Reproductive Harm Research Articles

Robust PFAS‐Free Superhydrophobicity Exhibited in Hierarchically Nanostructured Coatings on Textiles

Long chain per‐ and polyfluorinated chemical compounds, commonly referred to as PFAS, historically offered superior breathable and flexible water‐repellent textile finishes on clothing. Now notoriously deemed “forever chemicals” for their environmental persistence and ability to bioaccumulate, they can cause a range of human health impacts including cancer and reproductive harm, which has highlighted the need for less harmful but equally superhydrophobic coatings. Inspired by the microscopically bumpy water‐repellent surfaces of lotus leaves, this work introduces a PFAS‐free hierarchical nanocoating on and within textile substrates using a multistep synthetic approach, involving fabric pretreatment to facilitate a robust particle‐to‐substrate attachment of subsequently infiltrated silica nanoparticles (NPs), followed by surface functionalization of textile‐infiltrated NPs with long‐alkyl‐chain silanes to impart PFAS‐free water repellency. The system is subjected to rigorous wash testing and found consistent superhydrophobic performance after 65 wash cycles. Furthermore, the system can be adapted as a flexible platform technology for a variety of design opportunities by changing the substrate, NP composition, and surface chemistry to suit a variety of applications. Herein, a robust, flexible, and breathable interface between fabric and water that offers a next‐generation PFAS‐free water‐repellent textile coating solution is developed.

Reproductive Analysis of Bryophyllum pinnatum Leaf extract against Cadmium Induced Testicular Damage

The purpose of this study is to explore if treatment with aqueous leaf extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum was effective in minimising cadmium induced testicular damage on the testes of male wistar rats. Twenty (20) mature male wistar rats was collected from Animal House of the Faculty of Basic medical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Four subgroups, each consisting of four rats, were created from them. Group I was the control group and was given unlimited access to food and water for a period of two weeks. Group II was given a two-week treatmet of B. pinnatum together with CdcT + lovv. Group III had B. pinnatum at a medium dosage together with Cdcl for a fortnight. For two weeks, group IV received a high dosage of B. pinnatum along with Cdcl. Upon completion of the final dosage, the rats were sedated, and a blood sample was taken from each one via ocular puncture using a micro capillary tube for biochemical analysis and an epididymis dissection for semen analysis. All particulate parameters were analysed according to standard protocols. The results indicated a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the rats’ final body weights in groups B and D in comparison to the control group. When the test groups’ testicular weight was compared to the control group, it dropped considerably (p<0.05). Comparing all test groups to control, there was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in both FSH and testosterone. When comparing the test groups to the control, there was a substantial (p<0.05) decrease in the motility of active sperm, but there was a significant (p<0.05) increase in the motility of sluggish and non-motile sperm. This study shown that Bryophyllum pinnatum leaf extract cannot reverse the reproductive harm caused by cadmium in rats. Keywords: Testes, Cadmium, Bryophyllum pinnatum, Reproductive Analysis, Cadmium and Testicular Damage

Analytical Methodologies to Detect N-Nitrosamine Impurities in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, Drug Products and Other Matrices.

