Organochlorines and endometriosis: a mini-review

Organochlorines (polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxin-like compounds) are suspected to play a role in the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis. This hypothesis, based on experimental data, has been circulating for years in the scientific community and several epidemiologic surveys have attempted to obtain confirmatory human data. The purpose of this mini-review is to provide an overview of the twelve epidemiological studies that have assessed the relationship between endometriosis and organochlorine exposure. Several studies did not observe a significant association between peritoneal endometriosis and organochlorines. The deep nodular form of endometriosis appears associated with a higher serum level of both dioxin-like compounds and polychlorobiphenyls. The type of control women, the nature of the chemicals measured, and the definition of the disease could modulate the ability to detect the possible relationship between endometriosis and organochlorine exposure.     

Semilobar holoprosencephaly in a 46,XY female fetus

We report the prenatal echographic diagnosis of holoprosencephaly (HPE) at 11 weeks' gestation. Fetopathological examination revealed an unusual variant of semilobar HPE with middle interhemispheric fusion associated with sex-reversal: 46,XY normal male karyotype, normal external and internal female genitalia and streak gonads. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Importance of movement constraints in habitat selection studies

The aim of this study is to empirically illustrate the importance of taking movement constraints into account when testing for habitat selection with telemetry data. Global Positioning System relocations of two Scandinavian brown bears were used to compare the results of two different tests of habitat selection by the bears within their home range. Both relied on the comparison of observed dataset with datasets simulated under the hypothesis of random habitat use. The first analysis did not take movement constraints into account (simulations were carried out by randomly distributing a set of points in the home range) whereas the second analysis accounted for these constraints (simulations were carried out by building random trajectories in the home range). The results for the two analyses showed contrasted results. Therefore, not accounting for movement constraints in analyses may result in a misleading biological interpretation. Autocorrelation between relocations is not undesirable: it contains information about ecological processes that should be integrated in habitat selection analyses.     

Kinetics and reversibility of micropollutant sorption in sludge

The fate of micropollutants throughout wastewater treatment systems is highly dependent on their sorption interactions with sludge matter. In this study, both the sorption and desorption kinetics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in activated sludge were shown to be very rapid in comparison to biodegradation kinetics. It was concluded that PAH transfer does not limit their biodegradation and that their fate is governed by the sorption/desorption equilibrium state. The effect of contact time between sludge and PAHs was also investigated. It was shown that aging did not influence the sorption/desorption equilibrium although PAH losses during aging suggest that sequestration phenomena had occurred. This implies that for PAH sorption assessment within treatment processes there is no need to include a contact time dimension. As a consequence, thanks to an innovative approach taking into account sorption equilibria and sequestration, this work has demonstrated that studies in the literature which, in main, deal with micropollutant sorption in sewage sludge with only a short contact time can be extrapolated to real systems in which sorption, desorption and aging occur.     

Campomelic acampomelic dysplasia presenting with increased nuchal translucency in the first trimester

This is the first report of a fetus affected with campomelic acampomelic dysplasia presenting with increased nuchal translucency. Ultrasonography at 13 weeks of amenorrhea showed a nuchal translucency 5.6 mm thick. The karyotype performed on amniotic fluid cells was normal (46,XY). Ultrasonography at 22 weeks revealed a normal femoral length and female genitalia. A second amniocentesis was performed to confirm the karyotype and for dosage of steroid hormones. Testosterone dosage was low, corresponding to a female fetus. Ultrasonography at 32 weeks showed growth retardation of the long bones (<3rd centile) that were not curved. A severe malformation syndrome was suspected and the pregnancy was terminated at 33 weeks. The fetus displayed macrocephaly, facial dysmorphism and female external genitalia. X ray showed straight and thickened long bones, hypoplastic scapulae and moderate platyspondyly. In view of the association of sex reversal, hypoplasia of the scapulae, and the presence of straight long bones, campomelic acampomelic dysplasia was suspected and confirmed by the finding of a SOX9 mutation. This case shows the importance of a careful echographic survey in a fetus with a nuchal translucency > 4 mm, especially if there is discordance between phenotypic and genotypic sex, since growth retardation may occur later during the pregnancy. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improvement of mesenteric superior artery Doppler velocimetry by amnio-infusion in fetal gastroschisis†

