Adenosine inhalation produces immediate bronchoconstriction in asthmatics but not in normal subjects. The bronchospastic effect of adenosine is largely mediated through adenosine-induced mast cell activation, the mechanism of which is poorly understood due to limitations in culturing human primary mast cells. Here, we show that human umbilical cord blood -derived mast cells incubated with the Th2 cytokine IL-4 develop increased sensitivity to adenosine. Potentiation of anti-IgE- induced and calcium ionophore/PMA-induced degranulation was augmented in mast cells cultured with IL-4, and this effect was reduced or abolished by pre-treatment with A2BsiRNA and selective A2B receptor antagonists, respectively. IL-4 incubation resulted in the increased expression of A2B and reduced expression of A2A adenosine receptors on human mast cells. These results suggest that Th2 cytokines in the asthmatic lung may alter adenosine receptor expression on airway mast cells to promote increased responsiveness to adenosine.

A novel delivery method is described for the rapid determination of taste preferences for sweet taste in humans. This forced-choice paired comparison approach incorporates the non-caloric sweetener sucralose into a set of one-inch square edible strips for the rapid determination of sweet taste preferences. When compared to aqueous sucrose solutions, significantly lower amounts of sucralose were required to identify the preference for sweet taste. The validity of this approach was determined by comparing sweet taste preferences obtained with five different sucralose-containing edible strips to a set of five intensity-matched sucrose solutions. When compared to the solution test, edible strips required approximately the same number of steps to identify the preferred amount of sweet taste stimulus. Both approaches yielded similar distribution patterns for the preferred amount of sweet taste stimulus. In addition, taste intensity values for the preferred amount of sucralose in strips were similar to that of sucrose in solution. The hedonic values for the preferred amount of sucralose were lower than for sucrose, but the taste quality of the preferred sucralose strip was described as sweet. When taste intensity values between sucralose strips and sucralose solutions containing identical amounts of taste stimulus were compared, sucralose strips produced a greater taste intensity and more positive hedonic response. A preference test that uses edible strips for stimulus delivery should be useful for identifying preferences for sweet taste in young children, and in clinical populations. This test should also be useful for identifying sweet taste preferences outside of the lab or clinic. Finally, edible strips should be useful for developing preference tests for other primary taste stimuli and for taste mixtures.

Objectives Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world, and hypertension is the key modifiable risk factor. Risk factors for hypertension include high salt intake, obesity, stress, and environmental factors. Among environmental exposures, some studies suggest the possibility that arsenic plays a role in hypertension, but more evidence is needed to properly evaluate the association between arsenic exposure and hypertension. Methods We used a sub-cohort data from a longitudinal study, the China Health and Nutrition Survey. We followed up 2530 non-hypertensive participants aged 20–65 years old who had blood pressure data and toenail samples measured in 2009 through 2015. We measured blood pressure with sphygmomanometer and standard cuff and arsenic concentration in toenail samples by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We used logistic regression models to estimate the association between arsenic quartiles and incident hypertension. Results The average arsenic concentration was 0.48 (±0.60) mg/kg and the median was 0.33 mg/kg. The incidence of hypertension was 24.4% during the six follow-up years, varying from 26.2% in the first (lowest) quartile to 21.6% in the fourth (highest) quartile. Compared to the first quartile, the relative risk (RR) was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.74–1.29), 0.97 (95% CI: 0.73–1.29), and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.55–0.99) from the second to the fourth quartile, respectively, controlled for age, gender, body mass index, and some other cofounders. Conclusions Low to moderate arsenic exposure might decrease the risk of hypertension. More research is needed to fully determine the effects of arsenic exposure on hypertension. Funding Sources The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (NICHD), NIH; The Fogarty International Center, NIH; Department of Nutrition & Carolina Population Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Background: Takayasu’s arteritis (TA) is an uncommon disease, characterized by granulomatous vasculitis of medium and large arteries especially aorta and its branches. The incidence of TA is calculated to be 0.26-case/100,000/ year in the USA. Neurological involvement is reported in only a minority of patients and occurrence of neurological syndromes as the first manifestation of the disease has been rarely reported. We are describing epidemiological characteristics of a rare disease. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) (years 2000-2011) in adult hospitalizations for AIS to compare the outcomes [Death, All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (APRDRGs) Risk Mortality (likelihood of dying), Discharge Disposition, APRDRG severity (loss of function)] of patients with TA using ICD-9-CM codes. The APRDRGs are assigned using software developed by 3M Health Information Systems. We also compared their epidemiological characteristics like age, race, gender, preexisting comorbidities, length of stay, and expenditure for treatment. We performed weighted analysis using chi-square and t-test. Results: Among 5,223,800 AIS hospitalizations, 274 were diagnosed with TA. Analysis revealed most TA patients were female (90.7%) and younger in age (Mean: 50.3 years), in compare to non-TA. It was more common in white population. With high likelihood of dying, TA cohort had higher percentage of major loss of function in compare to non-TA. AIS with TA were having longer length of stay and higher cost of treatment (Table). Conclusion: Even though AIS hospitalizations with TA are relatively rare, further research is needed to determine other associations of TA, as it is a burden on healthcare, which has higher association with disability and higher cost.

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