With the holiday season's hustle and bustle in full swing, most of us will race to our favorite coffee shop to get that caffeine boost to make it through the day. However, that daily jolt that we crave might be the reason we need the caffeine in the first place. "Many people won't get enough sleep during the holidays and will drink numerous cups of coffee or high energy drinks so they will have enough energy to finish shopping and attend numerous parties," said Dr. [click link for full article]

Are you prepared to go to the gym for one hour, three times a week, for 20 weeks all in the name of science? If so researchers at The University of Nottingham want to hear from you. As part of their on-going research into the ageing process, scientists in the School of Biomedical Sciences need a team of volunteers who are prepared to under take a five month programme of resistance training. [click link for full article]

Responding to a new study demonstrating the severity of the HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) in low- and middle-income countries, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, called on policymakers to put aside their prejudices and to provide the resources and the leadership that the epidemic demands. [click link for full article]

Although mood disorders and depression may occur at any age during a woman's life, women seem to more vulnerable during times of hormonal fluctuations such as the menstrual period, pregnancy and perimenopause, according to a report released by the Society for Women's Health Research in November. During times of hormonal flux, many women are able to emerge relatively unscathed. [click link for full article]

With 8 million people at high risk for advanced age-related macular degeneration, researchers from Harvard and Japan discovered that the experimental drug, endostatin, may be the cure. A research report published in the December 2007 issue of The FASEB Journal, describes how giving endostatin to mice significantly reduced or eliminated abnormal blood vessel growth within the eye, which is ultimately why the disease causes blindness. [click link for full article]

In an examination of potential relationships between objective sleep measures, nocturnal sex hormone levels, and the nocturnal course of body temperature of older postmenopausal women, altered levels of both sex hormones and gonadotropins may contribute to sleep disturbance in older postmenopausal women and confirm the results of previous studies indicating that higher body temperature is associated with poorer sleep quality.The study, authored by Patricia J. [click link for full article]

In an examination of potential relationships between objective sleep measures, nocturnal sex hormone levels, and the nocturnal course of body temperature of older postmenopausal women, altered levels of both sex hormones and gonadotropins may contribute to sleep disturbance in older postmenopausal women and confirm the results of previous studies indicating that higher body temperature is associated with poorer sleep quality.The study, authored by Patricia J. [click link for full article]

The most common factors believed to contribute to diabetes are a decreased amount of physical activity and access to highly palatable processed foods. However, there is growing evidence that another aspect of our modern lifestyle, short sleep duration, is also contributing toward the "diabetes epidemic".The study, authored by James E. [click link for full article]

Both a decrease and an increase in sleep duration are associated with an elevated risk of mortality by cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular means, respectively. The study, authored by Jane E. Ferrie, PhD, of the University College London Medical School in London, U.K., focused on 10,308 participants between 35 and 55 years of age. Baseline screening (Phase 1), conducted between 1985 and 1988, involved a clinical examination and a self-administered questionnaire. [click link for full article]

Individuals with either current or past insomnia are more likely to report a family history of insomnia than are those who have never had the sleep disorder. The study, authored by Simon Beaulieu-Bonneau, MPs, of the École de psychologie at Université Laval in Québec, Canada, focused on 953 adults between 18 and 83 years of age, who completed several questionnaires, including a survey of current and past history of insomnia/sleep disorders for self and first-degree relatives. [click link for full article]

The Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) is an independent, reliable tool in predicting the negative impact of a sleep-related breathing disorder and daytime sleepiness on a teenager's academic performance.The study, authored by Daniel Perez-Chada, MD, of Hospital Universitario Austral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, focused on 2,884 students, whose answers to a Spanish version of the PDSS were provided by their parents. [click link for full article]

Practice parameters serve as both an update of previous practice parameters for the therapy of narcolepsy and as the first to address treatment of other hypersomnias of central origin, including idiopathic hypersomnia, recurrent hypersomnia and hypersomnia due to medical condition. [click link for full article]

Hospital staff nurses who work extended hours, work at night, struggle to remain awake at work, or obtain less sleep are more likely to experience a drowsy driving episode. The study, authored by Linda D. Scott, PhD, of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich. [click link for full article]

Coffee is an effective countermeasure to sleepiness for both young and middle-aged people. However, napping is more efficient in young than in middle-aged people.Patricia Sagaspe, PhD, of the Clinique du Sommeil at CHU Pellegrin in Bordeau, France, studied 24 people, 12 young (between 20-25 years of age) and 12 middle-aged (between 40-50 years of age). Participants first drove 125 highway miles in the daylight, between 6:00 and 7:30 p.m. [click link for full article]

Events mark the 20th World Aids Day, as campaigners say better prevention and treatment is still needed.