The alarming human health effects induced by endocrine disruptors (ED) have raised the attention of public opinion and policy makers leading worldwide to regulations that are continuously improved to reduce exposure to them. However, decreasing the exposure levels is challenging because EDs are ubiquitous and exposure occurs through multiple routes. The main exposure route is considered ingestion, but, recently, the inhalation has been hypothesized as an important additional route. To explore this scenario, some authors applied bioassays to assess the endocrine activity of air. This review summarizes for the first time the applied methods and the obtained evidences about the in vitro endocrine activity of airborne particulate matter (PM) collected outdoor. Among the bioassay endpoints, (anti)oestrogenic and (anti)androgenic activities were selected because are the most studied endocrine activities. A total of 24 articles were ultimately included in this review. Despite evidences are still scarce, the results showed that PM can induce oestrogenic, antioestrogenic, androgenic and antiandrogenic effects, suggesting that PM has an endocrine disrupting potential that should be considered because it could represent a further source of exposure to EDs. Although it is difficult to estimate how much inhalation can contribute to the total burden of EDs, endocrine activity of PM may increase the human health risk. Finally, the results pointed out that the overall endocrine activity is difficult to predict from the concentrations of individual pollutants, so the assessment using bioassays could be a valuable additional tool to quantify the health risk posed by EDs in air.

This thorough literature evaluation was prompted by significant research into the complex interactions between estrogen use and myocardial infarction (MI). Estrogen has fascinated researchers because of its possible cardioprotective benefits and its impact on cardiovascular health. In order to clarify the connection between estrogen use and the risk of MI, this review critically examines the body of prior evidence. This review focuses on estrogen and its pivotal role in cardiovascular health, concentrating on lipid metabolism, vasodilation, inflammation, and endothelial function. It examines contentious data about estrogen therapy\'s heart-protective effects, taking into account age, initiation timing, dosage, and dosage of administration. Genetic and epigenetic influences on MI risk among estrogen users highlight intricate, personalized estrogen effects. The conclusion summarizes the main findings and emphasizes the need for an all-encompassing strategy for initiating and managing estrogen medication. It is crucial to consider patient-specific traits and risk factors to successfully customize treatment regimens. This review sheds vital light on the potential directions for better cardiovascular treatment for postmenopausal women by shedding light on the complex link between estrogen use and myocardial infarction. The review also identifies research gaps and future objectives in this area, highlighting the demand for novel medicines and individualized strategies to improve cardiovascular outcomes.

The risk quotient (RQ) related to Estrone (E1), 17β-E2 (E2), Estriol (E3) and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) in sediment of water resources in China was calculated using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method. Fifty-four papers with 64 data-reports included in our study. The rank order of steroid hormones in sediment based on log-normal distribution in MCS was E1 (3.75 ng/g dw) > E3 (1.53 ng/g dw) > EE2 (1.38 ng/g dw) > E2 (1.17 ng/g dw). According to results, concentration of steroid hormones including E1, E2 and E3 in sediment of Erhai lake, northern Taihu lake and Dianchi river was higher than other locations. The rank order of steroid hormones based on percentage high risk (RQ > 1) was EE2 (87.00%) > E1 (70.00%) > E2 (62.99%) > E3 (11.11%). Hence, contamination control plans for steroid hormones in sediment of water resources in China should be conducted continuously.

A Search was conducted in international databases including Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from 10 January 2005 to 15 January 2023. The risk quotient (RQ) of Estrone (E1), 17β-E2 (E2), and Estriol (E3) on the surface water resources of China was calculated by Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) technique. The rank order of steroid hormones based on pooled (weighted average) concentration in surface water was E3 (2.15 ng/l) > E2 (2.01 ng/l) > E1 (1.385 ng/l). The concentration of E1 in Dianchi lake (236.50.00 ng/l), 17β-E2 in Licun river (78.50 ng/l), and E3 in Dianchi lake (103.1 ng/l) were higher than in other surface water resources in China. RQ related to E1, 17β-E2 and E3 in 68.00%, 88.89% and 3.92% of surface water resources were high ecological risk, respectively. Therefore, carrying out source control plans for steroid hormones in surface water sources should be conducted continuously.

The hormones human chorionic gonadotropin, progesterone, estrogen and four of its metabolites (estradiol, estrone, estriol, estetrol), as well as relaxin play an essential role in the development of the fetus during the first trimester. Imbalances in these hormones during the first trimester have been directly linked to miscarriages. However, frequent monitoring of the hormones is limited by the current conventional centralized analytical tools that do not allow a rapid response time. Electrochemical sensing is considered an ideal tool to detect hormones owing to its advantages such as quick response, user-friendliness, low economic costs, and possibility of use in point-of-care settings. Electrochemical detection of pregnancy hormones is an emerging field that has been demonstrated primarily at research level. Thus, it is timely with a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of the reported detection techniques. This is the first extensive review focusing on the advances related to electrochemical detection of hormones linked to the first trimester of pregnancy. Additionally, this review offers insights into the main challenges that must be addressed imminently to ensure progress from research to clinical applications.

