BackgroundPhthalates impair rodent testicular function and have been associated with anti-androgenic effects in humans, including decreased testosterone levels. Low testosterone in adult human males has been associated with increased prevalence of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes.ObjectivesOur objective in this study was to investigate phthalate exposure and its associations with abdominal obesity and insulin resistance.MethodsSubjects were adult U.S. male participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2002. We modeled six phthalate metabolites with prevalent exposure and known or suspected antiandrogenic activity as predictors of waist circumference and log-transformed homeostatic model assessment (HOMA; a measure of insulin resistance) using multiple linear regression, adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, fat and total calorie consumption, physical activity level, serum cotinine, and urine creatinine (model 1); and adjusted for model 1 covariates plus measures of renal and hepatic function (model 2). Metabolites were mono-butyl phthalates (MBP), mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-(2-ethyl)-hexyl phthalate (MEHP), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), and mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP).ResultsIn model 1, four metabolites were associated with increased waist circumference (MBzP, MEHHP, MEOHP, and MEP; p-values ≤ 0.013) and three with increased HOMA (MBP, MBzP, and MEP; p-values ≤ 0.011). When we also adjusted for renal and hepatic function, parameter estimates declined but all significant results remained so except HOMA-MBP.ConclusionsIn this national cross-section of U.S. men, concentrations of several prevalent phthalate metabolites showed statistically significant correlations with abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. If confirmed by longitudinal studies, our findings would suggest that exposure to these phthalates may contribute to the population burden of obesity, insulin resistance, and related clinical disorders.

ObjectivesEssential healthcare workers (HCW) uniquely serve as both COVID-19 healers and, potentially, as carriers of SARS-CoV-2. We assessed COVID-19-related stigma and bullying against HCW controlling for social, psychological, medical and community variables.DesignWe nested an analytical cross-sectional study of COVID-19-related stigma and bullying among HCW within a larger mixed-methods effort assessing COVID-19-related lived experience and impact. Adjusted OR (aOR) and 95% CIs evaluated the association between working in healthcare settings and experience of COVID-19-related bullying and stigma, controlling for confounders. Thematic qualitative analysis provided insight into lived experience of COVID-19-related bullying.SettingWe recruited potential participants in four languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian) through Amazon Mechanical Turk’s online workforce and Facebook.ParticipantsOur sample included 7411 people from 173 countries who were aged 18 years or over.FindingsHCW significantly experienced more COVID-19-related bullying after controlling for the confounding effects of job-related, personal, geographic and sociocultural variables (aOR: 1.5; 95% CI 1.2 to 2.0). HCW more frequently believed that people gossip about others with COVID-19 (OR: 2.2; 95% CI 1.9 to 2.6) and that people with COVID-19 lose respect in the community (OR: 2.3; 95% CI 2.0 to 2.7), both which elevate bullying risk (OR: 2.7; 95% CI 2.3 to 3.2, and OR: 3.5; 95% CI 2.9 to 4.2, respectively). The lived experience of COVID-19-related bullying relates frequently to public identities as HCW traverse through the community, intersecting with other domains (eg, police, racism, violence).InterpretationAfter controlling for a range of confounding factors, HCW are significantly more likely to experience COVID-19-related stigma and bullying, often in the intersectional context of racism, violence and police involvement in community settings.

Migraineurs often describe environmental triggers of their headaches, such as barometric pressure change, bright sunlight, flickering lights, air quality, and odors. Environmental aspects of indoor space and workplaces are also implicated in migraine experience. Comprehensive migraine treatment programs emphasize awareness and avoidance of trigger factors as part of the therapeutic regimen. As migraine has a substantial economic impact, remediation of correctable environmental triggers may benefit employee attendance and productivity among migraineurs. Few controlled studies in the literature, however, confirm environmental influences on migraine and headaches. Although some are controversial, migraineurs worldwide consistently report similar environmental triggers. This article addresses commonly mentioned environmental triggers with a discussion of their pathophysiology and proposed preventive measures. Objective: To examine the epidemiological evidence for commonly‐mentioned environmental migraine triggers, discuss their possible role in the pathophysiology of migraine and propose preventive measures to avoid or minimize exposure. Background: Migraineurs often describe environmental triggers of their headaches, such as barometric pressure change, bright sunlight, flickering lights, air quality and odors. Environmental aspects of indoor space and workplaces are also implicated in the migraine experience. As migraine has a substantial economic impact, remediation of correctable environmental triggers may improve attendance and productivity among migraineurs in the workplace. Methods: We reviewed the literature addressing indoor and outdoor environmental factors which are commonly implicated as migraine triggers. Results: Although some factors are controversial, migraineurs worldwide consistently report similar environmental triggers. However, few studies confirm environmental influences on migraine and headaches. Research to date indicates that migraineurs have lower thresholds for light‐induced discomfort, sine grating distortion and illusions, noise tolerance and olfactory sensitivity compared to the general population. Conclusion: There are conflicting studies supporting the validity of patient‐reported environmental migraine triggers. Prospective studies are needed to determine the extent that external stimuli influence the migraine process. Decreased thesholds for light, noise, olfactory and visual stimuli in migraineurs may be minimized by modifying the work, home and classroom settings.

We examined the birthweight-, gender- and race-specific incidence as well as the biodemographic and clinical correlates of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in a well-defined six-county perinatal region in upstate New York. We conducted a retrospective, 8-year population-based survey to identify all cases of proven NEC (modified Bell stage II and above) in the area's regional neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The denominator used to calculate the incidence was obtained from the Statewide Planning Research Cooperative System. Incidence was expressed as cases per 1000 live births. A total of 85 documented cases of proven NEC was identified in a six-county perinatal region that experienced 117 892 live births during the 8-year period. The average annual incidence was 0.72 cases per 1000 live births [95% CI 0.57, 0.87 per 1000 live births]. The highest incidence of NEC occurred among infants weighing 750-1000 g at birth and declined with increasing birthweight. The urban county had a 1.53 times higher risk of NEC than rural counties [95% CI 0.9, 2.6]. The overall incidence of NEC for non-Hispanic blacks was significantly greater than that for non- Hispanic whites (2.2 vs. 0.5 cases per 1000 live births, P = 0.00). The differences remained statistically significant even after correction for birthweight. Most cases (93%) in this series were preterm (gestational age <37 weeks). Only two patients were never fed before the diagnosis of NEC was confirmed. Positive blood cultures were documented in 27% of the cases with a predominance of Gram-negative enteric micro-organisms. NEC remains an important health problem especially for preterm infants and the non-Hispanic black population.