Assessment of the total effective xenoestrogen burden in extracts of human placentas.

We have standardized a method to assess the total effective xenoestrogen burden (TEXB) in human placentas by the extraction and separation by high-performance liquid chromatography of two fractions containing lipophilic xenoestrogens (alpha) and endogenous hormones (beta), followed by assessing their estrogenicity in MCF-7 breast cancer cell-based E-Screen and Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) bioassays. The means of TEXB alpha concentrations (in estradiol equivalent (Eeq) units) were 1.32 and 0.

Proposal of a Mediterranean diet index for pregnant women.

Numerous studies have addressed the nutritional needs of pregnant women. The nutritional status of the woman before and during gestation affects the growth of the fetus and the course of the pregnancy and influences the risk of obesity for mother and infant. The aim of this study was to propose a diet quality index for pregnancy based on a Mediterranean-type diet (MDS-P), evaluating the diet of a group of pregnant women by applying the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) and evaluating their intake of micronutrients required in optimal amounts during pregnancy, such as Fe, folic acid and Ca.

Human exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and prenatal risk factors for cryptorchidism and hypospadias: a nested case-control study.

Background: Exposure to xenoestrogens during pregnancy may disturb the development and function of male sexual organs.

Objective: In this study we aimed to determine whether the combined effect of environmental estrogens measured as total effective xenoestrogen burden (TEXB) is a risk factor for male urogenital malformations.

Methods: In a case-control study, nested in a mother-child cohort (n = 702) established at Granada University Hospital, we compared 50 newborns with diagnosis of cryptorchidism and/or hypospadias with 114 boys without malformations matched by gestational age, date of birth, and parity.

Pesticide exposure of two age groups of women and its relationship with their diet.

The widespread presence of organochlorine (OC) pesticides in human samples may be explained by the environmental exposure of the population. Foods are considered a constant source of exposure, despite compliance with maximum permitted residue levels. This study aimed to examine the relationship between nutritional habits of women in Southeast Spain and their serum concentrations of OCs.

Exposure of young men to organochlorine pesticides in Southern Spain.

It has been hypothesized that endocrine disruptors and especially synthetic estrogenic environmental contaminants (xenoestrogens) are etiologic factors in the global decrease of sperm counts and other problems of the male reproductive tract, including cryptorchidism, hypospadias, and testicular cancer. This possibility has prompted research into the current and historical incidence of these diseases. The largest area of intensive greenhouse agriculture in Europe is near the Mediterranean coast of Southern Spain, where this activity has greatly expanded since the 1960s.

Endosulfan and its metabolites in fertile women, placenta, cord blood, and human milk.

Although industrialized nations have restricted or banned many organochlorine pesticides, some of these chemicals (e.g., endosulfans) are still used, on the assumption that they pose little threat to the environment, wildlife, or human health.