Since 2018, N-nitrosamine impurities have become a widespread concern in the global regulatory landscape of pharmaceutical products. This concern arises due to their potential for contamination, toxicity, carcinogenicity, and mutagenicity and their presence in many active pharmaceutical ingredients, drug products, and other matrices. N-Nitrosamine impurities in humans can lead to severe chemical toxicity effects. These include carcinogenic effects, metabolic disruptions, reproductive harm, liver diseases, obesity, DNA damage, cell death, chromosomal alterations, birth defects, and pregnancy loss. They are particularly known to cause cancer (tumors) in various organs and tissues such as the liver, lungs, nasal cavity, esophagus, pancreas, stomach, urinary bladder, colon, kidneys, and central nervous system. Additionally, N-nitrosamine impurities may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and type-2 diabetes. Therefore, it is very important to control or avoid them by enhancing effective analytical methodologies using cutting-edge analytical techniques such as LC-MS, GC-MS, CE-MS, SFC, etc. Moreover, these analytical methods need to be sensitive and selective with suitable precision and accuracy, so that the actual amounts of N-nitrosamine impurities can be detected and quantified appropriately in drugs. Regulatory agencies such as the US FDA, EMA, ICH, WHO, etc. need to focus more on the hazards of N-nitrosamine impurities by providing guidance and regular updates to drug manufacturers and applicants. Similarly, drug manufacturers should be more vigilant to avoid nitrosating agents and secondary amines during the manufacturing processes. Numerous review articles have been published recently by various researchers, focusing on N-nitrosamine impurities found in previously notified products, including sartans, metformin, and ranitidine. These impurities have also been detected in a wide range of other products. Consequently, this review aims to concentrate on products recently reported to contain N-nitrosamine impurities. These products include rifampicin, champix, famotidine, nizatidine, atorvastatin, bumetanide, itraconazole, diovan, enalapril, propranolol, lisinopril, duloxetine, rivaroxaban, pioglitazones, glifizones, cilostazol, and sunitinib.

Association of Phenols, Parabens, and Their Mixture with Maternal Blood Pressure Measurements in the PROTECT Cohort.

Phenols and parabens are two classes of high production volume chemicals that are used widely in consumer and personal care products and have been associated with reproductive harm and pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. However, studies examining their influence on maternal blood pressure and gestational hypertension are limited. We investigated associations between individual phenols, parabens, and their mixture on maternal blood pressure measurements, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) and hypertension during pregnancy (defined as stage 1 or 2 hypertension), among Puerto Rico PROTECT study participants. We examined these relationships cross-sectionally at two time points during pregnancy (16-20 and 24-28 wks gestation) and longitudinally using linear mixed models (LMMs). Finally, we used quantile g-computation to examine the mixture effect on continuous (SBP, DBP) and binary (hypertension during pregnancy) blood pressure outcomes. We observed a trend of higher odds of hypertension during pregnancy with exposure to multiple analytes and the overall mixture [including bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS), triclocarbon (TCC), triclosan (TCS), benzophenone-3 (BP-3), 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP), methyl paraben (M-PB), propyl paraben (P-PB), butyl paraben (B-PB), and ethyl paraben (E-PB)], especially at 24-28 wk gestation, with an adjusted mixture (95% CI: 1.03, 2.38). Lower SBP and higher DBP were also associated with individual analytes, with results from LMMs most consistent for methyl paraben (M-PB) or propyl paraben (P-PB) and increased DBP across pregnancy [adjusted M-PB (95% CI: 0.17, 1.38) and adjusted P-PB (95% CI: 0.19, 1.51)] and for BPA, which was associated with decreased SBP (adjusted ; 95% CI: , ). Consistent with other literature, we also found evidence of effect modification by fetal sex, with a strong inverse association observed between the overall exposure mixture and SBP at visit 1 among participants carrying female fetuses only. Our findings indicate that phenol and paraben exposure may collectively increase the risk of stage 1 or 2 hypertension during pregnancy, which has important implications for fetal and maternal health. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14008.

Polystyrene nanoplastics induce apoptosis, autophagy, and steroidogenesis disruption in granulosa cells to reduce oocyte quality and fertility by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway in female mice

