Bisphenol A exposure in Mexico City and risk of prematurity: a pilot nested case control study

Abstract Background Presence of Bisphenol A (BPA) has been documented worldwide in a variety of human biological samples. There is growing evidence that low level BPA exposure may impact placental tissue development and thyroid function in humans. The aim of this present pilot study was to determine urinary concentrations of BPA during the last trimester of pregnancy among a small subset of women in Mexico City, Mexico and relate these concentrations to risk of delivering prematurely. Methods A nested case-control subset of 60 participants in the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to ENvironmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) study in Mexico City, Mexico were selected based on delivering less than or equal to 37 weeks of gestation and greater than 37 weeks of gestation. Third trimester archived spot urine samples were analyzed by online solid phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Results BPA was detected in 80.0% (N = 48) of the urine samples; total concentrations ranged from < 0.4 μg/L to 6.7 μg/L; uncorrected geometric mean was 1.52 μg/L. The adjusted odds ratio of delivering less than or equal to 37 weeks in relation to specific gravity adjusted third trimester BPA concentration was 1.91 (95%CI 0.93, 3.91, p-value = 0.08). When cases were further restricted to births occurring prior to the 37th week (n = 12), the odds ratio for specific-gravity adjusted BPA was larger and statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions This is the first study to document measurable levels of BPA in the urine of a population of Mexican women. This study also provides preliminary evidence, based on a single spot urine sample collected during the third trimester, that pregnant women who delivered less than or equal to 37 weeks of gestation and prematurely (< 37 weeks) had higher urinary concentrations of BPA compared to women delivering after 37 weeks.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78251/1/1476-069X-9-62.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78251/2/1476-069X-9-62.pdfPeer Reviewe

Potential biological role of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in male gametes

Maintaining the integrity of sperm DNA is vital to reproduction and male fertility. Sperm contain a number of molecules and pathways for the repair of base excision, base mismatches and DNA strand breaks. The presence of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), a DNA repair enzyme, and its homologues has recently been shown in male germ cells, specifically during stage VII of spermatogenesis. High PARP expression has been reported in mature spermatozoa and in proven fertile men. Whenever there are strand breaks in sperm DNA due to oxidative stress, chromatin remodeling or cell death, PARP is activated. However, the cleavage of PARP by caspase-3 inactivates it and inhibits PARP's DNA-repairing abilities. Therefore, cleaved PARP (cPARP) may be considered a marker of apoptosis. The presence of higher levels of cPARP in sperm of infertile men adds a new proof for the correlation between apoptosis and male infertility. This review describes the possible biological significance of PARP in mammalian cells with the focus on male reproduction. The review elaborates on the role played by PARP during spermatogenesis, sperm maturation in ejaculated spermatozoa and the potential role of PARP as new marker of sperm damage. PARP could provide new strategies to preserve fertility in cancer patients subjected to genotoxic stresses and may be a key to better male reproductive health

Efficacy of Major Plant Extracts/Molecules on Field Insect Pests

Insect pests are considered the major hurdle in enhancing the production and productivity of any farming system. The use of conventional synthetic pesticides has led to the emergence of pesticide-resistant insects, environmental pollution, and negative effects on natural enemies, which have caused an ecological imbalance of the predator-prey ratio and human health hazards; therefore, eco-friendly alternative strategies are required. The plant kingdom, a rich repertoire of secondary metabolites, can be tapped as an alternative for insect pest management strategies. A number of plants have been documented to have insecticidal properties against various orders of insects in vitro by acting as antifeedants, repellents, sterilant and oviposition deterrents, etc. However, only a few plant compounds are applicable at the field level or presently commercialised. Here, we have provided an overview of the broad-spectrum insecticidal activity of plant compounds from neem, Annona, Pongamia, and Jatropha. Additionally, the impact of medicinal plants, herbs, spices, and essential oils has been reviewed briefl

Hepatic histopathology in Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852) under silica nanoparticles toxicity

293-296Silica (SiO2) nanoparticles are well known for their biomedical and biotechnological applications. Now that, the demand has pushed nano silica to be a cause of concern, particularly its biosafety impact, as emulsions or suspensions it can easily enter into the gills of aquatic fishes. In this context, studies on pathological effects of nanoparticles gains significance. Here, we exposed freshwater fish, Oreochromis mossambicus to silica nanoparticles (SiO2-NPs) at 5 mg/L for 24, 48 and 96 h and observed the histopathological changes in the liver tissues. Exposure to nanoparticles for 24 h showed disorganized hepatic parenchyma with mild vacuolization when compared to control hepatocytes. At 48 h of exposure, vacuolization and disintegrated nucleus were noted, and at 96 h, it showed cytoplasmic vacuolization and leukocyte infiltration. The severity of hepatic lesions was observed to be increased in time-dependent manner

Phytoremediation of the Endocrine Disruptors Bisphenol A, Linuron and 17α-ethinylestradiol in NOM-Enriched Water and Freshwaters

The rising presence of endocrine disruptors (EDs) in the environment, especially in aquatic systems, may endanger wildlife and humans. The removal of EDs from water by means of the new and sustainable technology of phytoremediation appears promising, although more information is required about the feasibility to apply this technique to real polluted media. In this study, radish was tested during germination for its ability to remove the EDs bisphenol A, linuron and 17α-ethinylestradiol from four different media: distilled water, natural organic matter (NOM)-enriched water and two freshwaters collected in Southern Italy. In water, seedlings were only slightly affected by the mixture of EDs, and they removed a great amount of each ED. In the other three media, although the germination was generally inhibited, the removal efficiency of radish for all EDs remained high. Results of this study reveal the phytoremediation capacity of laboratory-prepared and actual aquatic systems for various EDs by radish