Assessing Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides by Biomonitoring in Epidemiologic Studies of Birth Outcomes

For epidemiologic studies that evaluate the relation between potential exposures to environmental chemicals and adverse outcomes, accurate assessments of exposures and health outcomes are needed. Three prospective cohort studies recently evaluated the relation between exposure, as assessed by biomonitoring, of pregnant women to organophosphorus pesticides and several birth outcomes. Here these three studies are compared in terms of the exposure scenarios and exposure assessments. The primary focus is on the exposure assessments, all of which employ biomonitoring but use different approaches, which may contribute to the different findings. These approaches and how they may contribute to different relations between exposure and birth outcomes are examined

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduate teaching assistants teaching self-efficacy

The graduate experience is a critical time for development of academic faculty, but often there is little preparation for teaching during the graduate career. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach students in a specific context, can help to predict teaching behavior and student achievement, and can be used as a measure of graduate students’ development as instructors. An instrument measuring teaching self-efficacy of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) was developed from a general university faculty teaching instrument to the specific teaching context of STEM GTAs. Construct and face validity, measurement reliability, and factor structure of the instrument were determined from survey data of 253 STEM GTAs at six universities. STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy correlated to various measures of GTA professional development and teaching experience. Implications and applications for faculty involved in GTA professional development, supervision, and research are discussed

Dioxin Exposure and Cancer Risk in the Seveso Women’s Health Study

Background: 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD), a widespread environmental contaminant, disrupts multiple endocrine pathways. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified TCDD as a known human carcinogen, based on predominantly male occupational studies of increased mortality from all cancers combined

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants Teaching Self-Efficacy

The graduate experience is a critical time for development of academic faculty, but often there is little preparation for teaching during the graduate career.  Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach students in a specific context, can help to predict teaching behavior and student achievement, and can be used as a measure of graduate students’ development as instructors.  An instrument measuring teaching self-efficacy of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) was developed from a general university faculty teaching instrument to the specific teaching context of STEM GTAs.  Construct and face validity, measurement reliability, and factor structure of the instrument were determined from survey data of 253 STEM GTAs at six universities.  STEM GTA teaching self-efficacy correlated to various measures of GTA professional development and teaching experience.  Implications and applications for faculty involved in GTA professional development, supervision, and research are discussed

Serum dioxin concentrations and endometriosis: a cohort study in Seveso, Italy.

Dioxin, a ubiquitous contaminant of industrial combustion processes including medical waste incineration, has been implicated in the etiology of endometriosis in animals. We sought to determine whether dioxin exposure is associated with endometriosis in humans. We conducted a population-based historical cohort study 20 years after the 1976 factory explosion in Seveso, Italy, which resulted in the highest known population exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-(italic)p(/italic)-dioxin (TCDD). Participants were 601 female residents of the Seveso area who were (3/4) 30 years old in 1976 and had adequate stored sera. Endometriosis disease status was defined by pelvic surgery, current transvaginal ultrasound, pelvic examination, and interview (for history of infertility and pelvic pain). "Cases" were women who had surgically confirmed disease or an ultrasound consistent with endometriosis. "Nondiseased" women had surgery with no evidence of endometriosis or no signs or symptoms. Other women had uncertain status. To assess TCDD exposure, individual levels of TCDD were measured in stored sera collected soon after the accident. We identified 19 women with endometriosis and 277 nondiseased women. The relative risk ratios (RRRs) for women with serum TCDD levels of 20.1-100 ppt and >100 ppt were 1.2 [90% confidence interval (CI) = 0.3-4.5] and 2.1 (90% CI = 0.5-8.0), respectively, relative to women with TCDD levels (3/4) 20 ppt. Tests for trend using the above exposure categories and continuous log TCDD were nonsignificant. In conclusion, we report a doubled, nonsignificant risk for endometriosis among women with serum TCDD levels of 100 ppt or higher, but no clear dose response. Unavoidable disease misclassification in a population-based study may have led to an underestimate of the true risk of endometriosis