Newsletter No. 536

香港每一百名成人中，最少有六人患上睡眠窒息症。眾所周知，睡眠窒息症的明顯病徵是 鼻鼾嚴重，然而，怎樣的鼻鼾才算「嚴重」？ 睡眠窒息症的患者睡覺時舌頭、舌根鬆弛後墜，阻塞呼吸道，若氣流停頓十秒或以上，便被 視為窒息；每小時窒息五次以上，便確診患上睡眠窒息症。若每小時窒息三十次以上，則屬 病情嚴重。患者窒息時大力呼吸，震盪懸雍垂（俗稱小舌或吊鐘），便是打鼾。若只是偶爾 和短暫的鼻鼾，而沒有其他症狀如日間渴睡，不代表患上睡眠窒息症。 肥胖是導致睡眠窒息症的一大風險因素。然而，中大醫學院的研究發現，相對於白人，亞洲 人的下顎較短，睡覺時舌頭較容易阻塞氣道，因此不肥胖的亞洲人也有機會患上睡眠窒息 症。兒童也會患上此症，但成因與成人不同。醫學院內科及藥物治療學系主任 許樹昌 教授 說：「兒童的免疫系統發展尚未成熟，生病時要靠扁桃腺發大來製造白血球，若情況嚴重， 呼吸道便會收窄。」患有睡眠窒息症的成人出現扁桃腺發大的情況並不普遍。 以往，診斷睡眠窒息症需病人住院接受測試。然而，公立醫院床位緊張，輪候需時。此外， 病人身上接駁多個測量儀器，影響睡眠質素，測試結果也可能出現偏差。醫學院於2013至 2014年進行研究，提供便攜式睡眠測試機和自動正氣壓機，讓患者在家診治。許教授說：  「『家居式』診治成效與傳統住院相若，但在家診治可以縮短近半年輪候時間。」 睡眠窒息症的患者接連缺氧乍醒，醒來仍然疲累不堪，若要駕駛或操作機械，更可能釀成 意外。若鼻鼾如雷、日間渴睡，便要留意睡眠情況。 安寢，方能無憂。 At least six out of 100 adults in Hong Kong suffer sleep apnoea. It is commonly known that loud snoring is a classic symptom of the sleep disorder. But how loud must the snoring be? The tongue muscle of a patient with sleep apnoea is relaxed during sleep and so it sags and blocks the airway. The cessation of airflow for 10 seconds or more is defined as apnoea. Sleep apnoea is diagnosed when such cessation of airflow occurs five times or more per hour. Apnoea is severe if it occurs 30 times or more in an hour. Snoring takes place when the patient involuntarily takes a deep breath causing his uvula to vibrate. Occasional and short snoring without other symptoms such as daytime sleepiness, however, does not necessarily mean sleep apnoea. Obesity is a major risk factor for sleep apnoea. According to a study conducted by CUHK’s Faculty of Medicine, compared with the Caucasian, Asians have a shorter lower jaw and their airway can easily be obstructed. Asians who are not obese may be susceptible to sleep apnoea as well. Even children may fall victim to it, although the cause is different. ‘Children’s immune system is not fully developed. When they are sick, their tonsil would be enlarged to produce more white blood cells to fight the infection. This may lead to the narrowing of the airway,’ said Prof. David Hui , Chairman, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at CUHK. In contrast, it is uncommon that adults with sleep apnoea would have enlarged tonsils. The test for sleep apnoea used to require hospital stay, but the queue for a bed in public hospitals can be very long. Besides, the attaching of sensors and gadgets to a patient’s body would affect the quality of sleep and the accuracy of the test as well. In a study conducted by the Faculty of Medicine between 2013 and 2014, home test or treatment was made possible by wearable testing and air-supplying devices. ‘We found that the home-treatment is at least as effective as the conventional hospital-treatment but the former could reduce the waiting time by about half a year,’ said Professor Hui. As the patients of sleep apnoea gasp for air and wake up repeatedly during the night, they would feel sleepy in the daytime. Those who drive or need to operate machines would have an increased risk of accidents. Those who have loud snoring and daytime sleepiness should beware: There’s nothing like a good sleep. M. Mak 氣不順則難眠 A Blocked Airway Keeps Good Sleep Away 魯迅與版畫 Lu Xun and Chinese Woodcuts 我們一般對魯迅的認識就是文學家、翻譯家，比較少人知道他也被稱為「中國新興木刻版畫 之父」。中國的木刻版畫始於八世紀，盛於明清，以年畫、小說插圖的形式存在於一般老百 姓的生活中，可說是一種屬於普羅大眾的藝術。正是這種民間個性吸引了魯迅，不僅自己收 藏，還組織講習會和展覽，指導及培育年輕藝術家，甚至自資出版國內外版畫家的作品集。 他出版德國版畫家 Käthe Kollwitz 的《凱綏．珂勒惠支版畫選集》，扉頁上竟註明「有人翻 印，功德無量」。公然鼓勵盜印翻版若此，魯迅推廣版畫藝術之心切可見一斑。 木刻版畫是一種對物質要求不高的藝術：一塊木、一把刀、一雙熱情的巧手，就可以在木的 表面構成深淺粗幼不一的線條，利用凹凸陰陽刻劃出簡樸卻撼人的視覺戲劇。更因容易複 製，失真度低，極為便利流通，對魯迅而言，版畫是啓蒙民智、革新社會的重要藝術媒介。 成立於1938年的魯迅藝術學院（魯藝）繼承了魯迅對版畫藝術的關注，在漫天烽火之中， 培訓了不少一手拿槍在前線打仗，一手拿雕刻刀創作藝術的青年版畫家，使延安版畫成為 中國藝術史中獨特的一筆。 當年物資匱乏，雕刻刀往往用破傘骨或者爛鐵線製作，紙是用一種叫馬蘭草的野草做的。 魯藝師生都住在窯洞裏，沒有砂紙，就用石碑來磨木材。但這些都無損他們對文藝的熱 愛與創作激情。力群是其中一個受到魯迅感召和書信鼓勵的年輕版畫家，也是在魯藝任 教的老師。在他的作品《魯藝風光》中，我們可以看到學院的建築是一棟西班牙式教堂。 橙棕的暖色系比一般黑白版畫看上去柔和夢幻，若不是持槍站崗的衛士顯示了警戒狀 態，其寧謐表象幾乎要讓人忘掉學院彼時正位於抗日戰爭的風暴之中，也忘掉該處的生 活條件有多艱苦。不過魯藝版畫家們的主要題材還是當時人們的生活。例如彥涵的《當 敵人搜山的時候》、計桂森的《家庭生產會議》、古元的《結婚登記》，就反映了延安生 活的各種面貌。 文物館所藏的延安版畫由華盛頓大學生物系榮休講座教授 Thomas Ebrey 及其夫人 Patricia Ebrey 惠贈。 Heidi Wong 雅 共 賞 / ART iculation 醫醫筆寫/ D octors ’ N otes 《家庭生產會議》 《結婚登記》 《當敵人搜山的時候》 《魯藝風光》 07 # 5 3 6 | 1 9 . 0 4 . 2 0 1 9