Studying large groups of elderly minimizes some of the issues associated with agerelated differences in hemodynamic responses. Plasticity The fact that the brain reorganizes with age and the finding that old rats in enriched environments

sprout, neurons suggest that the aging brain can be characterized by plasticity and the potential for experience to enhance function. The prospect for enhancement of brain function in response to experience in late adulthood contrasts considerably with recent conclusions that there are few behavioral gains in cognition that occur as we age.88 There is very substantial Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical evidence that cognitive decline is an unavoidable concomitant of normal aging.5,13 However, although cognitive declines occur for all adults with increasing age, the declines may be steeper when not Cediranib modulated across the life span by stimulating experience. Once again, neural findings Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical suggest the importance of studying the role of training and rich life experiences on not only maintenance of cognitive function, but, also brain reorganization. This is again a case where a focused study of only older adults could yield important and interpretable findings. Conclusion A strong linkage Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of neural and behavioral research on aging will ultimately lead to an understanding of what

is needed to be neurally fit. Only 40 years ago, we had little understanding of the relationship of smoking and cholesterol levels to cardiovascular health. It is likely that, just as there are behavioral routes to healthy bodies, there are behavioral routes to healthy minds. The linkage of studies of brain Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and behavior across the life span will result, in critical knowledge that will allow individuals to take

control of their cognitive future and alter the neurobiological age of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical their minds. Such an outcome offers huge rewards to both individuals and to our society. A tremendous national others investment in the neuroscience of cognitive aging combined with committed effort, and generous cooperation among scholars is needed. Notes The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Institute on Aging Neuroscience and Neuropsychology Program in preparation of this paper (R01AGO6265-15) awarded to all authors (D. Park, Principal Investigator). Additional support was provided by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC04205) to T. Polk, and by the National Institute of Mental Health (MH01258) to S. Taylor.
Many of the body’s systems that function to maintain optimal health and well-being decline with advancing age. Aerobic capacity, muscle mass, and strength all progressively decline with age.

Sequence variation in COX-1 as it relates

to aspirin response has been investigated, with studies yielding inconsistent data.15, 16 Similar studies have been concluded with respect to SNPs that reside within the glycoprotein IIIa gene. These too have led to contradictory findings.17, 18 In a large meta-analysis, however, it was concluded that in healthy subjects the PlA1/A2 variant is associated with aspirin resistance,19 potentially implying that the effect of this SNP in inhibiting aspirin-mediated platelet inhibition may Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical be reduced by the coadministration of drugs that are commonly prescribed in the context of CAD. Relatively common side effects to aspirin include gastrointestinal hemorrhage and aspirin-induced urticaria. Studies of DNA sequence variants that may alter the frequency of such endpoints have been investigated with variable Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical results.19, 20 The Pharmacogenomics of Warfarin Warfarin is an effective anticoagulant and has been applied as thrombosis prophylaxis in settings including atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolic disease, and metallic prosthetic valves. Warfarin acts by inhibiting vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1),

the enzyme responsible Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical for maintaining vitamin K in its reduced state. It is under this condition that its catalytic property is preserved; in its oxidized state, it is unable to catalyze the gamma-carboxylation of the vitamin-k dependent clotting factors (II, VII, IX, X) and proteins

C and S. Warfarin is metabolized Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical by cytochrome P-450.22-24 Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have this website subsequently identified rs2108622 in CYP4F2 to be associated with increased warfarin requirement; other SNPs have not met stringent genome-wide statistical thresholds.25-28 In retrospective studies, carriage of the two most common reduced-function CYP 2C9 variants, *2 (rs1799853) and *3 (rs1057910), predisposes one to an increased risk of an out-of-range international normalized ratio (INR), delay in the time-to-therapeutic INR, and increased bleeding.29, 30 Carriage of the A allele of VKORC131 and the T allele Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of CYP4F232 have been associated with both out-of-range INR and increased time-to-therapeutic PDK4 INR but not an increased propensity to bleed. Pharmacogenetic-centered modelling has been developed to predict warfarin requirement. Such modelling incorporates CYP P450 2C9 and VKORC1 genotype, smoking status, relevant medications, age, sex, and body mass index.33 The application of these algorithms has been investigated in several prospective studies demonstrating efficacy.34, 35 Standard dosing regimens have been compared with genotype-guided algorithms. Primary outcomes were the percent out-of-range INRs and time in the therapeutic range at 3 months.36 The combined genotype-guided prescription cohort demonstrated superior outcomes with respect to both primary endpoints—percent out-of-range INRs and time in the therapeutic range at 3 months.

