Background: In animal studies of the effects of hormonally active agents, measurement of anogenital distance (AGD) is now routine, and serves as a bioassay of fetal androgen action. Although measurement of AGD in humans has been discussed in the literature, to our knowledge it has been measured formally in only two descriptive studies of females. Because AGD has been an easy-to-measure, sensitive outcome in animals studies, we developed and implemented an anthropometric protocol for measurement of AGD in human males as well as females.

A follow-up study in two rural communities in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, compared families that used an improved stove for cooking with those that used traditional open-fire stoves, to assess the risks of respiratory symptoms in children and women exposed to wood smoke. 16-hour measurements showed that the concentration of particles less than 10 microm in diameter was significantly lower in households with the better stoves in the kitchen area, where children usually play, i.e., 158 microg/m3 vs 305 microg/m3 (p = 0.03). Multivariate models showed that using the better stove tended to protect against symptoms such as the common cold in children (RR 0.24; 9.5% CI 0.05, 1.02). Use of more firewood was linked to greater risks of experiencing difficulty breathing (RR 1.15; 95% CI 1.04, 1.27) and the common cold (RR 1.09; 95% CI 1.01, 1.18) in women. The use of stoves that require less wood for cooking reduces the risks of respiratory symptoms that may contribute to complicated respiratory diseases and mortality.

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salud pública de méxico / vol.45, no.6, noviembre-diciembre de 2003 Plaguicidas organoclorados y riesgo de hipospadias ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL Estudio realizado con apoyo del

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Todos los seres vivos estamos expuestos a numerosas drogas y contaminantes del medio ambiente que habitamos. Los disruptores endocrinos son agentes que causan efectos adversos en órganos blanco, impidiendo la interacción de las hormonas endógenas con sus receptores. La toxicidad reproductiva de los disruptores endocrinos es mediada principalmente por los receptores a estrógenos y andrógenos. Un estrógeno es una hormona esteroide sexual que interactúa con sus receptores y es capaz de regular el desarrollo normal del sistema reproductivo y otros tejidos.