Influence of season and location on pulmonary response to California's San Joaquin Valley airborne particulate matter.

Season and location have documented impacts on particulate matter (PM)-induced morbidity and mortality. Seasonal and regional influences on the physical and chemical properties of PM₂.₅ (also known as fine/ultrafine PM) contribute to differences in exposure burden and adverse respiratory health outcomes experienced in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV), which ranks among the worst in the nation for PM pollution.

Use of a soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor in smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Tobacco smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prolonged inflammatory condition of the lungs characterized by progressive and largely irreversible airflow limitation attributable to a number of pathologic mechanisms, including bronchitis, bronchiolitis, emphysema, mucus plugging, pulmonary hypertension, and small-airway obstruction. Soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors (sEHIs) demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties in a rat model after acute exposure to tobacco smoke. We compared the efficacy of sEHI t-TUCB (trans-4-{4-[3-(4-trifluoromethoxy-phenyl)-ureido]-cyclohexyloxy}-benzoic acid) and the phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor Rolipram (Biomol International, Enzo Life Sciences, Farmingdale, NY) to reduce lung injury and inflammation after subacute exposure to tobacco smoke over a period of 4 weeks.

Susceptibility to inhaled flame-generated ultrafine soot in neonatal and adult rat lungs.

Over a quarter of the U.S. population is exposed to harmful levels of airborne particulate matter (PM) pollution, which has been linked to development and exacerbation of respiratory diseases leading to morbidity and mortality, especially in susceptible populations.

AhR deficiency impairs expression of LPS-induced inflammatory genes in mice.

Recent reports suggest the participation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in the induction mechanism of the NF-κB signaling pathway. In the current study we challenged C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and AhR deficient (AhR(-/-)) mice with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to investigate the role of the AhR in expression profiles of LPS and NF-κB target genes. Further, we analyzed the effect of LPS on the DNA binding activity of NF-κB, C/EBP and AP-1 transcription factors in liver and lung from WT and AhR(-/-) mice.

The anti-inflammatory effects of soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors are independent of leukocyte recruitment.

Excess leukocyte recruitment to the lung plays a central role in the development or exacerbation of several lung inflammatory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are cytochrome P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid reported to have multiple biological functions, including blocking of leukocyte recruitment to inflamed endothelium in cell culture through reduction of adhesion molecule expression. Inhibition of the EET regulatory enzyme, soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) also has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects in vivo including reduced leukocyte recruitment to the lung.

Toward improved ionizing radiation safety standards.

Ionizing radiation safety standards developed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) during the past 50-plus years have provided guidance for effective protection of workers and the public from the potentially harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, including cancer. Earlier standards were based primarily on radiation dose rate to organs of the body. More recent recommendations have calculated cancer risk as a function of cumulative dose using a linear no-threshold cancer risk model based on the acute high dose rate exposures received by the Japanese atomic bomb survivors.

Circulating dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels in women who underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy during the menopausal transition.

Objective: A rise in circulating dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) concentration occurs during the menopausal transition (MT) that is ovarian stage related but not age related. The objective of this study was to determine the source of the rise in circulating DHEAS.

Methods: Circulating DHEAS concentrations in women who had undergone bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) were compared with the pattern of circulating DHEAS in women who progressed through the MT naturally.

FRET analysis of protein tyrosine kinase c-Src activation mediated via aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

Background: Activation of the protein tyrosine kinase c-Src (c-Src kinase) induced by the exposure to the environmental pollutant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) has been shown in various cell types. Most previous works used Western blot analysis to detect the phosphorylation on the Tyr416 residue, which activates c-Src kinase.

Methods: Here we compared the results of c-Src tyrosine phosphorylation via aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-dependent mechanisms from Western blot analysis with fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay detecting c-Src activation after treatment with TCDD to activate AhR in two different human cell types.