Diazepam is exceedingly lipophilic, with nearly immediate central nervous system (CNS) penetration upon administration.52,53 The speed of onset of sensation has been linked to abusability for other medications, such as opiates, and may be a factor for some patients treated with diazepam. For those involved with use of illicit drugs, including the illegal use of benzodiazepines, investigators have not been able to designate any particular benzodiazepine as preferentially

abused. Instead, many factors in a local Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical drug use culture seem to be important in determining the individual user’s benzodiazepine of choice.26 Most, information indicates that treatment with benzodiazepines for at least, a few weeks is needed before withdrawal is generally a serious concern, and that, withdrawal is most, likely to occur when shorter-acting C59 wnt solubility dmso agents are stopped abruptly. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Taper regimens have been described to lessen the difficulty in discontinuing benzodiazepine therapy.51,54 Most, emphasize that the initial decrement, in dosage can be fairly rapid, with some authors aiming for getting

to one-fourth to one-half of the initial dosage over the course of the first, month. Others aim for a dosage equivalent, to approximately Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical 10 mg diazepam. Tapering from that point is slow, especially in patients with panic disorders, and patients may remain at steady, low doses of benzodiazepines for many months. Difficulty in tapering, with more pronounced withdrawal symptoms, does not seem to predict inability to successfully complete the taper. Psychological support, appears to be a critical factor in this process.55 A number of pharmacological Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical agents have been proposed as useful adjuncts during the withdrawal process.54,56 These include

P-adrenergic blockers, antidepressants, and buspirone. The majority of patients treated with chronic benzodiazepines arc able to successfully Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical taper off their therapy. In a study that looked at, those completing the taper, most, were still not, requiring benzodiazepines 3 years later.54 The issue of whether differences among treatment regimens (as needed versus scheduled dosing) can result aminophylline in differing propensities for leading to discontinuation syndromes or dependence has also been raised and continues to be investigated.57 Research into the relationship between the benzodiazepines and dependence in patients with anxiety disorders has failed to produce a consensus opinion regarding causality. There seems to be wide agreement, among investigators of this topic that, most, patients who use benzodiazepines do not generally misuse these medications or become chronically dependent, on them.17,26 Hence, in discussing those who abuse benzodiazepines or cannot, discontinue therapy, it is important, to keep in mind that, this constitutes a minority of patients who are treated with these drugs.

On the contrary, a significant improvement in stability was noted with archaeosomes, which released only 20% during the same period. Figure 4 Release (%) of CF from Egg-PC/PEG45-Tetraether (90:10wt%) archaeosomes and from Egg-PC/PEG45-DSPE (90:10wt%) liposomes at (a) 4°C and (b) 37°C. Despite their apparent identical characteristics in terms of morphology and surface potential, PEGylated liposomes and archaeosomes Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical exhibited different vesicle stabilities. The presence of

only 10wt% of archaeal tetraether lipid in the liposomal formulations increased significantly the nano-object stability and allowed a slow release of the encapsulated dye at 37°C. This enhanced stability could Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical result from the membrane spanning organization of the PEGylated tetraether lipids within the Egg-PC bilayer membrane, forming a monolayer as previously shown with synthetic cationic tetraethers [13]. 4. Conclusions In conclusion, we have demonstrated that small proportions of a novel synthetic PEGylated archaeolipid added to a

