Abstract  OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of algorithms for the assignment of gestational age with the use of the last menstrual period and early ultrasound information. STUDY DESIGN: Gestational age estimates that are based on last menstrual period, ultrasound scanning, or their combination were compared among women who attended prenatal care clinics in central North Carolina (n = 3655) by an evaluation of digit preference in the last menstrual period dates and a comparison of mean gestational age, preterm and postterm categories with the use of K statistics, difference between actual and expected delivery date, and birth weight among subgroups with discrepant assignments. RESULTS: Last menstrual period reports show digit preference, assign gestation 2.8 days longer on average than ultrasound scanning, yield substantially more postterm births (12.1% vs 3.4%), and predict delivery among term births less accurately. Misclassification of births as postterm was more common in younger women, those of nonoptimal prepregnancy body weight, cigarette smokers, and women who reported last menstrual period using preferred dates of the month. CONCLUSION: Last menstrual period estimates of the duration of gestation are subject to both random error and a systematic tendency to overstate the duration of gestation, most likely because of delayed ovulation.

Abstract  The use of spirometry in epidemiological studies has provided objective evidence of the acute and chronic effects of occupational and environmental exposure to many agents as well as data on exposure-response relationships necessary for establishing control levels. Methacholine or histamine challenge testing for the measurement of non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness (NSBH) in epidemiological settings is safe when carried out according to a standardised protocol. Measurement of NSBH, a useful tool in the clinical assessment of occupational asthma, has also been used in screening workers in surveys of workforces at risk for occupational asthma. Standardisation and quality control are the key to the success of using lung function testing in the field.

Abstract  We present the optimization of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVCz)-based photorefractive composite films for use in a dynamic holographic imaging system. The compositions of the composite films used in this study included PVCz/4- azacycloheptylbenzylidenemalononitrile (7-DCST)/carbazoylethylpropionate (CzEPA), N- ethylcarbazole, benzyl n-butyl phthalate/ [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester or 2,4,7- trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF) (44/35/20/1 wt%). PVCz with molecular weights of 23 000, 100 000, 290 000, 370 000 and 810 000 g mol(-1) were used. The photorefractive polymeric composite (PPC) film (PVCz with M-w: 370 000/7-DCST/CzEPA/TNF, 44/35/20/1 wt%) was observed to be the most well- balanced for photorefractive performance. To demonstrate the practical application of these films, dynamic holographic images were reflected from a spatial light modulator. The optimized PPC film was used in the dynamic holographic imaging system, and well-balanced dynamic holographic images were obtained. The results from this study will contribute to the development of four-dimensional (4D -3D plus time) holographic displays.

Abstract  Diurnal variability in peak expiratory flow (PEF) has been an accepted clinical method in the management of asthma and the evaluation of occupational asthma. In this paper, the basis for this usage together with other clinical and epidemiological applications is discussed. The measured characteristics of PEF diurnal variability are described in asthmatics and asymptomatic subjects, showing the greater variability in asthmatics, and the "morning dip" related to circadian rhythm. PEF measured by pneumotachograph and the mini-Wright meter are shown to be in good agreement, but PEF measured by the latter and other small PEF meters is different in terms of absolute values, and both intraindividual variability within test sets and diurnally. The use of PEF meters, and the daily diaries in which the subject or patient records PEF and related factors are described.

Abstract  A very simple, fast and environmentally friendly sample extraction method was proposed for the analysis of phthalate esters (PAEs, di-isobutyl phthalate (DIBP), dibutylphthalate (DBP), butylbenzylphthalate (BBP) and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)) in alcoholic beverages by using conventional ionic liquid dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. The samples were extracted by 160μL 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate in the presence of appropriate amount of ethanol and 10% (w/v) sodium chloride solution; the enriched analytes in sedimented phases were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Under the optimum conditions, a satisfactory linearity (in the range of 0.02-1μgmL(-1) for white spirits and 0.01-0.5μgmL(-1) for red wines with the correlation coefficients (r) varying from 0.9983 to 1), acceptable recovery rates (88.5-103.5% for white spirits and 91.6-104.6% for red wines), good repeatability (RSD≤8.0%) and low detection limits (3.1-4.2ngmL(-1) for white spirits and 1.5-2.2ngmL(-1) for red wines) were obtained. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of the four PAEs in 30 white spirits and 11 red wines collected locally, and the DBP content in 63% (19:30) white spirits exceeded the specific migration limit of 0.3mgkg(-1) established by international regulation.

