Thermal biofeedback and periodic movements in sleep: Patients' subjective reports and a case study

Periodic movements in sleep (PMS) is a sleep disorder characterized by repetitive leg kicks accompanied by arousals. In our clinical experience, many patients with PMS anecdotally report that they suffer from cold feet. This study explored whether there is an increased incidence of cold feet complaints in patients with periodic movements in sleep. Results indicated that, indeed, significantly more patients with leg kicks complain of cold feet as compared to patients without leg kicks. A case study was then conducted to determine whether foot thermal biofeedback training would alleviate symptoms of periodic movements in sleep. The number of leg kicks decreased from a mean of 536 per night before biofeedback training to a mean of 19.5 after training. These data lend support to our hypothesis that poor circulation may be contributing to the severity of periodic movements in sleep and that thermal biofeedback may afford an alternative treatment strategy.     

Long term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on bone in rats

Prenatal exposure to cocaine has been shown to produce a variety of effects on skeletal development and mineralization in humans, mice, and rats. The effects of cocaine on bone cell function and mineral metabolism pre- and postnatally are poorly understood. The present study examined the long term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on femoral growth and mineralization in male rats. Pregnant rats were given 80 or 100 mg cocaine hydrochloride/kg during days 7-20 of gestation. At birth, body weights of pups born to these females were significantly decreased compared to normal and pair-fed controls. At the termination of the study (32 weeks), body weights of offspring from C100-treated females were still lower than normal. Long term effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine on femoral growth were most pronounced in offspring of C80-treated females. Femur dry weight, ash weight, organic matrix weight and density were significantly reduced in these animals compared to normal or pair-fed controls. The apparent osteopenic effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine suggests some long term postnatal impact on bone cell or mineral metabolism. Previous studies of cocaine use during pregnancy in humans and animals have focused primarily on physical and behavioral defects in offspring. The present findings indicate that prenatal exposure to cocaine may also have long term consequences to the skeleton.