The interpretation of a semen analysis : semen analysis is still a cornerstone laboratory evaluation

Male factor infertility is solely responsible in ∼20% of cases and contributory in ∼30 - 40%. Therefore, in at least 50% of cases a male factor for infertility contributes to failure to conceive. A semen analysis is still a cornerstone laboratory evaluation and contributes to defining the severity of a possible single or contributing male factor to a couple's infertility.http://www.cmej.org.za/index.php/cme

Quality and safety of South African hand sanitisers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Health agencies recommend using hand sanitisers as protection against the coronavirus. Thus far, the emphasis on hand sanitiser studies is limited to an analysis of disinfectant content only. This study aims to provide an extended analysis of 60 off-the-shelf alcohol-based hand sanitisers by using gas chromatography to report on alcohol content and the presence of impurities, a recombinant yeast estrogen screen to assess estrogenic activity, and an investigation into labelling compliance with the South African National Standard. Fifty hand sanitisers had an alcohol content of ≥60% v/v alcohol; however, most contained skin irritants and substances that could harm human and environmental health. Estrogenic activity was detected in 29 hand sanitisers and none of the products complied with all the labelling requirements. Since off-the-shelf hand sanitisers in South Africa are not regulated and monitored, evidence-based public awareness programmes on hand sanitiser quality and safety should become a priority.The UNICEF program for Youth Empowerment and Health/Economic Responses to COVID-19 (YEaH) as well as the UNESCO – TWAS (The World Academy of Sciences) for the Advancement of Sciences and the Inter Academy Partnership short-term funding project.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cije20hj2024Plant Production and Soil ScienceSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

Pesticide residues and estrogenic activity in fruit and vegetables sampled from major fresh produce markets in South Africa

Food is likely to be one of the major pathways through which people are exposed to endocrinedisrupting chemicals. With the exception of residual effects, there are concerns that a number of naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals exert adverse effects upon endocrine systems in wildlife and humans. The current study reports selected pesticide concentrations and the total estrogenic activity of fruit and vegetables using the recombinant yeast oestrogen screen (YES) and T47D-KBluc reporter gene assays. A total of 53 food samples (27 fruit and 26 vegetables) from Johannesburg and Tshwane fresh produce markets (in South Africa) were analysed. Of these, 17 contained one to three different pesticide residues with concentrations ranging between 0.01 and 0.68 mg kg–1, whereas in the rest of the samples no residues were detected. All pesticides detected except in one sample were below the maximum residue level (MRL), but others were unauthorised for use in specified fruit and vegetables. Estrogenic activity was detected in 26.4% (14 samples) of the samples tested, and the estradiol equivalents ranged from 0.007 to 2 pg g–1. Although the estrogenic activity was low, it may contribute to adverse health effects. Continuous monitoring for pesticides in fruit and vegetables is important in view of the unauthorised pesticides detected in produce from South Africa and the endocrine-disrupting chemical activity found.South African Table Grape Industry, the University of Pretoria, Institute of Food Nutrition and Well-Being, Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation administered Centre of Excellence in Food Security (Project No 140701).http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tfac202017-07-30hb201

Health risk implications from simultaneous exposure to multiple environmental contaminants

Water quality has deteriorated in the upper Olifants River system, South Africa, as a result of land use activities which include mining, agriculture and industries. A health risk assessment was conducted from 2009 to 2011 in the catchment to determine the possible risks local communities face from various pollutants such as microbials, heavy metals and oestrogen in the river water and vegetation. Aluminium and manganese accumulated in plants and vanadium and aluminium concentrations found in selective water samples posed significant health risks when consumed. A quantitative microbial risk assessment revealed that the combined risk of infection ranged from 1 to 26 percent with the Norovirus posing the overall greatest health risk. The anticipated disability adjusted life years resulting from drinking untreated water from these sites are in the order of 10,000 times greater than what is considered acceptable. The oestradiol activity, caused by endocrine disrupting compounds in the water, measured above the trigger value of 0.7 ng L−1. Impoverished communities in the area, who partially depend on river water for potable and domestic use, are exposed to immune-compromising metals that increase their probability of infection from waterborne diseases caused by the excess microbial pathogens in the contaminated surface water.Olifants River Forumhttp://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecoenvhb201

