Urinary paraben exposure increases the risk of a low estimated glomerular filtration rate in Taiwanese general population.

BACKGROUND: The inconsistent relationship between chemical exposure and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) has been examined in only a few studies. We investigated the association between paraben exposure and indicators of renal function in a total of 361 individuals recruiting from a representative study. METHOD: The levels of urinary parabens, including methylparaben (MeP), ethylparaben (EtP), propylparaben (PrP), and butylparaben (BuP), were measured using UPLC-MS/MS. The association between paraben exposure and indices of renal function was assessed using multiple logistic regression and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR). RESULTS: The median levels of urinary parabens in the adult group were significantly higher than those in the minor group, that is, 397 vs. 148 ng/mL for MeP, 38.8 vs. 13.6 ng/mL for EtP, 117 vs. 57.7 ng/mL for PrP, and 6.61 vs. 2.79 ng/mL for BuP (all P < 0.001). In the adult group, multivariate regression models confirmed a positive association between the albumin-to-creatinine ratio and urinary MeP (ß = 0.580) and a positive association of BUN (ß = 0.061) and a negative association of eGFR (ß = -0.051) with urinary EtP (all P < 0.001). In the adult group, compared with the lowest tertile group, the adjusted odds ratio in the third tertile (T3) of urinary EtP levels indicated a 3.08 times increased risk of eGFR abnormalities, followed by the second tertile (T2) with a 2.63 times increased risk. The generalized additive model (GAM) and BKMR models showed a non-linear correlation between urinary EtP levels and early CKD, as well as reduced eGFR. We observed a significant positive cumulative effect of urinary paraben on eGFR, and a significant positive single exposure effect of urinary EtP with eGFR abnormality. CONCLUSION: We found a significant association between exposure to EtP and an increased risk of high BUN levels and decreased eGFR.

Exposure characteristics and cumulative risk assessment of bisphenol A and its substitutes: the Taiwan environmental survey for toxicants 2013.

Introduction: Ever since the use of bisphenol A (BPA) has been restricted, concerns have been raised regarding the use of its substitutes, such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF). Meanwhile, the EU European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued the new tolerable daily intake (TDI) after the latest re-risk assessment for BPA, which enforced the need for cumulative risk assessment in the population. This study was conducted to identify BPA and its substitute's exposure characteristics of the general Taiwanese population and estimate the cumulative risk of bisphenol exposure. Methods: Urine samples (N = 366 [adult, 271; minor, 95]) were collected from individuals who participated in the Taiwan Environmental Survey for Toxicants 2013. The samples were analyzed for BPA, BPS, and BPF through ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Daily intake (DI) levels were calculated for each bisphenol. Hazard quotients (HQs) were calculated with the consideration of tolerable DI and a reference dose. Additionally, hazard index (HI; sum of HQs for each bisphenol) values were calculated. Results: Our study found that the median level of BPA was significantly higher in adults (9.63 µg/g creatinine) than in minors (6.63 µg/g creatinine) (p < 0.001). The DI of BPS was higher in female (0.69 ng/kg/day) than in male (0.49 ng/kg/day); however, the DIs of BPF and BPS were higher in boys (1.15 and 0.26 ng/kg/day, respectively) than in girls (0.57 and 0.20 ng/kg/day, respectively). Most HI values exceeded 1 (99% of the participants) after EFSA re-establish the TDI of BPA. Discussion: Our study revealed that the exposure profiles and risk of BPA and its substitute in Taiwanese varied by age and sex. Additionally, the exposure risk of BPA was deemed unacceptable in Taiwan according to new EFSA regulations, and food contamination could be the possible source of exposure. We suggest that the risk of exposure to BPA and its substitutes in most human biomonitoring studies should be reassessed based on new scientific evidence.

Relationship among Alcohol Consumption, Facial Flushing Response and Dyslipidemia in Male

BACKGROUND: Facial flushing response to drinking is observed in East Asians with deficient activity of the variant aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 genotype. This study examined the role of flushing response in the relationship between alcohol consumption and dyslipidemia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 1,443 Korean men, including 261 non-drinkers, 470 flushers and 712 non-flushers. Based on a questionnaire, weekly alcohol consumption was assessed and categorized into 4 groups. Dyslipidemia was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. After adjusting for confounding factors, we evaluated the relationship between weekly alcoholic drinks and dyslipidemia in flushers and non-flushers by comparing with non-drinkers, using a multi-variable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Non-flushers had a significant relationship between hypertriglyceridemia and alcohol consumption in two groups (4-8 drinks: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.937, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.029-3.644; ≥16 drinks: aOR 2.118, 95% CI 1.272-3.527) in contrast to flushers, who showed no significant relationship between hypertriglyceridemia and alcohol consumption. Non-flushers had a significant relationship to low serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels in four groups (<4 drinks: aOR 0.428, 95% CI 0.277-0.662; 4-8 drinks: aOR 0.409, 95% CI 0.216-0.774; 8-16 drinks: aOR 0.285, 95% CI 0.152-0.536; ≥16 drinks: aOR 0.343, 95% CI 0.207-0.568), and flushers had a significant relationship in two groups (8-16 drinks: aOR 0.234, 95% CI 0.102-0.536; ≥16 drinks: aOR 0.342, 95% CI 0.166-0.705). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that drinking alcohol increases the risk of hypertriglyceridemia in non-flushers and the risk of low HDL cholesterol flushers.