|
||||||
Current query:Type: Scientific Studies
|
While all links worked when entries were posted to the database, different publishers
have different policies about retaining articles and providing access to archived material.
Thus some of the links, particularly older ones, may no longer be functional.
For links no longer working, you may be able to gain paid access to text via the publisher's site.
Exposure to commonly used agricultural pesticides may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, particularly among people who have certain gene types.
The degenerative nerve disease can develop when dopamine levels in the brain are lower than normal. Without pesticide exposures, susceptible gene variants alone were not sufficient to increase risk. The increased risk to Parkinson's required both susceptible genes and pesticide exposure. 14 May 2009. More...
Dibutyltin, an understudied chemical used widely in PVC plastics, can interfere with the natural ability of human and animals cells to control important immune responses and inflammation.
The results may help understand why asthma and allergies are increasing in people. 11 December 2008. More...
In a novel study of factory workers in Italy, scientists demonstrate for the first time that a normal chemical change of DNA, called methylation, is decreased on work days but not off days.
The authors think the decrease in methylation is caused by regular, elevated exposure to particulate matter in the air. The impacts on workers' health of these specific changes are not known, but changes in methylation are linked to many different diseases. 22 October 2008. More...
Emerging evidence indicates genetic variations in the estrogen receptor enhance the estrogenic effects of endocrine disruptors.
Genetic analysis of the estrogen receptor-alpha in Japanese men with reproductive abnormalities has demonstrated that certain haplotypes are associated with hypospadias and micropenis. A haplotype is a group of genes that are closely linked and inherited as a unit. Endocrine disruptors that bind to estrogen receptor are known to interfere with reproductive development and this new research demonstrates genetic variations in the receptor may affect an individual's susceptibility. Human Reproduction 1 May 2007. More...
Dioxin exposure alters gene expression patterns in endometrial cells and may lead to endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a common cause of infertility and exposure to dioxin has previously been associated with development of endometriosis but the mechanism is unknown. Mice exposed to the potent dioxin, TCDD, during critical periods of development had changes in gene expression patterns identical to those seen in human endometrial cells, suggesting a decreased responsiveness to progesterone and increased invasiveness of endometrial cells. Reproductive Toxicology. 15 April 2007. More...
Leading scientists who study the fetal basis of adult disease review major findings in an issue of Reproductive Toxicology that focuses on this subject.
This shifting paradigm in science suggests that susceptibility to disease is set in utero or neonatally. Exposures to environmental toxicants during this time and/or altered nutrition may result in irreversible changes that are manifest in adulthood as obesity, reproductive disorders, cardiovascular, respiratory or neurological disease. Reproductive Toxicology 15 April 2007. More...
Prenatal exposures to PCBs, DDE and organophosphate pesticides are associated with decreased birth weight and head circumference.
In this multi-ethnic cohort of New York City women, higher DDE levels were associated with lower birth weight and circumference. Women with slow-type genetic variations in PON1, the enzyme that detoxifies organophosphates, had lower birth weight babies. No associations were found with PCBs for this study. Pediatric Research 1 February 2007. More...
New work by researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine confirms that PCBs are endocrine disruptors capable of causing permanent alterations in the female reproductive tract.
Newborn mice exposed to environmentally relevant levels of Aroclor 1254, a commercial mix of PCBs, had decreased expression of a regulatory gene in the uterus. There were also changes in the structure of the uterus that persisted into adulthood. These changes were similar to those seen with low level DES exposure. Finally, this study showed there was a genetic predisposition, suggesting some mice are more sensitive to these exposures. Environmental Health Perspectives 1 June 2006. More...
For the first time at a national meeting of experts in endocrinology, the topic of endocrine disruption is discussed.
On June 3, 2005, The Endocrine Society held an unprecedented full-day forum on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). There were 3 major themes were recurrent at the forum. First, the timing of exposure to endocrine disruptors is critical to the outcome of that exposure, with fetal or early postnatal exposure being particularly detrimental. Second, EDCs often act at environmentally relevant doses. Third, effects of EDCs not only impact the exposed individual but may also be transmitted to subsequent generations. Endocrinology 1 June 2006. More...
