Comprehensive Screening Links Halogenated Organic Compounds with Testosterone Levels in Male Delphinus delphis from the Southern California Bight

While environmental pollutants have been associated with changes in endocrine health in cetaceans, efforts to link contaminant exposure with hormones have largely been limited to a list of known, targeted contaminants, overlooking minimally characterized or unknown compounds of emerging concern. To address this gap, we analyzed a suite of potential endocrine disrupting halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) in blubber from 16 male short-beaked common dolphins ( Delphinus delphis) with known maturity status collected from fishery bycatch in the Southern California Bight. We employed a suspect screening mass spectrometry-based method to investigate a wide range of HOCs that were previously observed in cetaceans from the same region. Potential endocrine effects were assessed through the measurement of blubber testosterone. We detected 167 HOCs, including 81 with known anthropogenic sources, 49 of unknown origin, and 37 with known natural sources. The sum of 11 anthropogenic and 4 unknown HOC classes were negatively correlated with blubber testosterone. Evidence suggests that elevated anthropogenic HOC load contributes to impaired testosterone production in mature male D. delphis. The application of this integrative analytical approach to cetacean contaminant analysis allows for inference of the biological consequences of accumulation of HOCs and prioritization of compounds for future environmental toxicology research.

[Diagnostic and therapeutic management of helicobacter pylori: a survey among German gastroenterologists in private practice]

Purpose: The acceptance and realization of clinical guidelines in daily routine practice is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behaviour of private gastroenterologists in Germany with respect to the diagnostic and therapeutic management of H. pylori infection in times of increasing antibiotic resistance. Methods: Between 12/2014 and 02/2015 a standardized questionnaire with 19 multiple choice questions were sent to 1507 private gastroenterologists in Germany. The data were electronically captured and analyzed using SurveyMonkey. Results: The response rate was 36 % (540 questionnaires). 65 % of responders prescribe first line therapy by themselves and mainly use standard triple therapies. In patients with intolerance to penicillin, 81 % prescribe Italian triple therapy and 19 % prescribe bismuth quadruple therapy. Risk factors for primary clarithromycin resistance (migrational background, previous macrolide exposure) are routinely assessed by only a minority of responders (22 % and 17 %, respectively). Forty-one percent of responders perform eradication control by themselves mainly using a 13C urea breath test (54 %). In second line therapy, 42 % are prescribing bismuth quadruple therapy and 24 % fluoroquinolone triple therapy. After second line therapy, 58 % of responders are performing eradication control by themselves. Of those, 70 % always take biopsies for antibiotic susceptibility testing. Conclusions: The results of our survey suggest that most private gastroenterologists in Germany adhere to current guidelines for H. pylori management; however, some relevant deviations seem to exist. Our data might be useful for further developments of clinical guidelines and their communication among the medical community.

Is There Any Connection Between the Presence of Kidney Stones in Primary Hyperparathyroidism and the Location of an Underlying Adenoma?

The majority of the patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) recurrently produce kidney stones, while the rest have other clinical manifestations. The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of an association between the presence of kidney stones and the location of an underlying adenoma. This was a retrospective evaluation of the records of 91 patients (10 males, 81 females, mean age: 61.9 years [20 - 70 yrs]) operated for primary hyperparathyroidism between 1995 and 2000. One patient was excluded due to carcinoma. Kidney stones were found in 55 cases and other clinical symptoms in 35 cases. In 50 of the 55 patients (91 %) with kidney stones, the adenoma was located in the left inferior parathyroid gland (chi2 = 67.5, p < 0.00,001), while in 24 of the 35 patients (69 %) without kidney stones, the adenoma was in the right inferior parathyroid gland (chi2 = 43.9, p < 0.0001). These results suggest that the location of the adenoma may influence the presence of kidney stones in pHPT. It is proposed that the biologic effects of parathyroid hormone could differ depending on which of the four parathyroid glands it was secreted in, or the four glands may produce different biologically active fragments.

Decreased bone density, elevated serum osteoprotegerin, and beta-cross-laps in Wilson disease

Osteopathia has been reported in Wilson disease (WD), but bone density has not been measured; therefore, we performed bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), and quantitative bone ultrasound (QUS) assessments, as well as measured the serum levels of osteocalcin (OCN), beta-cross-laps (beta-CTx's), and the recently discovered osteoprotegerin (OPG) and its ligand RANKL to investigate the underlying mechanism of osseous disorders. Serum OCN, beta-CTx, OPG, and RANKL levels were measured by ELISA in 21 WD patients and in 20 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects. BMD, BMC, and QUS parameters were also determined. Osteoporosis was present in 9/21 (43%) WD patients. Abnormal QUS parameters were found in 7 (33%) of the patients. Although serum OCN levels were similar in patients and controls (29.93 +/- 24.65 mg/ml vs. 29.84 +/- 6.89 mg/ml), beta-CTx and OPG levels were significantly increased in WD compared with the healthy controls (625.4 +/- 312.3 pg/ml vs. 423.6 +/- 144.3 pg/ml and p = 0.022 and 7.2 +/- 3.4 pM vs. 3.5 +/- 1.0 pM and p < 0.001, respectively). No difference was observed in the RANKL level. There was a positive correlation between OCN and beta-CTx (r = 0.55; p = 0.01). We proved high occurrence of osteoporosis in WD. Negative bone remodeling balance is a consequence of increased bone resorption, which is indicated by elevated beta-CTx. The novel finding of elevated serum OPG may reflect a compensatory reaction to enhanced osteoclast activity, despite the normal OCN level.