Urinary 8-Hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) Concentrations and Menstrual Cycle Characteristics in Female University Students

Higher concentrations of oxidative stress biomarkers are found in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis, conditions linked to irregular menstrual cycles and menstrual pain. The aim of the present study was to test whether women with higher oxidative stress are more likely to show irregular menstrual cycles and severe menstrual pain compared with women with lower oxidative stress. A cross-sectional study was conducted targeting female university students with a mean (SD) age of 20.5 (1.8) years (n = 188). Participants completed a questionnaire on reproductive characteristics and anthropometry and kept a menstrual cycle diary for 5 consecutive months. Urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), cotinine, and creatinine concentrations were measured once during the study period. The mean (SD) value of the urinary 8-OHdG concentration was 4.7 (2.0) μg/g of creatinine. A total of 1021 menstrual cycles were recorded. The participants were categorized as either having regular (68%) or irregular (18%) cycles or oligomenorrhea (13%) or polymenorrhea (1%). The urinary 8-OHdG concentration did not significantly differ across menstrual cycle regularity or pain categories. Even after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), and urinary cotinine concentrations, having irregular cycles or more severe menstrual pain was not associated with urinary 8-OHdG concentration

Prenatal organochlorine pesticide exposure and the disruption of steroids and reproductive hormones in cord blood : The Hokkaido study

Certain organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are designated as persistent organic pollutants and are regulated in many countries. The effects of OCPs on pediatric endocrinology are a concern; however, only limited data exist from human studies on maternal OCP exposure and its effects on infants' hormone levels. This study was conducted as part of the Hokkaido Study Sapporo Cohort, a prospective birth cohort study in Japan. Participants included 514 women who enrolled at 23-35 weeks of gestation between 2002 and 2005; maternal blood samples were collected in late pregnancy, and 29 OCPs were measured. Reproductive and steroid hormone levels in cord blood were also determined. Characteristics of mothers and their infants were obtained from self-administered questionnaires and medical records. Ultimately, 232 samples with both OCP and hormone data were analyzed. Fifteen of 29 investigated OCPs were detected in over 80% of the samples, with p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene showing the highest concentration (median value: 619 pg/g-wet). The association between OCPs and sex hormone levels varied by sex. Linear regression models after sex stratification showed that chlordanes, cis-hexachlorobenzene, heptachlor epoxide, Mirex, and toxaphenes in maternal blood were inversely associated with testosterone, cortisol, cortisone, sex hormone-binding globin, prolactin, and androstenedione-dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone-androstenediones ratios among boys. Furthermore, these OCPs were positively correlated with DHEA, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and adrenal androgen-glucocorticoid and FSH-inhibin B ratios among boys. In categorical quartile models, testosterone and DHEA were inversely and positively associated with OCPs, respectively. Estradiol-testosterone and adrenal androgen-glucocorticoid ratios tended to increase with increasing OCP concentrations in the higher quartile, while the testosterone-androstenedione ratio tended to decrease. Sex hormone-binding globulin and prolactin showed an inverse association with OCPs. Among girls, the linear regression model showed that only p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was inversely associated with the level of DHEA and the adrenal androgen-glucocorticoid ratio, but was positively associated with cortisone levels. However, no associations were observed using the quartile categorical model. These results suggest that prenatal exposure to OCPs disrupt reproductive hormones of fetuses in utero among boys, even at relatively low levels

Using the larvae of caddisfly as a biomonitor to assess the spatialdistribution and effective half-life of radiocesium in riverine environmentsin Fukushima, Japan

The environmental monitoring survey using this organisms was called“Caddisfly Watch”and this activity hasinvolved both scientists and local people for collecting them.A simple method is needed for the continuous monitoring of radiocesium (137Cs) contamination in riverineenvironments after the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) in Japan. In aprogram called“Caddisfly Watch”, we used larvae of the caddisflyStenopsyche marmorata(Trichoptera: Steno-psychidae) to monitor the spatial distribution and estimate effective half-life (Teff)of137Cs pollution in riverineenvironments. Caddisfly larvae showed that the highest concentration of137Cs among several aquatic organismsand no apparent variation between growth stage. In addition, caddisfly larvae reflected137Cs concentrations insuspended particulate matter in their gut, and that showed no seasonal variation, better reproducibility, andsignificant correlation with those in sediment. Results indicate that caddisfly larvae can be used as a biologicalsampler of suspended particulate matters. TheTeffvalues of137Cs concentrations in caddisfly larvae estimated bysingle component decay function model showed significantfit. TheTeffvalues in Kuma, Maeda, downstreamNiida, upstream Niida, Ohkawa, and Ukedo river showed 2.8, 5.7, 3.1, 6.7, 0.6, and 4.8 years (34, 68, 38, 80, 6.9,and 58 months), respectively. The results of declining trend in this study were similar to those in previous re-ported in Fukushima. Further continuous observations using this simple approach of“Caddisfly Watch”make itpossible to predict the future of the contamination with radioactive Cs in the river environment