Abstract  The toxicity of phthalates is an important concern in the fields of environmental health and toxicology. Dermal exposure via skin care products, soil, and dust is a main route for phthalate delivery. We had explored the effect of topically-applied phthalates on skin absorption and toxicity. Immunohistology, functional proteomics, and Western blotting were employed as methodologies for validating phthalate toxicity. Among 5 phthalates tested, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) showed the highest skin reservoir. Only diethyl phthalate (DEP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) could penetrate across skin. Strat-M(®) membrane could be used as permeation barrier for predicting phthalate penetration through skin. The accumulation of DEHP in hair follicles was ∼15nmol/cm(2), which was significantly greater than DBP and DEP. DBP induced apoptosis of keratinocytes and fibroblasts via caspase-3 activation. This result was confirmed by downregulation of 14-3-3 and immunohistology of TUNEL. On the other hand, the HSP60 overexpression and immunostaining of COX-2 suggested inflammatory response induced by DEP and DEHP. The proteomic profiling verified the role of calcium homeostasis on skin inflammation. Some proteins investigated in this study can be sensitive biomarkers for dermal toxicity of phthalates. These included HSPs, 14-3-3, and cytokeratin. This work provided novel platforms for examining phthalate toxicity on skin.

Abstract  OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of butyl benzyl phthalate on neurobehavioral development of rats. METHODS: Levels of 0 (control), 0.05%, 0.25%, and 0.75% butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) was given in the diet from 4 weeks of age of female F0 generation to 6 weeks of age of F1 generation in Wistar rats, including the period of the female F0 generation's mating, gestation and lactation and the F1 generation's growth and development. Selected parameters of neurobehavioral development were observed in F1 generation. RESULTS: (1)For the male F(1) generation, surface righting at postnatal (PND) 4 th day was significantly delayed in the low-dose group (P < 0.05) (scoring: 56 vs 61), cliff avoidance at PND 7 was significantly depressed in the high-dose group (P < 0.05) (scoring: 41), air righting at PND 14 was significantly depressed in all treatment groups (P < 0.05). In open field test, low- and high-dose groups moved more than control group (P < 0.05). In Morris water maze test, the escape latency was significantly delayed in the low-dose group at the 5th day of the 5 days' place navigation task (P < 0.05). (2) For the female F1 generation, there were no differences among groups in any parameter in the experiment (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: BBP may affect the neurobehavioral development only in male rats in the F1 generation.

Abstract  Concentrations of nine phthalate diesters in 24-h airborne PM2.5 and PM10 were determined from October 2011 to August 2012 in a suburban area in Shanghai, China. Dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di-iso-butyl phthalate (DIBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BzBP), and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were frequently detected in airborne particulate matter at sum concentrations of these six compounds ranging from 13.3 to 186ng/m(3), with an average value of 59.8ng/m(3) in PM2.5, and from 10.1 to 445ng/m(3), with an average value of 132ng/m(3) in PM10. DEHP, DBP, and DIBP were the major phthalate diesters found in PM samples. DEHP was found predominantly in coarse (size fraction of between PM2.5 and PM10) particles, whereas DMP, DEP, DBP, DIBP, and BzBP were found predominantly in fine (PM2.5) particles. The concentrations of phthalates in PM during warm months (207ng/m(3) for PM10 and 71.9ng/m(3) for PM2.5, on average) were significantly higher than those during cold months (76.9ng/m(3) for PM10 and 50.4ng/m(3) for PM2.5). Significant positive correlations were found between concentrations of total phthalates, DEHP, and BzBP, with the total mass and organic carbon content of PM. Based on the concentrations of DEHP, incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCR) from inhalation exposure were estimated using a Monte Carlo simulation. Although the 95% probabilities for the ILCR values for the general population were below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) threshold of 10(-6), our result is an underestimate of the actual health risk because we only considered the outdoor inhalation exposure to DEHP in this study.