liposomal formulation increase significantly the nanovector stability and slow down the constant dye release at 37°C. This result is quite promising in so far as a Fasudil in vitro similar behavior could be expected for in vivo applications. This study has also shown that HPTLC is a powerful method for analyzing lipid composition. Following Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical such a fundamental work, we have recently evaluated the encapsulation of a therapeutic peptide (anticancer) extracted from marine resources into PEGylated archaeosomes and the in vivo efficiency of this peptide-loaded formulation. The first results are very promising and will be published Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical elsewhere. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the partners of the project Sealacian for valuable Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical discussion. They also would like to thank the CNRS, the Direction Générale des Entreprises (DGE), the Région Bretagne, and the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche

for financial support. Finally, the authors thank Dr. Olivier Lambert for cryo-TEM analysis. J. Barbeau would like to thank the DGE for the financial support, which enabled her to achieve this study.
The development of highly specific drug delivery systems (DDSs) holds a great promise for increased therapeutic treatment efficiency and elimination of often harmful side effects. Casein kinase 1 However, it is a formidable task due to additional strict requirements posed on DDS, such as high stability, ability to penetrate cellular membranes, and low cytotoxicity. Several important breakthroughs have been achieved in recent years using biologically inspired liposome, ligand, and antibody-based DDS, some of which are already used in clinical environment for cancer treatment with positive results [1, 2].

To prospectively evaluate the role of radiotherapy

on pancreatic cancer treatment, several randomized trials have been conducted with conflicting results. Hence, the routine utilization of radiation for pancreatic cancer remains controversial. This review will discuss the role of rationale for using radiation therapy (RT) in the management of pancreatic cancer, review the relevant literature, and discuss current ongoing research and future directions. Neoadjuvant radiotherapy A neoadjuvant treatment strategy in pancreatic cancer Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical may offer several theoretical advantages: 1. Pancreatic cancer is more likely a systemic disease with high incidence of distal and local regional failure (10),(11). By starting systemic treatment early we may be able to reduce the incidence Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of distal metastasis and improve survival. 2. Neoadjuvant radiotherapy with or without systemic therapy may potentially downstage the

disease and increase likelihood of a complete resection (R0 resection). 3. Radiotherapy can be better tolerated because the normal anatomy of the abdominal region by surgery, such as bowel displacement, which could lead to higher gastrointestinal toxicity, has not been distorted. 4. Neoadjuvant radiotherapy can avoid treating hypoxic tumor tissue caused by surgical disruption of blood supply to tumor cells. In addition, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical cytokine stimulation after surgery can also potentially adversely affects the efficacy of adjuvant treatment, which can be avoided by neoadjuvant RT (25). 5. Neoadjuvant treatment may also identify those patients with aggressive disease who are likely to develop early metastatic disease, and

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Z-VAD-FMK chemical structure therefore avoid unnecessary definitive surgical therapy. Given these various rationales for neoadjuvant treatment, several institutions have used this strategy in an effort to improve the survival outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer (Table 1). However, there have been no large randomized controlled trials on the use of neoadjuvant therapy in resectable pancreatic cancer. Table 1 Selected studies of neoadjuvant CRT in pancreatic Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical cancer The Duke University study investigated neoadjuvant CRT in 96 resectable patients. Patients received daily-fractionated radiotherapy to a total dose of 50.4 Gy concurrent with 5-FU-based chemotherapy. Patients were then re-staged after completion of CRT. Patients were then surgically explored if there was no evidence of metastatic disease. Subsequently, 70% of patients underwent heptaminol surgery and 55% had a resection. A R0 resection was achieved in 75% of patients and operative mortality was 3.8%. Overall survival (OS) for resected patients was 28% at 5 years, and a median survival was 23months (26),(27). MD Anderson Cancer Center reported their neoadjuvant treatment results using two different treatment strategies. In their first trial, patients received neoadjuvant gemcitabine and radiotherapy followed by surgery.