BackgroundNanoplastics (NPs) are emerging pollutants that pose risks to living organisms. Recent findings have unveiled the reproductive harm caused by polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) in female animals, yet the intricate mechanism remains incompletely understood. Under this research, we investigated whether sustained exposure to PS-NPs at certain concentrations in vivo can enter oocytes through the zona pellucida or through other routes that affect female reproduction.ResultsWe show that PS-NPs disrupted ovarian functions and decreased oocyte quality, which may be a contributing factor to lower female fertility in mice. RNA sequencing of mouse ovaries illustrated that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway emerged as the predominant environmental information processing pathway responding to PS-NPs. Western blotting results of ovaries in vivo and cells in vitro showed that PS-NPs deactivated PI3K-AKT signaling pathway by down-regulating the expression of PI3K and reducing AKT phosphorylation at the protein level, PI3K-AKT signaling pathway which was accompanied by the activation of autophagy and apoptosis and the disruption of steroidogenesis in granulosa cells. Since PS-NPs penetrate granulosa cells but not oocytes, we examined whether PS-NPs indirectly affect oocyte quality through granulosa cells using a granulosa cell–oocyte coculture system. Preincubation of granulosa cells with PS-NPs causes granulosa cell dysfunction, resulting in a decrease in the quality of the cocultured oocytes that can be reversed by the addition of 17β-estradiol.ConclusionsThis study provides findings on how PS-NPs impact ovarian function and include transcriptome sequencing analysis of ovarian tissue. The study demonstrates that PS-NPs impair oocyte quality by altering the functioning of ovarian granulosa cells. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the research on the effects of PS-NPs on female reproduction and the related methods that may mitigate their toxicity.

Reparations for Reproductive Slavery and Its Afterlives

ABSTRACT Contemporary US discourse on reparations tends to focus on the suppression of Black economic interests, but the harms of slavery are not exhausted by the labor expropriation of slaves and its concomitant wealth accumulation for white people and the United States at large. Reproductive oppression was constitutive of the institution of slavery, and its harms continue to reverberate today. This article thus calls for reproductive reparations, or the transparent and sustained attention to the effects of racialized reproductive oppression as they intersect with calls for reparations for slavery. Reconceiving reparations through histories and presents of reproductive harm is required to more fully account for the wrongs of slavery and provide a broader reach for radical societal transformation in our present.

Disposable Diapers in Infancy and Their Potential Detrimental Impact on Male Fertility in Adulthood

The overall human fertility rate has been continuously declining across the globe for a number of reasons. This review summarizes data, which proposes that the use of disposable diapers for newborns and infants may incur reproductive harm in adulthood. More than 70 years ago, a disposable synthetic waterproof baby diaper was developed, mainly to reduce the burden of working mothers. Modern diapers feature the same original design, which contains one unit of disposable material wrapped around the perineum to collect urine and feces. This design results in an increase in internal area temperatures by 2-4 °C, which can be detrimental to the function and development of reproductive cells. Moreover, the standard diaper template promotes the free passage of feces, including fecal bacteria, to the genitals, which can lead to urogenital infection and reproductive impairments. The available clinical data suggest that diaper use during infancy may have a negative impact on fertility after puberty. There is a critical need for additional studies to better assess the impact of diapers on reproductive health.

LncRNA SNHG5/IGF2BP1/Occludin axis regulates Nd2O3 induced blood-testis barrier disruption

Neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) is a rare earth element that can lead to various type of tissue and organ damage with prolonged exposure. The long noncoding RNA small nucleolar ribonucleic acid host gene 5 (lncRNA SNHG5) plays a role in disease progressiong. However, its connection with Nd2O3 induced reproductive harm in males has not been thoroughly investigated. Our research discovered that exposure to Nd2O3 increases the expression of SNHG5 in the testes of mice, which in turn binds directly to and reduces in the protein levels of insulin like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) both in vivo and in vitro. This process disrupts the cytoskeleton of blood-testis barrier(BTB) by impacting the stability of the tight junction protein Occludin (Ocln) mRNA structure and the permeability of the BTB. In summary, our study elucidates the regulatory mechanism of SNHG5/IGF2BP1/Occludin axis in Nd2O3-induced BTB injury, providing valuable insights for the treatment of male infertility.