Frozen-thawed rhesus sperm retain normal morphology and highly progressive motility but exhibit sharply reduced efficiency in penetrating cervical mucus and hyaluronic acid gel.

The preservation of the genetic diversity of captive populations of rhesus monkeys is critical to the future of biomedical research. Cryopreservation of rhesus macaque sperm is relatively simple to perform, yields high post-thaw motility, and theoretically, provides via artificial insemination (AI) a way to easily transfer genetics among colonies of animals. In the interest of optimizing semen cryopreservation methods for use with vaginal AI, we evaluated the ability of frozen-thawed rhesus sperm to penetrate periovulatory cervical mucus (CM).

Susceptibility of the aging lung to environmental injury.

With an ever-increasing number of elderly individuals in the world, a better understanding of the issues associated with aging and the environment is needed. The respiratory system is one of the primary interfaces between the body and the external environment. An expanding number of studies suggest that the aging pulmonary system (>65 years) is at increased risk for adverse health effects from environmental insult, such as by air pollutants, infection, and climate change.

Site-specific differences in gene expression of secreted proteins in the mouse lung: comparison of methods to show differences by location.

Studies on the effects of pulmonary toxicants on the lung often overlook the fact that site-specific changes are likely to occur in response to chemical exposure. These changes can be highly focal and may be undetected by methods that do not examine specific lung regions. This problem is especially acute for studies of the conducting airways.

A pilot binational study of health behaviors and immigration.

In the US, Mexican immigrant women often have better health outcomes than non-Hispanic white women despite a greater health risk profile. This cross-sectional pilot study compared women living in Chavinda, Michoacán (n = 102) to women who had migrated from Mexico to Madera, California (n = 93). The interview gathered information on acculturation and risk behaviors including smoking, alcohol use and number of sexual partners.

Non-genomic action of TCDD to induce inflammatory responses in HepG2 human hepatoma cells and in liver of C57BL/6J mice.

To assess the significance of the non-genomic signaling of TCDD (=dioxin) on liver of C57BL/6 mice and HepG2 human hepatoma cells, we first determined the group of markers that are susceptible to inhibition by parthenolide, a compound known to specifically suppress NF-κB-mediated inflammation. Of those, the most consistent marker turned out to be SOCS3 (a suppressor of cytokine signaling) known to respond to inflammation. An early diagnostic test on the action of TCDD on HepG2 cells in vitro within 3-6 h indicated that Cox-2 and SOCS3 are mainly induced via a non-genomic route, whereas PAI-2 appears to be induced through the classical action route.

Oxidative injury in the lungs of neonatal rats following short-term exposure to ultrafine iron and soot particles.

Greater risk of adverse effects from particulate matter (PM) has been noted in susceptible subpopulations, such as children. However, the physicochemical components responsible for these biological effects are not understood. As critical constituents of PM, transition metals were postulated to be involved in a number of pathological processes of the respiratory system through free radical-medicated damage.

Concerning the health effects of internally deposited radionuclides.

The ionizing radiation dose-response relationships for internally deposited radionuclides are examined using data from humans involving Ra and laboratory animal studies involving alpha-emitters Ra, Ra, Ra, Th, Pu, Pu, and Am and beta-emitters Y, Sr, Y, and Ce. Intake routes included ingestion, inhalation, and injection. The lifetime effects are best described by three-dimensional average-dose-rate/time/response surfaces that compete with other causes of death during an individual's lifetime.

Practical semen analysis: from A to Z.

Accurate semen analysis is critical for decisions about patient care, as well as for studies addressing overall changes in semen quality, contraceptive efficacy and effects of toxicant exposure. The standardization of semen analysis is very difficult for many reasons, including the use of subjective techniques with no standards for comparison, poor technician training, problems with proficiency testing and a reluctance to change techniques. The World Health Organization (WHO) Semen handbook (2010) offers a vastly improved set of standardized procedures, all at a level of detail that will preclude most misinterpretations.

Toxic threshold of dietary microcystin (-LR) for quart medaka.