A high proportion (87%) of FCMD patients carry a retrotransposon insertion into the 3’ untranslated region of the fukutin gene which leads to a reduction in fukutin mRNA levels (21). This ancestral mutation explains the high prevalence of the disease in Japan where it represents the second most common form of muscular dystrophy after Duchenne. Patients LGK-974 mw homozygous for this mutation are relatively mild compared to those with compound heterozygosity

between the ancestral mutation and a more severe loss-of-function mutation. Inactivation of the fukutin gene in mice leads to lethality at embryonic day 6.5-7.5 (59), hence mice chimeric for normal Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and fukutin deficient cells have been generated (60). Those with a high proportion of fukutin deficient cells show a typical muscular dystrophy with reduced survival Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and a marked disorganisation of the laminar structures of both the cerebral and cerebellar cortices with pathological features of a cobblestone lissencephaly, and eye abnormalities. Several recent reports have significantly increased Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the spectrum of conditions due to fukutin mutations, mostly due to patients outside Japan, without the retrotransposonal insertion

in the fukutin gene (61). Initially patients resembling WWS with homozygous null alleles of the fukutin gene were identified. These patients had a more profound depletion of ADG immunolabelling compared to typical FCMD patients. More recently the spectrum has been expanded towards milder patients: we recently described three children with CMD and no structural brain involvement, and

in addition three families with a LGMD-like condition, with onset in the first few years of life, without any evidence of central nervous system involvement (62). In two of these families Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical with LGMD the affected children where initially considered to have an inflammatory myopathy, and were administered corticosteroids which resulted in a significant clinical improvement. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Even milder patients have recently been described carrying intragenic fukutin mutations: six patients were identified with dilated cardiomyopathy with the absence of, or minimal limb girdle muscle involvement and normal intelligence (63). The LARGE gene Mutations in the LARGE gene were originally identified in the myodystrophy mouse (myd; now renamed Largemyd), a spontaneous model of CMD (64). Several detailed studies of the skeletal and cardiac muscles, eyes 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase and central nervous system involvement of these mice have been reported (65–68). These mice also show a profound deficiency of glycosylated ADG. We originally reported mutations in the LARGE gene in a single family, where the propositus was affected by congenital onset of weakness, profound mental retardation, white matter changes and subtle structural abnormalities on brain MRI; this novel condition was named MDC1D (23). A moderate reduction of glycosylated ADG was identified.

33,34 Three different subgroups of glutamatergic ion channels have been identified utilizing their pharmacological ability to bind different synthetic ligands, each of which is composed of a different set of subunits. These are the NMDA receptor (NMDAR), the AMPA receptor (AMPAR), and the kainate receptor (KAR).The latter two groups are often referred to together as the “non-NMDA” receptors, but undoubtedly subserve unique functions (Table I). In the adult mammalian brain, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical NMDA and AMPA glutamatergic receptors are colocalized in approximately 70% of the synapses.36 By contrast, at early stages of development, synapses are more likely to contain only

NMDA receptors. Radioligand binding studies have shown that NMDA and AMPA receptors are found in high density in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, septum, and amygdala. Table I. Receptor subtype units. Once released from the presynaptic terminal, glutamate is able to bind to numerous excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical including

both ionotropic (eg, N-methyl-D-aspartate [NMDA]) and metabotropic receptors. Presynaptic regulation … NMDA receptors The NMDA receptor is activated by glutamate and requires Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the presence of a coagonist, namely glycine or D-serine, to be activated. However, the binding of both glutamate and glycine is still not sufficient for the NMDA receptor channel to open, since, at resting membrane potential, the NMDA ion channel is blocked by Mg2+ ions. Only when the membrane is depolarized (eg, by the activation of AMPA or kainate receptors Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical on the same postsynaptic neuron) is the Mg2+ blockade relieved. Under these conditions, the NMDA receptor

