Associations between urine glyphosate levels and metabolic health risks: insights from a large cross-sectional population-based study.

Background: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in American adults increased from 37.6% in the 2011-12 period to 41.8% in 2017-2018.

Transcriptomic and developmental effects of persistent organic pollutants in sentinel fishes collected near an arctic formerly used defense site.

Alaska contains over 600 formerly used defense (FUD) sites, many of which serve as point sources of pollution. These sites are often co-located with rural communities that depend upon traditional subsistence foods, especially lipid-rich animals that bioaccumulate and biomagnify persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Many POPs are carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting compounds that are associated with adverse health outcomes.

Utilizing a human TLR selective ligand in a humanized immune system mouse model to investigate human TLR4 signaling.

Mouse models with humanized immune systems are becoming increasingly prevalent in pharmaceutical research as a platform for preclinical testing with potential for greater translatability to clinical applications. However, the presence of both mouse and human cells that respond to TLR ligands poses a challenge for investigating therapeutic modalities targeting TLR signaling. AZ617 is a human TLR4 agonist, which has been shown to preferentially induce human cytokines via the TLR4 signaling pathway.

Differential gene expression and developmental pathologies associated with persistent organic pollutants in sentinel fish in Troutman Lake, Sivuqaq, Alaska.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are lipophilic compounds that bioaccumulate in animals and biomagnify within food webs. Many POPs are endocrine disrupting compounds that impact vertebrate development. POPs accumulate in the Arctic via global distillation and thereby impact high trophic level vertebrates as well as people who live a subsistence lifestyle.

Newly Acquired Burnout During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic: A Retrospective Cohort Study on the Experiences of New York State Primary Care Clinicians.

The well-being of primary care clinicians represents an area of increasing interest amid concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated already high prevalence rates of clinician burnout. This retrospective cohort study was designed to identify demographic, clinical, and work-specific factors that may have contributed to newly acquired burnout after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An anonymous web-based questionnaire distributed in August 2020 to New York State (NYS) primary care clinicians, via email outreach and newsletters, produced 1,499 NYS primary care clinician survey respondents.

Patterns of Emergency Room Visits for Respiratory Diseases in New York State in Relation to Air Pollution, Poverty and Smoking.

We have explored differences in rates of emergency room (ER) visits for respiratory diseases in the counties of New York State (NYS) in relation to levels of air pollution, poverty, and smoking. Air pollution information was derived from the National Emissions Inventory, which provides information on road, non-road, point, and non-point sources of 12 different air pollutants. This information is only available at the county level.

Effects of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides like Roundup™ on the mammalian nervous system: A review.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), such as Roundup™, the most widely used herbicides in the world. Glyphosate targets an essential enzyme in plants that is not found in animals. However, both glyphosate and GBHs are rated as Group 2A, probable human carcinogens, and also have documented effects on reproduction, acting as endocrine disruptive chemicals.

Elevated mercury and PCB concentrations in Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) collected near a formerly used defense site on Sivuqaq, Alaska.

Environmental pollution causes adverse health effects in many organisms and contributes to health disparities for Arctic communities that depend on subsistence foods, including the Yupik residents of Sivuqaq (St. Lawrence Island), Alaska. Sivuqaq's proximity to Russia made it a strategic location for U.

A comparison of risk factors for osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis using NHANES data.

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are both diseases of joints, but they have very different etiologies. Osteoarthritis is a disease assumed to result from wear and tear over time, whereas rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks joint tissues. Using NHANES data (1999-2015), we have compared the influence of age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index and smoking on these two very different forms of arthritis.

Serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and the metabolic syndrome in Akwesasne Mohawks, a Native American community.

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of diseases that tend to occur together, including diabetes, hypertension, central obesity, cardiovascular disease and hyperlipidemia. Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) has been associated with increased risk of development of several of the components of the MetS. The goal of this study is to determine whether the associations with POPs are identical for each of the components and for the MetS.

Population-based dietary exposure to mercury through fish consumption in the Southern Peruvian Amazon.

Background: Mercury exposure related to artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has raised environmental and public health concerns globally. Exposure to mercury, a potent neurotoxin that bioaccumulates in fish, is especially of concern to women of childbearing age (WCBA) and children in high-fish consuming populations. In Madre de Dios (MDD), Peru, an Amazon region with naturally occurring mercury and high ASGM activity, there is significant exposure concern among the mainly riverine, fish-consuming communities.

Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and cancer: How source of funding affects results.

While there has been evidence indicating that excessive exposure to magnetic fields from 50 to 60 Hz electricity increases risk of cancer, many argue that the evidence is inconsistent and inconclusive. This is particularly the case regarding magnetic field exposure and childhood leukemia. A major goal of this study is to examine how source of funding influences the reported results and conclusions.

Air Emissions from Natural Gas Facilities in New York State.

