At Work even while at rest

After a particularly creative night's sleep , Paul Mac Carteny rushed to the piano at his girlfriend Jane Asher's house to scribble down a tune he had heard in a dream. That song, "Yesterday", would become a Beatles Classic.

Few can claim their slumbering hours are as productive or as lucrative, but "sleeping on the problem" does work. By Scanning the brains of volunteers, they found that a good night's shut-eyes seems to stimulate new brain connections that promote learning by turning a weak memory into a stronger one.

Sophie Schwartze, from the University of Geneva, gave volunteers the task of remembering unknown faces or using a joy stick to follow a moving dot on a computer screen. Some were then allowed to sleep while others were not. They repeated the same tasks the next day while having their brains scanned lowing a new experience effects of learning from the experience", says Schwartz.

The Brian changes were highly localized and relevant to task the volunteer had been set. For example, the researchers observed changes in the unknown faces task. Schwartz will report her study today at the Forum of European Neuroscience meeting in Geneva.

In future, she wants to find out whether by understanding the brain changes involved, the learning effect can be boosted and asses how sleep disorders affect emotional cognitive Functioning

Nature’s Micro Surgeon.

Dr. Joseph Upton published a paper in the journal of plastic and Reconstruction Surgery that made headlines in 1985 when he applied two dozen medicinal leeches to the head of a five year old boy during a successful ear reattachment operation at Boston’s Children Hospital. This 5 –year –old boy’s ear was bitten off by a dog. Ears, which have very small blood vessels, had never been successfully replanted. Dr Upton had no trouble with the boy’s arteries, but as he worked through the night reconnecting the veins, clot began to form. The use of leeches helped to release enzymes that promote blood flow and made difficult wounds heal.

Dr Andreas Michalsen and colleagues from Essen-Mitte Clinic, Germany published a paper titled “Effectiveness of leech therapy in Osteoarthritis of the knee” in the Annals of Internal Medicine. In this Study, they involved 51 patients suffering from Osteoarthritis. They divided them into two groups. One group of 24 patients with osteoarthritis, caused by wear and tear of the ageing knee, was given one shot leech therapy. Four of six leaches were allowed to attach themselves to each knee and drink blood for about an hour. 27 others with same ailment were given twice daily doses of the painkiller Diclofenac for a month. Conclusion: leech therapy was better than drug therapy!

Leech is an invertebrate belonging to the phylum Annelida. There are hundreds of species of leeches of which 15 are found to be of medicinal value. The one used in medicine is called Hirudo medicinalis. At both ends they have suckers. The anterior or oral sucker is meant for sucking the blood from the host. The posterior sucker provides a firm grip while feeding. The oral sucker has three jaws which, like a screw, can make painless wound on the host’s body. The Salivary gland produces an

Anticoagulant called Hirudin which prevents the blood from clotting, while feeding. The digestive system is modified as an spacious elastic bag to store the blood nearly 5 times its own body weight. It provides an anesthetic effect that makes the bitten host feel numb till it is attached to the body. Biologists are studying this substance this substance in order to understand its chemical nature and mechanism of action. The saliva is supposed to have many other molecules of great medicinal interest. One of them is a vasodilator, Histamine that increases the diameter of blood vessels, helping to produce blood flow. Another is an enzyme, Hyaluronidase, which breaks down hyaluronic acid, then bonding material of connective tissue, thus fostering the flow of blood and fluids from affected areas.

The benefits of uing medicinal lleches, or Hirudo medicinalis, were first recorded by Themison Lanodicea in 50 BC . His torically, they have been used for a variety of ailments that bewildered the physicians of the day . Physicians of the middle Ages relied heavily upon them. Even Napolean’s military surgeon, Francois-jospeh-Victor Broussais, was such a firm believer in the medical befits of leeches that in 1833, he had more than 40 million imported into France.

These blood suckers have played an important medical role for centuries in treating every from laryngitis to yellow fever.

Since the leeches are creepy and many patients are scared at the sight of these animals, ‘mechanical leech’ has been developed by Drs Gregory Hartig , Nadine Connor and Michael Conforti of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Hirudo medicinalis is rare and protected throughout much of its range and extinct from much of its former range due to over harvesting, pollution, habitat loss, and decrease in frog populations.

Attached top the body, this device delivers an anticoagulant drug, which helps decongest the blood in veins and promotes clot free circulation.

Cottler, a research associate in biomedical engineering at the university of Virginia, has also invented a mechanical leeach that he belives is superior to natures blood suckers in several ways.

