1 3863 128 IT'S WHAT AND WHEN YOU EAT: AN OVERVIEW OF TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC RESPONSES TO DIETARY PERTURBATIONS IN PANCREATIC ISLETS. OUR EVER-CHANGING MODERN ENVIRONMENT IS A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR TO THE INCREASED PREVALENCE OF MANY CHRONIC DISEASES, AND PARTICULARLY, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). ALTHOUGH THE MODERN ERA HAS USHERED IN NUMEROUS CHANGES TO OUR DAILY LIVING CONDITIONS, CHANGES IN "WHAT" AND "WHEN" WE EAT APPEAR TO DISPROPORTIONATELY FUEL THE RISE OF T2DM. THE PANCREATIC ISLET IS A KEY BIOLOGICAL CONTROLLER OF AN ORGANISM'S GLUCOSE HOMEOSTASIS AND THUS PLAYS AN OUTSIZED ROLE TO COORDINATE THE RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS TO PRESERVE EUGLYCEMIA THROUGH A DELICATE BALANCE OF ENDOCRINE OUTPUTS. BOTH SUCCESSFUL AND FAILED ADAPTATION TO DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI HAS BEEN POSTULATED TO OCCUR DUE TO CHANGES IN THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF PATHWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH ISLET SECRETORY FUNCTION AND SURVIVAL. THEREFORE, IN THIS REVIEW WE EXAMINED AND EVALUATED THE CURRENT EVIDENCE ELUCIDATING THE KEY EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROGRAMS UNDERLYING THE ISLET'S COORDINATED RESPONSE TO THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TIMING AND THE COMPOSITION OF DIETARY NUTRIENTS COMMON TO MODERN LIFESTYLES. WITH THE EXPLOSION OF NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING, ALONG WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL INFORMATIC AND -OMIC APPROACHES, FUTURE WORK WILL CONTINUE TO UNRAVEL THE ENVIRONMENTAL-EPIGENETIC RELATIONSHIP IN ISLET BIOLOGY WITH THE GOAL OF IDENTIFYING TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC TARGETS ASSOCIATED WITH ISLET PERTURBATIONS IN T2DM. 2022 2 652 31 BISPHENOL A AS EPIGENETIC MODULATOR: SETTING THE STAGE FOR CARCINOGENESIS? BACKGROUND: BISPHENOL A (BPA) IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY PRODUCED CHEMICALS WORLDWIDE AND IS OFTEN USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONTAINERS. AS A RESULT OF BPA CONTACT WITH FOOD, DRINK AND TOILETRIES, ITS INGESTION AND ABSORPTION BY HUMANS HAS BEEN GROWING. THE INDUSTRIALIZATION AND MODERN LIFESTYLES BROUGHT A CONSTANT EXPOSURE TO SEVERAL HEALTH-DISTURBING COMPOUNDS AND USHERED A NEW ERA OF CHRONIC DISEASES. THE ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR POTENTIAL OF BPA IS WELL KNOWN, BUT THE RESEARCH AROUND ITS EPIGENOTOXIC EFFECTS RAISED FURTHER CONCERNS WHETHER CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO BPA CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CHRONIC HUMAN ILLNESS, INCLUDING CANCER IN HORMONE-SENSITIVE ORGANS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FOCUSING ON COMPUTERIZED DATABASES, WE REVIEWED ORIGINAL AND REVIEW ARTICLES WHICH ELUCIDATE AND LINK SOME OF THE INFORMATION ALREADY AVAILABLE ABOUT BPA AND RELATED EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS. RESULTS: A NUMBER OF STUDIES INDICATE THAT SHORT-TERM ADMINISTRATION OF LOW OR HIGH-DOSES OF BPA MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, INCREASING THE RISK FOR CARCINOGENESIS. HOWEVER, IT IS CLEAR THAT MORE STUDIES CONSIDERING REAL DAILY EXPOSURES ARE ESSENTIAL TO DEFINE A REAL TOLERABLE DAILY INTAKE AND TO TIGHTEN UP MANUFACTORY REGULATIONS. CONCLUSION: IN THIS REVIEW, WE HIGHLIGHT SOME EVIDENCES SUGGESTING A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BPA EXPOSURE, GENOTOXIC ACTIVITY AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, WHICH MAY PRIME FOR CARCINOGENESIS. 2015 3 3385 35 HOMEOSTATIC IMBALANCE AND COLON CANCER: THE DYNAMIC EPIGENETIC INTERPLAY OF INFLAMMATION, ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS, AND CHEMOPREVENTIVE PLANT COMPOUNDS. THE ADVENT OF MODERN MEDICINE HAS ALLOWED FOR SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES WITHIN THE FIELDS OF EMERGENCY CARE, SURGERY, AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE CONTROL. HEALTH THREATS THAT WERE HISTORICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR IMMEASURABLE TOLLS ON HUMAN LIFE ARE NOW ALL BUT ERADICATED WITHIN CERTAIN POPULATIONS, SPECIFICALLY THOSE THAT ENJOY HIGHER DEGREES OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS AND ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE. HOWEVER, MODERNIZATION AND ITS RESULTING LIFESTYLE TRENDS HAVE USHERED IN A NEW ERA OF CHRONIC ILLNESS; ONE IN WHICH AN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE ESTIMATED TO CONTRACT CANCER AND OTHER INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. HERE, WE EXPLORE THE IDEA THAT HOMEOSTASIS HAS BEEN REDEFINED WITHIN JUST A FEW GENERATIONS, AND THAT DISEASES SUCH AS COLORECTAL CANCER ARE THE RESULT OF FLUCTUATING PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR IMBALANCES. PHYTOCHEMICAL-DEPRIVED, PRO-INFLAMMATORY DIETS COMBINED WITH LOW-DOSE EXPOSURES TO ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS, INCLUDING BISPHENOL-A (BPA) AND OTHER ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS, ARE NOW LINKED TO INCREASING INCIDENCES OF CANCER IN WESTERNIZED SOCIETIES AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. THERE