The role of endocrine disruptors in female infertility.

INTRODUCTION:  According to the World Health Organization, infertility is a public health problem that affects around 48 million couples and 186 million individuals worldwide. Endocrine disruptors are one of the causes that raise more concern, given that it is a problem that has evolved with the progress of society. Many chemicals are used by food industry, entering food chain, and directly affecting human health. Endocrine disruptors have the capacity of interfering with the normal hormonal action, metabolism, and biosynthesis, which can lead to a variation of the normal hormonal homeostasis. Some of these endocrine disruptors are highly associated with diseases that are positively correlated with female infertility, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, irregular menstrual cycle and also disturbances on processes as steroidogenesis and development of the ovarian follicles. RESULTS: The present literature review covers various aspects of the possible relationship between endocrine disruptors and female infertility. Bisphenol A and its metabolites, phthalates, dioxins, organochlorine, and organophosphate compounds are groups of chemicals considered to have the capacity to disrupt endocrine activity and herein addressed. The results reported in in vivo studies and in clinical trials addressing endocrine disruptors and female infertility were discussed as well as their possible mechanism of action. CONCLUSIONS: Large, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials are needed to better understand the mechanisms of action of endocrine disruptors in female infertility, as well as the doses and frequency of exposure responsible for it.

Health-Promoting Properties and Potential Application in the Food Industry of Citrus medica L. and Citrus × clementina Hort. Ex Tan. Essential Oils and Their Main Constituents.

Citrus is an important genus in the Rutaceae family, with high medicinal and economic value, and includes important crops such as lemons, orange, grapefruits, limes, etc. The Citrus species is rich sources of carbohydrates, vitamins, dietary fibre, and phytochemicals, mainly including limonoids, flavonoids, terpenes, and carotenoids. Citrus essential oils (EOs) consist of several biologically active compounds mainly belonging to the monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes classes. These compounds have demonstrated several health-promoting properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Citrus EOs are obtained mainly from peels, but also from leaves and flowers, and are widely used as flavouring ingredients in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. This review focused on the composition and biological properties of the EOs of Citrus medica L. and Citrus clementina Hort. Ex Tan and their main constituents, limonene, γ-terpinene, myrcene, linalool, and sabinene. The potential applications in the food industry have been also described. All the articles available in English or with an abstract in English were extracted from different databases such as PubMed, SciFinder, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and Science Direct.

Mycotoxins Contamination in Rice: Analytical Methods, Occurrence and Detoxification Strategies.

The prevalence of mycotoxins in the environment is associated with potential crop contamination, which results in an unavoidable increase in human exposure. Rice, being the second most consumed cereal worldwide, constitutes an important source of potential contamination by mycotoxins. Due to the increasing number of notifications reported, and the occurrence of mycotoxins at levels above the legislated limits, this work intends to compile the most relevant studies and review the main methods used in the detection and quantification of these compounds in rice. The aflatoxins and ochratoxin A are the predominant mycotoxins detected in rice grain and these data reveal the importance of adopting safety storage practices that prevent the growth of producing fungi from the Aspergillus genus along all the rice chain. Immunoaffinity columns (IAC) and QuECHERS are the preferred methods for extraction and purification and HPLC-MS/MS is preferred for quantification purposes. Further investigation is still required to establish the real exposition of these contaminants, as well as the consequences and possible synergistic effects due to the co-occurrence of mycotoxins and also for emergent and masked mycotoxins.

Polymeric Nanoparticles: Production, Characterization, Toxicology and Ecotoxicology.

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are particles within the size range from 1 to 1000 nm and can be loaded with active compounds entrapped within or surface-adsorbed onto the polymeric core. The term "nanoparticle" stands for both nanocapsules and nanospheres, which are distinguished by the morphological structure. Polymeric NPs have shown great potential for targeted delivery of drugs for the treatment of several diseases. In this review, we discuss the most commonly used methods for the production and characterization of polymeric NPs, the association efficiency of the active compound to the polymeric core, and the in vitro release mechanisms. As the safety of nanoparticles is a high priority, we also discuss the toxicology and ecotoxicology of nanoparticles to humans and to the environment.

Dyspnea in antiphospholipid syndrome: Beyond pulmonary embolism.

Pulmonary embolism due to primary antiphospholipid syndrome is rarely associated with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and therefore according to the latest guidelines on pulmonary hypertension, routine screening is not recommended. We describe a young patient with a late diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in the context of pulmonary embolism, primary antiphospholipid syndrome and suboptimal anticoagulation. Of note, mild cardiopulmonary symptoms were consistently misattributed to a depressive disorder because physical examination was normal, serial Doppler echocardiography failed to show pulmonary hypertension, and all other diagnostic tests were normal. Once symptoms became severe, positive screening tests led to the correct diagnosis and surgical referral, and bilateral pulmonary endarterectomy was successfully performed. This case demonstrates the need for extra awareness in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome and pulmonary embolism.

Tongue ischemia - an unusual presentation of Giant Cell Arteritis.

Unusual presentations of Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) can sometimes delay the diagnosis and its prompt treatment. An 83-year-old male patient was admitted in the emergency department with a few hours evolution of tongue swelling, dysphagia and dysarthria. He also complained of a bitemporal headache with about 4 months of evolution and resistant to all treatment prescribed, including ergotamine, that he had started one week before. Upon examination, the patient presented a bilateral temporal pain and reduced mobility of the tongue which evolved to complete cyanosis. The blood tests revealed normocytic normochromic anaemia, an erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 62 mm/h, and C-reactive protein of 23,6 mg/dl. Cranial CT scan was normal and the cervical CT angiogram showed reduced vascularization of the left submandibular gland and of the base of the tongue. The cervical doppler ultrasound was compatible with arterial inflammation. Given the high suspicion of GCA, the patient was immediately put on a high dose of corticosteroid, resulting in a big improvement of the symptoms, which continued in the following weeks. In conclusion, the clinical suspicion of GCA is fundamental for an early diagnosis. The authors consider that ergotamine might have triggered tongue ischemia in this case.

Adynamic ileus and diarrhoea: a rare adverse effect of antidepressants.

Antidepressants can cause a variety of gastrointestinal effects, including nausea, dyspepsia, anorexia, constipation, and, rarely, diarrhoea and adynamic ileus. There is a lack of cases associating antidepressants to adynamic ileus and diarrhoea. We report a case of an elderly woman in whom the use of several antidepressants apparently induced adynamic ileus with diarrhoea.