Effects of endocrine disruptor furan on reproductive physiology of Sprague Dawley rats: An F1 Extended One-Generation Reproductive Toxicity Study (EOGRTS).

The present study investigated the reproductive toxicity of furan in an Extended One-Generation Reproductive Toxicity Study in rats. Sprague Dawley F0 weaning rats (30 per sex per group) were exposed to furan orally at 0, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg kg-1 for 10 weeks (males) and 2 weeks (females) and then mated. Results of F0 indicated that in the furan-treated groups (5 mg kg-1 and 10 mg kg-1), body weight (bw) gain decreased during prebreed and gestational period while increased during lactation periods. F0 animals prebreeding exposure resulted in head tilt and foot splay at 10 mg kg-1. Number of live pups at birth were decreased (p < 0.001) at 10 mg kg-1. At postnatal day (PND) 70, a significant (p = 0.03) decrease in testosterone levels of male rats and estrogen levels of female rats (p = 0.05) was observed in 10 mg kg-1 furan-treated group in F1 generation. Luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and progesterone levels were also reduced, but their reduction was not statistically significant in all groups. In higher dose furan group (10 mg kg-1), testicular and ovarian weights were reduced in F1 generation at PND 70, with decreased daily sperm production (p = 0.01) and disturbed estrous cyclicity (p < 0.01). Some histopathological changes were also observed in testis and ovaries in groups whose parents were previously exposed to 10 mg kg-1 bw of furan group. Based on the above results, it is suggested that exposure to food-based contaminant furan induced remarkable changes in the F0 (parental stage) and F1 (offspring, pubertal, and adult stage) generations of Sprague Dawley rats.

Colorectal cancer screening with the addition of flexible sigmoidoscopy to guaiac-based faecal occult blood testing: a French population-based controlled study (Wintzenheim trial).

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility, participation and neoplasia yield of adding a flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) once in a lifetime to a colorectal cancer screening programme with guaiac-based faecal occult blood test (gFOBT). METHODS: A total of 4771 average risk residents aged 50-74 of a canton of the Haut-Rhin, a French administrative area, were invited every other year to participate in an organised screening programme with gFOBT. Of them, those aged 55-64 (1824 people) were, in addition, invited once by mail to visit their general practitioner (GP) for a screening with FS performed by a gastroenterologist. RESULTS: In all, 2717 people (56.9%) (95% confidence interval (CI) 55.5-58.4) were screened with one or other of the two tests or with both tests. Compliance was 56.7% (55.3-58.1) with gFOBT and 20.9% (19.1-22.8) with FS. Both tests were performed by 20.2% (18.4-22.1) of people. Compliance with FS was 1.9% in people who had not complied with gFOBT and 31.9% in people who complied. The latter was 50% in patients of 26 motivated GPs. The detection rate for advanced neoplasia was 17.7 per 1000 people screened (12.7-22.6) with the combined procedure, more than three times higher than that with gFOBT alone. CONCLUSION: A population-based screening programme with the addition of FS to gFOBT is feasible and safe through an organisation involving GPs. The performances of the two screening tools are complementary: high compliance - low yield for gFOBT and vice versa for FS. The addition of a single FS screening in people aged 55-64 to an organised programme with biennial gFOBT in people aged 50-74 is a colorectal cancer screening option that deserves further exploration.