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Study Question: Is there a relationship between maternal occupational exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during pregnancy and the semen quality of their sons?Summary Answer: Our results suggest an association between maternal occupational exposure to potential EDCs, especially to pesticides, phthalates and heavy metals, and a decrease in several semen parameters.What Is Known Already: Sexual differentiation, development and proper functioning of the reproductive system are largely dependent on steroid hormones. Although there is some animal evidence, studies on maternal exposure to EDCs during pregnancy and its effect on the semen quality of sons are scarce and none have focused on maternal occupational exposure.Study Design, Size, Duration: A cross-sectional study aiming to evaluate semen quality was carried out among Swiss conscripts aged 18 to 22 years between 2005 and 2017.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Conscript and parent questionnaires were completed prior to the collection of a semen sample. Semen parameters were categorised according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). Data on maternal employment during pregnancy were provided by the parent questionnaire. Maternal occupational exposure to potential EDC categories was defined using a job-exposure matrix (JEM). Logistic regressions were used to analyse the relationship between maternal occupational exposure to EDCs and each semen parameter adjusted for potential confounding factors. Results are presented using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: In total, 1,737 conscripts provided a conscript and parent questionnaire, as well as a semen sample; among these 1,045 of their mothers worked during pregnancy. Our study suggests an association between occupational exposure of mothers during pregnancy to potential EDCs and low semen volume and total sperm count, particularly for exposure to pesticides (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.11-3.86 and OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.05-4.35), phthalates (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.10-3.37 and OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.01-3.55), and heavy metals (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.14-3.60 and OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.21-4.35). Maternal occupational exposure to heavy metals was additionally associated with a low sperm concentration (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.06-3.37).Limitations, Reasons For Caution: Several limitations should be noted, such as the indirect method for maternal occupational exposure assessment during the pregnancy (JEM) and the cross-sectional design of the study.Wider Implications Of the Findings: Our observations reinforce the need to inform pregnant women of potential hazards during pregnancy that could impair their child's fertility. Additional studies are needed to confirm the involvement of EDCs.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was supported by the Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology: SCAHT and the 'Fondation privée des Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève'. The collection of human biological material used for this study was supported by the FABER Foundation, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): NFP 50 'Endocrine Disruptors: Relevance to Humans, Animals and Ecosystems', the Medical Services of the Swiss Army (DDPS) and Medisupport. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests.Trial Registration Number: N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sperm counts have been steadily decreasing over the past five decades with regional differences in the Western world. The reasons behind these trends are complex, but numerous insights indicate that environmental and lifestyle factors are important players. Objective: To evaluate semen quality and male reproductive health in Switzerland. Materials and methods: A nationwide cross‐sectional study was conducted on 2523 young men coming from all regions of Switzerland, recruited during military conscription. Semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, and morphology were analyzed. Anatomy of the genital area and testicular volume was recorded. Testicular cancer incidence rates in the general population were retrieved from Swiss regional registries. Results: Median sperm concentration adjusted for period of sexual abstinence was 48 million/mL. Comparing with the 5th percentile of the WHO reference values for fertile men, 17% of men had sperm concentration below 15 million/mL, 25% had less than 40% motile spermatozoa, and 43% had less than 4% normal forms. Disparities in semen quality among geographic regions, urbanization rates, and linguistic areas were limited. A larger proportion of men with poor semen quality had been exposed in utero to maternal smoking. Furthermore, testicular cancer incidence rates in the Swiss general population increased significantly between 1980 and 2014. Discussion: For the first time, a systematic sampling among young men has confirmed that semen quality is affected on a national level. The median sperm concentration measured is among the lowest observed in Europe. No specific geographical differences could be identified. Further studies are needed to determine to what extent the fertility of Swiss men is compromised and to evaluate the impact of environmental and lifestyle factors. Conclusion: A significant proportion of Swiss young men display suboptimal semen quality with only 38% having sperm concentration, motility, and morphology values that met WHO semen reference criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While cannabis is the most widely used recreational drug in the world, the effects of phytocannabinoids on semen parameters and reproductive hormones remain controversial. Cannabinoid receptors are activated by these compounds at each level of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadotropic axis., Objectives: To assess the impact of the consumption of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol on semen parameters, as well as on male reproductive hormone and endocannabinoid levels, in a cohort of young Swiss men., Materials and Methods: The individuals in a Swiss cohort were divided according to their cannabis consumption. In the cannabis user group, we determined the delay between the last intake of cannabis and sample collection, the chronicity of use and the presence of cannabidiol in the consumed product. Urinary Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol metabolites were quantified via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Blood phytocannabinoids, endocannabinoids and male steroids were determined via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry, and other hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadotropic axis hormones were determined via immunoassays. Semen parameters such as sperm concentration and motility were recorded using computer-assisted sperm analysis., Results: Anandamide, N-palmitoyl ethanolamide, androgens, estradiol and sex hormone binding globulin levels were all higher in cannabis users, particularly in chronic, recent and cannabidiol-positive consumers. Gonadotropin levels were not significantly different in these user subpopulations, whereas prolactin and albumin concentrations were lower. In addition, cannabis users had a more basic semen pH and a higher percentage of spermatozoa with progressive motility. However, the two latter observations seem to be related to a shorter period of sexual abstinence in this group rather than to the use of cannabis., Conclusions: Because both cannabidiol and Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol are frequently used by men of reproductive age, it is highly relevant to elucidate the potential effects they may have on human reproductive health. This study demonstrates that the mode of cannabis consumption must be considered when evaluating the effect of cannabis on semen quality., (© 2023 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

