Effect of in vitro exposure of first-line antiretrovirals on healthy human spermatozoa on kinematics and motility.

Purpose: Contemporary antiretroviral (ARV) medications are used by millions of men for HIV treatment worldwide. Limited data exist on their direct effect on sperm motility. This pilot study hypothesizes that in vitro exposure to ARVs will reduce sperm kinematic and motility parameter values.

The use of bioassays and chemical screening to assess the impact of a minimally processed vegetable facility on wastewater quality.

Fruit- and vegetable-processing facilities may contaminate wastewater via contaminants found in the produce and disinfecting chemicals used. These contaminants may include agrochemicals, pesticides, and disinfectants such as chlorine and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs). Some compounds may exhibit harmful endocrine-disrupting activity.

The Association between Long-Term DDT or DDE Exposures and an Altered Sperm Epigenome-a Cross-Sectional Study of Greenlandic Inuit and South African VhaVenda Men.

Background: The organochlorine dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is banned worldwide owing to its negative health effects. It is exceptionally used as an insecticide for malaria control. Exposure occurs in regions where DDT is applied, as well as in the Arctic, where its endocrine disrupting metabolite, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) accumulates in marine mammals and fish.

Quality and safety of South African hand sanitisers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health agencies recommend using hand sanitisers as protection against the coronavirus. Thus far, the emphasis on hand sanitiser studies is limited to an analysis of disinfectant content only. This study aims to provide an extended analysis of 60 off-the-shelf alcohol-based hand sanitisers by using gas chromatography to report on alcohol content and the presence of impurities, a recombinant yeast estrogen screen to assess estrogenic activity, and an investigation into labelling compliance with the South African National Standard.

The role of effect-based methods to address water quality monitoring in South Africa: a developing country's struggle.

Water is an important resource, and it is a worldwide struggle to provide water of good quality to the whole population. Despite good governing laws and guidelines set in place to help protect the water resources and ensure it is of good quality for various consumers, the water quality in South Africa is worsening due to lack of management. The deteriorating infrastructure is becoming progressively worse, due to corruption and insufficient funds.

Occurrence of legacy and replacement plasticizers, bisphenols, and flame retardants in potable water in Montreal and South Africa.

The occurrence of thirty-nine contaminants including plasticizers, bisphenols, and flame retardants in potable water from Montreal and South Africa was analyzed to determine their presence and concentrations in different water sources. In Montreal, five bottled water (BW) brands and three drinking water treatment plants (DWTP) were included. In South Africa, water was sampled from one urban DWTP located in Pretoria, Gauteng, and one rural DWTP located in Vhembe, along with water from the same rural DWTP which had been stored in small and large plastic containers.

Ex vivo Vitamin D supplementation improves viscoelastic profiles in prostate cancer patients.

Background: Increased risk of thromboembolic events is associated with prostate cancer, specifically linked to activation of tissue factor. Vitamin D has potential anticoagulant effects by the downregulation of tissue factor expression.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects on clot formation, the morphological and viscoelastic profiles of prostate cancer patients, before and after ex vivo supplementation of Vitamin D was studied.

EDCs and male urogenital cancers.

Male sex determination and sexual differentiation occur between 6-12 weeks of gestation. During the "male programming window" the fetal testes start to produce testosterone that initiates the development of the male reproductive tract. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) able to mimic or disrupt steroid hormone actions may disrupt testicular development and adversely impact reproductive health at birth, during puberty and adulthood.

Veterinary growth promoters in cattle feedlot runoff: estrogenic activity and potential effects on the rat male reproductive system.

The contribution of veterinary growth promoters (VGP) to the environmental burden of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is largely unknown. At cattle feedlots, the excrement of cattle may contain VGPs, which can contaminate aquatic systems and pose reproductive health risks. The study identifies VGPs used at cattle feedlots in South Africa and confirms associated estrogenic activity in feedlot runoff water.

Fate, occurrence and potential adverse effects of antimicrobials used for treatment of tuberculosis in the aquatic environment in South Africa.

The consumption of tonnes of anti-tubercular and other anti-microbial compounds for the control of the tuberculosis epidemic and other opportunistic diseases associated with human immunodeficiency virus presents tuberculosis-endemic countries such as South Africa, with a problem regarding the occurrence and fate of these compounds in the aquatic environment. The majority of these compounds are not readily degradable and could persist in the aquatic environment with potential detrimental effect on the aquatic microbiota ecosystem, development and dissemination of anti-microbial resistance as well as chronic toxicity in humans due to long-term exposure. This review summarises and discusses the occurrence, fate and potential adverse effects of the commonly administered anti-tubercular compounds in the aquatic environment in tuberculosis-endemic countries and South Africa in particular.

Male reproductive health statement (XIIIth international symposium on Spermatology, may 9th-12th 2018, Stockholm, Sweden.

On the occasion of the held from 9 to 13 May 2018 in Stockholm (Sweden), participants (guest speakers and audience) collectively felt the need to make a public statement on the general issue of male reproductive health. Our intention is to raise awareness of what we believe is a neglected area of research despite alarming situations around the world. The disclosure strategy desired by the co-authors is to bring it to the attention of the greatest number partly by considering co-publication in the various periodicals dealing with Reproductive Biology and Andrology.

Estrogenic activity, selected plasticizers and potential health risks associated with bottled water in South Africa.

Potential endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are present in bottled water from various countries. In South Africa (SA), increased bottled water consumption and concomitant increases in plastic packaging create important consequences for public health. This study aimed to screen SA bottled water for estrogenic activity, selected target chemicals and assessing potential health risks.

Analysis of endocrine activity in drinking water, surface water and treated wastewater from six countries.

