Nocturnal Movements Research Articles

Toads on Lava: Spatial Ecology and Habitat Use of Invasive Cane Toads (Rhinella marina) in Hawai'i.

Most ecological research on cane toads (Rhinella marina) has focused on invasive populations in Australia, ignoring other areas where toads have been introduced. We radio-tracked and spool-tracked 40 toads, from four populations on the island of Hawai’i. Toads moved extensively at night (mean 116 m, from spool-tracking) but returned to the same or a nearby retreat-site each day (from radio-tracking, mean distance between successive retreat sites 11 m; 0 m for 70% of records). Males followed straighter paths during nocturnal movements than did females. Because moist sites are scarce on the highly porous lava substrate, Hawai’ian toads depend on anthropogenic disturbance for shelter (e.g. beneath buildings), foraging (e.g. suburban lawns, golf courses) and breeding (artificial ponds). Foraging sites are further concentrated by a scarcity of flying insects (negating artificial lights as prey-attractors). Habitat use of toads shifted with time (at night, toads selected areas with less bare ground, canopy, understory and leaf-litter), and differed between sexes (females foraged in areas of bare ground with dense understory vegetation). Cane toads in Hawai’i thrive in scattered moist patches within a severely arid matrix, despite a scarcity of flying insects, testifying to the species’ ability to exploit anthropogenic disturbance.

Nocturnal activity of a “diurnal” species, the northern chamois, in a predator-free Alpine area

The reduction of predation risk is widely considered a major factor affecting the nocturnal activity of mammals. Furthermore, on precipitous mountain terrain, moving in very poor light conditions should be avoided by animals with no special eyesight adaptation to darkness. The Northern chamois Rupicapra rupicapra has been for long considered as a diurnal species, with occasional nocturnal movements. For the first time, we have quantified the nocturnal activity of 21 radiotagged female chamois from the Italian Eastern Alps (Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino Natural Park), continuously monitored for two years from sunset to sunrise, with 24h tracking sessions carried out for six months. Large predators were not present in the study site. Despite their mainly diurnal activity pattern, peaks of nocturnal movements were detected throughout the year. The least proportion of active night fixes occurred in January and in July, while the most were in April and in October. The greater nocturnal activity in the warm months compared to cold periods, was probably due to frozen snow cover reducing nocturnal movements. Movements were mainly concentrated in bright moonlight nights, possibly because of the absence of large predators, but more likely because of increased visibility. Changes in activity levels throughout the year may also reflect changes in energy requirements of Northern chamois.

Tracking wild sockeye salmon smolts to the ocean reveals distinct regions of nocturnal movement and high mortality

Tracking wild sockeye salmon smolts to the ocean reveals distinct regions of nocturnal movement and high mortality

Capturing nighttime symptoms in Parkinson disease: Technical development and experimental verification of inertial sensors for nocturnal hypokinesia.

Although nocturnal hypokinesia represents one of the most common nocturnal disabilities in Parkinson disease (PD), it is often a neglected problem in daily clinical practice. We have developed a portable ambulatory motion recorder (the NIGHT-Recorder), which consists of 16-bit triaxial integrated microelectromechanical system inertial sensors that are specifically designed to measure movements, register the position of the body with respect to gravity, and provide information on rotations on the longitudinal axis while lying in bed. The signal processing uses the forward derivative method to identify rolling over and getting out of bed as primary indicators. The prototype was tested on six PD pairs to measure their movements for one night. Using predetermined definitions, 134 movements were captured consisting of rolling over 115 times and getting out of bed 19 times. Patients with PD rolled over significantly fewer times than their spouses (p = 0.03), and the position change was significantly smaller in patients with PD (p = 0.03). Patients with PD rolled over at a significantly slower speed (p = 0.03) and acceleration (p = 0.03) than their spouses. In contrast, patients with PD got out of bed significantly more often than their spouses (p = 0.02). It is technically feasible to develop an easy-to-use, portable, and accurate device that can assist physicians in the assessment of nocturnal movements of patients with PD.

North Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi) Presence in Eelgrass Habitat in the Salish Sea, Washington

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is the dominant seagrass along the Pacific North American Coast, providing complex physical structure, high trophic productivity, and protection from predators (Phillips 1984; Simenstad 1994). Because of these multiple functions, many fish species and life stages use Eelgrass beds more than other nearshore habitat types (Dean and others 2000; Murphy and others 2000; Johnson and Thedinga 2005). Currently, there is growing evidence identifying nearshore habitats as places that may be regularly inhabitated by large-bodied fish, including sharks (Tobin and others 2014), but it is not clear how much sharks use Eelgrass habitat. In other parts of North America, several sharks have been reported inhabiting Eelgrass habitat, including Sandbar Sharks (Carcharhinus milberti) in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland and Virginia (Orth and Heck 1980), Leopard Sharks (Triakis semifasciata) in Humboldt Bay, California (Ebert and Ebert 2005), and Gray Smooth-hound Sharks (Mustelus californicus) in Bolsa Chica, Orange County, California (Espinoza and others 2011). Conversely, reports of sharks are rare in Eelgrass beds in the Salish Sea region, which is located between the southwestern tip of British Columbia and the northwestern tip of Washington (Fig. 1; Farrer 2009). In this region, North Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi Girard 1854; Ebert and others 2010), hereafter Spiny Dogfish, are currently considered an abundant upper trophic level predator (Harvey and others 2010). Although Spiny Dogfish have been documented as making local movements along the nearshore in Puget Sound, Washington (Andrews and Harvey 2013), they have not generally been reported in Eelgrass habitat. Spiny Dogfish, however, have been captured in sand and Eelgrass habitat in Samish Bay, Washington, using overnight commercial gill net sets (Farrer 2009). Here we document the use of Eelgrass habitat by Spiny Dogfish. We conducted our study in Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mount Vernon, Washington. Padilla Bay sustains one of the most extensive Eelgrass beds in the inner Salish Sea region (Berry and others 2003; Fig. 1). The shallow estuary covers nearly 4500 ha, of which .3200 ha is Eelgrass of both the native Z. marina and the non-native Z. japonica (Shull 1999). Padilla Bay differs from most estuaries in the region because it has become isolated from major rivers as it has filled with sediment from the Skagit River to the south, and the Eelgrass has thrived in the absence of a major freshwater input. However, drainage from adjacent agricultural lands enters via sloughs with tidegates. Other nearby sources of freshwater are the Samish River to the north and the Skagit River via the Swinomish Channel to the south. Tides in the region are mixed semidiurnal. We sampled 3 sites along major tidal channels in contiguous Z. marina habitats that were located over mud bottoms. These sites were located in the north (Short Channel), middle (Middle Channel), and south (Bayview Channel) portions of Padilla Bay (Fig. 1). At each site, we sampled 2 adjacent locations to have replicate samples, thereby completing 6 overnight gill-net sets for each month of May, June, and July of 2004. We trawled during the day to characterize the fish assemblage in the shallows (Penaluna 2006), and we set gill nets overnight in Eelgrass locations parallel to the adjacent tidal channel to document nocturnal movements of larger fishes. Each 15-m by 2-m experimental gill net was composed of five 3-m panels, with square mesh size increments of 12, 25, 38, 50, and 68 mm, with leadand foam-core lines. We sampled when tidal elevations ranged from –1.5to –3.0-m mean lower low water. Catch per unit of effort (CPUE) was measured as number of fish per net-hour. The highest CPUEs of Spiny Dogfish captured during overnight gill-net sets were recorded in June and July (Table 1; Fig. 2). Spiny GENERAL NOTES

How well do Parkinson's disease patients turn in bed? Quantitative analysis of nocturnal hypokinesia using multisite wearable inertial sensors

BackgroundNocturnal hypokinesia/akinesia is a distressing symptom in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, it is difficult to accurately monitor these symptoms based on clinical interviews alone. ObjectivesTo quantitatively compare nocturnal movements of PD patients with their spouses by using multisite inertial sensors and to correlate these parameters with disease severity scores. MethodsNocturnal movements in 19 PD couples (mild-moderate stage) were assessed and compared using wearable sensors (limbs and trunk) for one night at their homes. Nocturnal parameters included number, velocity, acceleration, degree, and duration of rolling over, number of getting out of bed, and limb movements. Each activity was compared to sleep diary, and video recording for accuracy. ResultsPD patients significantly had fewer rolling over (p = 0.048), turned with smaller degree (p = 0.007), less velocity (p = 0.011), and acceleration (p < 0.001), but had more episodes of getting out of bed (p = 0.03, nocturia) when compared to their spouses. Moderate and significant correlations were observed between the mean duration of rolling over and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Axial score, and Nocturnal Akinesia Dystonia and Cramp Score. The number of leg movements (predominant side) significantly correlated with REM behavior disorder single-question screen. Episodes of nocturia correlated with total and bedtime levodopa equivalent dose. Several other correlations were also observed. ConclusionOur study was able to demonstrate quantitatively the presence of nocturnal hypokinesia in PD patients. This problem correlated with daytime axial motor and nonmotor symptoms. Treatment strategy for PD should be based on a comprehensive review of both day- and nighttime symptoms.

