Endocrine Abstracts

From an evolutionary point of view, reproduction is one of the key events. Thus, any potential threat to human fertility, needs to be taken seriously by researchers as well as the general public. In 1992 a meta-analysis of 63 published papers, indicated almost 50% reduction of sperm counts during the period 1940 to 1990. Since then, the discussion on whether the sperm numbers are decreasing or not has divided the scientific world into believers and non-believers. A concomitant...

Several lines of evidence fuel concerns about endocrine disruptors and human health: First, there are increasing trends of endocrine-related disorders such as endocrine cancers, neurodevelopmental disorders, diabetes, thyroidal diseases, and congenital malformations. Second, several widely used chemicals have been linked to such disorders in epidemiological studies and experiments with laboratory animals. Although human exposures involve many endocrine disruptors simultaneousl...

Environmental pollution by microplastics has been transcending usual stakeholders (such as policymakers and scientists) to become a public concern. The conspicuous, widespread occurrence of (micro)plastics together with the publicization by the media of its potential impacts on wildlife and human health have contributed for this state of affairs. Microplastics, typically defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, have been detected throughout the marine, freshwater and te...