Rapid identification of reproductive toxicants among environmental chemicals using an in vivo evaluation of gametogenesis in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Infertility affects ∼12 % of couples, with environmental chemical exposure as a potential contributor. Of the chemicals that are actively manufactured, very few are assessed for reproductive health effects. Rodents are commonly used to evaluate reproductive effects, which is both costly and time consuming. Thus, there is a pressing need for rapid methods to test a broader range of chemicals. Here, we developed a strategy to evaluate large numbers of chemicals for reproductive toxicity via a yeast, S. cerevisiae high-throughput assay to assess gametogenesis as a potential new approach method (NAM). By simultaneously assessing chemicals for growth effects, we can distinguish if a chemical affects gametogenesis only, proliferative growth only or both. We identified a well-known mammalian reproductive toxicant, bisphenol A (BPA) and ranked 19 BPA analogs for reproductive harm. By testing mixtures of BPA and its analogs, we found that BPE and 17 β-estradiol each together with BPA showed synergistic effects that worsened reproductive outcome. We examined an additional 179 environmental chemicals including phthalates, pesticides, quaternary ammonium compounds and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and found 57 with reproductive effects. Many of the chemicals were found to be strong reproductive toxicants that have yet to be tested in mammals. Chemicals having affect before meiosis I division vs. meiosis II division were identified for 16 gametogenesis-specific chemicals. Finally, we demonstrate that in general yeast reproductive toxicity correlates well with published reproductive toxicity in mammals illustrating the promise of this NAM to quickly assess chemicals to prioritize the evaluation for human reproductive harm.

Toxicological Impact of Bisphenol A on Females' Reproductive System: Review Based on Experimental and Epidemiological Studies.

The study encompassing research papers documented in the last two decades pertaining to the possible influence of bisphenol A (BPA) on the fertility of females are appraised with emphasis on the influence of BPA in reproductive organs (uterus and ovaries) and pregnancy outcomes including discussion on the reproductive process (implantation, estrous cycle, hormone secretion); outcomes reveal a connection amongst BPA and female infertility. Ovary, uterus, and its shape as well as function can alter a person's ability to become pregnant by influencing the hypothalamus-pituitary axis in the ovarian model. Additionally, implantation and the estrous cycle may be affected by BPA. However, more research is warranted to comprehend the underlying action mechanisms and to promptly identify any imminent reproductive harm.

Ameliorative effects of zinc and vitamin E against phthalates-induced reproductive toxicity in male rats.

Phthalates (PEs) could cause reproductive harm to males. A mixture of three widely used PEs (MPEs) was used to investigate the ameliorative effects of zinc (Zn) and vitamin E (VE) against male reproductive toxicity. Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 10). Rats in MPEs group were orally treated with 160 mg/kg/d MPEs, while rats in MPEs combined Zn and/or VE groups were treated with 160 mg/kg/d MPEs plus 25 mg/kg/d Zn and/or 25 mg/kg/d VE. After intervention for 70 days, it's was measured of male reproductive organs' weight, histopathological observation of sperms and testes, serum hormones, PIWI proteins and steroidogenic proteins. Compared with control, anogenital distance, testes weight, epididymides weight, and sex hormones were significantly decreased, while the sperm malformation rate was markedly increased in MPEs group (p < .05); the testicular tissues were injured in MPEs group with disordered and decreased spermatids, and arrested spermatogenesis. PIWIL1, PIWIL2, StAR, CYP11A1 and CYP19A1 were down-regulated in MPEs group (p < .05). However, the alterations of these parameters were restored in MPEs combined Zn and/or VE groups (p < .05). Zn and/or VE improved steroid hormone metabolism, and inhibited MPEs' male reproductive toxicity.

DIA-Based Proteomics Reveals the Protective Effect of Quercetin against Cyclophosphamide-Induced Testicular Toxicity in Mice

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a common employed immunosuppressive and anti-neoplastic alkylating antineoplastic drug with documented male reproductive harm. Quercetin, a widely distributed anti-oxidant flavonoid, has been demonstrated to have a variety of biological roles, including tissue-protective properties. Here, administration of quercetin alleviated the CP-induced damage to the testicles, as evidenced by improvements in body weight, testis and epididymis index, serum testosterone concentration, the pathomorphological of testis, and reduced apoptosis in testicular cells. Moreover, Proteomic data indicated that all DEPs were classified into five categories, Cluster 1 (C1) and C4 were regulated by cyclophosphamide and quercetin. KEGG pathway analyses showed that mTOR signaling pathways and Proteasome were the most abundant pathways in C1 and C4, respectively. In the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, quercetin inhibits the expression of GSK3B, EIF4E, and RPS6KA2 proteins in CP-induced spermatogenesis failure in mice via the mTOR signaling pathway, protecting against spermatogonia injury. On the other hand, quercetin alleviates spermatogonia injury by stimulating the production of Rps23, Rpl8, Rps11, and Mrps17 proteins in CP-induced testis injury in mice via the pathways of Proteasome. Our results have showed that quercetin has a putative protective effect via modulating the pathways of mTOR and Proteasome in CP induced testis injury