IS RECENT EVIDENCE THAT DISEASE DETERMINANTS ARE LIKELY SET IN UTERO AND FURTHER PERPETUATED INTO ADULTHOOD DEPENDENT UPON THE INNATE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY ACQUIRED PHENOTYPE UNIQUE TO EACH INDIVIDUAL. IN ORDER TO ADDRESS A DISEASE AS MULTI-FACTORIAL, CASE-SPECIFIC, AND REMARKABLY ADAPTIVE AS CANCER, RESEARCH MUST FOCUS ON ITS ROOT CAUSES IN ORDER TO ELUCIDATE THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH THEY CAN BE PREVENTED OR COUNTERACTED VIA PLANT-DERIVED COMPOUNDS SUCH AS EPIGALLOCATECHIN-3-GALLATE (EGCG) AND RESVERATROL. THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE OF EPIGENETICS IN THE REGULATION OF THESE COMPLEX PROCESSES IS EMPHASIZED HERE TO FORM A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF THE DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS THAT INFLUENCE MODERN-DAY CARCINOGENESIS, AND HOW SENSIBLY RESTORING HOMEOSTATIC BALANCE MAY BE THE KEY TO THE CANCER RIDDLE. 2012 4 653 25 BISPHENOL A, HYPERTENSION, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL, LABORATORY, AND CLINICAL TRIAL EVIDENCE. BISPHENOL A (BPA) EXPOSURE HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST COMMON ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL EXPOSURES IN HUMANS. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE REGARDING AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BPA EXPOSURE, HYPERTENSION, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVD). IF BPA EXPOSURE IS INDEED ASSOCIATED WITH RAISED BLOOD PRESSURE AND CVD, IT WOULD BE A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. THEREFORE, WE REVIEWED THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL, LABORATORY, AND CLINICAL TRIAL EVIDENCE FOR AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BPA EXPOSURE, CVD, AND HYPERTENSION, AND DISCUSSED THE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS IN THIS ARTICLE. CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES IN VARIOUS ETHNICITIES SUGGESTED A POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BPA EXPOSURE AND HYPERTENSION; THIS ASSOCIATION WAS SUPPORTED BY A PANEL STUDY AND A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. DESPITE THE DISCORDANCE AMONG CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES ABOUT AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BPA EXPOSURE AND CVD, A LONGITUDINAL STUDY SHOWS THAT BPA EXPOSURE IS A RISK FACTOR FOR CVD. THE EFFECTS OF BPA EXPOSURE SUCH AS ENDOCRINAL DISTURBANCE, INDUCTION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION, EPIGENETIC CHANGE, AND LINKS WITH OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES MAY HIGHLIGHT A POSSIBLE MECHANISM BETWEEN BPA EXPOSURE, CVD, AND HYPERTENSION. TO CLARIFY THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP, WELL-DESIGNED STUDIES ARE NEEDED IN THE FUTURE. 2016 5 4015 27 LOW-DOSE EXPOSURE TO BISPHENOLS A, F AND S OF HUMAN PRIMARY ADIPOCYTE IMPACTS CODING AND NON-CODING RNA PROFILES. BISPHENOL A (BPA) EXPOSURE HAS BEEN SUSPECTED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON HEALTH INCLUDING OBESITY AND METABOLICALLY-LINKED DISEASES. ALTHOUGH BISPHENOLS F (BPF) AND S (BPS) ARE BPA STRUCTURAL ANALOGS COMMONLY USED IN MANY MARKETED PRODUCTS AS A REPLACEMENT FOR BPA, ONLY SPARSE TOXICOLOGICAL DATA ARE AVAILABLE YET. OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO COMPREHENSIVELY CHARACTERIZE BISPHENOLS GENE TARGETS IN A HUMAN PRIMARY ADIPOCYTE MODEL, IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY MAY INDUCE CELLULAR DYSFUNCTION, USING CHRONIC EXPOSURE AT TWO CONCENTRATIONS: A "LOW-DOSE" SIMILAR TO THE DOSE USUALLY ENCOUNTERED IN HUMAN BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS AND A HIGHER DOSE. THEREFORE, BPA, BPF AND BPS HAVE BEEN ADDED AT 10 NM OR 10 MUM DURING THE DIFFERENTIATION OF HUMAN PRIMARY ADIPOCYTES FROM SUBCUTANEOUS FAT OF THREE NON-DIABETIC CAUCASIAN FEMALE PATIENTS. GENE EXPRESSION (MRNA/LNCRNA) ARRAYS AND MICRORNA ARRAYS, HAVE BEEN USED TO ASSESS CODING AND NON-CODING RNA CHANGES. WE DETECTED SIGNIFICANTLY DEREGULATED MRNA/LNCRNA AND MIRNA AT LOW AND HIGH DOSES. ENRICHMENT IN "CANCER" AND "ORGANISMAL INJURY AND ABNORMALITIES" RELATED PATHWAYS WAS FOUND IN RESPONSE TO THE THREE PRODUCTS. SOME LONG INTERGENIC NON-CODING RNAS AND SMALL NUCLEOLAR RNAS WERE DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED SUGGESTING THAT BISPHENOLS MAY ALSO ACTIVATE MULTIPLE CELLULAR PROCESSES AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. THE ANALYSIS OF UPSTREAM REGULATORS OF DEREGULATED GENES HIGHLIGHTED HORMONES OR HORMONE-LIKE CHEMICALS SUGGESTING THAT BPS AND BPF CAN BE SUSPECTED TO INTERFERE, JUST LIKE BPA, WITH HORMONAL REGULATION AND HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED AS ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS. ALL THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT AS BPA, ITS SUBSTITUTES BPS AND BPF SHOULD BE USED WITH THE SAME RESTRICTIONS. 