It is commonly held that National Health Service (NHS) workers are under a moral obligation not to go on strike, because doing so might well result in people's dying. Unless sainthood is demanded, however, this position is untenable: indeed, those most vociferously pursuing it are often those who bear the greatest responsibility, on their own grounds, for needless death and suffering.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is one of the representative sleep disorders believed to be associated with metabolic syndrome. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) ventilation is the first choice therapy for OSAS, which has been reported to cause an improvement in body fat mass, hepatocellular damage and hypertension. Study Objectives: We evaluated whether the changes in the body weight observed in patients with OSAS may have potential associations with the sleep time during which the patients are under nCPAP. (...) Method: A total of 194 patients (148 obese and 46 non-obese) in whom nCPAP use was present for more than 70% of the nights were enrolled in this study. Using the electronic records of the night use time for CPAP devices, we examined whether the habitual sleep time during nCPAP is associated with changes in body weight. Results: In the non-obese OSAS group, the patients with night time use of nCPAP devices for 6 to 7 hours showed the greatest and the most sustained decrease in body weight. In the obese patients with OSAS, on the other hand, a U-shaped relationship has been demonstrated between a percent weight gain over 9 years and a minimal weight gain in patients with habitual sleep for 5 to 6 hours. Conclusions: These results suggest that changes in body weight in patients with OSAS are associated with habitual sleep time. eww141010dxn. (shrink)

On 10 December 1948, the General Assembly ofthe United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a truly historic document, the full text of which is reproduced here. Following this historic act, the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories." Jacques Maritain was (...) actively involved in the drafting of the Declaration, especially its clauses regarding freedom of conscience and religious expression. (shrink)