Pattern of repeatability in the movement behaviour of a long‐lived territorial species, the eagle owl

AbstractObserved movement patterns are the response of the interaction between environmental variables and the animal internal state. Therefore, even individuals of the same species experiencing similar environmental conditions can exhibit different behavioural responses, as these responses can be highly repeatable within individuals. Here, we investigated the nocturnal movement behaviour of a territorial species, by radiotracking 26 eagle owls Bubo bubo in order to analyze within and between individual variation with respect to movement parameters and route choice. Owls showed a considerable individual consistency in all movement parameters and made repeated use of similar routes while moving within fixed home ranges. Thus, movement parameters varied much less between repeated nightly trajectories than between different individuals. Furthermore, when we compared different individuals inhabiting the same territory in different years, within‐group repeatability was low or non‐significant suggesting that the spatial configuration of habitat does not always represents one of the main drivers in animal movement behaviour. Similarly, male individuals appeared to exhibit greater repeatability than females. The overall pattern of repeatability we found seems to identify such consistent movement behaviour not only as the expression of individual response to external/internal inputs but also as an additional trait to include in the broad definition of animal personality.

Microscopic Colitis: Not Just a Disease of the Elderly

Patient is an 18 y/o African American female with a past medical history significant for autoimmune lymphoproliferative disorder (ALPS) who was referred to the ER from clinic with 4-5 days of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, crampy abdominal pain, and laboratory evidence of hypokalemia and metabolic acidosis. She stated that she had been having diarrhea for 3-4 months prior to presentation with intermittent episodes of constipation. Her diarrhea was associated with crampy abdominal pain that was relieved with defecation. She experienced nocturnal bowel movements with stool incontinence. She denied any fevers, chills, dark stools, or bright red blood per rectum. Physical exam was unremarkable. After an initial negative work-up for an infectious etiology, a colonoscopy and EGD were performed that showed normal endoscopic appearance of her stomach, duodenum, and colon. With no definitive cause for her symptoms, she was started empirically on a ten day course of Rifaximin to treat small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Final pathologic results from colonic biopsy subsequently revealed evidence of lymphocytic colitis (LC). She was started on budesonide and experienced marked improvement of her symptoms. Microscopic colitis (MC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that presents with chronic non-bloody diarrhea, crampy abdominal pain, and characteristic histopathologic features. It has emerged as a common etiology to aforementioned symptoms over the past decade. Ten to twenty percent of patients with chronic diarrhea are eventually diagnosed with MC. MC can only be confirmed with biopsy which differentiates between the two major subtypes: lymphocytic colitis (LC) and collagenous colitis (CC). Recent data suggests MC is nearly as common as classic IBD. It is typically recognized as a disease of the elderly, with an average age at diagnosis of 65 years. It is noteworthy, however, that 25% of microscopic colitis patients are younger than 45. Thirty to fifty percent of patients with MC have associated autoimmune disorders, with celiac disease being the most common. In most cases the diagnosis of the associated autoimmune disease precedes the diagnosis of MC. Microscopic colitis rarely affects children, although isolated case reports do exist. This case illustrates both the association of MC with autoimmune disorders as well as the ability of MC to occur in younger patients. With newer data suggesting a prevalence of MC higher than what was once thought, it is important to keep MC in the differential diagnosis of anyone who presents with chronic, non-bloody diarrhea, especially patients with concurrent autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, in patients with MC who fail to respond to treatment, a search for concomitant autoimmune diseases may prove helpful in reaching a diagnosis.

