Decreased fertility in mice exposed to environmental air pollution in the city of Sao Paulo.

It has largely been shown that air pollution can affect human health. Effects on human fertility have been shown mainly in males by a decrease in semen quality. Few studies have focused on the environmental effects on female fertility. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of air pollution in the city of Sao Paulo on mouse female fertility. Four groups of female Balb/c mice were placed in two chambers 10 days (newborn) or 10 weeks (adults) after birth. Mice were maintained in the chambers 24 h a day, 7 days a week, for 4 months. The first chamber received air that had passed through an air filter (clean chamber) and the second received ambient air (polluted chamber). We measured PM10 and NO2 inside both chambers. Mice belonging to the adult groups were bred to male mice after living for 3 months inside the chambers. The newborn groups mated after reaching reproductive age (12 weeks). After 19 days of pregnancy the numbers of live-born pups, reabsorptions, fetal deaths, corpora lutea, and implantation failures were determined. PM10 and NO2 concentrations in the clean chamber were 50% and 77.5% lower than in the polluted chamber, respectively. Differences in fertility parameters between groups were observed only in animals exposed to air pollution at an early age (10 days after birth). We observed a higher number of live-born pups per animal in the clean chamber than per animal from the polluted chamber (median=6.0 and 4.0, respectively; P=0.037). There was a higher incidence of implantation failures in the polluted group than in the clean group (median=3.5 and 2.0, respectively; P=0.048). There were no significant differences in the other reproductive parameters between groups. These results support the concept that female reproductive health represents a target of air pollutants.

A uterine cavity-myoma communication after uterine artery embolization: two case reports.

OBJECTIVE: To report two cases of uterine cavity-myoma fistula as a medical complication after uterine artery embolization. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Women's Medical Center/Viscomi Institute, Sao Paulo, Brazil. PATIENT(S): Two patients presenting with symptomatic myomatous uterus: a 40-year-old woman with increased abdominal volume and hypermenorrhea, and a 42-year-old woman with pelvic pain and infertility. INTERVENTION(S): Uterine artery embolization, hysteroscopic follow-up, and laparoscopic myomectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Hysteroscopic follow-up after uterine artery embolization. RESULT(S): The patients underwent uterine artery embolization. In the months that followed, a subsequent surgical hysteroscopic follow-up was performed to eliminate the necrotic material of the degenerated myomas. The two patients presented the same outcome 1 year after the uterine artery embolization had been performed: a communication between the uterine cavity and a degenerated myoma. Laparoscopic correction of the uterine wall defect was performed afterward. CONCLUSION(S): Because embolization is a growing option for the treatment of leiomyoma, it is important that potential complications be reported, especially if the patients want to become pregnant. The natural history of the fistula and its consequences are unknown, and physicians should be aware of these complications. Hysteroscopic follow-up was important in the diagnosis of the two cases.

Influência da poluição atmosférica de São Paulo na fertilidade feminina de camundongos / Influences of air pollution on female fertility of mice

Neste estudo analisamos os efeitos da poluição atmosférica de São Paulo sobre a fertilidade feminina. Quatro grupos de camundongos fêmeas foram criadas em câmaras de topo aberto. A primeira câmara possuindo dispositivo de filtragem do ar (câmara limpa) e a outra sem tal dispositivo (câmara poluída). Operação cesariana foi realizada no 19º dia de gestação e avaliados o número de nascidos vivos, áreas de reabsorção, natimortos, número de corpos lúteos e falhas de implantação. Observamos um maior número de nascidos vivos na câmara limpa e maior número de falhas de implantação na câmara poluída. Estes resultados foram observados apenas nos animais expostos desde os primeiros dias de vida / In this study we analyzed the effects of São Paulo’s air pollution on female fertility. Four groups of female mice were placed in 2 uncovered chambers. The first chamber contained an air filter device (clean chamber) whereas the other one received ambient air pollution (polluted chamber). Cesarean section was performed on the 19th day of pregnancy and the number of born alive, reabsorptions, fetal deaths, corpora lutea and implantation failure rate were determined. We observed a higher number of born alive per animal in the clean chamber and a greater incidence of implantation failures in the polluted group. These results were observed only in animals exposed to air pollution at early age...

Prevalência de infartos renais em necropsias de chagásicos crônicos / Prevalence of renal infarction in necropsies of chronic chagasic patients

Renal infarction (RI) is usually secondary to arterial obstruction due to emboli originating from the heart. Chronic chagasic patients may present cardiac alterations originating from intracavitary thrombi, even without congestive heart failure (CHF). In this study RI incidence was comparatively evaluated in chronic chagasic individuals, in different anatomoclinic forms and in non chagasic individuals. There has been a review on necropsy reports of individuals aged 20 or over. In 259 necropsies, 78 (30.1 per cent) were chagasics, and 19 of them (24.4 per cent) developed RI, while 27 (15.0 per cent) of the non chagasic individuals presented RI. The ages of chagasics with RI were similar to those of non chagasic individuals. A significant prevalence of RI and thrombosis among chronic chagasic individuals has been found. A significantly higher prevalence of RI among chronic chagasics having CHF (52.6 per cent) was observed when they were compared to other forms of chronic Chagas disease and when compared to non chagasic individuals. It was concluded that RI was more frequent in chronic chagasic individuals, specially those who developed CHF, which probably played a role in the renal manifestations and systemic hemodynamic changes in those patients.