Risk Factors for Incident Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Diagnosis.

While highly prevalent, risk factors for incident polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are poorly delineated. Using a population-based cohort, we sought to identify predictors of incident PCOS diagnosis. A matched case-control analysis was completed utilizing patients enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Washington from 2006 to 2019.

Incidence, prevalence, and trends in polycystic ovary syndrome diagnosis: a United States population-based study from 2006 to 2019.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, yet US incidence estimates do not exist, and prevalence estimates vary widely.

Objective: A population-based US study estimated the incidence, prevalence, and trends of polycystic ovary syndrome by age, race and ethnicity, and diagnosing provider type.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study of patients enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Washington from 2006 to 2019 was conducted.

Water quality of The Gambia River: A prospective drinking water supply.

Drinking water in The Gambia is mostly derived from boreholes that could potentially be contaminated. The Gambia River, a major river in West Africa that covers 12 % of the country's area, could be more exploited for drinking water supply. During the dry season, the total dissolved solids (TDS), ranging from 0.

Up-to-date monitoring data of wastewater and stormwater quality in Germany.

A comprehensive dataset of pollutant concentrations in German urban wastewater systems is available from recently completed monitoring projects. It contains up to 1000 concentration values for each of 79 substances in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents from 49 sites, and up to 157 values for each of 95 substances in combined sewer overflows (CSOs) from 12 sites. WWTP influents and stormwater outfalls were sampled to a lesser extent.

Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants by Parallel Operation of Reverse Osmosis and Granular Activated Carbon for Drinking Water Treatment.

In response to increasingly stringent restrictions for drinking water quality, a parallel operation of two common technologies, low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) and activated carbon filtration (ACF), was investigated in a comprehensive five-month pilot study for the removal of 32 typical trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) from Rhine bank filtrates employing a semi- technical plant. TrOCs have been divided into three groups: polyfluorinated aliphatic compounds; pharmaceuticals, pesticides and metabolites; in addition to volatiles, nitrosamines and aminopolycarboxylic acids, which were also examined. The net pressure behavior, normalized salt passage and rejection of TrOCs by LPRO were investigated and compared with ACF operation.

Determination of monochloramine dissipation kinetics in various surface water qualities under relevant environmental conditions - Consequences regarding environmental risk assessment.

A total 190 experiments were performed to study the dissipation kinetics of monochloramine (NHCl, CAS no 10599-90-3) in surface water samples from six rivers (Loire, Rhône, Meuse, Garonne, Seine and Moselle) and an artificial reservoir (Mirgenbach), all located in France. Experiments were conducted in an open reactor, under relevant controlled environmental conditions. The impact of various parameters such as initial NHCl concentration, temperature, pH, presence of sediments, sampling site and collection period was investigated.

Prospective environmental risk assessment of mixtures in wastewater treatment plant effluents - Theoretical considerations and experimental verification.

The aquatic environment is continually exposed to a complex mixture of chemicals, whereby effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are one key source. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether environmental risk assessments (ERAs) addressing individual substances are sufficiently protective for such coincidental mixtures. Based on a literature review of chemicals reported to occur in municipal WWTP effluents and mode-of-action considerations, four different types of mixtures were composed containing human pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and chemicals regulated under REACH.

Is there synergistic interaction between fungicides inhibiting different enzymes in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway in toxicity tests with the green alga Raphidocelis subcapitata?

Products used for plant protection or as biocides often contain more than one active substance together with numerous formulation additives. The environmental risk assessment for such commercial mixtures applies as default the concept of concentration addition. There is remaining regulatory concern, however, that underestimation of risks can occur if components in the mixture interact synergistically, i.

Environmental risk assessment of biocidal products: identification of relevant components and reliability of a component-based mixture assessment.

Background: Biocidal products are mixtures of one or more active substances (a.s.) and a broad range of formulation additives.

A sensitive multi-residue method for the determination of 35 micropollutants including pharmaceuticals, iodinated contrast media and pesticides in water.

A sensitive, multi-residue method using solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed to determine a representative group of 35 analytes, including corrosion inhibitors, pesticides and pharmaceuticals such as analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, five iodinated contrast media, β-blockers and some of their metabolites and transformation products in water samples. Few other methods are capable of determining such a broad range of contrast media together with other analytes. We studied the parameters affecting the extraction of the target analytes, including sorbent selection and extraction conditions, their chromatographic separation (mobile phase composition and column) and detection conditions using two ionisation sources: electrospray ionisation (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI).

Occurrence and fate of nitrification and urease inhibitors in the aquatic environment.

Nitrification and urease inhibitors (NUIs) decelerate the bacterial oxidation of nitrogen species by suppressing the activity of soil microorganisms. Thus, nitrogen losses can be limited and the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizers can be increased. After application NUI transfers to surface water may occur through leaching or surface run-off.

Electrochemical decomposition of fluorinated wetting agents in plating industry waste water.

Electrochemical decomposition of fluorinated surfactants (PFAS, perfluorinated alkyl substances) used in the plating industry was analyzed and the decomposition process parameters optimized at the laboratory scale and production scale of a 500-liter reactor using lead electrodes. The method and system was successfully demonstrated under production conditions to treat PFAS) with up to 99% efficiency in the concentration range of 1,000-20,000 μg/l (1 ppm-20 ppm). The treatment also reduced hexavalent chromium (Cr(6+)) ions to trivalent chromium (Cr(3+)) ions in the wastewater.

Selective and trace determination of monochloramine in river water by chemical derivatization and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry analysis.

Monochloramine (MCA) may enter the aquatic environment through three main sources: wastewater treatment plant effluents, industrial effluents and thermal power plant wastes. Up to date, there are no available data about the concentration levels of this chemical in river water due to lack of appropriate analytical methods. Therefore, sensitive and selective analytical methods for monochloramine analysis in river water are required to evaluate its environmental fate and its effects on aquatic ecosystems.