Abstract  Phthalates are environmental hormone-like molecules that are associated with breast cancer risk and are involved in metastasis, a process that requires the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, few studies have addressed the potential effects of phthalates on stem cells. Here we tested the hypothesis that phthalates such as butyl benzyl phthalate and di-n-butyl phthalate induce EMT in R2d cells, a stem cell–derived human breast epithelial cell line that is responsive to estradiol for tumor development. We observed that phthalates induced EMT as evidenced by morphological changes concomitant with increased expression of mesenchymal markers and decreased expression of epithelial markers. Molecular mechanism studies revealed that histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is required for phthalate-induced cell migration and invasion during EMT in vitro and metastasis into the lungs of nude mice. We also constructed a series of mutant HDAC6 promoter fragments and found that the transcription factor AP-2a plays a novel role in regulating the HDAC6 promoter. Furthermore, phthalates stimulated estrogen receptors and triggered the downstream EGFR–PKA signaling cascade, leading to increased expression of AP-2a in the nucleus. We also observed that phthalates increased expression of the PP1/HDAC6 complex and caused Akt activation and GSK3β inactivation, leading to transcriptional activation of vimentin through the β-catenin–TCF-4/LEF1 pathway. Understanding the signaling cascades of phthalates that activate EMT through HDAC6 in breast epithelial stem cells provides the identification of novel therapeutic target for human breast cancer.

Abstract  OBJECTIVES: Maintaining the constant exposure to hydrophobic organic compouds in acute toxicity tests is one of the most difficult issues in the evaluation of their toxicity and corresponding risks. Passive dosing is an emerging tool to keep constant aqueous concentration because of the overwhelming mass loaded in the dosing phase. The primary objectives of this study were to develop the constant exposure condition for an acute mortality test and to compare the performance of the passive dosing method with the conventional spiking with co-solvent.

METHODS: A custom cut polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) tubing loaded with benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) was placed in each well of a 24-well plate containing assay medium. The rate of the release of BBP from PDMS was evaluated by measuring the change in the concentration of BBP in the assay medium. The efficiency of maintaining constant exposure condition was also evaluated using a simple two-compartment mass transport model employing a film-diffusion theory. An acute mortality test using 10 C. elegans in each well was conducted for the evaluation of the validity of passive dosing and the comparative evaluation of the passive dosing method and the conventional spiking method.

RESULTS: Free concentration in the assay medium reached 95% steady state value within 2.2 hours without test organisms, indicating that this passive dosing method is useful for an acute toxicity test in 24 hours. The measured concentration after the mortality test agreed well with the estimated values from partitioning between PDMS and the assay medium. However, the difference between the nominal and the free concentration became larger as the spiked concentration approached water solubility, indicating the instability of the conventional spiking with a co-solvent.

CONCLUSIONS: The results in this study support that passive dosing provides a stable exposure condition for an acute toxicity test. Thus, it is likely that more reliable toxicity assessment can be made for hydrophobic chemicals using passive dosing.

Abstract  Ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction (IL-DLLME) was coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) for the determination of four phthalate esters, including butyl benzyl phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in water samples. The mixture of ionic liquid (IL) and dispersive solvent was rapidly injected into 10 mL aqueous sample. Then, IL phase was separated by centrifugation and was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet. The factors influencing the extraction efficiency, such as type and volume of IL, disperse solvent, extraction time, centrifuging time and ionic strength, were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the extraction recoveries by the proposed ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction for the four phthalates ranged from 83.0 to 91.7%. The relative standard deviations were between 7.8 and 15%. The limits of quantification for four phthalates were between 10.6 and 28.5 μg/L. The proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of PAEs in tap, lake and treated wastewater samples.