Sensor-based evaluation and treatment of nocturnal hypokinesia in Parkinson's disease: An evidence-based review

The manifestations of nocturnal movements in Parkinson's disease (PD) are protean, with major disabilities related to nocturnal hypokinesia. While it can be assessed by clinical interviews and screening instruments, these are often inaccurate and prone to recall bias. In light of advances in sensor technology, we explored the use of sensors in the study of nocturnal hypokinesia, by performing a systematic review of the professional literature on this topic. Evidence suggests that nocturnal hypokinesia exists even in patients in the early stages, and PD patients turned significantly less and with much slower speed and acceleration than controls, partly related to low nocturnal dopamine level. We conducted another systematic review to evaluate the evidence of the efficacy of dopaminergic agents in the treatment of nocturnal hypokinesia. Several lines of evidence support the use of long-acting drugs or by continuous administration of short-acting agents to control symptoms. Sensor parameters could be considered as one of the important objective outcomes in future clinical trials investigating potential drugs to treat nocturnal hypokinesia. Physicians should be aware of this technology as it can aid the clinical assessment of nocturnal hypokinesia and enhance the quality of patient care. In addition, the use of sensors currently is being considered for various aspects of research on early diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of PD patients.

Space-use, movement and dispersal of sub-adult cougars in a geographically isolated population.

Cougar (Puma concolor) observations have increased in Midwest North America, with breeding populations re-establishing in several regions east of their contemporary range. The Cypress Hills Uplands, located in southwest Saskatchewan and southeast Alberta, was recently re-colonized by cougars and now supports the easternmost confirmed breeding population of cougars in Canada. A number of factors contribute to this cougar range expansion, but it is dispersal that provides the mechanism for re-colonization of historic range. We used GPS-collar data to examine space-use and movement behavior of sub-adult cougars, the age class associated with dispersal, in the Cypress Hills. Conditional logistic regression and a two-stage modeling approach were used to estimate resource selection functions (RSF) of sub-adult cougars during two distinct ranging behaviors: transient movements (i.e., dispersal and exploratory forays) and localizing movements (i.e., temporary home ranges). Linear regression was used to model movement rates, measured as the distance between consecutive 3-h GPS-relocations, of sub-adult cougars relative to different habitats, times of day and between transient and localizing behavior. All individual sub-adult cougars displayed bouts of transient and localizing behavior. All male cougars dispersed from their natal ranges and travelled considerably farther distances than female cougars. One male dispersed over 750 km eastward through the agricultural belt of northern Montana and southern Saskatchewan. Males occupied temporary home ranges in more open habitats on the fringes of the insular Cypress Hills, while females appeared to be recruited into the adult population, occupying treed habitat that provided more suitable cover. During both ranging behaviors, sub-adult cougars selected for rugged terrain and proximity to hydrological features (likely supporting riparian habitats) and avoided open cover types. Differences in habitat selection between ranging behaviors were observed in response to open water, roads and elevation. Although certain habitat characteristics were preferred, transient and localizing cougars used fast-paced nocturnal movements and shortened daytime movements when traversing open habitats to effectively limit their residency and exposure in less-suitable landscapes. Additionally, cougars moved greater distances at night during transient behavior compared to localizing behavior indicating cougars used cover of darkness to traverse novel terrain. In doing so, sub-adult cougars can successfully disperse several hundred kilometres across a matrix of open habitat in search of resources and mates.

Nocturnal periodic limb movements decrease antioxidant capacity in post-stroke women.

Considerable evidence suggests that periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) are associated with cardiovascular risk and poor stroke outcome. However, the pathogenesis for this association in stroke patients remains largely unknown. This cross-sectional study enrolled 112 consecutive patients who were admitted to rehabilitation ward due to ischemic stroke. Polysomnography and laboratory tests for oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers including C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and urinary 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine were conducted. Patients were stratified into three categories according to their PLMS index. Patients in the PLMS index ≥15 group were significantly older (P = 0.011), presented a significantly higher National Institute of Health Stroke Scale at stroke onset (P = 0.032), and lower Barthel index (P = 0.035) than patients in the PLMS index <5 group. The level of TAC differed significantly (P = 0.018) among the three groups. Multivariate linear regression analyses show that the PLMS index was negatively and independently correlated with TAC (P = 0.024) in women. Besides, multivariate logistic regression analyses also reveal that patients with a PLMS index ≥15 compared with the referent PLMS index <5 had a 7.58-fold increased relative hazard for stroke recurrence (odds ratio 7.58, [1.31-43.88], P = 0.024). This study suggests that PLMS was independently associated with decreased antioxidant capacity in women with ischemic stroke.