2017 6 6384 42 THE ROLE OF POLYCARBONATE MONOMER BISPHENOL-A IN INSULIN RESISTANCE. BISPHENOL A (BPA) IS A SYNTHETIC UNIT OF POLYCARBONATE POLYMERS AND EPOXY RESINS, THE TYPES OF PLASTICS THAT COULD BE FOUND IN ESSENTIALLY EVERY HUMAN POPULATION AND INCORPORATED INTO ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF THE MODERN HUMAN SOCIETY. BPA POLYMERS APPEAR IN A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS, FROM LIQUID STORAGES (PLASTIC BOTTLES, CAN AND GLASS LININGS, WATER PIPES AND TANKS) AND FOOD STORAGES (PLASTICS WRAPS AND CONTAINERS), TO MEDICAL AND DENTAL DEVICES. BPA POLYMERS COULD BE HYDROLYZED SPONTANEOUSLY OR IN A PHOTO- OR TEMPERATURE-CATALYZED PROCESS, PROVIDING WIDESPREAD ENVIRONMENTAL DISTRIBUTION AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO THE BPA MONOMER IN CONTEMPORARY HUMAN POPULATIONS. BISPHENOL A IS ALSO A XENOESTROGEN, AN ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING CHEMICAL (EDC) THAT INTERFERES WITH THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM MIMICKING THE EFFECTS OF AN ESTROGEN AND COULD POTENTIALLY KEEP OUR ENDOCRINE SYSTEM IN A CONSTANT PERTURBATION THAT PARALLELS ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION ARISING DURING PREGNANCY, SUCH AS INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR). GESTATIONAL INSULIN RESISTANCE REPRESENTS A NATURAL BIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON OF HIGHER INSULIN RESISTANCE IN PERIPHERAL TISSUES OF THE PREGNANT FEMALES, WHEN NUTRIENTS ARE INCREASINGLY BEING DIRECTED TO THE EMBRYO INSTEAD OF BEING STORED IN PERIPHERAL TISSUES. GESTATIONAL DIABETES MELLITUS MAY APPEAR IN HEALTHY NON-DIABETIC FEMALES, DUE TO GESTATIONAL INSULIN RESISTANCE THAT LEADS TO INCREASED BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS AND HYPERINSULINEMIA (INCREASED INSULIN PRODUCTION FROM THE PANCREATIC BETA CELLS). THE HYPOTHESIS STATES THAT UNNOTICED AND CONSTANT EXPOSURE TO THIS ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL MIGHT POTENTIALLY LEAD TO THE FORMATION OF CHRONIC LOW-LEVEL ENDOCRINE DISRUPTIVE STATE THAT RESEMBLES GESTATIONAL INSULIN RESISTANCE, WHICH MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIABETES. THE INCREASING BODY OF EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE MAJOR PREMISES OF THIS HYPOTHESIS, AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE NUMEROUS PUBLICATIONS EXAMINING THE ASSOCIATION OF BPA AND INSULIN RESISTANCE, BOTH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND MECHANISTIC. HOWEVER, TO WHAT EXTENT BPA MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIABETES IN THE MODERN SOCIETIES STILL REMAINS UNKNOWN. IN THIS REVIEW, I DISCUSS THE CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF BPA AND THE SOURCES OF BPA CONTAMINATION FOUND IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND IN HUMAN TISSUES. I PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF MECHANISMS FOR THE PROPOSED ROLE OF BISPHENOL A IN INSULIN RESISTANCE AND DIABETES, AS WELL AS OTHER RELATED DISEASES, SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. I DESCRIBE THE TRANSMISSION OF BPA EFFECTS TO THE OFFSPRING AND POSTULATE THAT GENDER RELATED DIFFERENCES MIGHT ORIGINATE FROM DIFFERENCES IN LIVER ENZYME LEVELS, SUCH AS UDP-GLUCURONOSYLTRANSFERASE, WHICH IS INVOLVED IN BPA PROCESSING AND ITS ELIMINATION FROM THE ORGANISM. I DISCUSS THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF BPA ACTION THROUGH NUCLEAR AND MEMBRANE-BOUND ER RECEPTORS, NON-MONOTONIC DOSE RESPONSE, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS OF THE DNA AND PROPOSE THAT CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO WEAK BINDERS, SUCH AS BPA, MAY MIMIC THE EFFECTS OF STRONG BINDERS, SUCH AS ESTROGENS. 2017 7 5450 28 REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY OF COMBINED EFFECTS OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS ON HUMAN REPRODUCTION. CONFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL, GENETIC, AND LIFESTYLE VARIABLES IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERIORATION OF HUMAN FECUNDITY. ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS OR ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS (EDCS) MAY BE FOUND IN A VARIETY OF FOODS, WATER, AIR, BEVERAGES, AND TOBACCO SMOKE. IT HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS THAT A WIDE RANGE OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE ON THE REPRODUCTIVE CONSEQUENCES OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS IS SPARSE AND/OR CONFLICTING IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. THE COMBINED TOXICOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IS A PRACTICAL METHOD FOR ASSESSING THE HAZARDS OF COCKTAILS OF CHEMICALS, CO-EXISTING IN THE ENVIRONMENT. THE CURRENT REVIEW PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF STUDIES EMPHASIZING THE COMBINED TOXICITY OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS ON HUMAN REPRODUCTION. ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER TO DISRUPT THE DIFFERENT ENDOCRINE AXES, RESULTING IN SEVERE GONADAL DYSFUNCTIONS. TRANSGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC EFFECTS HAVE ALSO BEEN INDUCED IN GERM CELLS, MOSTLY THROUGH DNA METHYLATION AND EPIMUTATIONS. SIMILARLY, AFTER ACUTE OR CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS COMBINATIONS, INCREASED OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS), ELEVATED ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY, DISRUPTED REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE, AND REDUCED STEROIDOGENESIS ARE OFTEN REPORTED CONSEQUENCES. THE ARTICLE ALSO DISCUSSES THE CONCENTRATION ADDITION (CA) AND INDEPENDENT ACTION (IA) PREDICTION MODELS, WHICH REVEAL THE IMPORTANCE OF VARIOUS SYNERGISTIC ACTIONS OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS MIXTURES. MORE CRUCIALLY, THIS EVIDENCE-BASED STUDY ADDRESSES THE RESEARCH LIMITATIONS AND INFORMATION GAPS, AS WELL AS PARTICULARLY PRESENTS THE FUTURE RESEARCH VIEWS ON COMBINED ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS TOXICITY ON HUMAN REPRODUCTION. 2023 8 1825 19 EFFECTS OF HIGH-DOSE BISPHENOL A ON THE MOUSE ORAL MUCOSA: A POSSIBLE LINK WITH ORAL CANCERS. BISPHENOL A (BPA) IS AN ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICAL ABLE TO PROMOTE HORMONE-RESPONSIVE TUMORS. THE MAJOR ROUTE OF BPA CONTAMINATION BEING ORAL, THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE BPA EFFECTS ON ORAL CELLS. HERE, WE EVALUATED THE IMPACT OF SUB-CHRONIC IN VIVO EXPOSURE TO BPA AND ITS IN VITRO EFFECTS ON NEOPLASTIC AND NON-NEOPLASTIC ORAL CELLS. WE EVALUATED THE ORAL MUCOSA OF MICE CHRONICALLY EXPOSED TO BPA (200 MG/L). THE RESPONSE OF KERATINOCYTES (NOK-SI) AND HEAD AND NECK (HN) SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA (SCC), HN12 AND HN13 CELL LINES TO BPA WAS EXAMINED. IN VIVO, BPA ACCUMULATED IN ORAL TISSUES AND CAUSED AN INCREASE IN EPITHELIAL PROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITY. BPA DISRUPTED THE FUNCTION OF KERATINOCYTES BY ALTERING PRO-SURVIVAL AND PROLIFERATIVE PATHWAYS AND THE SECRETION OF CYTOKINES AND GROWTH FACTORS. IN TUMOR CELLS, BPA INDUCED PROLIFERATIVE, INVASIVE, PRO-ANGIOGENIC, AND EPIGENETIC PATHS. OUR DATA HIGHLIGHT THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF BPA ON ORAL MUCOSA AND, TUMORIGENIC AND NON-TUMORIGENIC CELLS. ADDITIONALLY, BPA MAY BE A MODIFIER OF ORAL CANCER CELL BEHAVIOR BY PROMPTING A FUNCTIONAL SHIFT TO A MORE AGGRESSIVE PHENOTYPE. 2021 9 4805 20 OBESITY AND METABOLIC COMORBIDITIES: ENVIRONMENTAL DISEASES? OBESITY AND METABOLIC COMORBIDITIES REPRESENT INCREASING HEALTH PROBLEMS. ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING COMPOUNDS (EDCS) ARE EXOGENOUS AGENTS THAT CHANGE ENDOCRINE FUNCTION AND CAUSE ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS. MOST EDCS ARE SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS; SOME ARE NATURAL FOOD COMPONENTS AS PHYTOESTROGENS. PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED TO COMPLEX MIXTURES OF CHEMICALS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. EDCS IMPACT HORMONE-DEPENDENT METABOLIC SYSTEMS AND BRAIN FUNCTION. LABORATORY AND HUMAN STUDIES PROVIDE COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT HUMAN CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION CAN PLAY A ROLE IN OBESITY EPIDEMIC. CHEMICAL EXPOSURES MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF OBESITY BY ALTERING THE DIFFERENTIATION OF ADIPOCYTES. EDCS CAN ALTER METHYLATION PATTERNS AND NORMAL EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING IN CELLS. OXIDATIVE STRESS MAY BE INDUCED BY MANY OF THESE CHEMICALS, AND ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT IT PLAYS IMPORTANT ROLES IN THE ETIOLOGY OF CHRONIC DISEASES. THE INDIVIDUAL SENSITIVITY TO CHEMICALS IS VARIABLE, DEPENDING ON ENVIRONMENT AND ABILITY TO METABOLIZE HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS. A NUMBER OF GENES, ESPECIALLY THOSE REPRESENTING ANTIOXIDANT AND DETOXIFICATION PATHWAYS, HAVE POTENTIAL APPLICATION AS BIOMARKERS OF RISK ASSESSMENT. THE POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF COMBINED EXPOSURES MAKE THE RISK ASSESSMENT PROCESS MORE COMPLEX COMPARED TO THE ASSESSMENT OF SINGLE CHEMICALS. TECHNIQUES AND METHODS NEED TO BE FURTHER DEVELOPED TO FILL DATA GAPS AND INCREASE THE KNOWLEDGE ON HARMFUL EXPOSURE COMBINATIONS. 2013 10 1919 26 ENVIRONMENTAL ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS: NEW DIABETOGENS? THE PREVALENCE OF TYPE-2 DIABETES HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED WORLDWIDE DURING THE LAST FEW DECADES. WHILE LIFESTYLE FACTORS (SEDENTARINESS, NOXIOUS FOOD), TOGETHER WITH GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, ARE WELL-KNOWN ACTORS, THERE IS ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THAT ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS (EDCS) MAY ALSO PLAY A PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE IN THE OCCURRENCE OF METABOLIC DISEASES. BOTH EXPERIMENTAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE SUPPORT A ROLE FOR EARLY AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO LOW DOSES OF CHEMICAL POLLUTANTS WITH ENDOCRINE AND METABOLIC DISRUPTING EFFECTS. MOST ARE PRESENT IN THE FOOD CHAIN AND ACCUMULATE IN THE FAT MASS AFTER ABSORPTION. IN RODENTS, BISPHENOL A STIMULATES SYNTHESIS AND SECRETION OF PANCREATIC BETA CELLS AND DISTURBS INSULIN SIGNALING IN LIVER, MUSCLE AND ADIPOSE TISSUE THROUGH EPIGENETIC CHANGES LEADING TO INSULIN RESISTANCE AND BETA CELL IMPAIRMENT. IN HUMANS, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL REPORTS SHOW STATISTICAL LINK BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES, POLYCHLORINATED BISPHENYLS, BISPHENOL A, PHTHALATES, DIOXINS