Menstrual cups and cash transfer to reduce sexual and reproductive harm and school dropout in adolescent schoolgirls in western Kenya: a cluster randomised controlled trial

High rates of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) harms and interrupted schooling are global challenges for adolescent girls, requiring effective interventions. We assessed the impact of menstrual cups (MCs) or cash transfers conditioned on school attendance (CCTs), or both, on SRH and schooling outcomes in western Kenya. In this cluster-randomised Cups or Cash for Girls (CCG) trial, adolescent girls in Forms two and three at 96secondary schools in Siaya County (western Kenya) were randomised to receive either CCT, MC, combined CCT and MC, or control (1:1:1:1) for an average of 30 months. The CCT intervention comprised 1500KES (US$15 in 2016) via a cash card each school trimester. All four treatment groups received puberty and hygiene training. Assenting girls with parent or guardian consent who were post-menarche, not pregnant, area residents, not boarding, and had no disabilities precluding participation were eligible. Socio-behavioural risk factors and incidence of HIV and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) were measured annually. School retainment and adverse events were monitored throughout. The primary outcome comprised a composite of incident HIV, HSV-2 and/or all-cause school dropout by school exit examination. The primary analysis was by intention-to-treat (ITT) using generalised linear mixed models, controlling for a priori selected baseline covariates. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03051789. Between February 28, 2017 and June 30, 2021, 4137 girls (median age 17.1 [interquartile range (IQR): 16.3-18.0]) were enrolled and followed annually until completion of secondary school (median 2.5 years [IQR: 2.4-2.7]); 4106 (99.3%) contributed to the ITT analysis. No differences in the primary composite outcome between intervention and control groups were seen (MC: 18.2%, CCT: 22.1%, combined: 22.1%, control: 19.6%; adjusted risk ratio [aRR]: 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.76-1.24; 1.14, 0.90-1.45; and 1.13, 0.90-1.43, respectively). Incident HSV-2 occurred in 8.6%, 13.3%, 14.8%, and 12% of the MC, CCT, combined and control groups, respectively (MC: RR: 0.67, 0.47-0.95, p=0.027; aRR: 0.71, 0.50-1.01, p=0.057; CCT: aRR: 1.02, 0.73-1.41, p=0.92; combined aRR: 1.16, 0.85-2.58, p=0.36). Incident HIV was low (MC: 1.2%, CCT: 1.5%, combined: 1.0%, and control: 1.4%; aRR: 0.88, 0.38-2.05, p=0.77, aRR: 1.16, 0.51-2.62, p=0.72, aRR: 0.80, 0.33-1.94, p=0.62, respectively). No intervention decreased school dropout (MC: 11.2%, CCT: 12.4%, combined: 10.9%, control: 10.5%; aRR: 1.16, 0.86-1.57; 1.23, 0.91-1.65; and 1.06, 0.78-1.44, respectively). No related serious adverse events were seen. MCs, CCTs, or both, did not protect schoolgirls against a composite of deleterious harms. MCs appear protective against HSV-2. Studies of longer follow-up duration with objective measures of health impact are needed in this population. Department of Health and Social Care, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Medical Research Council and Wellcome.

