Presencia de hormonas esteroides en el lago Titicaca y agua potable, Puno (Perú)

The presence of steroid hormones in lake waters causes contamination of aquatic ecosystems, which may cause endocrine alterations in the organisms that inhabit them. Moreover, many of these waters are purified and distributed to populations located around the lake. Therefore, these effects could be repeated in humans consuming the water. This study reports the presence of steroid hormone residues in the waters of the inner bay of Lake Titicaca and drinking water in the city of Puno (Peru). The solid phase extraction method was used for sample preparation, and the analyses were developed in an HPLC-DAD system. Results show maximum concentrations of steroid hormones estrone (E1) 1.56, 17 β- estradiol (E2) 2.27, 17 α- ethinylestradiol (EE2) 13. 88 ng L-1 respectively. These concentrations vary at the different monitoring points, and their presence could cause ecotoxicological effects to the endemic aquatic biota that inhabit this part of the lake. At the same time they also could affect the health of the human population that consumes this water

Hyperoxia Leads to Transient Endocrine Alterations in the Neonatal Rat During Postnatal Development

Introduction: High oxygen concentrations have been identified as one factor contributing to the pathogenesis of the retinopathia of prematurity, chronic lung disease of the preterm infant and preterm brain injury. Preterm infants also show short- and long-term alterations of the endocrine system. If hyperoxia is one pathogenetic factor has not been investigated yet. With regard to the high prevalence of neurodevelopmental impairments in preterm infants, the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the hypothalamus-pituitary-somatotropic (HPS) axis are of special interest due to their important role in neurodevelopment.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hyperoxia on the endocrine system in the neonatal rat by analyzing the activities of the HPT, HPA and HPS axes, respectively.Methods: Three-days old Wistar rats were exposed to hyperoxia (oxygen 80%, 48 h). On postnatal day 5 (P5) and P11, transcript levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), proopiomelanocortin and growth hormone (GH) were analyzed in pituitary sections by in situ hybridization. Serologic quantification of TSH and thyroxine (T4), adrenocorticotropic hormone and GH were performed by Multiplex analysis and Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay.Results: At P5, significantly lower GH levels were observed in pituitaries (mRNA) and in sera of rats exposed to hyperoxia. Serum TSH was significantly elevated without changes in T4.Conclusion: This is the first study demonstrating transient endocrine alterations following hyperoxia in the neonatal rat making oxygen a possible contributor to the pathogenesis of endocrine alterations seen in preterm infants. Considering the detrimental multi-organ effects of hyperoxia on the immature organism, a rational use of therapeutic oxygen in the treatrnent of preterm infants is of utmost importance.

Environmental Pollution and Breast Cancer: The Microplastic Component BPA Regulates the Intratumoral Immune Microenvironment and Increases Lung Metastasis

Background: Metastasis is a complex process that involves the spread of the tumor to distant parts of the body from its original site. Metastatic dissemination represents the main physiopathology of cancer. Soluble factors such as cytokines have been closely related to breast cancer (BC) metastasis. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting chemical compound with estrogenic properties, which exposure in the early stages of neonatal life leads to an increase in the size and weight of breast tumors and cellular changes in the tumoral immune microenvironment. Methods: Thus, we used female BALB/c mice that were exposed neonatally to a single dose of BPA. Once sexual maturity was reached, a mammary tumor was induced injecting 4T1 cells in situ. After 25 days of injection, we evaluated endocrine alterations, cytokine expression, tissue alterations denoted by macro and micro metastases in the lung, and metastasis-induced cell infiltration. Results: BPA neonatal treatment did not show significant endocrine alterations. Nevertheless, BPA induced a great rate of metastasis to the lung associated with higher intratumoral expression of IL-1b, IL-6, IFN-g, TNF-a and VEGF. Conclusions Our data suggest that cytokines are key players in BC metastasis induction, and that BPA is a risk factor to be considered. This knowledge must be considered with the aim of recognizing environmental pollution in the clinical history of patients to possibly counter BC metastases.

Biomonitoring of Phthalates, Bisphenols and Parabens in Children: Exposure, Predictors and Risk Assessment

Exposure to emerging contaminants, such as phthalates, bisphenols and parabens in children has been associated with possible neurodevelopment and endocrine alterations. In the present study, the biomonitoring of biomarkers in children (5–12 years old) from the Valencia Region (Spain) have been implemented using urines from the BIOVAL program. More than 75% of the children studied (n = 562) were internally exposed (>LOQ) to bisphenols and parabens, and the whole population assessed (n = 557) were exposed to at least one phthalate. The geometric means (GM) of the concentrations of bisphenol A, methyl paraben and propyl paraben were 0.9, 1.4 and 0.39 ng/mL, respectively. Regarding phthalates, monoethyl phthalate GM was 55.0 ng/mL and diethyl hexyl phthalate (as the sum of five metabolites) GM was 60.6 ng/mL. Despite the studied population being widely exposed, the detection frequencies and concentrations were in general lower than in previous studies involving children in Spain and in other countries in recent years. Furthermore, the risk assessment study concluded that the internal exposure to phthalates, bisphenols and parabens is lower than the guidance values established, and, therefore, a health risk derived from the exposure to these compounds in the studied population is not expected.

Mechanisms of Musculoskeletal Frailty in People Living with HIV

People over age 50 living with HIV experience frailty including functional declines and illnesses usually attributed to aging, more frequently and ten years earlier than people without HIV. As the number of people living with HIV over age 50 is expected to triple by the year 2040, those experiencing early frailty will continue to grow. This review synthesizes the known correlates and contributors to musculoskeletal frailty in people living with HIV. A conceptual model of musculoskeletal frailty in HIV that outlines chronic inflammation, altered energy metabolism, immune activation, and endocrine alterations as mechanisms associated with frailty development is presented. Additionally, the potential ability of aerobic exercise to modify the risk of frailty is highlighted as an important intervention.

Gorlin-Goltz syndrome: systemic and maxillofacial characteristics

Gorlin-Goltz Syndrome, also known as Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the presence of multiple keratocysts in the jaw and basal cell carcinomas, at young age, of palmar and/or plantar depressions, of calcification of the sickle cerebral and skeletal malformations. This syndrome is caused by a mutation of the PTCH1 (patched homolog 1 from Drosophila) gene, a tumor suppressor gene. In this work, the systemic and maxillofacial characteristics of the Gorlin-Goltz syndrome, as well as some neurological, dermatological, musculoskeletal and endocrine alterations, are reviewed. In addition, a case report was added for the purpose of support this study.