BACKGROUND Increased exposure to microbial products early in life may protect from development of atopic disorders in childhood. Few studies have examined the relationship of endotoxin exposure and pet ownership on atopy and wheezing during infancy. OBJECTIVE Evaluate relationships among high endotoxin exposure, pet ownership, atopy, and wheezing in high-risk infants. METHODS Infants (n = 5...

Flame retardants are a wide group of chemicals used by the industry to avoid combustion of materials. These substances are commonly found in plastics, electronic equipment, fabrics, and in many other everyday articles. Subsequently, ubiquitous environmental contamination by these common chemical is frequently reported. In the present study, we have evaluated the level of exposure to polychlorin...

During 2004, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Public Health Laboratory notified CDC about the isolation of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium from ill hamsters from a Minnesota pet distributor. This report describes two of the first identified human cases associated with this outbreak, summarizes the multistate investigation of human S. Typhimurium infections a...

AIMS To quantify the reduction potential of asthma in Finland achievable by adjusting exposures to selected environmental factors. METHODS A life table model for the Finnish population for 1986-2040 was developed and Years Lived with Disability caused by asthma and attributable to the following selected exposures were estimated: tobacco smoke (smoking and second hand tobacco smoke), ambient f...

An important aspect of allergic sensitization to furry animals is the association of dog and cat exposure in early childhood with the incidence of respective allergies later in life. This topic is very controversial, because some authors have found a "facilitating" effect, while others have noticed a "protective" or even no significant effect in individuals living in urban areas. It is likely t...

The biological effects of exposure to radioactive fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) were investigated in the lymphocytes of patients undergoing positron emission tomography (PET) procedures. Low-dose, radiation-induced cellular responses were measured using 3 different end points: (1) apoptosis; (2) chromosome aberrations; and (3) γH2AX foci formation. The results showed no significant change in l...

The purpose of this study was to estimate average radiation exposure from (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) examinations and to analyze possible factors affecting the radiation dose. A nation-wide questionnaire survey was conducted involving all institutions that operate PET/CT scanners in Korea. From the response, radiation doses from inje...

We hypothesized that the acute ventilatory response to hypoxia is enhanced after exposure to episodic hypoxia in awake humans. Eleven subjects completed a series of rebreathing trials before and after exposure to eight 4-min episodes of hypoxia. During the rebreathing trials, subjects initially hyperventilated to reduce the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (Pet(CO(2))) below 25 Torr. Subjects...

Despite the ubiquity of pets in consumers’ lives, scant research has examined how exposure to them (e.g., recalling past interactions with dogs and cats, viewing ads featuring a dog or cat) influences consumer behavior. The authors demonstrate that (cats) reminds consumers stereotypical temperaments behaviors pet species, which activates promotion- (prevention-) focused motivational mindset amo...