The upper airway response to pollen is enhanced by exposure to combustion particulates: a pilot human experimental challenge study.

Although human experimental studies have shown that gaseous pollutants enhance the inflammatory response to allergens, human data on whether combustion particulates enhance the inflammatory response to allergen are limited. Therefore, we conducted a human experimental study to investigate whether combustion particulates enhance the inflammatory response to aeroallergens. "Enhancement" refers to a greater-than-additive response when combustion particulates are delivered with allergen, compared with the responses when particulates and allergen are delivered alone. Eight subjects, five atopic and three nonatopic, participated in three randomized exposure-challenge sessions at least 2 weeks apart (i.e., clean air followed by allergen, particles followed by no allergen, or particles followed by allergen). Each session consisted of nasal exposure to combustion particles (target concentration of 1.0 mg/m3) or clean air for 1 hr, followed 3 hr later by challenge with whole pollen grains or placebo. Nasal lavage was performed immediately before particle or clean air exposure, immediately after exposure, and 4, 18 and 42 hr after pollen challenge. Cell counts, differentials, and measurement of cytokines were performed on each nasal lavage. In atopic but not in nonatopic subjects, when allergen was preceded by particulates, there was a significant enhancement immediately after pollen challenge in nasal lavage leukocytes and neutrophils (29.7 X 10(3) cells/mL and 25.4 X 10(3) cells/mL, respectively). This represents a 143% and 130% enhancement, respectively. The enhanced response for interleukin-4 was 3.23 pg/mL (p = 0.06), a 395% enhancement. In atopic subjects there was evidence of an enhanced response when particulates, as compared to clean air, preceded the allergen challenge.

Exposure to lead induces hypoxia-like responses in bullfrog larvae (Rana catesbeiana).

Amphibians collected around mining sites, areas with extensive automobile traffic, and shooting ranges have been documented to contain high levels of lead. Lead-exposed amphibians might respond as if in hypoxic conditions because exposure is known to decrease hemoglobin levels, damage erythrocytes, and alter respiratory surfaces. Therefore, we exposed bullfrog larvae to either 0 or 780 µg/L Pb and either 3.50 or 7.85 mg/L oxygen for 7 d and monitored activity, trips to the surface, and buccal ventilation rates. Activity was significantly decreased in larvae exposed to low oxygen, Pb, or both compared to activity of larvae in high oxygen with no Pb. Larvae exposed to both Pb and low oxygen displayed higher buccal ventilation rates than larvae exposed to either treatment separately. Lead-exposed larvae surfaced significantly more often than unexposed larvae even under high-oxygen conditions. Lead-exposed larvae decreased in mass during the exposure period, whereas unexposed larvae increased in mass. Lead exposure could decrease survival of larvae in the field not only because of physiological problems due to decreased oxygen uptake but also because of greater predation pressure due to increased presence at the surface and reduced growth rates.