“Ain’t I a woman?”: a historical and contemporary analysis of state-sanctioned violence against Black Women in the United States

ABSTRACT Alarming statistics show that Black women in the United States (US) are disproportionately more likely to be killed by the police, and more likely to die during childbirth than their counterparts. However, despite growing attention to incidents of police killings and pregnancy-related deaths of Black women, there has been minimal effort to historically situate these inequities in the contexts of state-sanctioned violence. Coverage of these deadly medical and law enforcement encounters remain limited in mainstream media – reinforcing the lack of concern and institutional protection for Black women. This article examines the current plight of police violence and reproductive harm against Black women in the US, and contextualize these racial and gendered disparities using a Black Feminist Thought perspective. The authors provide implications for maternal health, law enforcement, and mass media to expose and eradicate state-sanctioned violence against Black women. Future research is needed to interrogate and expand the concept of state-sanctioned violence.

Heat stress and stallion fertility.

The threat posed by increased surface temperatures worldwide has attracted the attention of researchers to the reaction of animals to heat stress. Spermatogenesis in animals such as stallions is a temperature-dependent process, ideally occurring at temperatures slightly below the core body temperature. Thus, proper thermoregulation is essential, especially because stallion spermatogenesis and the resulting spermatozoa are negatively affected by increased testicular temperature. Consequently, the failure of thermoregulation resulting in heat stress may diminish sperm quality and increase the likelihood of stallion infertility. In this review, we emphasize upon the impact of heat stress on spermatogenesis and the somatic and germ cells and describe the subsequent testicular alterations. In addition, we explore the functions and molecular responses of heat shock proteins, including HSP60, HSP70, HSP90, and HSP105, in heat-induced stress conditions. Finally, we discuss the use of various therapies to alleviate heat stress-induced reproductive harm by modulating distinct signaling pathways.

Genome-wide alternation and effect of DNA methylation in the impairments of steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis after PM2.5 exposure

The effects of ambient fine particles on male reproductive health have raised widespread concern. The particular underlying mechanisms of the damage remain largely unclear and demand more research in new directions. Previous research has revealed that DNA methylation plays an important role in male reproductive development and is also vulnerable to environmental influences. However, there hasn't been enough investigation into the involvement of DNA methylation in PM2.5-induced male reproductive toxicity. Here, we establish a real-time PM2.5 exposure model and revealed that PM2.5 exposure could lead to testicular dysfunction including spermatogenesis impairment and steroid hormone dysfunction. In particular, the decrease in the testicular global level of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) indicated a possible association of DNA methylation with testicular injury induced by PM2.5 exposure. Further genome-wide methylation analysis revealed genomic hypomethylation of testicular DNA and identified more than 1000 differentially methylated regions in both CAP and UA versus FA, indicating that PM2.5 exposure, even low-dose, could modulate the testicular methylome. Furthermore, integrated analysis of methylome and transcriptome identified some key methylated genes and networks, which may be involved in spermatogenesis and synthesis of steroid hormone. The testicular methylation levels of key genes especially Cyp11a1 and Pax8 raised, and their consequent reduced expression may impair the testosterone and sperm production process. Our research provides fundamental knowledge as well as novel insights into the possible involvement of DNA methylation in PM2.5-induced male reproductive harm.

Awareness of Alcohol and Cancer Risk and the California Proposition 65 Warning Sign Updates: A Natural Experiment.

In 1986, California enacted Proposition 65 (P65), requiring businesses to display warning signs informing consumers that specific chemicals and alcohol exposure increase the risk of cancer and reproductive harm. In 2018, the P65 alcohol warning signs were updated to include an informational P65 website link, and the update was associated with media coverage and increased enforcement of warning requirements. This study examines knowledge of the association between alcohol use and cancer risk in California compared to the rest of the US before and after the 2018 P65 update. We analyzed state-level data on alcohol and cancer knowledge from the Health Information National Trends Survey from 2017 (n = 3285), 2019 (n = 5438), and 2020 (n = 3865). We performed multinomial logistic regressions to examine knowledge levels by survey year and location (California vs. all other states) and reported the predicted marginals of knowledge by survey year and location. The adjusted prevalence of respondents who reported an association between alcohol and cancer risk was higher in California (41.6%) than the remaining states (34.1%) (p = 0.04). However, knowledge levels decreased significantly over survey years, and there was no evidence for an effect of the P65 update on knowledge in California compared to other states based on the testing of an interaction between state and year (p = 0.32). The 1986 warning signs may have had an enduring effect on awareness, though the update, so far, has not. Further efforts are needed to determine how to increase alcohol and cancer knowledge to address the burden of alcohol-attributable cancers.

