BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be considered a chronic inflammatory disease that impacts all bodily systems, including the immune system. This study aims to assess the Th17/Treg pattern in patients with OSA and the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment.
METHODS: OSA patients and healthy controls were recruited. OSA patients recommended for CPAP treatment were followed up for three months. Flow cytometry was employed to determine the proportion of Th17 and Treg cells. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting were utilized to detect the mRNA and protein levels of receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) and forkhead/winged helix transcription factor (Foxp3), respectively, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to measure the serum levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17), IL-6, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and hypoxia-induced factor-1α (HIF-1α).
RESULTS: A total of 56 OSA patients and 40 healthy controls were recruited. The proportion of Th17 cells, Th17/Treg ratio, mRNA and protein levels of RORγt, and serum IL-17, IL-6, and HIF-1α levels were higher in OSA patients. Conversely, the proportion of Treg cells, mRNA and protein levels of Foxp3, and serum TGF-β1 levels were decreased in OSA patients. The proportion of Th17 and Treg cells in OSA can be predicted by the apnea hypopnea index (AHI), IL-6, TGF-β1 and, HIF-1α. 30 moderate-to-severe OSA patients were adherent to three-month CPAP treatment, with improved Th17/Treg imbalance, IL-17, IL-6, TGF-β1, and HIF-1α levels compared to pre-treatment values.
CONCLUSIONS: There was a Th17/Treg imbalance in OSA patients. The prediction of Th17 and Treg cell proportions in OSA can be facilitated by AHI, as well as serum IL-6, TGF-β1, and HIF-1α levels. Furthermore, CPAP treatment can potentially improve the Th17/Treg imbalance and reduce proinflammatory cytokines in OSA patients.

UNASSIGNED: Whether preoperative continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment improves postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac valve replacement (CVR) remains unknown.
UNASSIGNED: This study was to evaluate the effects of 1-week perioperative auto-continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on postoperative heart and pulmonary outcomes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and valvular heart disease.
UNASSIGNED: Thirty-two patients with OSA and valvular heart disease were randomly assigned to 1-week CPAP (n = 15) group and non-CPAP treatments (n = 17) group. After the treatment, all patients underwent CVR surgery. The length of ICU and hospital stays, postoperative cardiac and respiratory complications were assessed and compared between the 2 groups.
UNASSIGNED: The results showed there was no significant difference in the baseline characteristics between the CPAP and non-CPAP treatment groups. The length of postoperative ICU and hospital stays, as well as the duration of mechanical ventilation were significantly reduced in the CPAP treatment group compared to the non-CPAP treatment group; however, there were no significant differences in cardiac complications (postoperative arrhythmias, pacemaker use, first dose of dopamine in the ICU, and first dose of dobutamine in the ICU), and respiratory complications (reintubation and pneumonia).
UNASSIGNED: We concluded that in patients underwent CVR, preoperative use of auto-CPAP for OSA significantly decreased the duration of mechanical ventilation, and postoperative stays in the ICU and hospital.Clinical Trial Registration: https://ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03398733.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is regarded as an independent risk factor for hypertension. The possible mechanism includes oxidative stress, endothelial injury, sympathetic excitement, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation, etc. Clinical studies have found that there is a high coexistence of OSA and primary aldosteronism in patients with hypertension and that elevated aldosterone levels are independently associated with OSA severity in resistant hypertension. The underlying mechanism is that aldosterone excess can exacerbate OSA through increasing overnight fluid shift and affecting the mass and function of upper airway muscles during the sleep period. Thus, a bidirectional influence between OSA and aldosterone exists and contributes to hypertension in OSA patients, especially resistant hypertension.

