Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in breast milk correlated to maternal age, education level, and occupational exposure.

The aim of the present study is to determine whether levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in breast milk in the general population are associated with demographic parameters, socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, and occupational exposure. Forty-six participants are randomly selected from healthy women recruited between April 2007 and April 2008 from local hospitals in southern Taiwan. Thirty PBDE isomers in breast milk are analyzed using a gas chromatograph with a high resolution mass spectrometer. The mean+/-standard deviation of Sigma PBDEs in breast milk is 3.59+/-1.07 ng/g lipid. Our current value of Sigma PBDEs in breast milk is 0.7-fold lower compared to the past value in our previous study between 2000 and 2001. Higher levels of Sigma PBDEs might be significantly associated with older maternal age and maternal age of the present study is between 22 and 42 years old. Levels of Sigma PBDEs and certain PBDEs in breast milk are not correlated with maternal pre-pregnant BMI (Body mass index), parity, and lipid contents of breast milk. The Sigma PBDEs level in breast milk is lower in more educated women after controlling for age and pre-pregnancy BMI in our subjects. The main factors associated with Sigma PBDEs in breast milk are age and education level among the binary variables of demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle characteristics in this report. The exploratory relationships are found between PBDEs in breast milk and age, education level, or occupational exposure due to small sampling size.

Ovarian remnant syndrome at the port site.

Ovarian remnant syndrome is a rare gynecologic complication, mostly induced by difficult salpingo-oophorectomy with the residual ovarian tissue on the pelvic side wall. This is a report of a rare case of ovarian remnant syndrome at a port site after laparoscopic oophorectomy and a review of the related literature. A 22-year-old virgin had a laparoscopic oophorectomy for an endometrioma 5 years earlier. Postoperatively, she visited gynecologic clinics for a frequent painful sensation at the left port site. After sonographic examination and under the impression of a recurrent endometrioma, laparotomy and cyst excision were performed. Surprisingly, ectopic ovary was diagnosed by the pathologist. Review of the literature revealed ovarian remnant implantation at a port site as a very rare type of ovarian remnant syndrome. During laparoscopic oophorectomy in a woman without sexual exposure who is not a good candidate for culdotomy, the removal of the excised ovary through the port site is sometimes difficult and residual ovarian tissue implantation may occur. There are many methods to reduce the risk of port-site seeding, which we must keep in mind and execute to prevent such a complication.