Prevalence of asthma among adults in metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan areas in Montana, 2008.

Introduction: Most US studies on asthma prevalence have been conducted in urban areas, and few have assessed the prevalence of asthma among residents of rural areas versus urban areas. The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of asthma among adults living in metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan counties in Montana.

Methods: We analyzed data from 6,846 adult Montanans who completed the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey in 2008.

Oocyte maturation in Xenopus laevis is blocked by the hormonal herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid.

Oocyte maturation is dependent on a complex program of morphological, ultrastructural, and biochemical signaling events, and if disrupted could lead to decreased fertility and population decline. The in vitro sensitivity of amphibian oocytes and oocyte maturation to plant growth factor and widely used hormonal herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), was examined in this study to determine its potential impact on early development and possible contribution to the global amphibian decline. Progesterone, which acts through a membrane receptor, triggers meiotic maturation in full grown (stage VI) Xenopus oocytes, characterized by cytoskeletal reorganization, nuclear dissolution, chromosome condensation, and spindle formation.