Broewoodward5562

Trace elements (TEs) frequently contaminate coastal marine sediments with many included in priority chemical lists or control legislation. These, improved waste treatment and increased recycling have fostered the belief that TE pollution is declining. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of long-term robust datasets to support this confidence. By mining UK datasets (100s of sites, 31 years), we assess sediment concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) and use indices (PI [Pollution], TEPI [Trace Element Pollution] and Igeo [Geoaccumulation]) to assess TE pollution evolution. PI and TEPI show reductions of overall TE pollution in the 1980s then incremental improvements followed by a distinct increase (2010-13). Zn, As and Pb Igeo scores show low pollution, whilst Cd and Hg are moderate, but with all remaining temporally stable. Igeo scores are low for Ni, Fe and Cr, but increasing for Ni and Fe. A moderate pollution Igeo score for Cu has also steadily increased since the mid-1990s. Increasing site trends are not universal and, conversely, minimal temporal change masks some site-specific increases and decreases. To capture this variability we strongly advocate embedding sufficient sentinel sites within observation networks. Decreasing sediment pollution levels (e.g. Pb and Hg) have been achieved, but stabilizing Igeo and recently increasing TEPI and PI scores require continued global vigilance. Increasing Ni and Fe Igeo scores necessitate source identification, but this is a priority for Cu. Local, regional and world analyses indicate substantial 'hidden' inputs from anti-fouling paints (Cu, Zn), ship scrubbers (Cu, Zn, Ni) and sacrificial anodes (Zn) that are also predicted to increase markedly. Accurate TE input assessments and targeted legislation are, therefore, urgently required, especially in the context of rapid blue economic growth (e.g. shipping).

Metal exposure and psychosocial stress in pregnancy have each been associated with adverse birth outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight, but no study has examined the potential interaction between them.

We examined the modifying effect of psychosocial stress on the association between metals and birth outcomes among pregnant women in Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) birth cohort study.

In our analysis of 682 women from the PROTECT study, we measured 16 essential and non-essential metals in blood samples at two time points. We administered questionnaires to collect information on depression, perceived stress, social support, and life experience during pregnancy. Using K-means clustering, we categorized pregnant women into one of two groups "good" and "poor" psychosocial status. NSC 693627 We then evaluated whether the effect of blood metals (geometric average) on adverse birth outcomes (gestational age, preterm birth [overall and spontaneous], birth weight z-score, ulnerability to metal exposure.

Presence of "poor" psychosocial status intensified the adverse associations between Mn and preterm birth, Cu and SGA, and protective effects of Ni on preterm. This provides evidence that prenatal psychosocial stress may modify vulnerability to metal exposure.

Although an alteration in sex hormones has been linked to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in premenopausal women and girls, whether such associations exist in postmenopausal women remains uncertain.

To examine the associations between serum PFAS concentrations and sex hormone levels in postmenopausal women.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2016 waves were used. A total of 706 postmenopausal women with information on serum PFAS [perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), pefluorodecanoic acid (PFDA); perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA); linear perfluorooctanoate (n-PFOA); linear perfluorooctane sulfonate (n-PFOS); monomethyl branched isomers of PFOS (Sm-PFOS)], sex hormones indicators [e.g., total testosterone (TT), estradiol (E

) and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)] as well as selected covariates were included. An indicator of circulating free testosterone (FT), and ratio of TT to E

(TT/E

) were generated. Multiple linear regression accounting for the primary sexplore the potential underlying mechanisms.Although synthetic antioxidants (AOs) and photoinitiators (PIs) are known to be used in printing inks, there are little data on residual concentrations in printing paper products. In the present study, twenty-five PIs, ten AOs, and six transformation products were analyzed in two types of printing paper products, magazines and paperboard food packaging materials, both of which are unavoidable everyday products in our life. Nine AOs and six transformation products can be detected in food packaging materials with total concentrations (geometric mean, GM) of 1.16 × 104 ng/dm2. Twenty-two PIs were detected in food packaging materials with total concentrations (GM) of 1.76 × 104 ng/dm2. These chemicals were also detected in magazines, albeit at low concentrations (GM of AOs 466 ng/dm2, GM of PIs 1.17 × 103 ng/dm2). Magazine front covers were found to have much higher concentrations of the target compounds than magazine inside pages. Tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate (AO168O), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT), bisphenol A (BPA), and benzophenone (BP) were among the predominant chemicals in those printing paper products. Preliminary calculations suggest that dermal exposure to AOs (GM 6.25 ng/day) and PIs (GM 17.0 ng/day) via contact with printing paper products is a minor exposure pathway compared to food intake/dust ingestion and is exceedingly unlikely to cause adverse health effects.

Cervical cancer survival is marked by socioeconomic and demographic inequalities. We investigated differences in survival across health regions in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in cervical cancer patients who underwent treatment in the Brazilian Public Health System.

From a database developed through probabilistic and deterministic linkage of data from information systems of the Brazilian Public Health System, we identified cervical cancer cases, diagnosed between 2002 and 2010, who underwent radiation and/or chemotherapy and lived in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Five-year overall and cause-specific survivals were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. We used extended Cox models to assess the relationship between the health region of residence and the overall and cause-specific death risk, adjusting for relevant variables.

We included 5613 patients with a median age of 55.0 years. Median follow-up time was 70.0 months. Five-year overall and cause-specific survivals were 56.3 % and 63.