The Technocrat - v. 35, no. 3

In this issue...Winter Break, Mining City Taxi, Pat Hansen, Oredigger football, volleyball, Petroleum Engineering, coffee, Professor Bryce Hill, surveillance

The Technocrat - v. 35, no. 2

In this issue...2014 Elections, native fish restoration, Ryan Zinke, John Lewis, Academic Center for Excellence, climate change, interpersonal communication, student opinion

The Technocrat - v. 35, no. 4

In this issue...Year in Photos, First Semester Experience, Building Butte, Social Security, Book Review, Patrick Rothfuss, Butte Silver-Bow, Charlie Oredigger, ASMT Safe Rides

The Technocrat - v. 35, no. 1

In this issue...movie review, Lady Diggers, collegiate volleyball, driverless cars, orientation, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Mount Haggin, HPER, public lecture series

The Technocrat - v. 35, no. 5

In this issue...Martin Karplus, Noble Prize, Dodgeball Duel, President Obama, community college, Pintler mountains, cell phone evolution, Facebook, social media

Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Periodic Limb Movements in Narcolepsy with Cataplexy: A Systematic Analysis of 35 Consecutive Patients

Background: Disturbed sleep is a core feature of narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC). Few studies have independently assessed sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and periodic limb movements (PLMs) in non-homogeneous series of patients with and without cataplexy. We systematically assessed both SDB and PLMs in well-defined NC patients. Methods: We analyzed the clinical and polysomnographic features of 35 consecutive NC patients (mean age 40 ± 16 years, 51% males, 23/23 hypocretin-deficient) to assess the prevalence of SDB (apnea-hypopnea index >5) and PLMs (periodic leg movements in sleep (PLMI) >15) together with their impact on nocturnal sleep and daytime sleepiness using the multiple sleep latency test. Results: 11 (31%) and 14 (40%) patients had SDB and PLMs, respectively. SDB was associated with older age (49 ± 16 vs. 35 ± 13 years, p = 0.02), higher BMI (30 ± 5 vs. 27 ± 6, p = 0.05), and a trend towards higher PLMI (25 ± 20 vs. 12 ± 23, p = 0.052), whereas PLMs with older age (50 ± 16 vs. 33 ± 11 years, p = 0.002) and reduced and fragmented sleep (e.g. sleep efficiency of 82 ± 12% vs. 91 ± 6%, p = 0.015; sleep time of 353 ± 66 vs. 395 ± 28, p = 0.010). SDB and PLMs were also mutually associated (p = 0.007), but not correlated to daytime sleepiness. Conclusions: SDB and PLMs are highly prevalent and associated in NC. Nevertheless, SDB and PLMs are rarely severe, suggesting an overall limited effect on clinical manifestations.

Headache and transient aphasia in a 35-year-old female patient

We describe the case of a 35-year-old female patient who suffered from fulminant tick-borne encephalitis and subsequently died. Remarkable about this case was that the woman was not living in an endemic area and that the disease occurred outside the usual season. Furthermore, this indicates that an increase in transmission of tick-borne encephalitis can be expected outside the classical endemic areas in higher altitudes, possibly as a consequence of climate changes.