Association of higher levels of ambient criteria pollutants with impaired cardiac autonomic control: a population-based study.

An association between air pollution and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality has been reported, but underlying mechanisms are unknown. The authors examined short-term associations between ambient pollutants (particulate matter less than 10 microm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10), ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide) and cardiac autonomic control using data from the fourth cohort examination (1996-1998) of the population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. For each participant, the authors calculated PM10 and gaseous pollutant exposures as 24-hour averages and ozone exposure as an 8-hour average 1 day prior to the randomly allocated examination date.

Digoxin therapy and the risk of primary cardiac arrest in patients with congestive heart failure: effect of mild-moderate renal impairment.

Background And Objective: The cardiac safety of digoxin therapy for congestive heart failure (CHF) is a source of concern, especially among those with renal impairment.

Methods: Using a case-control design, we examined the risk of primary cardiac arrest (PCA) associated with digoxin therapy within three levels of renal function.

Results: After adjustment for other clinical characteristics, digoxin therapy for CHF was not associated with an increased risk of PCA [odds ratio (OR)=0.

Inhaled beta-2 adrenergic receptor agonists and primary cardiac arrest.

Purpose: We sought to investigate if short-acting, inhaled beta2-adrenergic receptor agonists were associated with higher risk of primary cardiac arrest in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Subjects And Methods: We conducted a population-based study involving 454 patients enrolled in a health maintenance organization, aged 40 to 79 years, who had asthma or COPD and who experienced primary cardiac arrest during 1980 to 1994. We randomly selected 586 controls from strata of enrollees, defined by age, sex, calendar year, and prior heart disease.

Sensitizing effects of leukotriene B4 on intradental primary afferents.

Previous studies have established that leukotriene B4 (LTB4) sensitizes cutaneous nociceptors. In this study the effects of LTB4 on spontaneous and stimulus-evoked nerve activity from primary afferents innervating the dentin of canines in adult cats were examined. LTB4 treatment (25 micrograms/ml) significantly enhanced stimulus-evoked intradental nerve activity (INA) for at least 20 min after the removal of the compound from the recording preparation.