This study was designed to estimate the toxic threshold of male and female fish to microcystins based on different biomarkers. Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were fed dietary Microcystin-LR (0, 0.46, 0.

Health effects of inhaled engineered and incidental nanoparticles.

Engineered nanoscale materials provide tremendous promise for technological advancements; however, concerns have been raised about whether research of the possible health risks of these nanomaterials is keeping pace with products going to market. Research on nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes, semiconductor crystals, and other ultrafine particles (i.e.

Circulating dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentrations during the menopausal transition.

Context: A previous report from the Study of Women Across the Nation indicated a rise in dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) during the menopausal transition using data from three annual visits.

Objective: Our objective was to examine changes in DHEAS with chronological and ovarian aging, expanding the original analyses to include 10 yr of annual data.

Design: A longitudinal observational study and cross-sectional analyses of baseline data were conducted.

Arylhydrocarbon receptor activation in NCI-H441 cells and C57BL/6 mice: possible mechanisms for lung dysfunction.

The arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is known for its ability to bind aromatic-containing compounds, which starts a molecular cascade involving the induction of cytochrome P450s and inflammatory cytokines. Our hypothesis is that many inhaled environmental toxicant components activate these inflammatory pathways via an initial binding to the AhR. To test this possibility, we treated Clara cell-derived NCI-H441 cells with the AhR agonist, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlordibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), and demonstrated that AhR activation increased the expression of both cytochrome P450 s and inflammatory markers.

Mechanisms of particulate matter toxicity in neonatal and young adult rat lungs.

Particulate matter (PM*) has been associated with a variety of adverse health effects, primarily involving the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Researchers continue to investigate biologic mechanisms that may explain how exposure to PM exacerbates or directly causes adverse effects. Particle composition may play a critical role in these effects.

Characterization of the pattern of the nongenomic signaling pathway through which TCDD-induces early inflammatory responses in U937 human macrophages.

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo(p)dioxin (TCDD) has been known to induce inflammatory signaling in a number of cell types and tissues. We found that in U937 macrophages TCDD causes rapid activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) within 30min as judged by the increase in the serine 505 phosphorylated form of cPLA2 protein and the increased cellular release of free arachidonic acid. This initial action of TCDD is accompanied with the up-regulation of an important inflammation marker, COX-2 mRNA expression within 1h, and by 3h, several other markers become up-regulated.

Initial and extended inflammatory messages of the nongenomic signaling pathway of the TCDD-activated Ah receptor in U937 macrophages.

Using 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo(p)dioxin (TCDD) we have investigated the mechanisms through which the AhR elicits inflammation through the nongenomic pathway. This AhR signaling depends on the initial action of TCDD to rapidly increase the intracellular concentration of free Ca(2+), which subsequently activates cPLA2 and additional inflammatory markers (e.g.

Release of DEFB126 from macaque sperm and completion of capacitation are triggered by conditions that simulate periovulatory oviductal fluid.

Capacitation of macaque sperm in vitro has been achieved efficiently only with the addition of both cyclic nucleotides and methylxanthines. The use of these exogenous sperm activators clouds an understanding of the normal mechanisms underlying capacitation and may slow early embryo development following in vitro fertilization (IVF). We demonstrate that culture medium which simulates periovulatory oviductal fluid with respect to bicarbonate (HCO(3)(-)) and glucose concentration induces capacitation in a high percentage of macaque sperm as determined by the ability of sperm to undergo both the release of coating protein DEFB126 and the zona pellucida-induced acrosome reaction (AR).

Effect of dietary methylmercury and seleno-methionine on Sacramento splittail larvae.

The effects of methylmercury (MeHg) and selenium (Se) contamination on food webs in the San Francisco Estuary have received considerable attention during the past decade. However, knowledge of their effects on native fishes of California is lacking. This study investigated the interactive effects of dietary MeHg and seleno-methionine (SeMet) on Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) larvae.