channel will open and permit the entry of both Na+ and Ca2+ (Figure 1). The NMDA receptor channel is composed of combination Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of NR1, NR2A, NR2B, NR2C, NR2D, NR3A, and NR3B Selumetinib datasheet subunits (Table I). The binding site for glutamate has been localized to the NR2 subunit and the site for the coagonist glycine has been localized to the NRl subunit, which is required for receptor function. Two molecules of glutamate and two of glycine arc thought to be necessary to activate the ion channel. Within the MRIP ion channel, two other sites have been identified called the sigma (a) site and the phencyclidine (PCP) site. The hallucinogenic drug PCP, ketaminc, and the experimental drug dizocilpine (MK-801), all bind at the latter site and are considered noncompetitive receptor antagonists that inhibit NMDA receptor channel function. In preclinical studies, drugs of this type have been shown to have neuroprotective properties against anoxia and hypoglycemia; these studies await clinical confirmation.

Discussion COS is the best studied of the psychotic disorders of childhood. The neurobiological studies include neuroimaging, family studies (which point to phenotypic markers), and neurocognitive findings, and strongly support continuity with the adult form of schizophrenia. Further work is needed in describing the neurocognition of children with affective disorders. The affective psychotic disorders including BPAD, while indicating continuity with adult forms, would clearly benefit from a comprehensive study, as has been seen in COS. Hopefully, the controversy over the identification of psychosis Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and the diagnosis of these valid disorders will narrow the focus. Long-term follow-up studies including

genetic and other vulnerabilities, neuroimaging, and neurometabolic studies will inform researchers and clinicians as to the care and treatment of these very ill children. ‘there are clearly too few studies of atypical neuroleptics in the pediatric population. The long-term effects of chronic treatment in the developing child are unknown. Careful,

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical well-designed studies of available medications in the various psychotic disorders in order to Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical guide appropriate treatment should be a priority. Novel medications with potential antipsychotic applications, such as dopamine partial agonists, also require pediatric study. The current trend in treatment research of COS involves large controlled treatment studies of atypical neuroleptics for COS. There is also need for studies in the psychotherapi.es and psychosocial treatments to help the patients and their families to manage their illness. Selected abbreviations and acronyms ADHD attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder AE adverse Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical effect BPAD bipolar affective disorder BPRS Brief Psychiatric Silmitasertib Rating Scale CDRS Child Depression Rating Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Scale CGAF Clinical Global Assessment of Function CGI-I Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement CGI-S Clinical Global Impressions-Severity COS childhood-onset schizophrenia DICA Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents DISC

Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children EPS extrapyramidal Adenosine symptom K-PANSS Kiddie Version of the Positive and Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia K-SADS Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School- Aged. Children MDD major depressive disorder MRI magnetic resonance, imaging 1H-MRS magnetic resonance spectroscopy OCD obsessive-compulsive disorder PNOS psychosis not otherwise specified Y-MRS Young Mania Rating Scale
A century of research in genetic epidemiology has consistently supported the involvement of a major, complex, genetic component in the risk for schizophrenia. However, molecular genetic studies have produced conflicting results: several chromosomal regions have been implicated, but none of the findings met stringent statistical significance criteria and positive findings have not been replicated.

37 Participants provided saliva samples for 3 days, four times per day, to capture the diurnal rhythm. Exclusionary criteria included diagnosis with major depressive disorder and antidepressant use. MK0683 in vivo Controlling for body mass index, the CG group showed a significantly flatter slope than those with non-CG. Perhaps CG as a disorder will be better able to predict grief-specific stress responses in Cortisol than the dichotomous category of bereaved/nonbereaved, or than depressive disorder, although this will require Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical additional research. Neuroimaging biomarkers of grief The initial neuroimaging study of bereavement used personalized stimuli to evoke grief.38 A total of eight

women who had experienced the death of a first-degree relative in the past year participated. Participants each provided a photograph of their deceased loved one, which was matched with a photo of a stranger on characteristics such