While New York has banned fracking, new and expanded natural gas pipelines are being constructed across the state. Our previous studies have reported that compressor stations are a major source of air pollution at fracking sites. We have used two federal datasets, the U.

Ambient air quality in the holy city of Makkah: A source apportionment with elemental enrichment factors (EFs) and factor analysis (PMF).

Air pollution remains a major global public health and environmental issue. We assessed the levels of PM and delineated the major sources in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Fine particulate matter (PM) sampling was performed from February 26, 2014-January 27, 2015 in four cycles/seasons.

Patterns of PCB exposure among Akwesasne adolescents: The role of dietary and inhalation pathways.

Aim: The objective of this study is to determine if consumption of fish and other dietary elements are related to the serum PCB levels of a group of adolescents. A dietary pattern approach is used to provide a more complete dietary exposure profile rather than a single food/group approach. Additionally, dietary patterns are examined in relation to traditional PCB groupings as well as derived PCB congener profiles.

Fine particles exposure and cardiopulmonary morbidity in Jeddah: A time-series analysis.

Health effects linked to PM, have been extensively studied in developed countries of Europe and N. America. However, little has been done in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

Persistent organic pollutants as predictors of increased FSH:LH ratio in naturally cycling, reproductive age women.

Although several recent studies suggest endocrine disrupting compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p', DDE), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), target different organs and systems in the body, their impact on female reproductive function in humans is not well characterized. We seek to determine the relationship between several known endocrine disrupting compounds and a marker of ovarian responsivity, the FSH:LH ratio (higher ratio indicates less ovarian responsivity). For this analysis, 169 naturally cycling women between 21 and 38 years of age completed interviews and had their blood drawn on day 3 of their menstrual cycle for analyses of toxicants, gonadal sex hormones (E and P), and gonadotropins (FSH and LH).

Endocrine disruption and differential gene expression in sentinel fish on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska: Health implications for indigenous residents.

People living a subsistence lifestyle in the Arctic are highly exposed to persistent organic pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Formerly Used Defense (FUD) sites are point sources of PCB pollution; the Arctic contains thousands of FUD sites, many co-located with indigenous villages. We investigated PCB profiles and biological effects in freshwater fish (Alaska blackfish [Dallia pectoralis] and ninespine stickleback [Pungitius pungitius]) living upstream and downstream of the Northeast Cape FUD site on St.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals and ovulation: Is there a relationship?

Although the potential for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) to disrupt female fecundity is great, few studies have assessed the threat to human reproduction. This study investigates levels of organochlorines in relation to their impact on women's menstrual cycles and ovulatory status. To address concerns of the Akwesasne Mohawk community in upstate New York regarding well-established exposure to EDCs, women's fertility and reproductive health endpoints, we recruited 215 women between the ages of 21 and 38 years to measure menstrual cycle characteristics and levels of local pollutants.

Affluence as a predictor of vaccine refusal and underimmunization in California private kindergartens.

Background: Non-medical vaccine exemption rates in California private schools far exceed those of public schools, but little is known about specific factors which may be associated with high exemption rates in private schools.

Methods: The percent of personal-belief exemptions (PBEs) among California public and private kindergartens were computed for 2000-2001 to 2014-2015 academic years. For the 2014-2015 academic year, a random sample of private schools was selected to investigate associations between kindergarten characteristics (tuition amount, religious affiliation) and vaccine profile (non-medical vaccine exemptions, vaccine coverage).

Low uptake of influenza vaccine among university students: evaluating predictors beyond cost and safety concerns.

Introduction: Annual influenza vaccine coverage for young adults (including college students) remains low, despite a 2011 US recommendation for annual immunization of all people 6 months and older. College students are at high risk for influenza morbidity given close living and social spaces and extended travel during semester breaks when influenza circulation typically increases. We evaluated influenza vaccine uptake following an on-campus vaccine campaign at a large, public New York State university.

Association between hospital discharge rate for female breast cancer and residence in a zip code containing hazardous waste sites.

Background: Exposure to chemicals plays a role in risk of breast cancer. However, possible associations between risk of breast cancer and residential proximity to hazardous waste sites (HWSs) have not been reported.

Methods: We determined rates of hospital discharge with a diagnosis of female breast cancer in relation to residence in a zip code containing HWSs in New York State (NYS) after adjustment for ethnicity, age, income and urbanicity.

Risk-benefit of consuming Lake Erie fish.

Background: Consumption of fish is promoted as a healthy way to obtain essential fatty acids (EFA) in the diet, yet the risk of ingesting harmful contaminants remains a concern. A recent study concluded that the risk-benefit of consuming fish from the North American Laurentian Great Lakes, which sustain important commercial and recreational fisheries, is currently unclear. We report the fatty acid (FA) content in skin-off fillets of fifteen fish species from Lake Erie and assess whether recommended dietary requirements for two EFA (EPA and DHA) can be met by safely consuming Lake Erie fishes, as an example of a risk-benefit analysis.