This study aimed to analyse the influence of amnio-infusion on superior mesenteric Doppler velocimetry and to correlate Doppler data with outcome in fetuses presenting with gastroschisis. Umbilical and intra- and extra-abdominal superior mesenteric artery Doppler velocimetry was measured prospectively before and after amnio-infusion in fetuses with gastroschisis. Doppler index values and changes were correlated with the following outcome parameters: importance of fibrous coating, duration of hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit, total duration of hospitalization, duration of parenteral feeding, duration of ventilatory assistance, and the interval to initiation of oral feeding. A significant improvement of diastolic flow was observed in the extra-abdominal superior mesenteric artery with amnio-infusion. No similar change was seen in the intra-abdominal superior mesenteric or in the umbilical artery. Pre-amnioinfusion extra-abdominal mesenteric Doppler index was correlated with maximal diameter of exteriorized bowel and slightly with duration of hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit, but no other relation between Doppler index and outcome parameter could be ascertained. Amnio-infusion induces modifications in the vascularization of exteriorized bowel in gastroschisis. This could partly explain the beneficial effect of this procedure on fetal gut. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterisation, dissemination and persistence of gentamicin resistant Escherichia coli from a Danish university hospital to the waste water environment

The aim of the study was to investigate the potential spread of gentamicin resistant (GEN(R)) Escherichia coli isolates or GEN(R) determinants from a Danish university hospital to the waste water environment. Waste water samples were collected monthly from the outlets of the hospital bed wards and the inlet of the related waste water treatment plant (WWTP) from October 2002 to August 2003. Waste water samples were also collected monthly from a residential area in the same period to be able to compare the prevalence of GEN(R)E. coli isolates from hospital related and residential waste water. The waste water isolates were compared to GEN(R)E. coli isolates obtained consecutively from September 2002 to September 2003 from patients mainly with urinary tract infections at the hospital with respect to Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles. All isolates were investigated for GEN(R) mechanisms (aac(3)-II, aac(3)-IV, ant(2')-I, armA), phenotypic resistance pattern, and virulence genes (hlyA, chuA, sfaS, fogG, malX, traT, iutA, fyuA, iroN, cnf1) to investigate if the hospital and waste water could be reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance and virulence. The ability for GEN(R) determinants to transfer horizontally was investigated by mating experiments. A total of 38, 15, 21, and two GEN(R)E. coli were isolated from patients, the hospital outlets, the inlet of the WWTP, and the residential area, respectively. GEN(R)E. coli were more prevalent in waste water from the hospital and the WWTP than in waste water from the residential area. PFGE profiling revealed no spread of specific patient isolates to the waste water. The aac(3)-II gene was detected both in patient and waste water isolates. Furthermore horizontal transfer of the aac(3)-II gene of patient origin to a recipient was shown in vitro, indicating a potential spread of the gene from patient isolates to waste water isolates. Regardless of origin, most isolates exhibited multi-resistance and contained several virulence genes. In conclusion, our study showed a possible spread of aac(3)-II from the hospital to the waste water. Most of the GEN(R)E. coli isolates from both patients and waste water had a multi-resistant phenotype and contained virulence genes and should therefore be considered reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes.     

Postmating changes in cuticular chemistry and visual appearance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ectatomma tuberculatum</Emphasis> queens (Formicidae: Ectatomminae)

In the ectatommine ant Ectatomma tuberculatum, the visual appearance of queens changes after mating and ovarian development in that their cuticle turns from shiny to matte. In this study, we have shown that this change seems to be caused by 15-fold accumulation of hydrocarbons, in particular heptacosane that covers the multiple grooves present on the cuticular surface creating a wax coat in mated fully fertile queens. Analyses of the scrapped wax revealed that it is composed largely of heptacosane. Peak-by-peak comparison of the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) composition of mated, virgin with developed ovaries and virgin with nondeveloped ovaries revealed significant differences between the queen groups. Although the total amount of the CHC of virgin queens with developed ovaries was not higher than virgin queens that did not have developed ovaries, the composition showed a shift toward the mated queen. While it is possible that the large accumulation of hydrocarbons may give extra physical and chemical protection to queens, we propose that the switch in the relative abundance of heptacosane and nonacosane and perhaps of other components is indicative of being a mating and fertility cue. This is the first report in social insects where external chemical changes are accompanied by changes in visual appearance.