as gender, age, indoor vs Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical outdoor setting, snapshot vs portrait type of photograph. Grief-related words were taken from an interview of the participants about the death event (eg, collapse, funeral, loss) and were matched with neutral words (eg, announce, ceiling, list). These words Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical were embedded into the photos to create composites. These picture -word composites resulted in a 2 x 2 factorial design with two routes of eliciting grief. Behavioral results of the study included higher ratings of grief for the deceased with the grief word than the stranger, and electrodermal responses taken during scanning indicated Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical that greater autonomic responsiveness to the pictures of the deceased as well. Regional neural activations that occurred in response to the pictures included, among other regions, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (d ACQ and the insula. These regions are activated together in a range of studies examining both physical pain39 and social pain, such as grief and rejection.40,41 In addition, the posterior cingulate cortex

(PCC) was activated during grief elicited both by the photos and the words. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical This region is involved PDK4 in evaluating whether environmental stimuli are relevant to the self, particularly related to emotional memories. Two additional functional neuroimaging studies have investigated acute bereavement.42,43 In one study, 12 women who had experienced the loss of an unborn child in the past 2 months were compared with 12 women who had delivered a healthy child. The stimuli included unfamiliar babies with happy facial expressions and unfamiliar adults with happy and neutral facial expressions. By using unfamiliar baby faces as emotional cues in both groups, any contributions to grief-related activations other than the subjective experience of grief (such as the possibility of familiarity in the prior study by Gündel and colleagues) were avoided.

For more information about light therapy, see the multilingual nonprofit Web site www.cet.org. where questionnaires arc available for downloading, and join the discussion forum at: www.chronotherapeutics.org.
Sleep #ABT-263 datasheet randurls[1|1|,|CHEM1|]# is vital for normal health and well-being. Without sufficient sleep, adults often experience functional decrements that may lead to accidents,1 increased risks for physical2,4 and mental illness,3,5,6 decreased cognitive performance4,7 (especially with aging8), and increased mortality.9 A recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) analysis of 2006 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) also determined that women are at higher risk of sleep

disturbance (12.4%) Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical than males (9.9%)10 and therefore, understanding the factors that impact sleep in women is an important focus for clinical research.11 Women report more sleep disturbance than men, but objective measures show

less sleep disturbance.12,13 Measured objectively Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical by polysomnography (PSG), sleep shows changes in architecture and distribution of sleep stages across the lifespan. For example, a meta-analysis by Ohayon et al14 showed that important sleep measures such as total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), percentage of slow- wave sleep (SWS), percentage of REM sleep, and REM latency significantly decreased with advancing age in adults. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Conversely, measures of sleep typically associated with less restful sleep (sleep latency [SL], Stage 1% and Stage 2% sleep, and wake after sleep onset [WASO] times) significantly increased with age. Furthermore, Ohayon et al found differences in quantitative sleep measures related to gender.

Generally speaking, both sexes showed similar effects of aging on most sleep variables; Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical however, larger effect sizes were observed in women for TST, SE, Stage 1 percentage, and REM latency, suggesting Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical that aging had a greater impact on these variables in women than men. As well, women appeared to have longer TST and SL, lower Stage 2 percentage sleep, and greater percentage of SWS than agematched men. Carnitine dehydrogenase In addition to age-related changes, women also experience gender-specific physiological changes that potentially disrupt their sleep. Changes during the menstrual cycle,15 pregnancy,16 in the postpartum period,17 and at menopause18 are associated with alterations in qualitative and quantitative sleep measures. Women are also more predisposed to develop depressed mood,19 especially during these periods of hormonal change20 which may further compromise their nighttime sleep. Nevertheless, while subjective reports of sleep disturbances in association with disturbed mood, aging, and altered reproductive status (RS) are widely reported, carefully controlled studies of objectively measured sleep alterations associated with alterations in mood and RS are uncommon (see review in ref 21).