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been associated with a lower risk of treatment failure than high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in pediatric patients with respiratory distress and severe hypoxemia. However, the publication of new trials on children younger than 2 years warrants a review and updated meta-analysis of the evidence. Methods: We conducted a systematic search in the PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in pediatric patients with acute respiratory distress that examined outcomes of interest by the two usual management modalities (CPAP and HFNC). We used pooled adjusted relative risks (RRs) to present the strength of association for categorical outcomes and weighted mean differences (WMDs) for continuous outcomes. Results: We included data from six articles in the meta-analysis. The quality of the studies was deemed good. Included studies had infants with either acute viral bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Compared to CPAP, HFNC treatment carried a significantly higher risk of treatment failure [RR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.99; I 2 = 0.0%, n = 6]. Patients receiving HFNC had a lower risk of adverse events, mainly nasal trauma [RR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.62; I 2 = 0.0%, n = 2] than the others. The risk of mortality [RR, 3.33; 95% CI, 0.95, 11.67; n = 1] and need for intubation [RR, 1.69; 95% CI, 0.97, 2.94; I 2 = 0.0%, n = 5] were statistically similar between the two management strategies; however, the direction of the pooled effect sizes is indicative of a nearly three times higher mortality and two times higher risk of intubation in those receiving HFNC. We found no statistically significant differences between the two management modalities in terms of modified woods clinical asthma score (M-WCAS; denoting severity of respiratory distress) and hospitalization length (days). Patients receiving HFNC had the time to treatment failure reduced by approximately 3 h [WMD, -3.35; 95% CI, -4.93 to -1.76; I 2 = 0.0%, n = 2] compared to those on CPAP. Conclusions: Among children with respiratory distress younger than 2 years, HFNC appears to be associated with higher risk of treatment failure and possibly, an increased risk of need for intubation and mortality. Adequately powered trials are needed to confirm which management strategy is better.

UNASSIGNED: Cardiac surgery often leads to pulmonary complications. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is a mechanical ventilation modality that may help to prevent the pulmonary complications, and the role of the prophylactic use of NIV in patients after cardiac surgery remains controversial.
UNASSIGNED: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Central for randomized controlled trials comparing the use of NIV (continues positive airway pressure or bi-level positive airway pressure) with standard treatment in post-cardiac surgery subjects without language restriction. Two investigators screened the eligible studies up to July, 2019. Meta-analysis using random effect model or fixed effect model was conducted for pulmonary complications, mortality, rate of reintubation and cardiac complications, and mean difference (MD) or standard mean difference for length of hospital stay and length of ICU stay.
UNASSIGNED: We included nine randomized controlled trails with 830 subjects. The use of NIV failed to reduce the risk of pulmonary complications, including atelectasis [risk rate (RR) 0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28 to 1.28, P=0.19] and pneumonia (RR 0.27; 95% CI: 0.05 to 1.64, P=0.16). However, it has shortened the length of ICU stay (MD -1.00 h, 95% CI: -1.38 to -0.63, P<0.00001) and the length of hospital stay (MD -1.00 d, 95% CI: -1.12 to -0.87, P<0.00001). NIV also failed to reduce the rate of reintubation (RR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.21 to 2.26, P=0.53) or the risk of cardiac complications (RR 0.81; 95% CI: 0.59 to 1.13, P=0.22).
UNASSIGNED: The prophylactic use of NIV immediately in post-cardiac subjects who underwent cardiac surgery might be able to shorten the length of hospital stay and the length of ICU stay, but it has no significant effect on pulmonary complications, rate of reintubation or cardiac complications.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a global health problem of increasing prevalence. Effective treatments are available with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy and mandibular advancement devices (MAD). However, there is limited long-term adherence to therapy, as CPAP and MAD require permanent usage to avoid recurrence of the symptoms and adverse ill health. Alternative treatments would aid in the treatment cascade to manage OSA effectively whenever standard therapy has been trialled and failed. Hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HNS), an invasive approach to stimulate the pharyngeal dilator muscles of the upper airway during sleep, has been approved for the treatment of OSA by several healthcare systems in recent years. In parallel to the development of HNS, a non-invasive approach has been developed to deliver electrical stimulation. Transcutaneous electrical stimulation in obstructive sleep apnoea (TESLA) uses non-invasive electrical stimulation to increase neuromuscular tone of the upper airway dilator muscles of patients with OSA during sleep. Data from previous feasibility studies and randomised controlled trials have helped to identify a subgroup of patients who are \"responders\" to this treatment. However, further investigations are required to assess usability, functionality and task accomplishment of this novel treatment. Consideration of these factors in the study design of future clinical trials will strengthen research methodology and protocols, improve patient related outcome measures and assessments, to optimise this emerging therapeutical option. In this review, we will introduce a conceptual framework for the TESLA home programme highlighting qualitative aspects and outcomes.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea and caused by upper airway obstructions. Clinically, patients with OSA characteristically experience intermittent nocturnal hypoxemia and impaired sleep quality. Cognitive impairments are commonly seen in patients with an OSA diagnosis. A literature search on OSA, cognitive impairments and CPAP was performed with various electronic databases including Medline, EMBASE and Google Scholar. The chosen evidence was limited to human subject studies only, and reports on either central sleep apnea or non-classified sleep apnea were excluded. Available evidence has been systemically reviewed to ascertain what types of cognitive impairments are related to OSA as well as the pathological connections. In addition, effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was analyzed as a standard therapy for improving cognitive performance in patients with OSA. The review contributed in: (1) delineating OSA as a risk factor of cognitive impairments; (2) enumerating cognitive impairments seen in patients with OSA; (3) substantiating the relation between OSA and cognitive impairments from the pathological perspective of AD biomarkers; and (4) revealing duration of CPAP is crucial for its therapeutic effects on improving cognitive performance in patients with OSA.