Abstract  Concern about possible adverse effects caused by the inadvertent exposure of humans and wildlife to endocrine-active chemicals, has led some countries to develop an in vivo-in vitro screening program for endocrine effects. In this paper, a previously described estrogen-inducible recombinant yeast strain (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is used to investigate a number of issues that could potentially lead to the mislabeling of chemicals as endocrine disruptors. The chemicals studied were: 17beta-estradiol, dihydrotestosterone, testosterone, estradiol-3-sulfate, 4-nonylphenol, 4-tert-octylphenol, 4-tert-butylphenol, bisphenol-A, methoxychlor, 2,2-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane, butyl benzyl phthalate, 4-hydroxytamoxifen, and ICI 182,780. Alterations in assay methodology (for example, incubation time, initial yeast cell number, and the use of different solvents) did not affect the potency of bisphenol-A and 4-nonylphenol relative to 17beta-estradiol, but did alter the apparent potency of butyl benzyl phthalate. Other issues (including the metabolic activation of methoxychlor, the chemical purity of a steroid metabolite and unusual chemical artifacts observed with alkylphenolic chemicals) which affect data interpretation are described. Many of the issues raised will also affect other in vitro assays for endocrine activity, and some will be relevant to the interpretation of data from in vivo assays. These examples illustrate that considerable care and thought must be applied when interpreting results derived from any single assay. Only by using a suite of assays will we minimize the chances of wrongly labeling chemicals as endocrine disruptors.

Abstract  A recent food safety issue involves the contamination of a broad range of food and nutraceutical products from Taiwan with industrial plasticizers. Among the suspected contaminants are selected phthalic acid esters, such as benzyl butyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, and diisodecyl phthalate. Described in this study is an analytical method to rapidly qualitatively analyze these compounds in a wide variety of food and nutraceutical matrices suspected in this crisis. The method utilizes direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization coupled to a Thermo Exactive orbitrap mass spectrometer. The method is shown to be capable of detecting these compounds at levels greater than 1.0 mu g/mL in all food products examined and 0.5 mu g/mL in most of the samples tested. In the nutraceutical samples tested, the compounds were detected at levels of 50 mu g/g for all samples with some detected as low as 1.0 mu g/g. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Abstract  A method based on liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and automated large volume injection (LVI)GC-MS analysis was developed for the trace determination of phthalate di-esters in water samples at sub-mu g L-1 (ppb) levels. Strategies applied to reduce contamination include (i) careful selection of tools, glassware and solvents, (ii) systematic blank checks of the chromatographic system, glassware and solvents and (iii) frequent verifications of blanks during sequences. Background levels could be reduced to those present in the extraction solvent. For phthalates not present in the extraction solvent the limits of quantitation (LOQ) are 6 ng L-1 for di-methyl phthalate (DMP), 3 ng L-1 for benzylbutyl phthalate (BzBP) and 45 ng L-1 for the isomeric phthalate mixtures di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP) and di-isodecyl phthalate (DOP). For the other phthalates, the LOQ was set at twice the blank (extraction solvent) level and are 20 ng L-1 for di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), 60 ng L-1 for di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP), 80 ng L-1 for di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and 30 ng L-1 for bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP).

Abstract  Phthalates are environmental contaminants used in the production of plastics, cosmetics and medical devices. Studies on the effects of phthalates on female reproductive health are particularly sparse and mostly restricted to high-dose exposure in rats. In the present study, pregnant rats were treated with 100mg/kg-d of di-eta-butyl-phthalate (DBP) or only the vehicle (control group), from GD 12 to GD 20 for evaluation of reproductive outcomes and fetal gonads analysis (F0), and from GD 12 to PND 21 to evaluate reproductive development and function on F1 female offspring. Results showed that all parameters were comparable between groups, although there was a significant increase in the fetal weight after DBP exposure. However, the body weight at birth was normal. Based on these data we can conclude that, in these experimental conditions, DBP did not disturb the reproductive development or function of female rats.