Selection of organic process and source indicator substances for the anthropogenically influenced water cycle.

An increasing number of organic micropollutants (OMP) is detected in anthropogenically influenced water cycles. Source control and effective natural and technical barriers are essential to maintain a high quality of drinking water resources under these circumstances. Based on the literature and our own research this study proposes a limited number of OMP that can serve as indicator substances for the major sources of OMP, such as wastewater treatment plants, agriculture and surface runoff.

Removal of micropollutants, facultative pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacteria in a full-scale retention soil filter receiving combined sewer overflow.

Combined sewer systems collect surface runoff as well as wastewater of industrial and domestic origin. During periods of heavy rainfall the capacity of the sewer system is exceeded and the overflow is discharged into receiving waters without any treatment. Consequently, combined sewer overflow (CSO) is considered as a major source of water pollution.

Characterization of anastrozole effects, delivered by an intravaginal ring in cynomolgus monkeys.

Study Question: Is it feasible to deliver anastrozole (ATZ), an aromatase inhibitor (AI), by a vaginal polymer-based drug delivery system in the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) to describe the pharmacokinetic profile?

Summary Answer: The present study showed the effective release of ATZ into the systemic circulation from intravaginal rings in cynomolgus monkeys.

What Is Known Already: ATZ is a marketed drug with well documented pharmacological and safety profiles for oral administration. Aromatase is the key enzyme catalyzing estrogen biosynthesis and is overexpressed in endometriotic lesions.

Redundant role of protein kinase C delta and epsilon during mouse embryonic development.

Protein Kinase C delta and epsilon are mediators of important cellular events, such as cell proliferation, migration or apoptosis. The formation of blood vessels, i.e.

Predicting acute and chronic effects of wood preservative products in Daphnia magna and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata based on the concept of concentration addition.

The current European legislation requires that combined effects of the active substances and any substance of concern contained in biocidal products are taken into account in environmental risk assessment. The hypothesis whether the consideration of active substances together with all formulation additives that are labeled as presenting an environmental hazard is sufficient for a reliable environmental risk assessment was tested in the present study by investigating 3 wood preservative products. Relevant single substances in the products, some of their generic mixtures, the biocidal products themselves, and aqueous eluates prepared from the products (representing potential environmental mixtures) were tested for effects on algal growth and Daphnia acute immobilization as well as reproduction.

Prediction of concentration levels of metformin and other high consumption pharmaceuticals in wastewater and regional surface water based on sales data.

Local consumption data of pharmaceuticals were used to study the emission to wastewater and surface waters in two small Dutch water catchments. For nine high consumption pharmaceuticals: metformin, metoprolol, sotalol, losartan, valsartan, irbesartan, hydrochlorothiazide, diclofenac and carbamazepine, predicted emissions were compared to wastewater concentrations, removal in sewage treatment plants and recovery in regional surface water. The study shows that local consumption data can be very useful to select pharmaceuticals for monitoring and to predict wastewater concentrations.

Occurrence and fate of the antidiabetic drug metformin and its metabolite guanylurea in the environment and during drinking water treatment.

Metformin, an antidiabetic drug with one of the highest consumption rates of all pharmaceuticals worldwide, is biologically degraded to guanylurea in wastewater treatment plants. Due to high metformin influent concentrations of up to 100 μg/L and its high but incomplete degradation both compounds are released in considerable amounts of up to several tens of μg/L into recipient rivers. This is the first systematic study on their environmental fate and the effectiveness of treatment techniques applied in waterworks to remove metformin and guanylurea from surface water influenced raw waters.

Eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis does not exhibit neurotrophic properties.

The role of neurotrophins in eutopic endometrium from endometriosis-patients was investigated in a prospective study using immunofluorescence-staining, Western blot and a neuronal growth assay. The nerve growth factor is expressed in primary endometrial cell culture from women with and without endometriosis. Western blot analysis of endometrial biopsies or uterine fluid from patients with and without endometriosis shows no difference in the neurotrophin expression.

Comparison of five in vitro bioassays to measure estrogenic activity in environmental waters.

Bioassays are well established in the pharmaceutical industry and single compound analysis, but there is still uncertainty about their usefulness in environmental monitoring. We compared the responses of five bioassays designed to measure estrogenic activity (the yeast estrogen screen, ER-CALUX, MELN, T47D-KBluc, and E-SCREEN assays) and chemical analysis on extracts from four different water sources (groundwater, raw sewage, treated sewage, and river water). All five bioassays displayed similar trends and there was good agreement with analytical chemistry results.

Occurrence of the antidiabetic drug metformin in sewage and surface waters in Germany.

The antidiabetic drug metformin is among the pharmaceuticals with the highest production numbers world-wide. This paper presents first data on the occurrence of metformin in sewage and surface waters in Germany. Analysis of metformin is based on pre-concentration of the analyte onto a polymeric solid-phase material and subsequent determination by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry.

Gene expression analysis in zebrafish embryos: a potential approach to predict effect concentrations in the fish early life stage test.

Based on the hypothesis that analysis of gene expression could be used to predict chronic fish toxicity, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo test (DarT), developed as a replacement method for the acute fish test, was expanded to a gene expression D. rerio embryo test (Gene-DarT). The effects of 14 substances on lethal and sublethal endpoints of the DarT and on expression of potential marker genes were investigated: the aryl hydrocarbon receptor 2, cytochrome P450 1A (cypla), heat shock protein 70, fizzy-related protein 1, the transcription factors v-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene family protein g (avian) 1 and NF-E2-p45-related factor, and heme oxygenase 1 (hmox1).