OR AROMATIC POLYCYCLIC HYDROCARBIDES OR HEAVY METALS AND DT2 AFTER ACUTE ACCIDENTAL RELEASES OR EARLY IN LIFE AND/OR CHRONIC, LOW DOSES EXPOSURE. MORE PROSPECTIVE, LONGITUDINAL STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS. 2017 11 4541 27 MULTISYSTEMIC ALTERATIONS IN HUMANS INDUCED BY BISPHENOL A AND PHTHALATES: EXPERIMENTAL, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES REVEAL THE NEED TO CHANGE HEALTH POLICIES. A VAST AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT BISPHENOL A (BPA) AND PHTHALATES ARE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED IN THE ENVIRONMENT SINCE THESE COMPOUNDS ARE MASS-PRODUCED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PLASTICS AND PLASTICIZERS. THESE COMPOUNDS BELONG TO A LARGE GROUP OF SUBSTANCES TERMED ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING CHEMICALS (EDC). IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT HUMANS AND LIVING ORGANISMS ARE UNAVOIDABLY AND UNINTENTIONALLY EXPOSED TO BPA AND PHTHALATES FROM FOOD PACKAGING MATERIALS AND MANY OTHER EVERYDAY PRODUCTS. BPA AND PHTHALATES EXERT THEIR EFFECT BY INTERFERING WITH HORMONE SYNTHESIS, BIOAVAILABILITY, AND ACTION, THEREBY ALTERING CELLULAR PROLIFERATION AND DIFFERENTIATION, TISSUE DEVELOPMENT, AND THE REGULATION OF SEVERAL PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES. IN FACT, THESE EDC CAN ALTER FETAL PROGRAMMING AT AN EPIGENETIC LEVEL, WHICH CAN BE TRANSGENERATIONAL TRANSMITTED AND MAY BE INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS CHRONIC PATHOLOGIES LATER IN THE ADULTHOOD, INCLUDING METABOLIC, REPRODUCTIVE AND DEGENERATIVE DISEASES, AND CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCER. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DESCRIBE THE MOST RECENT PROPOSED MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF THESE EDC AND OFFER A COMPELLING SELECTION OF EXPERIMENTAL, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES, WHICH SHOW EVIDENCE OF HOW EXPOSURE TO THESE POLLUTANTS AFFECTS OUR HEALTH DURING DEVELOPMENT, AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH A WIDE RANGE OF REPRODUCTIVE, METABOLIC AND NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES, AS WELL AS HORMONE-RELATED CANCERS. WE STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF CONCERN IN THE GENERAL POPULATION AND THE URGENT NEED FOR THE MEDICAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM TO CLOSELY MONITOR EDC LEVELS IN THE POPULATION DUE TO UNAVOIDABLE AND INVOLUNTARY EXPOSURE TO THESE POLLUTANTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH. 2021 12 4062 28 MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES AND AN INTEGRATED, LIFE-CYCLE APPROACH TO THE PREVENTION OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. DESCRIBED AS THE 'INVISIBLE EPIDEMIC', NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS) ARE THE WORLD'S LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH. MOST ARE CAUSED BY PREVENTABLE FACTORS, INCLUDING POOR DIET, TOBACCO USE, HARMFUL USE OF ALCOHOL AND PHYSICAL INACTIVITY. DIABETES, CANCER AND CARDIOVASCULAR AND CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR 38 MILLION (68%) OF GLOBAL DEATHS IN 2012. SINCE 1990, PROPORTIONATE NCD MORTALITY HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY AS POPULATIONS HAVE AGED AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES DECLINE. THE MAJORITY OF NCD DEATHS, ESPECIALLY PREMATURE NCD DEATHS (<70 YEARS, 82%), OCCUR IN LOW-INCOME AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES, AND AMONG POOR COMMUNITIES WITHIN THEM. ADDRESSING NCDS IS RECOGNISED AS CENTRAL TO THE POST-2015 AGENDA; ACCORDINGLY, NCDS HAVE A SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE AND TARGET IN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS. WHILE DEATHS FROM NCDS OCCUR MAINLY IN ADULTHOOD, MANY HAVE THEIR ORIGINS IN EARLY LIFE, INCLUDING THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OPERATING BEFORE CONCEPTION. GOOD NUTRITION BEFORE CONCEPTION AND INTERVENTIONS AIMED AT PREVENTING NCDS DURING THE FIRST 1000 DAYS (FROM CONCEPTION TO AGE 2 YEARS), CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE MAY BE MORE COST-EFFECTIVE THAN MANAGING ESTABLISHED NCDS IN LATER LIFE WITH COSTLY TESTS AND DRUGS. FOLLOWING A LIFE-COURSE APPROACH, MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, BEFORE DELIVERY AND DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE, CAN PREVENT NCDS AND SHOULD INFLUENCE GLOBAL HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES HOW SUCH AN APPROACH MAY BE PURSUED, INCLUDING THROUGH THE ENGAGEMENT OF NON-HEALTH SECTORS. IT ALSO EMPHASISES EVALUATING AND DOCUMENTING RELATED INITIATIVES TO UNDERWRITE SYSTEMATIC AND EVIDENCE-BASED CROSS-SECTORAL ENGAGEMENT ON NCD PREVENTION IN THE FUTURE. 