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The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a brain region that is critically involved in cognitive function and inhibitory control of behavior, and adolescence represents an important period of continued PFC development that parallels the maturation of these functions. Evidence suggests that this period of continued development of the PFC may render it especially vulnerable to environmental insults that impact PFC function in adulthood. Experimentation with alcohol typically begins during adolescence when binge-like consumption of large quantities is common. In the present study, we investigated the effects of repeated cycles of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure (postnatal days 28-42) by vapor inhalation on different aspects of executive functioning in the adult rat. In an operant set-shifting task, AIE-exposed rats exhibited deficits in their ability to shift their response strategy when the rules of the task changed, indicating reduced behavioral flexibility. There were no differences in progressive ratio response for the reinforcer suggesting that AIE did not alter reinforcer motivation. Examination of performance on the elevated plus maze under conditions designed to minimize stress revealed that AIE exposure enhanced the number of entries into the open arms, which may reflect either reduced anxiety and/or disinhibition of exploratory-like behavior. In rats that trained to self-administer ethanol in an operant paradigm, AIE increased resistance to extinction of ethanol-seeking behavior. This resistance to extinction was reversed by positive allosteric modulation of mGluR5 during extinction training, an effect that is thought to reflect promotion of extinction learning mechanisms within the medial PFC. Consistent with this, CDPPB was also observed to reverse the deficits in behavioral flexibility. Finally, diffusion tensor imaging with multivariate analysis of 32 brain areas revealed that while there were no differences in the total brain volume, the volume of a subgroup of regions (hippocampus, thalamus, dorsal striatum, neocortex, and hypothalamus) were significantly different in AIE-exposed adults compared with litter-matched Control rats. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that binge-like exposure to alcohol during early to middle adolescence results in deficits in PFC-mediated behavioral control in adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This long-term prospective study was conducted in African Americans with persistent asthma to examine the safety and effectiveness of the combination of the inhaled corticosteroid, fluticasone propionate (FP), and the long-acting beta-agonist, salmeterol, compared with FP alone.Research and design methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, parallel group, multi-center trial in adolescent and adult subjects ≥12 years of age symptomatic on a low dose of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS). The study consisted of a 2-week screening period on low dose ICS; a 4-week open-label FP 250 mcg twice daily (BID) run-in; a 52-week double-blind period (FP/salmeterol [FSC] 100/50 mcg [n=239] or FP 100 mcg [n=236] BID), and a 4-week FP 250 mcg BID run-out period. Annualized exacerbation rate was the primary outcome for comparing the two treatments. Other measures of asthma control included peak expiratory flow, asthma symptoms, and albuterol use. Safety was assessed through adverse events.Results: Exacerbation rates were not significantly different in those treated with FSC 100/50 mcg (0.449 per year) compared with FP 100 mcg (0.529 per year, p=0.169). When the per-protocol analysis was applied, the rates were 0.465 and 0.769 per year for FSC 100/50 mcg and FP 100 mcg, respectively. Treatment with FSC 100/50 mcg provided statistically greater improvements in lung function measures and nighttime awakenings (p≤0.050) and demonstrated numerically lower daily symptoms (p=0.216) and albuterol use (p=0.122). Two subjects treated with FSC 100/50 mcg were hospitalized for an asthma exacerbation compared to three treated with FP 100 mcg. The overall incidence of adverse effects during double-blind treatment was similar between the FSC 100/50 mcg and FP 100 mcg treatment groups (61% and 68%, respectively). Frequent study visits were required of subjects during this long-term study, and it remains unknown whether this intervention may affect generalizability.Conclusion: In this large, prospective study among African Americans with asthma, the addition of salmeterol to FP resulted in a similar low rate of exacerbations and improved other markers of asthma control. Both FSC 100/50 mcg and FP 100 mcg were well-tolerated, and the overall safety-profiles were similar over 1 year of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This long-term prospective study was conducted in African Americans with persistent asthma to examine the safety and effectiveness of the combination of the inhaled corticosteroid, fluticasone propionate (FP), and the long-acting beta-agonist, salmeterol, compared with FP alone.Research and design methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, parallel group, multi-center trial in adolescent and adult subjects ≥12 years of age symptomatic on a low dose of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS). The study consisted of a 2-week screening period on low dose ICS; a 4-week open-label FP 250 mcg twice daily (BID) run-in; a 52-week double-blind period (FP/salmeterol [FSC] 100/50 mcg [n=239] or FP 100 mcg [n=236] BID), and a 4-week FP 250 mcg BID run-out period. Annualized exacerbation rate was the primary outcome for comparing the two treatments. Other measures of asthma control included peak expiratory flow, asthma symptoms, and albuterol use. Safety was assessed through adverse events.Results: Exacerbation rates were not significantly different in those treated with FSC 100/50 mcg (0.449 per year) compared with FP 100 mcg (0.529 per year, p=0.169). When the per-protocol analysis was applied, the rates were 0.465 and 0.769 per year for FSC 100/50 mcg and FP 100 mcg, respectively. Treatment with FSC 100/50 mcg provided statistically greater improvements in lung function measures and nighttime awakenings (p≤0.050) and demonstrated numerically lower daily symptoms (p=0.216) and albuterol use (p=0.122). Two subjects treated with FSC 100/50 mcg were hospitalized for an asthma exacerbation compared to three treated with FP 100 mcg. The overall incidence of adverse effects during double-blind treatment was similar between the FSC 100/50 mcg and FP 100 mcg treatment groups (61% and 68%, respectively). Frequent study visits were required of subjects during this long-term study, and it remains unknown whether this intervention may affect generalizability.Conclusion: In this large, prospective study among African Americans with asthma, the addition of salmeterol to FP resulted in a similar low rate of exacerbations and improved other markers of asthma control. Both FSC 100/50 mcg and FP 100 mcg were well-tolerated, and the overall safety-profiles were similar over 1 year of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjective:To explore whether obesity alters the risk, impairment and response to treatment in African Americans with asthma.Methods:The data used for this secondary analysis are from a 1-year study in African American subjects comparing fluticasone propionate/salmeterol 100/50µg combination (FSC) and fluticasone propionate 100µg (FP). Subjects were retrospectively stratified by body mass index (BMI) <20 [underweight], 20–24.9 [normal weight], 25–29.9 [overweight], 30–34.9 [obese I], 35–39.9 [obese II], and 40 [obese III] kg/m2. Outcomes studied included impairment domains: FEV1, morning and evening peak expiratory flow (AM and PM PEF), daily albuterol use, daily symptom scores and future risk domain: exacerbations.Clinical trial registration:www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00102765Results:There were 475 subjects evenly distributed between FSC and FP by baseline parameters. There were 207 subjects with a BMI 30, including 70 subjects with a BMI 40. Baseline BMI 40 was associated with numerically lower baseline AM and PM PEF. There was an attenuation of response to both treatments for only PM PEF (p<0.05). By contrast, subjects with lower degrees of obesity or overweight did not differ from those with normal weight. The total population exacerbation rate was 2-fold greater in obese III subjects (39) compared with subjects in other BMI categories (16–21) (p<0.05). A potential study limitation is the retrospective analysis of existing data.Discussion:Response to treatment was attenuated for PM PEF for subjects with BMI 40 and was also associated with an increased rate of asthma exacerbations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]