Background: A role for endocannabinoids in the male and female reproductive systems has been highlighted during the recent decades. Some of these compounds bind the cannabinoid CB1 receptor, which is abundantly expressed in the central nervous system but also present in the reproductive system, while others act as 'entourage compounds' modulators., Objectives: The present study aimed at evaluating the relationship between sperm quality and endocannabinoid profiles in a cohort of 200 young Swiss men and whether the presence of specific xenobiotics could influence these profiles., Materials and Methods: Semen analysis was performed according to WHO guidelines. Endocannabinoid profiles in blood and semen, as well as bisphenol A and S in urine, were determined by LC-MSMS methods. The presence of selected drugs was tested in urine by immunological screening, and urinary tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) metabolites were quantified by GC-MS., Results: Anandamide concentrations in seminal fluid and oleoylethanolamide (OEA) concentrations in blood serum appeared inversely correlated with sperm motility, while semen palmytoylethanolamide (PEA) was positively linked to sperm concentration. Moreover, OEA and PEA in seminal fluid were associated with better sperm morphology. Interestingly, the concentrations of the same endocannabinoids measured in both blood and semen were not correlated, and the presence of THC metabolites in some individuals was linked to lower concentrations of endocannabinoids., Conclusions: In the context of the general decline of the sperm count observed within the male population, endocannabinoids in semen constitute a class of promising biochemical markers that open new perspectives as a complement for the usual evaluation of semen quality or for the toxicological screening of individuals' exposure to putative endocrine disruptors., (© 2020 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

Steroids play an important role in sperm production and quality. These hormones have been extensively studied in blood, but poorly investigated in semen. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relationship between sperm quality and steroid profiles in blood and semen in a small cohort of young Swiss men. Another objective was to determine whether the presence of xenobiotics or drugs could influence these profiles. Semen analysis was performed according to WHO guidelines, and steroid profiles in blood serum and seminal plasma were determined by two complementary approaches: a targeted investigation involving the quantification of a limited number of relevant steroids for testing putative correlations with sperm parameters and a global "steroidomic" analysis highlighting their complex metabolic relationship. Results showed that steroid profiles are distinct within blood and seminal fluid. No significant correlation was found between individual steroids measured in blood and in semen, demonstrating the relevance of assessing hormone levels in both fluids. Moreover, testosterone and androstenedione levels were significantly correlated in semen but not in blood. None of the evaluated spermiogram parameters was linked to steroid levels measured in any medium. The steroidomic analyses confirmed that the steroids present in both fluids are different and that there is no correlation with spermiogram parameters. Finally, upon toxicological screening, we observed that all the three samples positive for tetrahydrocannabinol, which is known to act as an endocrine disruptor, displayed low seminal testosterone concentrations. In conclusion, we did not find any evidence suggesting using steroid profiles, neither in blood nor in semen, as surrogates for sperm analyses. However, steroid profiles could be useful biomarkers of individual exposure to endocrine disruptors., (Copyright © 2018 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of the present study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of alizapride to optimize its use in children aged 1 month to 15 years old who were receiving chemotherapy. Seventeen children were given a single 4 mg/kg alizapride infusion prior to the administration of cytostatic drugs. Blood and urine samples were collected within 10 h after onset of the infusion. Kinetic parameters were calculated and showed a decrease in plasma clearance expressed per unit of body weight with age. The current data suggest that dosage expressed per unit of body weight should be higher in children than in adults and higher in infants than in children.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, escalating dose study, 44 children receiving cancer chemotherapy of various degrees of emetogenicity were randomly allocated to once-daily treatment with tropisetron 0.05 mg/kg (6 patients), 0.10 mg/kg (5 patients), 0.20 mg/kg (6 patients), 0.33 mg/kg (6 patients), 0.50 mg/kg (6 patients) or placebo (15 patients). All doses of tropisetron were well tolerated; no tropisetron recipient discontinued treatment because of intolerance and no adverse effect could be plausibly correlated to tropisetron administration. Therapeutic plasma concentrations of tropisetron (> 3 ng/ml) were present for 9 h after administration of doses of 0.10 mg/kg or more. Tropisetron at doses of at least 0.20 mg/kg was significantly more effective in preventing vomiting than lower tropisetron doses or placebo, both in terms of treatment failure (> four vomits) (P = 0.015) and patient and investigator efficacy ratings (P = 0.04 for investigator rating; P = 0.035 for patient rating). Further comparative studies of the efficacy of tropisetron in chemotherapy-induced emesis in children are warranted.

Forty-eight measurements of energy expenditure were performed in 15 very low-birth-weight infants during the first 6 wk of life. Their mean birth weight and gestation age was 1223 g and 31 wk respectively. Their mean weight gain was 11.2 g/kg . d (range: -6.6 to +15.9 g/kg . d.). The mean energy expenditure increased from 170 kJ/kg . d (wk 1) to 252 kJ/kg . d (wk 6). There was a significant relationship between weight gain and energy expenditure (r = 0.58, P less than 0.001) and also between the net increase in body weight gain and the net increase in energy expenditure (r = 0.80, P less than 0.001). From the slopes of these regression lines, the metabolic cost of growth was found to be approximately 2.3 kJ/g of weight gain. Carbohydrate oxidation represented 80% of energy expenditure at the second wk and decreased to 65% the 6th wk, whereas lipid oxidation during the same period increased from 14 to 30% and the relative protein oxidation remained unchanged, covering 5-6% of the energy expended.