Usefulness of a Nocturnal SOREMP for Diagnosing Narcolepsy with Cataplexy in a Pediatric Population.

We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of a nocturnal sleep onset rapid eye movement sleep period (nSOREMP) for the identification of narcolepsy with cataplexy (N+C) among children and adolescents referred to the sleep laboratory for an overnight polysomnography (PSG) and multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). Retrospective chart review of sleep clinic notes and PSG and MSLT reports. Boston Children's Hospital sleep laboratory and outpatient clinics. All patients 6-18 y old, referred for consecutive PSG and MSLT for the evaluation of central hypersomnias, between January 2005 and January 2014. We analyzed the records of 148 patients and established diagnostic categories using the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 2(nd) Edition. Patient diagnoses included narcolepsy with cataplexy (28.4%), narcolepsy without cataplexy (8.1%), other hypersomnia conditions (9.5%), delayed sleep phase syndrome (12.2%), behaviorally induced insufficient sleep syndrome (4.1%), other sleep disorders (obstructive sleep apnea, periodic limb movements of sleep; 6.8%), isolated cataplexy (2%), and various diagnoses (29.1%). There were 54.8% of the N+C patients who had an nSOREMP, but only 2.4% of all other patients had an nSOREMP. The specificity of an nSOREMP for detection of N+C was high at 97.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 92.2-99.4%), but the sensitivity was moderate at 54.8% (95% CI: 38.7-70.2%). Overall, the positive predictive value of an nSOREMP for the diagnosis of N+C was 88.5% (95% CI: 69.8-97.4%). In children, the presence of an nocturnal sleep onset rapid eye movement sleep period is highly suggestive of narcolepsy with cataplexy and provides further evidence of rapid eye movement sleep dysregulation in this condition.

Nocturnal agitation in Huntington disease is caused by arousal-related abnormal movements rather than by rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder

BackgroundPatients with Huntington disease (HD) and their spouses often complain of agitation during sleep, but the causes are mostly unknown. ObjectiveTo evaluate sleep and nocturnal movements in patients with various HD stages and CAG repeats length. MethodsThe clinical features and sleep studies of 29 patients with HD were retrospectively collected (11 referred for genotype–phenotype correlations and 18 for agitation during sleep) and compared with those of 29 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All patients had videopolysomnography, but the movements during arousals were re-analyzed in six patients with HD with stored video. ResultsThe patients had a longer total sleep period and REM sleep onset latency, but no other differences in sleep than controls. There was no correlation between CAG repeat length and sleep measures, but total sleep time and sleep efficiency were lower in the subgroup with moderate than milder form of HD. Periodic limb movements and REM sleep behavior disorders were excluded, although 2/29 patients had abnormal REM sleep without atonia. In contrast, they had clumsy and opisthotonos-like movements during arousals from non-REM or REM sleep. Some movements were violent and harmful. They might consist of voluntary movements inappropriately involving the proximal part of the limbs on a background of exaggerated hypotonia. Giant (>65 mcV) sleep spindles were observed in seven (24%) patients with HD and one control. ConclusionThe nocturnal agitation in patients with HD seems related to anosognostic voluntary movements on arousals, rather than to REM sleep behavior disorder and other sleep problems.

Autumn morning flights of migrant songbirds in the northeastern United States are linked to nocturnal migration and winds aloft

ABSTRACT Many passerines that typically migrate at night also engage in migratory flights just after sunrise. These widely observed “morning flights” often involve birds flying in directions other than those aimed toward their ultimate destinations, especially in coastal areas. Morning flights have received little formal investigation, and their study may improve our understanding of how birds orient themselves during and after nocturnal movements and how they use stopover habitat. We studied autumn morning flights in the northeastern United States to identify associations between the number of birds undertaking morning flights and the magnitude of nocturnal migratory movements, nocturnal winds, and local topography. Our analyses included observations of more than 15,000 passerines at 7 locations. We found positive relationships between morning flight size and nocturnal migration density and winds aloft: Significantly more birds flew following larger nocturnal movements, quantified from weather surveillan...