Science Byte: A study of Latina women and their children found unexpectedly high variation in vulnerability to organophosphate pesticide impacts.
Some newborns were 26 to 50 times more susceptible than others, and 65 to 130 times more sensitive than some adults. The results indicate current standards may not be sufficiently protective. Pharmacogenetics & Genomics. 5 March 2006. More...
European scientists propose that interactions between genes and environment/lifestyle factors may make some individuals more susceptible to chemical exposures.
There are significant differences in sperm counts, the incidence of testicular cancer and undescended testicles when comparing men from Denmark to men in Finland. Afro-Americans in the US have a much lower incidence of testicular cancer than Caucasians. It is unknown, but possible these differences are due to differnt genetic backgrounds. International Journal of Andrology 1 February 2006. More...
Review of scientific evidence indicates that in those with a genetic predisposition, exposure to androgens during fetal development is associated with the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Exposure to excess androgen leads to many of the characteristic features of PCOS, including abnormalities in reproductive hormones and insulin resistance. It is likely that, in humans with PCOS, the development of the PCOS phenotype results primarily from a genetic predisposition of the fetal ovary to hypersecrete androgen. After birth, the natural history of PCOS can be modified by nutrition. International Journal of Andrology 1 February 2006. More...
A new assessment concludes that a larger portion of human infertility may be caused by environmental exposures than thought possible even a decade ago.
Laboratory data demonstrate conclusively that some contaminants can impair fertility in animals at levels to which people are commonly exposed. While it is well established that high levels of some contaminants can cause infertility, very few human data are available on the impacts of contaminants known to cause impacts at low-levels in animals. 31 October 2005. More...
Thousands of studies conducted by thousands of scientists from around the world have been published in the last decade about endocrine disruption.
They confirm that some contaminants used in commmon products can disrupt hormone signaling and alter gene expression, thereby altering development. Some of the most important studies are summarized here. 24 July 2005. More...
Science Byte: Research in Germany finds a strong link between laryngeal cancer and occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
After adjusting for the primary known risk factors, smoking and alcohol, exposure to PAHs led to a 5-fold elevation in risk. Workers with longer exposures had higher risks than those with shorter. The study suggested but did not confirm some differences among individuals in susceptibility due to genotype. Int. Journal of Cancer 4 July 2005. More...
In studies of gentically susceptible rats, exposure to estrogen early in life creates a hormonal imprint and susceptibility to tumors later in life.
When a genetic strain of rats predisposed to developing uterine fibroids was exposed to DES early in life, they had increased tumor numbers and size. Rats without the genetic predisposition did not develop fibroids. These data suggest that exposure to environmental factors during development can permanently reprogram normal tissue responses and lead to increased tumors in genetically susceptible individuals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 3 June 2005. More...
Scientists from Johns Hopkins University review the state of science on environmental interactions with pregnancy outcomes.
Communities of color and poverty are exposed more often and more intensively to such environmental hazards as lead, air pollution, agrochemicals, incinerator emissions, and releases from hazardous waste sites. Thus, exposures to these toxicants may explain part of the socioeconomic disparity that is observed in terms of risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although genetics greatly influences reproduction and development outcomes, the genetic-environmental interaction is what determines a healthy or adverse outcome. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1 May 2005. More...
Science Byte: An analysis of data from Swedish, Danish and Finnish twin registries indicates that genetic susceptibility makes only a small to moderate contribution to the incidence of prostate, breast and colorectal cancer.
Researchers from the National Cancer Institute (US) developed a new approach to estimate the contribution of genetic susceptibility to cancer risk, using statistical manipulations of twin databases. A series of calculations indicated that between 8 and 45% of these cancers were related to genotype. The contribution was highest for prostate cancer (16% to 45%) and lowest for colorectal (8% to 27%). Biometrics. 26 March 2005. More...
