Male reproductive health and environmental xenoestrogens

Male reproductive health has deteriorated in many countries during the last few decades. In the 1990s, declining semen quality has been reported from Belgium, Denmark, France, and Great Britain. The incidence of testicular cancer has increased during the same time incidences of hypospadias and cryptorchidism also appear to be increasing. Similar reproductive problems occur in many wildlife species. There are marked geographic differences in the prevalence of male reproductive disorders. While the reasons for these differences are currently unknown, both clinical and laboratory research suggest that the adverse changes may be inter-related and have a common origin in fetal life or childhood. Exposure of the male fetus to supranormal levels of estrogens, such as diethlylstilbestrol, can result in the above-mentioned reproductive defects. The growing number of reports demonstrating that common environmental contaminants and natural factors possess estrogenic activity presents the working hypothesis that the adverse trends in male reproductive health may be, at least in part, associated with exposure to estrogenic or other hormonally active (e.g., antiandrogenic) environmental chemicals during fetal and childhood development. An extensive research program is needed to understand the extent of the problem, its underlying etiology, and the development of a strategy for prevention and intervention

Genetic susceptibility to bilateral tinnitus in a Swedish twin cohort

Genet Med advance online publication 23 March 2017Genetic contributions to tinnitus have been difficult to determine due to the heterogeneity of the condition and its broad etiology. Here, we evaluated the genetic and nongenetic influences on self-reported tinnitus from the Swedish Twin Registry (STR).C.R.C. has received funding from Vetenskapsrådet, Lars Hiertas Minne, Magnus Bergvalls Stiftelserna, Tysta Skolan, and Karolinska Institutet. B.C. has received funding from the Swedish Medical Council, Tysta Skolan, and Karolinska Institutet. The work was supported by an independent research program funded under the Biomedicine and Molecular Biosciences European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action framework (TINNET, BM1306).Ye

The wild bootstrap for multivariate Nelson–Aalen estimators

We rigorously extend the widely used wild bootstrap resampling technique to the multivariate Nelson–Aalen estimator under Aalen’s multiplicative intensity model. Aalen’s model covers general Markovian multistate models including competing risks subject to independent left-truncation and right-censoring. This leads to various statistical applications such as asymptotically valid confidence bands or tests for equivalence and proportional hazards. This is exemplified in a data analysis examining the impact of ventilation on the duration of intensive care unit stay. The finite sample properties of the new procedures are investigated in a simulation study