Sleep correlates of trait executive function and memory in Parkinson's disease.

Sleep disturbance and cognitive impairment are correlated in non-diseased populations, but their association in Parkinson's disease (PD) is uncertain. Prior studies examining measures of cognition in relation to sleep have used either self-report or actigraphically measured sleep and have produced conflicting findings. In this descriptive study, we correlated measurements of sleep in PD patients derived from the gold-standard measurement, in-lab polysomnography, with an extensive battery of cognitive measures. We hypothesized that poorer sleep would be related to relatively more impaired cognition. Idiopathic PD patients (n = 34) completed a cognitive battery encompassing three broad domains (executive function, immediate memory and delayed memory), and underwent PSG for two nights. Scores for each domain from individual cognitive measures were converted to z-scores and then averaged to produce a composite score. We used second night PSG data and quantified measures of sleep architecture, sleep continuity, sleep apnea and nocturnal movement (periodic leg movements, PLMS). Lower executive function was associated with higher PLMS after controlling for chronological age, mini-mental state examination scores, and UPDRS motor subscale scores. These results were independent from psychomotor speed. There was a marginally significant positive correlation between the proportion of time spent in REM and immediate recall ability. Measures of sleep continuity and sleep apnea were unrelated to cognition in these patients. PLMS, known to be a frequent feature of PSG-measured sleep in PD, may be an important correlate of impaired executive function in PD. Whether treating this disorder of sleep results in improvement in cognition remains to be determined.

Sleep Parameters and Architecture in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparison with Typically Developing Peers and Across Subtypes

Sleep Parameters and Architecture in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Comparison with Typically Developing Peers and Across Subtypes Sleep problems in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are common, yet poorly understood. Furthermore, little research has been done to compare sleep between subtypes of children with ADHD. The current study used polysomnography to investigate sleep architecture and sleep parameters in a rigorously diagnosed, medication-naive, age- and sex-matched sample of children with ADHD and their typically developing (TD) peers. Sleep was compared between 25 children with ADHD and 25 TD children between 6 and 12 years of age, and between children with different subtypes of ADHD. Results indicate that children with ADHD took longer to fall asleep than their TD peers; however, no other differences in sleep between the two groups were identified. Furthermore, no differences were found in any sleep parameters or sleep architecture variables between ADHD subtypes. Future research should continue to investigate sleep in children with ADHD by investigating additional sleep variables including nocturnal movement, stage shifts per hour, and sleep microstructure.

Complaints of Poor Sleep and Risk of Traffic Accidents: A Population-Based Case-Control Study.

IntroductionThis study aimed to determine the sleepiness-related factors associated with road traffic accidents.MethodsA population based case-control study was conducted in 2 French agglomerations. 272 road accident cases hospitalized in emergency units and 272 control drivers matched by time of day and randomly stopped by police forces were included in the study. Odds ratios were calculated for the risk of road traffic accidents.ResultsAs expected, the main predictive factor for road traffic accidents was having a sleep episode at the wheel just before the accident (OR 9.97, CI 95%: 1.57–63.50, p<0.05). The increased risk of traffic accidents was 3.35 times higher in subjects who reported very poor quality sleep during the last 3 months (CI 95%: 1.30–8.63, p<0.05), 1.69 times higher in subjects reporting sleeping 6 hours or fewer per night during the last 3 months (CI 95%: 1.00–2.85, p<0.05), 2.02 times higher in subjects reporting symptoms of anxiety or nervousness in the previous day (CI 95%: 1.03–3.97, p<0.05), and 3.29 times higher in subjects reporting taking more than 2 medications in the last 24 h (CI 95%: 1.14–9.44, p<0.05). Chronic daytime sleepiness measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, expressed heavy snoring and nocturnal leg movements did not explain traffic accidents.ConclusionPhysicians should be attentive to complaints of poor sleep quality and quantity, symptoms of anxiety-nervousness and/or drug consumption in regular car drivers.

Increased nocturnal periodic limb movements in rheumatoid arthritis patients meeting questionnaire diagnostic criteria for restless legs syndrome.