Abstract  This review about the genus Gordonia provides a current overview of recent research on a young genus that was introduced in the year 1997 (Stackebrandt et al., 1997). This emerging genus has attracted increasing environmental, industrial, biotechnological and medical interest during the last few years, in particular due to the capabilities of its members to degrade, transform, and synthesize organic compounds as well as to the pathogenic effects that have been described in many case studies. The number of publications about Gordonia has increased significantly after the year 2004 (the year of the first Gordonia review published by Arenskotter et al.) describing 13 new validly published species (type strains), many newly described physiological and metabolic capabilities, new patent applications and many new case reports of bacterial infections. Members of the genus Gordonia are widely distributed in nature and it is therefore important to unravel the species richness and metabolic potential of gordoniae in future studies to demonstrate their environmental impact especially on the degradation of persistent organic compounds and their ecological participation in the carbon cycle of organic material in soil and water. This review summarizes mainly the current state of importance and potential of the members of this genus for the environmental and biotechnological industry ("the strengths") and briefly its pathogenic impact to humans ("the weaknesses").

Abstract  The present work describes the polymerization of methylmethacrylate monomer into polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), in the presence of either coarse or ultrafine alumina powder. The flexibility of the material was modified by addition of either butylbenzyl phthalate (S-160), or butylacrylate (BA) monomer as plasticizers. It was found that BA is more compatible than S-160 in the PMMA system. A density of 97%-99% was reached with ultrafine alumina. The maximum tensile strength of the green and sintered tapes was 10 and 140 MPa, respectively. Due to improved homogeneity in the polymerized slip, the sintered tapes prepared by in situ polymerization were stronger and denser than those prepared by conventional blending of commercial PMMA.

Abstract  A novel method for separating and enriching trace phthalate esters (PAEs) in river water by solvent sublation and their determination by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed. The optimal conditions of the solvent sublation were obtained, that is n-hexane as the sublation solvent, pH 7 of the solution, a nitrogen flow rate of 70 mL min... and sublation time of 70 min. The floated product under the optimal conditions was determined by HPLC. In the process of HPLC analysis, an Eclipse XDB-C18 chromatographic column was used, and mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water using gradient elution, and the flow rate was 1.00 mL min.... The proposed method was applied to determine eight PAEs in the river water from Fangshan District, Beijing; the recoveries ranged from 76.9 to 120.4%, RSD values from 2.63 to 9.71%, and limit of detection values ranged from 0.001 (for diethyl phthalate and butyl benzyl phthalate) to 0.225 ...gL... (for dimethyl phthalate and dicyclohexyl phthalate). (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)

Abstract  In order to know the metabolic mechanism of Butyl benzyl Phthalate, The methods of HPLC and HPLC-MS were used to identify metabolites in mice urine and liver homogenate. The metabolites of butyl benzyl phthalate in liver were monobutyl phthalate and methanoyl phthalate. Six metabolites of butyl benzyl phthalate were found in urine: phthalic acid, hippuric acid, monobutyl phthalate, benzyl phthalate, glucuronyl-monobutyl phthalate, glucuronyl-benzyl phthalate. The metabolic pathway of butyl benzyl phthalate in vivo was that butyl benzyl phthalate was hydrolyzed into the phthalic acid, monobutyl phthalate and benzyl phthalate. Partial phthalic acid became into benzoic acid by decarboxylizing. Then benzoic acid conjugated endogenous glycin and benzoyl glycocoll was generated. Monobutyl phthalate and benzyl phthalate conjugated endogenous beta-D-glucuronic acid and produced the glucurony-monobutyl phthalate and glucuronyl-benzyl phthalate.