Estrous cycle contributes to state-dependent contextual fear in female rats.

The increased susceptibility of women to stress and trauma-related disorders compared to men suggests a role for ovarian hormones in modulating fear and anxiety. In both humans and rodents, estrogen and progesterone have been shown to influence fear learning during acquisition, expression, and extinction. Recently, we showed that allopregnanolone (ALLO), a progesterone (PROG) metabolite and GABA receptor potentiator, confers state-dependent contextual fear when infused into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis of male rats.

Allopregnanolone induces state-dependent fear via the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.

Gonadal steroids and their metabolites have been shown to be important modulators of emotional behavior. Allopregnanolone (ALLO), for example, is a metabolite of progesterone that has been linked to anxiety-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder. In rodents, it has been shown to reduce anxiety in a number of behavioral paradigms including Pavlovian fear conditioning.

Allopregnanolone in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis modulates contextual fear in rats.

Trauma- and stress-related disorders are among the most common types of mental illness affecting the U.S. population.

Allergy immunotherapy as an early intervention in patients with child-onset atopic asthma.

Background: In patients with bronchial asthma an effective treatment is required at early stages of the disease to prevent irreversible structural changes of the airways. The objective of this study was to evaluate the beneficial effects of our routine immunotherapy as an early intervention on FEV1 in patients with child-onset atopic asthma.

Methods: Beneficial effects of successful immunotherapy on FEV1 were analyzed retrospectively in 43 unselected patients who received our routine standard subcutaneous immunotherapy with periodic FEV1 measurements and became asymptomatic.

An intersubunit zinc binding site in rat P2X2 receptors.

P2X receptors are ATP-gated ion channels made up of three similar or identical subunits. It is unknown whether ligand binding is intersubunit or intrasubunit, either for agonists or for allosteric modulators. Zinc binds to rat P2X2 receptors and acts as an allosteric modulator, potentiating channel opening.