Apart from acting as micro surgeons, leeches are gaining popularity as miniature pharmaceutical factories, Hirudin, which was isolated in the leech in the 1950s,has raised awareness of the leech outside the field of plastic surgery. Enzymes present in its saliva dissolve blood clots and inhibit platelet aggregation, which has let\d to the creation of drugs like Refludan (lepriudin). a recombinant protein used to treat heparin-in duced thrombocytopenia. Hirudin also shuts off the mechanism of factors VIII-mediated blood coagulating.

Genetic engineers in England have been able to clone the gene for hirudin and manufacture it using recombinant DNA technology.

To exploit leeches on a commericial scale Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, N.C., has taken up Leechculture. After rearing the leeches for six months at 80degrees Fahrenheit, they are transferred to a room chilled to a growth-slowing 45degrees Fahrenheit., where they can live for a year without food.

Hungry leeches work well on patients. Once they have finished dining on a patient, they are disposed off like medical waste.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea

What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea can be a serious sleep disorder. People who have sleep apnea stop breathing for 10 to 30 seconds at a time while they are sleeping. These short stops in breathing can happen up to 400 times every night. If you have sleep apnea, the periods of not breathing may make you wake up from deep sleep. If you are waking up all night long, you aren't getting enough rest from your sleep.

There are 2 kinds of sleep apnea: obstructive apnea and central apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type. Nine out of 10 people with sleep apnea have this type of apnea. If you have obstructive apnea, something is blocking the passage or windpipe (called the trachea) that brings air into your body. When you try to breathe, you can't get enough air because of the blockage. Your windpipe might be blocked by your tongue, tonsils or uvula (the little piece of flesh that hangs down in the back of your throat). It might also be blocked by a large amount of fatty tissue in the throat or even by relaxed throat muscles.

Central sleep apnea is rare. This type of sleep apnea is related to the function of the central nervous system. If you have this type of apnea, the muscles you use to breathe don't get the "go-ahead" signal from your brain. Either the brain doesn't send the signal, or the signal gets interrupted.

Is sleep apnea common?
Doctors estimate that more than 12 million Americans have sleep apnea. Men, people who are overweight, or over 40 years old are more likely to have sleep apnea, but it can affect anyone at any age. If you are interested in meeting other people who have sleep apnea, you can visit the American Sleep Apnea Association's Web site to find the location of a support group near you.

How do I know if I have sleep apnea?
Because some of the symptoms of sleep apnea occur while you're sleeping, the person you sleep with may notice it first. You, or that person, may notice heavy snoring or long pauses in your breathing during sleep. Even if you don't remember waking up during the night, you may notice daytime sleepiness (such as falling asleep at work, while driving or when talking), irritability or fatigue. You may also experience morning headaches, forgetfulness, mood changes and a decreased interest in sex.

Your doctor can diagnose sleep apnea. He or she may ask you if you feel tired or sleepy during the day. Your doctor may also want to know about your bedtime habits and how well you sleep. Your doctor may ask you to go to a sleep center for a sleep study. Tests done at the sleep center may reveal which kind of sleep apnea you have. You may also need to take some equipment home with you to do a sleep study there.

Is sleep apnea dangerous?
Sleep apnea can cause serious problems if it isn't treated. Your risk of heart disease and stroke is higher if serious sleep apnea goes untreated. You are also more likely to have traffic accidents if you drive while you're sleepy. If you have sleep apnea, it is very important to get treatment.

Is there anything I can do to help my sleep apnea?
Yes. The following steps help many people who have sleep apnea sleep better:

* Stop all use of alcohol or sleep medicines. These relax the muscles in the back of your throat, making it harder for you to breathe.
* If you smoke, quit smoking.
* If you are overweight, lose weight.
* Sleep on your side instead of on your back.

How is sleep apnea treated?
Certain dental devices can be used to treat mild cases of obstructive sleep apnea. These devices move your jaw forward to make breathing easier.

A common treatment for sleep apnea is called "continuous positive airway pressure," or CPAP. In this treatment, you wear a special mask over your nose and mouth while you are sleeping. The mask will keep your airway open by adding pressure to the air you breathe. It helps most people who have sleep apnea.

In very few cases, surgery is necessary to remove tonsils or extra tissue from the throat.

Will this problem change my life?
Actually, sleep apnea may already have affected you more than you know. Chances are things will improve for you once the diagnosis is made and you start treatment. Whatever your treatment, remember that you are not alone and help is available.