Pollution by chemicals and waste impacts human and ecosystem health on regional, national, and global scales, resulting, together with climate change and biodiversity loss, in a triple planetary ...crisis. Consequently, in 2022, countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental science-policy panel (SPP) on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention, complementary to the existing intergovernmental science-policy bodies on climate change and biodiversity. To ensure the SPP's success, it is imperative to protect it from conflicts of interest (COI). Here, we (i) define and review the implications of COI, and its relevance for the management of chemicals, waste, and pollution; (ii) summarize established tactics to manufacture doubt in favor of vested interests, i.e., to counter scientific evidence and/or to promote misleading narratives favorable to financial interests; and (iii) illustrate these with selected examples. This analysis leads to a review of arguments for and against chemical industry representation in the SPP's work. We further (iv) rebut an assertion voiced by some that the chemical industry should be directly involved in the panel's work because it possesses data on chemicals essential for the panel's activities. Finally, (v) we present steps that should be taken to prevent the detrimental impacts of COI in the work of the SPP. In particular, we propose to include an independent auditor's role in the SPP to ensure that participation and processes follow clear COI rules. Among others, the auditor should evaluate the content of the assessments produced to ensure unbiased representation of information that underpins the SPP's activities.
There is a limited understanding about the impact of rare protein-truncating variants across multiple phenotypes. We explore the impact of this class of variants on 13 quantitative traits and 10 ...diseases using whole-exome sequencing data from 100,296 individuals. Protein-truncating variants in genes intolerant to this class of mutations increased risk of autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, intellectual disability, and ADHD. In individuals without these disorders, there was an association with shorter height, lower education, increased hospitalization, and reduced age at enrollment. Gene sets implicated from GWASs did not show a significant protein-truncating variants burden beyond what was captured by established Mendelian genes. In conclusion, we provide a thorough investigation of the impact of rare deleterious coding variants on complex traits, suggesting widespread pleiotropic risk.
The illicit use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) as performance-enhancing drugs remains a global issue threatening not only the credibility of competitive sports but also public health due to ...the well-documented adverse effects they elicit. AAS abuse is not restricted only to professional sports, but also extends to recreational athletes and adolescents as well as in livestock production as growth-promoting agents. Testosterone and nandrolone are among the AAS most frequently exploited. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is the reference method for AAS detection, but it is strictly laboratory-based and cannot be performed on-site. The great potential of aptamers in bioanalytical applications and specifically for the development of simple analytical tools suitable for on-site analysis has been extensively documented. In this report, we describe the selection and identification of aptamers binding nandrolone, exhibiting affinity dissociation constants in the low nanomolar range. A label-free colorimetric assay based on gold nanoparticles was developed using one of these novel aptamers for the detection of nandrolone and/or its metabolites. The assay could be deployed for the rapid, on-site, facile and cost-effective screening of samples and provide qualitative visual results with a red to purple/blue color change being indicative of a positive result.
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•Selection of novel aptamers binding to nandrolone by sepharose-SELEX.•High binding affinity of the selected aptamers demonstrated with different assays.•Development of a colorimetric gold nanoparticles-aptamer assay for nandrolone.•No cross-reactivity of the assay with endogenous steroids.•Use for screening suspicious samples for presence of nandrolone and its metabolites.
The following is a report of The Human Sexuality Program of the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center to personally replicate Edward W. Eichel's claims that his Coital Alignment Technique (CAT) ...enhances and increases female coital orgasms and mutual orgasms. We failed to replicate these claims. However, it was the consensus of the group that within the context of sex therapy, the CAT technique may have merit in certain clinical situations, and as such deserves to be further evaluated.
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