A growing number of studies provide epidemiological evidence linking obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with a number of chronic disorders. Transcriptional analyses have been conducted to analyze the gene expression data. However, the weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) method has not been applied to determine the transcriptional consequence of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in patients with severe OSA. The aim of this study was to identify key pathways and genes in patients with OSA that are influenced by CPAP treatment and uncover/unveil potential molecular mechanisms using WGCNA. We analyzed the microarray data of OSA (GSE 49800) listed in the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Coexpression modules were constructed using WGCNA. In addition, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis were also conducted. After the initial data processing, 5101 expressed gene profiles were identified. Next, a weighted gene coexpression network was established and 16 modules of coexpressed genes were identified. The interaction analysis demonstrated a relative independence of gene expression in these modules. The black module, tan module, midnightblue module, pink module, and greenyellow module were significantly associated with the alterations in circulating leukocyte gene expression at baseline and after exposure to CPAP. The five hub genes were considered to be candidate OSA-related genes after CPAP treatment. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that steroid biosynthesis, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, and the insulin signaling pathway play critical roles in the development of OSA in circulating leukocyte gene expression at baseline and after exposure to CPAP. Using this new systems biology approach, we identified several genes and pathways that appear to be critical to OSA after CPAP treatment, and these findings provide a better understanding of OSA pathogenesis.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) syndrome are both highly prevalent, affecting at least 10% of the general adult population, and each has been independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The presence of both disorders together, commonly referred to as the overlap syndrome, is also highly prevalent, although various clinical and pathophysiological factors associated with COPD may increase or decrease the likelihood of OSA. Lung hyperinflation reduces the likelihood of obstructive apnoea, whereas right heart failure increases the likelihood as a result of rostral fluid shift causing upper airway narrowing in the supine position while asleep. Furthermore, upper airway inflammation associated with OSA may aggravate lower airway inflammation in COPD. The proposed mechanisms of cardiovascular disease in each disorder are similar and include systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and sympathetic excitation. Thus, one could expect that the prevalence of co-morbid cardiovascular disease would be higher in the overlap syndrome but, with the exception of pulmonary hypertension, there are few published reports that have explored this aspect in depth. Hypoxia is more pronounced in patients with the overlap syndrome, especially during sleep, which is likely to be the principal factor accounting for the recognised higher prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in these patients. Cardiac sympathetic activity is increased in patients with the overlap syndrome when compared to each disorder alone, but echocardiographic evidence of left ventricular strain is no greater in overlap patients when compared to COPD alone. While survival might be expected to be worse in overlap patients, recent evidence surprisingly indicates that the incremental contribution of lung function to mortality diminishes with increasing severity of OSA. Identification of co-morbid OSA in patients with COPD has practical clinical significance as appropriate positive airway pressure therapy in COPD patients with co-existing OSA is associated with improved morbidity and mortality.

Extensive use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has positive clinical benefits for most patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, patient adherence is a major limiting factor to the effectiveness of CPAP treatment. This study determined the potential and quantifiable factors affecting the willingness of patients with OSA to undertake CPAP treatment by comparing the polysomnographic parameters recorded during diagnosis and titration. Patients with moderate and severe OSA who attended diagnostic polysomnography (PSG) and CPAP titration at the sleep center of China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) were included in the study. A total of 312 patients were divided into persistent users and nonusers of CPAP according to their use of in-home CPAP following titration and a 7-day CPAP trial. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to define the potential polysomnographic predictors of persistent CPAP adherence, and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Most patients were men older than 50 years who were overweight or obese. Among the patients, 146 (46.8%) became persistent CPAP users. A 10% improvement of oxygen desaturation index (ODI) and a 10% increment in deep sleep percentage increased the chance of persistent CPAP use 1.18-fold and 1.07-fold, respectively. In addition, the improved ODI and deep sleep during CPAP titration increased the chance of persistent CPAP user. The polysomnographic parameters obtained from diagnosis and during titration can facilitate the prediction of persistent CPAP use.