2017 13 617 25 BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPOUNDS, EPIGENETICS AND CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION: FOCUS ON EARLY-LIFE INTERVENTIONS WITH POLYPHENOLS. CONSUMPTION OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS SUCH AS POLYPHENOLS, ISOTHIOCYANATES, SULFUR-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS AND TERPENOIDS, FOUND IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, IS ASSOCIATED WITH PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASE. THESE BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPOUNDS ELICIT THEIR PROTECTIVE EFFECTS THROUGH COMPLEX MECHANISMS AT THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR, INCLUDING EPIGENETIC LEVELS. ACCORDING TO THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD) PARADIGM, IN UTERO EXPOSURE TO STRESSORS SUCH AS MALNUTRITION THROUGH MATERNAL DIET WOULD IMPAIR FETAL DEVELOPMENT AND EPIGENETICALLY PROGRAM INCREASED RISK OF METABOLIC DISEASES AND SOME CANCERS IN ADULT LIFE. IN ADDITION, A ROLE FOR FATHERS DIET DURING PRECONCEPTION ON THEIR OFFSPRING HEALTH AND CHRONIC DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY HAS ALSO EMERGED. THIS HIGHLIGHTS EARLY LIFE AS A PROMISING WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR STARTING DIETARY INTERVENTIONS FOCUSING ON PREVENTING CHRONIC DISEASES. HOWEVER, KNOWLEDGE ON THE POTENTIAL BENEFICIAL IMPACT OF EARLY LIFE EXPOSURE TO BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPOUNDS IS LIMITED. AMONG THE STUDIES THAT HAVE INVESTIGATED BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPOUNDS IN THE CONTEXT OF DOHAD, MOST HAVE FOCUSED ON THE IMPACT OF DIETARY POLYPHENOLS. THUS, IN THIS REVIEW WE DISCUSS EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTING A ROLE FOR THE DIETARY POLYPHENOLS RESVERATROL, GENISTEIN, EPIGALLOCATECHIN-3-GALLATE AND ANTHOCYANINS IN CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION CONSIDERING A PERSPECTIVE FROM EARLY-LIFE INTERVENTIONS THROUGH MATERNAL AND PATERNAL DIETS AND FOCUSING ON EPIGENETICS AS A POTENTIAL UNDERLYING MECHANISM. 2019 14 6732 24 WESTERN DIET AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: AN INFLAMMATORY CONNECTION. THE CONSUMPTION OF WESTERN-TYPE CALORICALLY RICH DIETS COMBINED WITH CHRONIC OVERNUTRITION AND A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE IN WESTERN SOCIETIES EVOKES A STATE OF CHRONIC METABOLIC INFLAMMATION, TERMED METAFLAMMATION. METAFLAMMATION CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANY PREVALENT NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS), AND THESE LIFESTYLE-ASSOCIATED PATHOLOGIES REPRESENT A RISING PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM WITH GLOBAL EPIDEMIC DIMENSIONS. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MODERN LIFESTYLE AND WESTERN DIET (WD) ACTIVATE IMMUNE CELLS IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFICIENT PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR COMMON NCDS. HERE, WE REVIEW THE CURRENT MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE WESTERN LIFESTYLE CAN INDUCE METAFLAMMATION, AND WE DISCUSS HOW THIS KNOWLEDGE CAN BE TRANSLATED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM THE HEALTH BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR SELECTED LIFESTYLE. 2019 15 361 31 AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION AND THROMBOSIS. AIR POLLUTION IS A GROWING PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN OF GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE. ACUTE AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE IS KNOWN TO IMPAIR CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION, EXACERBATE DISEASE AND INCREASE CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY. SEVERAL PLAUSIBLE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED FOR THESE ASSOCIATIONS, HOWEVER, AT PRESENT, THE PATHWAYS ARE INCOMPLETE. A SEMINAL REVIEW BY THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION (2010) CONCLUDED THAT THE THROMBOTIC EFFECTS OF PARTICULATE AIR POLLUTION LIKELY CONTRIBUTED TO THEIR EFFECTS ON CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY. THE AIM OF THE CURRENT REVIEW IS TO APPRAISE THE NEWLY ACCUMULATED SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE (2009-2016) ON CONTRIBUTION OF HAEMOSTASIS AND THROMBOSIS TOWARDS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE INDUCED BY EXPOSURE TO BOTH PARTICULATE AND GASEOUS POLLUTANTS.SEVENTY FOUR PUBLICATIONS WERE REVIEWED IN-DEPTH. THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT ACUTE EXPOSURE TO FINE PARTICULATE MATTER (PM(2.5)) INDUCES A SHIFT IN THE HAEMOSTATIC BALANCE TOWARDS A PRO-THROMBOTIC/PRO-COAGULATIVE STATE. INSUFFICIENT DATA WAS AVAILABLE TO ASCERTAIN IF A SIMILAR RELATIONSHIP EXISTS FOR GASEOUS POLLUTANTS, AND VERY FEW STUDIES HAVE ADDRESSED LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION. PLATELET ACTIVATION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, INTERPLAY BETWEEN INTERLEUKIN-6 AND TISSUE FACTOR, ALL APPEAR TO BE POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT MECHANISMS IN POLLUTION-MEDIATED THROMBOSIS, TOGETHER WITH AN EMERGING ROLE FOR CIRCULATING MICROVESICLES AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES.OVERALL, THE RECENT LITERATURE SUPPORTS, AND ARGUABLY STRENGTHENS, THE CONTENTION THAT AIR POLLUTION CONTRIBUTES TO CARDIOVASCULAR MORBIDITY BY PROMOTING HAEMOSTASIS. THE VOLUME AND DIVERSITY OF THE EVIDENCE HIGHLIGHTS THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC MECHANISMS BY WHICH AIR POLLUTION PROMOTES THROMBOSIS; MULTIPLE PATHWAYS ARE PLAUSIBLE AND IT IS MOST LIKELY THEY ACT IN CONCERT. