Does prenatal ethanol exposure alter the responsiveness of the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to nitric oxide?
The ability of increased brain NO levels to release ACTH and stimulate PVN neuronal activity is enhanced in adult male rats exposed to alcohol prenatally. These data support the hypothesis that alterations in HPA axis activity in adult offspring of alcohol-exposed dams may be related to changes in hypothalamic responsiveness to NO.
Even after adjusting for comorbid conditions, gender, and racial discrepancies in the implantation of ICDs for the primary prevention of sudden cardiac death exist. Further investigations into the root causes of these discrepancies are needed before any corrective measures can be adopted.