Among the plethora of chemicals released into the environment, much attention is paid to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). Natural estrogens, such as estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3) are excreted by humans as well as animals, and can enter the environment as a result of discharging domestic sewage and animal waste. These compounds can cause deleterious effects such as feminization, infertility and hermaphroditism in organisms that inhabit water bodies. This study provides an overview of the level of estrogen exposures in surface waters, groundwater and river sediments in European countries. The conducted review shows that estrogen concentrations were within the range of 0.1 ng L - 10 ng /L in the majority of the tested environmental samples. However, the authors of the study point out that there are still many unexplored areas and a limited amount of data that mainly concerns Eastern European countries. The study also analysed the factors that influence the increased emissions of estrogens to the environment, which may be helpful for identifying particularly polluted areas.

Many studies have shown that an increase in cardiovascular disease in women is related to hormonal changes occurring particularly after menopause with increasing age. While the results of large clinical trials reporting no benefit of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in cardiovascular disease have been known for some time, there is an increasing body of knowledge regarding the various mechanisms by which estrogen modulates platelet function that could in part explain the higher cardiovascular risk occurring in postmenopausal women and potential benefits of HRT on cardiovascular health. Our review summarizes our current knowledge regarding the effect of endogenous and exogenous estrogen on platelet activity, which can help researchers design future studies. We collected information from 21 peer-reviewed articles published from 1993 to 2021. Studies have indicated that postmenopausal women have higher platelet activity than premenopausal women, which can increase the risk of thrombo-embolic events and cardiovascular disease. Although some studies have reported pro-thrombotic effects of estrogen replacement therapy such as increased platelet activation and adhesion, other studies demonstrated decreased platelet aggregation by inhibiting GP IIb/IIIa receptor expression. This is mediated by estrogen receptors on the platelet membrane in a non-genomic manner and suggests an opportunity for the usage of estrogen replacement therapy with subtle changes in the formulation and route, particularly if started early after menopause. The effect of estrogen on platelet activity is promising as an important factor in reducing the risk of cardiovascular events, warranting further investigation.

During past two decades, steroid hormones have raised significant public concerns due to their potential adverse effects on the hormonal functions of aquatic organisms and humans. Considering China being a big producer and consumer of steroid hormones, we summarize the current contamination status of steroid hormones in different environmental compartments in China, and preliminarily assess the associated risks to ecological systems. The results show that steroid hormones are ubiquitously present in Chinese surface waters where estrogens are the most studied steroids compared with androgens, progestogens and glucocorticoids. Estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (17β-E2) and estriol (E3) are generally the dominant steroid estrogens in Chinese surface waters, whereas for the other steroids, androsterone (ADR), epi-androsterone (EADR), progesterone (PGT), cortisol (CRL) and cortisone (CRN) have relatively large contributions. Meanwhile, the investigations for the other environmental media such as particles, sediments, soils and groundwater have been limited, as well as for steroid conjugates and metabolites. The median risk quotients of most steroid hormones in surface waters and sediments are lower than 1, indicating low to moderate risks to local organisms. This review provides a full picture of steroid distribution and ecological risks in China, which may be useful for future monitoring and risk assessment. More studies may focus on the analysis of steroid conjugates, metabolites, solid phase fractions, analytical method development and acute/chronic toxicities in different matrices to pursue a more precise and holistic risk assessment.

Introduction: The history of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) use has evolved over the years based on the influence of many factors, including availability and safety related to formulation and route of estrogen products. Given unexpected findings from the Women\'s Health Initiative (WHI) in the early 2000\'s that used oral conjugated equine estrogen, the desire for and research supporting transdermal estradiol products grew. Transdermal estrogen is now a popular and commonly used formulation for treating menopausal symptoms. Many FDA approved products are available and preferred to custom compounded bioidentical products given superior consistency and safety standards.Areas covered: This review explores the history of transdermal estrogen products, as well as their pharmacodynamics. It also includes a detailed exploration of the advantages and disadvantages of different estrogen formulations with a focus on clinically useful information.Expert opinion: FDA approved transdermal estradiol products are the preferred formulation and route for HT, along with a progestogen for women with a uterus, given their efficacy and superior safety profile.

Overabundance of endocrine disruptors (EDs), such as steroid estrogens, in the natural environment disrupts hormone synthesis in aquatic organisms. Livestock and wastewater outflows contribute measurable quantities of steroid estrogens into the environment where they are picked up and transported via surface runoff and feedlot effluents into water matrices. E1, E2β, E2α, E3 and EE2 are the most prevalent estrogens in these environmental systems. Estrogens in soils and water undergo several concurrent attenuation processes including sorption to particles, biotransformation, photo-transformation, and plant uptake. This review summarizes current studies on the attenuation and transport of steroid estrogens with a focus on estrogen attenuation and transport modeling. The authors use this information to synthesize appropriate strategies for reducing estrogenicity in the environment.