32-3.3) and 1.32 (1.07-1.65) at Lag1 PM2.5 and PM10, respectively. The interactions between current smoking and acute exposures (Lag0; Lag1; Lag2) were significant in relationship to VE. Acute exposures were not significantly associated with supraventricular SN-38 mouse ectopy (SVE), or with VE among nonsmokers. Subacute (Lag1-30) exposures were not

significantly associated with arrhythmia. Acute PM2.5 and PM10 exposure is directly associated with the odds of VE among smokers, suggesting that they are more vulnerable to the arrhythmogenic effects of PM.”
“We have recently characterized a form of ex vivo depotentiation (depotentiation(ex vivo)), which correlates tightly with fear extinction, at thalamic input synapses onto the lateral amygdala. Here, we examined the effects of learning-attenuating drugs, reported to impair fear extinction when microinjected into the learn more basolateral amygdala, on depotentiatione(ex vivo). U0126, a mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor, and cycloheximide,

a protein synthesis inhibitor, blocked depotentiation(ex vivo). However, ifenprodil, an NIR2B-containing NMDA receptor inhibitor, did not alter depotentiation(ex vivo), although it blocked amygdala long-term potentiation. These findings indicate that amygdala depotentiation shares some molecular processes with learning and further suggest that different forms of synaptic plasticity in the basolateral amygdala mediate fear extinction. NeuroReport 20:517-520 (C) 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.”
“Responses of patients with persistent asthma to ambient air pollution may be different OSI-744 from those of general populations. For example, asthma medications may modify the effects of ambient air pollutants on peak expiratory flow (PEF). Few studies examined the association between air pollution and PEF in patients

with persistent asthma on well-defined medication regimens using asthma clinical trial data. Airway obstruction effects of ambient air pollutants, using 14,919 person-days of daily self-measured peak expiratory flow (PEF), were assessed from 154 patients with persistent asthma during the 16 wk of active treatment in the Salmeterol Off Corticosteroids Study trial. The three therapies were an inhaled corticosteroid, an inhaled long-acting -agonist, and placebo. The participants were nonsmokers aged 12 through 63 yr, recruited from 6 university-based ambulatory care centers from February 1997 to January 1999. Air pollution data were derived from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Aerometric Information Retrieval System. An increase of 10 ppb of ambient daily mean concentrations of NO2 was associated with a decrease in PEF of 1.53 L/min (95% confidence interval [CI] -2.93 to -0.