rapid antigen detection tests, a positive rapid antigen detection test is accepted as adequate for the diagnosis of GABHS pharyngitis. Conversely, confirmation of a negative antigen detection test with a throat culture result is necessary, unless the physician has ascertained in his/her practice that the sensitivity of the rapid antigen test used is comparable with that of a throat culture.

SUMMARYThe objective of the study was to determine whether ADORA2A or PER3 polymorphisms contribute to individual responsivity to sleep restriction. Nineteen healthy adults (ages 18-39, 11 males, 8 females) underwent sleep restriction (SR) which consisted of seven nights of 3 h time in bed (TIB) (04:00-07:00). SR was preceded by seven in-laboratory nights of 10 h TIB (21:00-07:00) and followed by three nights of 8 h TIB (23:00-07:00). Volunteers underwent psychomotor vigilance, objective alertness, and subjective sleepiness assessments throughout. Volunteers were genotyped for the PER3 VNTR polymorphism (PER3 4/4 n = 7; PER3 4/5 n = 10; PER3 5/5 n = 2) and the ADORA2A c.1083T>C polymorphism, (ADORA2A C/T n = 9; ADORA2A T/T n = 9; ADORA2A C/C n = 1) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Separate mixed-model ANOVAs were used to assess contributions of ADORA2A and PER3 polymorphisms. Results showed that PER3 4/4 and ADORA2A C/T individuals expressed greater behavioral resiliency to SR compared to PER 4/5 and ADORA2A T/T individuals. Our findings contrast with previously reported non-significant effects for the PER3 polymorphism under a less challenging sleep restriction regimen (4 h TIB per night for five nights). We conclude that PER3 and ADORA2A polymorphisms become more behaviorally salient with increasing severity and/or duration of sleep restriction (based on psychomotor vigilance). Given the small sample size these results are preliminary and require replication.

An online survey was distributed via snowball sampling and resulted in responses from 61 gay fathers raising children in 2 states. Fathers reported on the barriers they experienced and the pathways they took to becoming parents. They reported also on experiences of stigma directed at them and their children, especially from family members, friends, and people in religious institutions. Despite these difficulties they reported that they engaged actively in parenting activities and that their child(ren)'s well-being was consistent with national samples.