Cervical cancer screening and outcomes for women under 25 years of age in Belgium: a 10-year nationwide study.

The aim of the study was to describe trends in cervical cancer screening and outcomes for women under 25 years of age in Belgium between 2010 and 2019 in response to a changed reimbursement policy. We used the databases of the National Health Insurance Institute (RIZIV/INAMI) and the Belgian Cancer Registry (BCR) for a nationwide description of cervical screening, subsequent diagnostic procedures and outcomes for women younger than 20 years and women aged 20-25 years between 2010 and 2019. Over a 10-year period, the number of cytology screening tests and annual screening rates in women younger than 25 years have been reduced by 50%, but no increases in invasive cervical cancer or high-grade intraepithelial lesion diagnoses were observed. The major determinant of this decreased overscreening has been the limitation of reimbursement in 2013 to once every 3 years instead of once every 2 years. In women aged 25-29 years, there is no increase in invasive cervical cancer diagnoses after decreased screening of women younger than 25 years. To detect 29 invasive cervical cancers in women younger than 25 during the 10-year study period, a total of 5606 conizations were performed and 43 million EUR of Belgian health insurance budget was spent. Since the cost of hospitalization, sickness leave and negative psychological impact were not included in our estimation, these costs are underestimated. Incidence of cervical cancer in women under 25 years remains low and screening is not effective in preventing cervical cancer, although there is clear evidence of potential reproductive harm and financial cost. We state that restricting reimbursement of cervical cancer screening before the age of 25 will improve guideline adherence and decrease healthcare expenditures without negatively impacting the health of the population.

Organophosphates Toxicity: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Pesticides are composed of chemicals that can be employed to kill pests or minimize their negative effects. Pesticides and other organophosphate containing compounds have been beneficial in agriculture, forestry, industries, and in households (as personal insect repellents). Chemical compounds known as organophosphates (OP) are produced when phosphoric acid and alcohol undergo esterification. Although pesticides are beneficial, they pose dangers to both humans and the environment and include the following are types of pesticides: herbicide, insecticides (which may include regulators for insect growth, termiticides), nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, antimicrobial, and fungicide. Organophosphate insecticides primarily work by inhibiting carboxyl ester hydrolases, especially acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neurotransmitter that is broken down by the enzyme AChE into acetic acid and choline. Non-specific nature and improper application of pesticides has led to toxicities such as eye stinging, blisters, rashes, blindness, nausea, lightheadedness, diarrhea, and even death. Long-term consequences include malignancies, birth defects, reproductive harm, immunotoxicity, neurological, renal toxicity, hepatotoxicity, and endocrine system disruption. Organophosphate poisoning can be diagnosed in the laboratory through serum cholinesterase, urine alkylphosphate, and liver function test, while treatment can be done by administering antioxidants and emetics. This study is tailored towards highlighting organophosphates toxicity: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Degradation of Residual Herbicide Atrazine in Agri-Food and Washing Water.

Atrazine, an herbicide used to control grassy and broadleaf weed, has become an essential part of agricultural crop protection tools. It is widely sprayed on corn, sorghum and sugar cane, with the attendant problems of its residues in agri-food and washing water. If ingested into humans, this residual atrazine can cause reproductive harm, developmental toxicity and carcinogenicity. It is therefore important to find clean and economical degradation processes for atrazine. In recent years, many physical, chemical and biological methods have been proposed to remove atrazine from the aquatic environment. This review introduces the research works of atrazine degradation in aqueous solutions by method classification. These methods are then compared by their advantages, disadvantages, and different degradation pathways of atrazine. Moreover, the existing toxicological experimental data for atrazine and its metabolites are summarized. Finally, the review concludes with directions for future research and major challenges to be addressed.