Effects of cow's milk on reproduction in ICR male mice / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of Cow's milk on the reproduction in male mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-four male mice were divided randomly into two groups: milk group (M) and control group (C). Each mouse was given 10 mL milk per day from 4 to 16 weeks in the group M. At the age of 17 weeks, all the mice were sacrificed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum testosterone was decreased in the group M (P=0.037). No significant difference was found in weight of testes, seminal vesicle or adrenal gland of mice between the groups C and M. However, the weight of seminal vesicle decreased when expressed in g/100 g body weight in the group M. Epididymal sperm concentration, motility, morphology, and sperm head number were not affected by milk.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Cow's milk has adverse effects on the reproductive system in ICR male mice. Further studies are needed to clarify the specific effects of milk on reproductive health.</p>

Correlation between the arsenic concentrations in the air and the SMR of lung cancer

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To verify whether the concentrations of arsenic (As) and its compounds in the air (referred to here as arsenic concentrations) affect the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) associated with lung cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using monitoring survey data on arsenic concentrations published by the Ministry of the Environment, we classified the municipalities for which arsenic concentrations were measured (measured municipalities) into ten groups according to the average arsenic concentration. We then determined the SMR of lung cancer, stomach cancer, pneumonia, cerebrovascular disease and cardiac disease for each group using socio-demographic data, such as the national census and demographic trends. The relationships between these factors were compared and investigated by statistical means.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No effect of arsenic concentrations on stomach cancer, cerebrovascular disease or cardiac disease was observed, and while significant differences in pneumonia were observed among several of the male subjects, there were no significant effects of arsenic concentration. However, lung cancer and arsenic concentration showed a significantly positive correlation for both males and females (males: Spearman r = 0.709, P < 0.05; females: Spearman r = 0.758, P < 0.05). The probability of type alpha error was less than 5% in areas with more than 1.77 ng As/m(3) (71st percentile) and less than 1% in areas with more than 2.70 ng As/m(3) (91st percentile). These results confirm that the SMR of lung cancer tends to be higher than the national average in areas of higher arsenic concentrations.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The SMR of lung cancer is significantly higher in areas with arsenic concentrations of 1.77 ng/m(3) or more.</p>