Frequency, causes and avoidability of outborn births in a French regional perinatal network.

Objectives: To evaluate the rate and circumstances of outborn deliveries within a French perinatal network, and to determine their avoidability.

Study Design: Cohort study including preterm infants <33 weeks gestation and/or weighing <1500g born outside a level III maternity unit in Lower Normandy region, France, in 2008-2010. In 2008 and 2009, only neonates transferred to the Caen University Teaching Hospital (CHU) were included.

The reported in vitro anti-estrogen pentachloronitrobenzene enhances the estrogenic activity of estradiol in vivo in the rat.

Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) has been shown to inhibit foci-formation for MCF-7 cells in vitro (Zou, E., Hatakeyama, M., Matsumra, F.

Natural variability and the influence of concurrent control values on the detection and interpretation of low-dose or weak endocrine toxicities.

While defining the no effect level for the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride in the Hershberger assay, we encountered an inverted-U low-dose trophic effect on the prostate gland of the rat. Two attempts to confirm this observation were unsuccessful, and we concluded that the positive effect initially observed was associated with normal biologic variability. During the same period we attempted, unsuccessfully, to repeat our own observation of weak uterotrophic activity in the rat for the sunscreen 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)camphor (4MBC).

Confirmation of uterotrophic activity of 3-(4-methylbenzylidine)camphor in the immature rat.

In this study we found that the ultraviolet sunscreen component 3-(4-methylbenzylidine)camphor (4MBC) is uterotrophic in immature rats when administered by either subcutaneous injection or oral gavage. These data confirm earlier reports of uterotrophic activity for this agent when administered to immature rats in the diet or by whole-body immersion; however, they are in contrast to negative unpublished immature rat uterotrophic assay results. Data also indicate that 4MBC binds to isolated rat uterine estrogen receptors and shows activity in a human estrogen receptor yeast transactivation assay; however, we considered both of these effects equivocal.