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD ADDRESS THE ROLE GASEOUS POLLUTANTS PLAY IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION MIXTURE AND DIRECT COMPARISON OF POTENTIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE GROUPS TO HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. 2018 16 1644 26 DOES THE ENVIRONMENT AFFECT MENOPAUSE? A REVIEW OF THE EFFECTS OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS ON MENOPAUSE. ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS ARE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED IN OUR ENVIRONMENT. HUMANS ARE EXPOSED TO THESE COMPOUNDS NOT ONLY THROUGH THEIR OCCUPATIONS, BUT ALSO THROUGH DIETARY CONSUMPTION AND EXPOSURE TO CONTAMINATED WATER, PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS AND TEXTILES. CHEMICALS THAT ARE PERSISTENT IN THE BODY AND IN OUR ENVIRONMENT INCLUDE DIOXINS AND POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS. NON-PERSISTENT CHEMICALS INCLUDING BISPHENOL A, PHTHALATES AND PARABENS ARE EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY ARE UBIQUITOUS IN OUR ENVIRONMENT. HEAVY METALS, INCLUDING LEAD AND CADMIUM, CAN ALSO HAVE ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING PROPERTIES. ALTHOUGH DIFFICULT TO STUDY DUE TO THEIR VARIETY OF SOURCES OF EXPOSURES AND MECHANISMS OF ACTION, THESE CHEMICALS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY MENOPAUSE, INCREASED FREQUENCY OF VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, ALTERED STEROID HORMONE LEVELS AND MARKERS OF DIMINISHED OVARIAN RESERVE. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACTS OF THESE EXPOSURES IS IMPORTANT GIVEN THE POTENTIAL FOR EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION, WHICH CAN ALTER GENE FUNCTION AND RESULT IN MULTI-GENERATIONAL EFFECTS. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES FINDINGS IN HUMANS AND ANIMALS OR CELL-BASED MODELS FROM THE PAST DECADE OF RESEARCH. CONTINUED RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF MIXTURES OF CHEMICALS, CHRONIC EXPOSURES AND NEW COMPOUNDS THAT ARE CONTINUOUSLY BEING DEVELOPED AS REPLACEMENTS FOR TOXIC CHEMICALS THAT ARE BEING PHASED OUT. 2023 17 1932 27 ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES: AN UNDERRECOGNIZED CONTRIBUTION TO NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO DETERMINE THE DEGREE TO WHICH EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS) HAVE BEEN VERY CONSERVATIVE AND HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERESTIMATED THE ACTUAL CONTRIBUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT FOR AT LEAST TWO REASONS. FIRSTLY, MOST PREVIOUS REPORTS HAVE EXCLUDED THE CONTRIBUTION OF LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS, BUT THESE USUALLY INVOLVE SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS THAT INCREASE RISK OF DISEASE. SECONDLY, EARLY LIFE EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS IS NOW CLEARLY ASSOCIATED WITH AN ELEVATED RISK OF SEVERAL DISEASES LATER IN LIFE, BUT THESE CONNECTIONS ARE OFTEN DIFFICULT TO DISCERN. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR ASTHMA AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CONDITIONS, BUT THERE IS ALSO A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY AND CHRONIC DISEASES. MOST CANCERS ARE CAUSED BY ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES IN GENETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUALS. IN ADDITION, NEW INFORMATION SHOWS SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND DIABETES AND EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS PRESENT IN AIR, FOOD, AND WATER. THESE RELATIONSHIPS LIKELY REFLECT THE COMBINATION OF EPIGENETIC EFFECTS AND GENE INDUCTION. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TO NCDS THAN PREVIOUS REPORTS HAVE SUGGESTED. PREVENTION NEEDS TO SHIFT FOCUS FROM INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY TO SOCIETAL RESPONSIBILITY AND AN UNDERSTANDING THAT EFFECTIVE PREVENTION OF NCDS ULTIMATELY RELIES ON IMPROVED ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO MODIFIABLE RISKS. 2013 18 6338 23 THE ROLE OF ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING CHEMICALS IN UTERINE FIBROID PATHOGENESIS. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: UTERINE LEIOMYOMA (FIBROIDS) IS A GYNECOLOGIC DISORDER IMPACTING THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. WHEN SYMPTOMATIC, THESE NONCANCEROUS TUMORS CAN CAUSE SEVERE MORBIDITY INCLUDING PELVIC PAIN, MENORRHAGIA, AND INFERTILITY. ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING CHEMICALS (EDCS) MAY REPRESENT A MODIFIABLE RISK FACTOR. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO SUMMARIZE RECENT HUMAN AND EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE ON EDCS EXPOSURES AND FIBROIDS. RECENT FINDINGS: MULTIPLE EDCS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH FIBROID OUTCOMES AND/OR PROCESSES INCLUDING PHTHALATES, PARABENS, ENVIRONMENTAL PHENOLS, ALTERNATE PLASTICIZERS, DIETHYLSTILBESTROL, ORGANOPHOSPHATE ESTERS, AND TRIBUTYLTIN. EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES SUGGEST EXPOSURE TO CERTAIN EDCS, SUCH AS DI-(2-ETHYLHXYL)-PHTHALATE (DEHP), ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED FIBROID RISK AND SEVERITY. BOTH HUMAN AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES INDICATE THAT EPIGENETIC PROCESSES MAY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN LINKING EDCS TO FIBROID PATHOGENESIS. IN-VITRO AND IN-VIVO STUDIES SHOW THAT DEHP, BISPHENOL A, AND DIETHYLSTILBESTROL CAN IMPACT BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS CRITICAL TO FIBROID PATHOGENESIS. SUMMARY: WHILE RESEARCH ON EDCS AND FIBROIDS IS STILL EVOLVING, RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS EDC EXPOSURES MAY CONTRIBUTE TO FIBROID RISK AND PROGRESSION. