Bisphenol A shapes children’s brain and behavior: towards an integrated neurotoxicity assessment including human data

The authors gratefully acknowledge editorial assistance provided by Richard Davies. VM is under contract within the Human Biomonitoring for Europe Project (European Union Commission H2020-EJP-HBM4EU). The authors acknowledge the funding received from the Biomedical Research Networking Center-CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (FIS-PI16/01820 and FIS-PI16/01812). The funders had no role in the study design, data.Concerns about the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on human brain and behavior are not novel; however, Grohs and colleagues have contributed groundbreaking data on this topic in a recent issue of Environmental Health. For the first time, associations were reported between prenatal BPA exposure and differences in children’s brain microstructure, which appeared to mediate the association between this exposure and children’s behavioral symptoms. Findings in numerous previous mother-child cohorts have pointed in a similar worrying direction, linking higher BPA exposure during pregnancy to more behavioral problems throughout childhood as assessed by neuropsychological questionnaires. Notwithstanding, this body of work has not been adequately considered in risk assessment. From a toxicological perspective, results are now available from the CLARITY-BPA consortium, designed to reconcile academic and regulatory toxicology findings. In fact, the brain has consistently emerged as one of the most sensitive organs disrupted by BPA, even at doses below those considered safe by regulatory agencies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In this Commentary, we contextualize the results of Grohs et al. within the setting of previous epidemiologic and CLARITY-BPA data and express our disquiet about the “all-or-nothing” criterion adopted to select human data in a recent EFSA report on the appraisal methodology for their upcoming BPA risk assessment. We discuss the most relevant human studies, identify emerging patterns, and highlight the need for adequate assessment and interpretation of the increasing epidemiologic literature in this field in order to support decision-making. With the aim of avoiding a myopic or biased selection of a few studies in traditional risk assessment procedures, we propose a future reevaluation of BPA focused on neurotoxicity and based on a systematic and comprehensive integration of available mechanistic, animal, and human data. Taken together, the experimental and epidemiologic evidence converge in the same direction: BPA is a probable developmental neurotoxicant at low doses. Accordingly, the precautionary principle should be followed, progressively implementing stringent preventive policies worldwide, including the banning of BPA in food contact materials and thermal receipts, with a focus on the utilization of safer substitutes.European Union (EU): H2020-EJP-HBM4EUBiomedical Research Networking Center-CIBER de Epidemiologia y Salud Publica (CIBERESP)Instituto de Salud Carlos III FIS-PI16/01820 FIS-PI16/0181

Employee empowerment in construction: An implementation model for process improvement

The business environment of construction organisations has undergone significant change over the last 50 years. As a result, construction management has had to respond to issues such as increasing levels of client expectation, globalisation of the construction economy, cut-throat competition, and tight margins, plus the “inherent” obstacles to operating in the sector, such as separation of design and construction, fragmented production methods, adversarial relationships, and a reluctance to innovate and take up information technology. Furthermore, the problems of poor and unstructured training, multi-tiered management systems, and poor communication provide less than optimal conditions for achieving high quality products in good time and to budget. One approach to addressing these issues is through the concept of employee empowerment. This paper presents an overview of the empowerment concept in the context of construction management, highlighting the hurdles, an implementation process, and achievable benefits

3-Month Symptom-Based Ambidirectional Follow-up Study Among Recovered COVID-19 Patients from a Tertiary Care Hospital Using Telehealth in Chennai, India

Objectives Post-COVID-19 symptoms and its features in many recovered patients are almost similar to post-severe acute respiratory syndrome. The study aims to assess the outcome and manifestations during post-COVID follow-up period in recovered patients. Methods Ambidirectional longitudinal study was conducted among recovered COVID-19 patients from a tertiary care hospital near Chennai through telephonic interview after discharge. Total admitted patients from June to November 2020 were 3496 and among those 183 died and 12 transferred to other hospitals. Totally 1354 consented for study and the rest were wrong numbers or not willing to participate. Chi-square test and multinominal logistic regression analysis were done. Results Majority of, that is, 27.6% and 18.7% were in 21–30 years and &gt;60 years, respectively. Majority were admitted with fever (38.3%), cough (15.3), and body pain (10%). Post-COVID symptoms reported were fatigue (39.7%), stress and anxiety (27.6%), and mood changes (5.8%). Some patients were newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (10), hypertension (5), and TB (1) after discharge. Having diabetes mellitus is an independent risk to have neurological and cardio-respiratory symptoms and patients who were discharged with minimal support were to have an independent risk factor of renal symptoms on follow-up than other subjects. Conclusion The follow-up symptoms were associated with the patients’ comorbidities, age, severity of illness, and environmental factors. </jats:sec