Abdominal obesity appears to be an important component of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), in which along with insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidaemia represents an increased risk for developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aetiology of obesity and its comorbidities is multifactorial, but despite the evidence of traditional contributing factors, the role of en...

Municipal biosolids are commonly applied to land as soil amendment or fertilizer as a form of beneficial reuse of what could otherwise be viewed as waste. Balanced against this benefit are potential risks to groundwater and surface water quality from constituents that may be mobilized during storm events. The objective of the present study was to characterize the mobilization of selected endocr...

Endocrine-disrupting compounds may produce infertility, nervous system disorders, and improper functioning of the immune system in humans and wildlife. Estrogens are classified as the most potent and common endocrine-disrupting compounds and the major point source for estrogen is municipal wastewater. Monitoring of estrogen is challenging, expensive, and intermittent; and therefore, the focus o...

Prospective clinical studies have suggested that the rate of congenital cryptorchidism has increased since the 1950s. It has been hypothesized that this may be related to environmental factors. Testicular descent occurs in two phases controlled by Leydig cell-derived hormones insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and testosterone. Disorders in fetal androgen production/action or suppression of Insl3 a...

Background: There is an important evidence that prolonged exposure to several endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). These are persistent materials with unique environmental properties such as intake of contaminated food, water and air, irrespective of proximity to industries, which are suspected to have endocrine disrupting activities. Perflurooctanoic acid (PFOA) and diethylstilbestrol (EDCs)...