Changes in Retinol-Binding Protein Concentrations and Thyroid Homeostasis with Nonoccupational Exposure to DDT

BACKGROUND: The insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been used for malaria vector control in the northern and eastern parts of the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa, since 1945. Bioaccumulation of DDT raises concern because it reportedly affects thyroid function. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate the association between DDT uptake (as reflected in plasma concentrations) and thyroid homeostasis while considering related factors. METHODS: We compared dietary intake, serum retinol-binding protein (RBP), transthyretin (TTR) and albumin concentrations, and liver and thyroid function between cases with evidence of a body burden of DDT in the circulation (concentration of any DDT isomer ≥ 0.02 μg/g lipid; n = 278) and controls (concentration of all DDT isomers < 0.02 μg/g lipid; n = 40) in a cross-sectional study. Further analyses were performed to assess the relevance of changes in RBP status associated with DDT uptake. RESULTS: RBP concentrations below the reference range were more prevalent in cases (54% vs. 10% in controls; χ2 = 27.4; p < 0.001), which could not be explained by nutrient intake. We observed significantly lower thyroid hormone concentrations among cases (p ≤ 0.01). We also observed a significant linear trend for serum concentrations of free thyroxine and free triiodothyronine (p < 0.001) and a significant quadratic trend for serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (p = 0.025) and TTR (p < 0.001) across the control group and case groups with normal and relatively low RBP concentrations. Relatively low RBP concentrations were associated with significantly higher DDT and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (DDE) isomer concentrations and with a higher DDE/DDT ratio (p ≤ 0.01), which signifies long-term exposure. Inadequate intake of vitamin A and zinc were observed in 84% and 58%, respectively, of the total study population. CONCLUSION: RBP concentrations appear to decrease in the presence of long-term DDT uptake, which may have deleterious effects on thyroid function and vitamin A nutritional status. This is of major concern in a population with poor vitamin A and zinc intake

Occurrence of legacy and replacement plasticizers, bisphenols, and flame retardants in potable water in Montreal and South Africa

The occurrence of thirty-nine contaminants including plasticizers, bisphenols, and flame retardants in potable water from Montreal and South Africa was analyzed to determine their presence and concentrations in different water sources. In Montreal, five bottled water (BW) brands and three drinking water treatment plants (DWTP) were included. In South Africa, water was sampled from one urban DWTP located in Pretoria, Gauteng, and one rural DWTP located in Vhembe, along with water from the same rural DWTP which had been stored in small and large plastic containers. A combination of legacy compounds, typically with proven toxic effects, and replacement compounds was investigated. Bisphenols, Dechlorane-602, Dechlorane-603, and s-dechlorane plus (s-DP) were not detected in any water samples, and a-dechlorane plus (a-DP) was only detected in one sample from Pretoria at a concentration of 1.09 ng/L. Lower brominated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)s were detected more frequently than higher brominated PBDEs, always at low concentrations of <2 ng/L, and total PBDE levels were statistically higher in South Africa than in Montreal. Replacement flame retardants, organophosphate esters (OPEs), were detected at statistically higher concentrations in Montreal's BW (68.56 ng/L), drinking water (DW) (421.45 ng/L) and Vhembe (198.33 ng/L) than legacy PBDEs. Total OPE concentrations did not demonstrate any geographical trend; however, levels were statistically higher in Montreal's DW than Montreal's BW. Plasticizers were frequently detected in all samples, with legacy compounds DEHP, DBP, and replacement DINCH being detected in 100 % of samples with average concentrations ranging from 6.89 ng/L for DEHP in Pretoria to 175.04 ng/L for DINCH in Montreal's DW. Total plasticizer concentrations were higher in Montreal than in South Africa. The replacement plasticizers (DINCH, DINP, DIDA, and DEHA) were detected at similar frequencies and concentrations as legacy plasticizers (DEHP, DEP, DBP, MEHP). For the compounds reported in earlier studies, the concentrations detected in the present study were similar to other locations. These compounds are not currently regulated in drinking water but their frequent detection, especially OPEs and plasticizers, and the presence of replacement compounds at similar or higher levels than their legacy compounds demonstrate the importance of further investigating the prevalence and the ecological or human health effects of these compounds.The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund grant,http://www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenvhj2023School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH

Standards in semen examination:publishing reproducible and reliable data based on high-quality methodology

Biomedical science is rapidly developing in terms of more transparency, openness and reproducibility of scientific publications. This is even more important for all studies that are based on results from basic semen examination. Recently two concordant documents have been published: the 6th edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen, and the International Standard ISO 23162:2021. With these tools, we propose that authors should be instructed to follow these laboratory methods in order to publish studies in peer-reviewed journals, preferable by using a checklist as suggested in an Appendix to this article.Peer reviewe

African experience with training courses on sperm examination

In conjunction with the World Health Organization’s Department of Health and Research, the Department of Obstetrics and University of Stellenbosch, South Africa presented since 1997 hands-on semenology workshops for 87 health care workers from 16 Sub-Sahara African countries. The programme consists of a five-day workshop, during which participants underwent a pre-training test after which they received intensive hands-on training on sperm concentration, motility, vitality and sperm morphology. Following the workshop, all the participants were enrolled in a continuous quality control programme for sperm morphology. The morphology reading skills of 53 workshop participants that enrolled for the external quality control programme were analysed and classified over an extended period. The reading skills were monitored using 36 slides (18 sets over 48 months). Three participants (5.7%) had a poor standard of reading, 6 participants (11.3%) had a marginal standard of reading and 45 participants had an acceptable reading standard (83%). An external quality control programme can be highly successful, on condition that it is presented continuously with a 3–4 month interval between tests. Our results underline the importance of hands-on training and moreover the crucial role that follow up external quality control programmes plays in the maintenance of a technicians reading skills. This observation can be validated for all semen parameters

Oestrogenic activity in drinking waters from a rural area in the Waterberg District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

In South Africa, limited data are available regarding possible oestrogenic activity in the aquatic systems and especially drinking water. Water in the rural areas is often contaminated with a complex mixture of toxic compounds originating from nearby industries, agriculture and households. In these rural areas the only access to drinking water is boreholes, natural springs and rivers. Thus human exposure to environmental contaminants in drinking water is potentially high. Two rural communities near Mokopane in the Waterberg district of the Limpopo Province were selected in order to screen for oestrogenic activity in drinking water sources in a rural area. Eleven 1ℓ water samples (Molekane n= 4; Sekuruwe n= 7), were collected in prepared glass bottles and extracted on a SPE C18 cartridge and reconstituted into ethanol. The recombinant yeast oestrogen screen was used to determine the oestrogenic activity in the extracts. 17β-estradiol (E2) was used as a positive control and the results were expressed as estradiol equivalents (EEq). The EEq of the water from both the communities ranged between 0.63 - 2.48 x10-9 g / ℓ. These concentrations are similar to other studies conducted in Korean river waters in rural and city areas and Flemish surface waters. The recombinant yeast screen confirmed oestrogenic activity in the drinking water samples; further investigationis necessary to determine the source of the contamination and association with impaired growth

Semenology training programs : 8 years’ experience

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immediate effect of hands-on training on the quality of technical skills of laboratory technicians. DESIGN: Retrospective analytical study. SETTING: Academic institutions and private infertility clinics. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and ten laboratory technicians. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): First, 110 participants from 16 African countries attended 5-day semenology workshops at Tygerberg Hospital. During these workshops the methodology as described by the World Health Organization manual for the analysis of human semen, namely, sperm concentration, motility, vitality, and morphology, formed part of the curriculum. Second, two experienced morphology readers from the Tygerberg group presented 23 1-day sperm morphology workshops in nine other countries. RESULT(S): The semenology workshops indicated a significant improvement in the evaluation of sperm concentration only, whereas pretraining and posttraining results for motility did not differ. Vitality reports did not differ from those of the experienced worker in the first place. Calculation by means of a linear regression model showed a significant decrease in the mean posttraining scores from the pretraining scores for the sperm morphology courses. CONCLUSION(S): Training improved technical skills for the evaluation of morphology and sperm concentration. The evaluation of graded sperm motility seems to be more difficult to teach over a short period