A study in Connecticut finds that women with a specific form of a gene are at significantly greater risk to breast cancer if they are exposed to relatively higher levels of PCBs.
The risk is even higher if they are also past menopause. Earlier studies of the same population that did not include information on genetic makeup found no elevation of risk, indicating that epidemiological studies lacking genetic information can miss impacts on vulnerable subpopulations. 17 December 2004. More...
Science Byte: A study of almost 400 women with breast cancer reveals a strong interaction between PCB exposure and genetics.
The strongest link was seen in post-menopausal women with higher PCB levels and a specific genotype. These women were more than 4 times more likely to have breast cancer. American Journal of Epidemiology. 8 December 2004. More...
Science Byte: Exposure to benzene at levels beneath current US worker standards was linked to toxic effects in the blood and bone marrow.
Several types of blood cells, including types crucial for immune system function and making blood, were reduced in exposed workers. Genetic factors influenced the effect, suggesting that benzene's effects may be particularly evident among genetically susceptible populations. Science. 8 December 2004. More...
Women with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity are likely to differ genetically from women without the condition.
The genetic differences were found by Canadian scientists in genes important to detoxifying chemicals. The largest differences were noted when two genes were studied simultaneously: women with MCS were more than 18-times more likely to have a specific genotype compared to controls. 22 November 2004. More...
Science Byte: A study in Spain finds a strong relationship between particularly toxic forms of PCBs and colorectal cancer.
People with the highest levels were almost 3 times more likely to develop the disease, which is the third most common cancer in Western countries. Levels of some less toxic forms of PCBs were not related to cancer risk. EHP. 1 November 2004. More...
A review from the University of Edinburgh summarizes the effects of season, modern lifestyles and environmental chemicals on human fertility, and discusses the implications of these effects for future generations.
Smoking and diet are well known to affect fertility but emerging evidence indicates that enviromental exposures, especially to POPS, are also important causes of infertility. Increasingly, gene-environment interactions are being recognized and better understood. Nature Cell Biology 1 October 2004. More...
Various environmental factors, including infectious and chemical agents, are known, suspected, or theorized to play a role in causation of autism.
Autism prevalence is generally thought to be increasing, though changing diagnostic criteria and increased reporting are likely to be contributing somewhat to that increase. Genetic factors are important in the causation of autism but are not fully explanatory. 19 June 2004. More...
Nearly half of all pregnancies in the US today result in the loss of the baby or a child born with a birth defect or chronic health problem.
Genetic, nutritional, infectious, and other environmental factors, such as radiation, pharmaceuticals, and toxic chemicals, contribute to the total incidence of birth defects, but the percentage attributable to each is not known. 10 June 2004. More...
Ovarian cancer is an uncommon but very serious form of cancer, much more common in women in North America or Europe than anywhere else.
Hormonal, environmental and genetic factors play roles in the risk for developing the disease. Epidemiology points to some occupational exposures, including solvents in the graphics and printing industries. 17 February 2004. More...
US federal agencies present a research agenda for occupational exposures and reproductive outcomes.
The agencies recommend research based on: a prioritizion of chemical structure and volume of use; expansion of birth defects surveillance systems; and addition of reproductive biologic markers and semen characteristics to national surveys. They add new studies should assess gene-environment interactions and effects of mixtures of chemicals whenever appropriate. Environmental Health Perspectives 1 April 2003. More...
While the number of children with asthma in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1980, the cause remains unknown.
In 2002, an estimated 30.8 million people in the United States had asthma diagnosed at some point in their life, including some 8.9 million children. 1 April 2003. More...
Research conducted for the California State Legislature confirms the reality of a drastic increase in the rate of autism in California's children.
Skeptics had sought to attribute the rise to changes in diagnosis and other artifacts. This study indicates that the rise is real. The study was unable, however, to explain why the increase has occurred. 20 October 2002. More...
|
|||||
![[delete]](/images/x.gif)