Activity of Paraoxonase/Arylesterase and Butyrylcholinesterase in Peripheral Blood of Gulf War Era Veterans With Neurologic Symptom Complexes or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Objective: Two groups of Gulf War era veterans, one exhibiting blurred vision, balance problems/dizziness, tremors/shaking, and speech difficulty and a second group with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but not the neurologic syndrome, were assessed for organophosphate-detoxifying enzyme paraoxonase/arylesterase (PON1) and its Q/R isoforms, butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and its U/A isoforms and cytokines.

Methods: Defibrinated peripheral blood was evaluated for enzymes and cytokines.

Results: Trends toward elevation of Th2 cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13 were observed in subjects with neurologic syndrome.

Sex differences in plasma prolactin response to tryptophan in chronic fatigue syndrome patients with and without comorbid fibromyalgia.

Background: Some think chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are variants of the same illness process. This would imply that CFS patients with and without comorbid FM have similar biological underpinnings. To test this, we compared serotonergic-based responses, plasma prolactin (PRL), and self-reported measures of fatigue to intravenous infusion of tryptophan among patients with CFS alone, CFS + FM, and healthy controls.

Plasma cytokine fluctuations over time in healthy controls and patients with fibromyalgia.

We examined the pattern of cytokine secretion across the 24-hr day for women with widespread pain and tenderness having the diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM) and matched healthy controls. Subjects were given time to habituate to being in a clinical research laboratory environment and then were sampled for cytokines without their being disturbed for a 24-hr period including an 8-hr sleep period. Cytokine levels were uniformly low but characterized by bursts of secretion.

Negative affect and chemical intolerance as risk factors for building-related symptoms: a controlled exposure study.

Objective: To assess whether differences in negative affect (NA) and chemical intolerance (CI) affect responses to chemical mixtures and stress in a controlled experimental model.

Methods: Participants were 130 nonsmoking, healthy women, recruited from a university community. Participants completed the Positive and Negative Affect Scale and the Chemical Odor Intolerance Index.

Health effects of a mixture of indoor air volatile organics, their ozone oxidation products, and stress.

In our present study we tested the health effects among women of controlled exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with and without ozone (O3), and psychological stress. Each subject was exposed to the following three conditions at 1-week intervals (within-subject factor): VOCs (26 mg/m3), VOCs + O3 (26 mg/m3 + 40 ppb), and ambient air with a 1-min spike of VOCs (2.5 mg/m3).