BackgroundBased on questionnaire criteria, the sensorimotor disorder restless legs syndrome (RLS) has been reported to have a higher prevalence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients than in the general population. There has been some speculation that peripheral arthritic symptoms may allow false positive responses to questionnaire criteria. This study evaluates whether RA patients meeting RLS questionnaire criteria also have objective evidence of increased periodic limb movements (PLMs) characteristic of RLS.MethodsParticipants were recruited from RA clinic. Questionnaire data collected at study entry included: pain scores, rheumatoid arthritis disease activity index, Epworth sleepiness scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index and RLS diagnostic criteria. Each participant was provided a PAM-RL actigraphic monitor, which attached to the ankle. This device was worn for two consecutive nights then returned for data download. Laboratory data including hemoglobin, iron studies, renal function and C-reactive protein levels were collected.ResultsOf the 57 participants, 23 met RLS diagnostic criteria. Those who met RLS criteria demonstrated higher mean frequency of nocturnal PLMs (19.63/hour; SD:21.13) than those who did not meet RLS criteria (11.13/hour; SD:12.10; p = 0.033). There were no significant differences between groups in terms of patient characteristics, disease activity or duration measures. Patients meeting RLS criteria did have poorer sleep quality measures (p <0.001).ConclusionsRA patients who met RLS diagnostic criteria demonstrated higher frequencies of nocturnal PLMs than RA patients who did not meet criteria for RLS. This finding supports use of the RLS diagnostic criteria in helping to differentiate between RA arthritic symptoms and RLS.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2474-15-378) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Adaptable neighbours: movement patterns of GPS-collared leopards in human dominated landscapes in India.

Understanding the nature of the interactions between humans and wildlife is of vital importance for conflict mitigation. We equipped five leopards with GPS-collars in Maharashtra (4) and Himachal Pradesh (1), India, to study movement patterns in human-dominated landscapes outside protected areas. An adult male and an adult female were both translocated 52 km, and exhibited extensive, and directional, post release movements (straight line movements: male = 89 km in 37 days, female = 45 km in 5 months), until they settled in home ranges of 42 km2 (male) and 65 km2 (female). The three other leopards, two adult females and a young male were released close to their capture sites and used small home ranges of 8 km2 (male), 11 km2 and 15 km2 (females). Movement patterns were markedly nocturnal, with hourly step lengths averaging 339±9.5 m (SE) during night and 60±4.1 m during day, and night locations were significantly closer to human settlements than day locations. However, more nocturnal movements were observed among those three living in the areas with high human population densities. These visited houses regularly at nighttime (20% of locations <25 m from houses), but rarely during day (<1%). One leopard living in a sparsely populated area avoided human settlements both day and night. The small home ranges of the leopards indicate that anthropogenic food resources may be plentiful although wild prey is absent. The study provides clear insights into the ability of leopards to live and move in landscapes that are extremely modified by human activity.

Nocturnal movements and habitat selection of mesopredators encountering bobwhite nests

ABSTRACTNorthern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) represent a valuable resource for upland game‐bird hunters and the rural economies they support; however, bobwhite populations are declining across the United States. As ground‐nesting birds, bobwhites are highly susceptible to mammalian predation during the breeding season. We placed global positioning collars on 6 coyotes (Canis latrans), 4 bobcats (Lynx rufus), and 11 raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Texas, USA, during the nesting season of bobwhites (April–August of 2009–2011) to assess their habitat selection and use, as well as determine the relative frequency with which they may encounter bobwhite nests. Overall, nightly encounter rate of predators with known bobwhite nest sites was low. Coyotes encountered nest sites 3 times more frequently than male raccoons and 7 times more frequently than bobcats. Female raccoons did not come within 50 m of any nest locations. The higher encounter rate of coyotes with bobwhite nest sites was associated with the similarity of habitat preference of coyotes and bobwhites for grasslands and grass–shrub habitats and the wide‐ranging nocturnal paths of coyotes. Bobcats and raccoons had shorter nightly paths and mainly used habitats providing a greater degree of cover than is typically suitable for nesting bobwhites. Male raccoons were more mobile than females and made greater use of the grass–shrub habitat, and thus were more likely to encounter quail nests. Despite having lower individual encounter rates with bobwhite nest sites than did coyotes, male raccoons remain important predators of quail nests because they have the behavioral ability to attain greater population densities than those of the more territorial coyotes and bobcats. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.