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EXAMINE THE IMPACTS OF EDC MIXTURES AND TO IDENTIFY CRITICAL BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS AND WINDOWS OF EXPOSURE. THESE RESULTS COULD OPEN THE DOOR TO NEW PREVENTION STRATEGIES FOR FIBROIDS. 2020 19 6742 34 WHITHER THE ETIOPATHOGENESIS (AND SCOLIOGENY) OF ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS? ALTHOUGH CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE IN THE PAST TWO DECADES IN UNDERSTANDING THE ETIOPATHOGENESIS OF ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS (AIS), IT STILL LACKS AN AGREED THEORY OF ETIOPATHOGENESIS. ONE PROBLEM MAY BE THAT AIS RESULTS NOT FROM ONE CAUSE, BUT SEVERAL THAT INTERACT WITH VARIOUS GENETIC PREDISPOSING FACTORS. THERE IS A VIEW THERE ARE TWO OTHER PATHOGENIC PROCESSES FOR IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS NAMELY, INITIATING (OR INDUCING), AND THOSE THAT CAUSE CURVE PROGRESSION. TWIN STUDIES AND OBSERVATIONS OF FAMILY AGGREGATION HAVE REVEALED SIGNIFICANT GENETIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS, THAT PLACE AIS AMONG OTHER COMMON DISEASE OR COMPLEX TRAITS WITH A HIGH HERITABILITY INTERPRETED BY THE GENETIC VARIANT HYPOTHESIS OF DISEASE. WE SUMMARIZE ETIOPATHOGENETIC KNOWLEDGE OF AIS AS THEORIES OF PATHOGENESIS INCLUDING RECENT MULTIPLE CONCEPTS, AND BLOOD TESTS FOR AIS BASED ON PREDICTIVE BIOMARKERS AND GENETIC VARIANTS THAT SIGNIFY DISEASE RISK. THERE IS INCREASING EVIDENCE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF AN UNDERLYING NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER FOR AIS, RESEARCH WHICH HOLDS PROMISE. LIKE BRAIN RESEARCH, MOST AIS WORKERS FOCUS ON THEIR OWN CORNER AND THERE IS A NEED FOR GREATER INTEGRATION OF RESEARCH EFFORT. EPIGENETICS, A RELATIVELY RECENT FIELD, EVALUATES FACTORS CONCERNED WITH GENE EXPRESSION IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENT, DISEASE, NORMAL DEVELOPMENT AND AGING, WITH A COMPLEX REGULATION ACROSS THE GENOME DURING THE FIRST DECADE OF LIFE. RESEARCH ON THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, EPIGENETICS AND CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS) INCLUDING ADIPOSITY, AFTER A SLOW START, HAS EXPLODED IN THE LAST DECADE. NOT SO FOR AIS RESEARCH AND THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE, EXCEPT FOR MONOZYGOTIC TWIN STUDIES, THERE ARE ONLY SPORADIC REPORTS TO SUGGEST THAT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ARE AT WORK IN ETIOLOGY. HERE, WE EXAMINE EPIGENETIC CONCEPTS AS THEY MAY RELATE TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, NORMAL LIFE HISTORY PHASES AND AIS PATHOGENESIS. ALTHOUGH AIS IS NOT REGARDED AS AN NCD, LIKE THEM, IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH WHOLE ORGANISM METABOLIC PHENOMENA, INCLUDING LOWER BODY MASS INDEX, LOWER CIRCULATING LEPTIN LEVELS AND OTHER SYSTEMIC DISORDERS. SOME EPIGENETIC RESEARCH APPLIED TO SILVER-RUSSELL SYNDROME AND ADIPOSITY IS EXAMINED, FROM WHICH SUGGESTIONS ARE MADE FOR CONSIDERATION OF AIS EPIGENETIC RESEARCH, CROSS-SECTIONAL AND LONGITUDINAL. THE WORD SCOLIOGENY IS SUGGESTED TO INCLUDE ETIOLOGY, PATHOGENESIS AND PATHOMECHANISM. 2012 20 3610 28 IN UTERO EXPOSURE TO ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING CHEMICALS, MATERNAL FACTORS AND ALTERATIONS IN THE EPIGENETIC LANDSCAPE UNDERLYING LATER-LIFE HEALTH EFFECTS. WIDESPREAD PERSISTENCE OF ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING CHEMICALS (EDCS) IN THE ENVIRONMENT HAS MANDATED THE NEED TO STUDY THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S LONG-TERM HEALTH AFTER BOTH ACUTE AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE PERIODS. IN THIS REVIEW ARTICLE A PARTICULAR FOCUS IS GIVEN ON IN UTERO EXPOSURE TO EDCS IN RODENT MODELS WHICH RESULTED IN ALTERED EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING AND TRANSGENERATIONAL EFFECTS IN THE OFFSPRING CAUSING DISRUPTED REPRODUCTIVE AND METABOLIC PHENOTYPES. THE LITERATURE TO DATE ESTABLISHES THE IMPACT OF TRANSGENERATIONAL EFFECTS OF EDCS POTENTIALLY ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC MEDIATED MECHANISMS. THEREFORE, THIS REVIEW AIMS TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING AND IT'S REGULATION IN MAMMALS, PRIMARILY FOCUSING ON THE EPIGENETIC PLASTICITY AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO EXOGENOUS HORMONE ACTIVE CHEMICALS DURING THE EARLY DEVELOPMENTAL PERIOD. FURTHER, WE HAVE ALSO IN DEPTH DISCUSSED THE EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXPOSURE TO SELECTED EDCS SUCH AS BISPHENOL A (BPA), DI-2-ETHYLHEXYL PHTHALATE (DEHP) AND VINCLOZLIN UPON IN UTERO EXPOSURE ESPECIALLY IN RODENT MODELS. 2022