The aquatic environment can contain numerous micropollutants and there are concerns about endocrine activity in environmental waters and the potential impacts on human and ecosystem health. In this study a complementary chemical analysis and in vitro bioassay approach was applied to evaluate endocrine activity in treated wastewater, surface water and drinking water samples from six countries (Germany, Australia, France, South Africa, the Netherlands and Spain). The bioassay test battery included assays indicative of seven endocrine pathways, while 58 different chemicals, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and industrial compounds, were analysed by targeted chemical analysis.

Alterations in male reproductive hormones in relation to environmental DDT exposure.

DDT [1, 1, 1-trichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)-ethane] compounds are used for indoor residual spraying (IRS) to control malaria mosquitoes. DDT is an endocrine disruptor chemical in experimental conditions, but little is known of adverse effects related to living conditions with continual uptake across a time span by all possible means of exposure. Based on estrogenic and/or anti-androgenic effects found in animal studies, we hypothesized that chronic DDT/DDE exposures in men may be associated with changes in male reproductive hormones.

Comparison of in vitro and in vivo bioassays to measure thyroid hormone disrupting activity in water extracts.

Environmental chemicals can induce thyroid disruption through a number of mechanisms including altered thyroid hormone biosynthesis and transport, as well as activation and inhibition of the thyroid receptor. In the current study six in vitro bioassays indicative of different mechanisms of thyroid disruption and one whole animal in vivo assay were applied to 9 model compounds and 4 different water samples (treated wastewater, surface water, drinking water and ultra-pure lab water; both unspiked and spiked with model compounds) to determine their ability to detect thyroid active compounds. Most assays correctly identified and quantified the model compounds as agonists or antagonists, with the reporter gene assays being the most sensitive.

Endocrine Disruptors and Health Effects in Africa: A Call for Action.

Background: Africa faces a number of unique environmental challenges. Unfortunately, it lacks the infrastructure needed to support the comprehensive environmental studies that could provide the scientific basis to inform environmental policies. There are a number of known sources of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and other hazardous chemicals in Africa.

Estrogenic activity, chemical levels and health risk assessment of municipal distribution point water from Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africa.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are ubiquitous in the environment and have been detected in drinking water from various countries. Although various water treatment processes can remove EDCs, chemicals can also migrate from pipes that transport water and contaminate drinking water. This study investigated the estrogenic activity in drinking water from various distribution points in Pretoria (City of Tshwane) (n = 40) and Cape Town (n = 40), South Africa, using the recombinant yeast estrogen screen (YES) and the T47D-KBluc reporter gene assay.

Pesticide residues and estrogenic activity in fruit and vegetables sampled from major fresh produce markets in South Africa.

Food is likely to be one of the major pathways through which people are exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. With the exception of residual effects, there are concerns that a number of naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals exert adverse effects upon endocrine systems in wildlife and humans. The current study reports selected pesticide concentrations and the total estrogenic activity of fruit and vegetables using the recombinant yeast oestrogen screen (YES) and T47D-KBluc reporter gene assays.

Health risk implications from simultaneous exposure to multiple environmental contaminants.

Water quality has deteriorated in the upper Olifants River system, South Africa, as a result of land use activities which include mining, agriculture and industries. A health risk assessment was conducted from 2009 to 2011 in the catchment to determine the possible risks local communities face from various pollutants such as microbials, heavy metals and oestrogen in the river water and vegetation. Aluminium and manganese accumulated in plants and vanadium and aluminium concentrations found in selective water samples posed significant health risks when consumed.

Changes in retinol-binding protein concentrations and thyroid homeostasis with nonoccupational exposure to DDT.

Background: The insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been used for malaria vector control in the northern and eastern parts of the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa, since 1945. Bioaccumulation of DDT raises concern because it reportedly affects thyroid function.

Objective: Our objective was to investigate the association between DDT uptake (as reflected in plasma concentrations) and thyroid homeostasis while considering related factors.

Semenology training programs: 8 years' experience.

Objective: To evaluate the immediate effect of hands-on training on the quality of technical skills of laboratory technicians.

Design: Retrospective analytical study.

Setting: Academic institutions and private infertility clinics.

Sperm chromatin integrity in DDT-exposed young men living in a malaria area in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Background: There is mounting evidence that deteriorated semen quality may be associated with increased serum concentration of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(chlorodiphenyl)ethane (DDT) and its metabolites. The problem is exacerbated in situations where DDT is the only resource available to control malaria mosquitoes and DDT metabolite plasma concentration can reach 1000-fold the level found in other populations. There are limited and contradictory epidemiological data on whether DDT/dichlorodiphenyl-dichloroethylene (DDE) can also damage sperm DNA.

Impaired semen quality associated with environmental DDT exposure in young men living in a malaria area in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.

The pesticide DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(chlorodiphenyl)ethane] is 1 of the 12 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under negotiation at the Stockholm Convention to restrict or ban their production and use because of their toxicity, resistance to breakdown, bioaccumulation, and potential for being transported over long distances. DDT has estrogenic potential, and the main metabolite, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl-dichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), is a potent antiandrogen. In response to mounting evidence on the endocrine-disrupting influence of environmental chemicals on human health, this epidemiological study was initiated to test the hypothesis that nonoccupational exposure to DDT affects male reproductive parameters.

Sialic acid in semen of normozoospermic men.

Good sperm motility in normozoospermic men was associated with high bound and total sialic acid (SA) and pyruvate concentrations in the seminal plasma, as well as high endogenous (sperm) pyruvate concentrations. The presence of sialidase in the seminal plasma was also demonstrated for the first time. The results suggest that SA is metabolized to pyruvate by a N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA)-aldolase in the seminal plasma and that pyruvate subsequently serves as an energy source for sperm.