Stress may delay pregnancy, study finds
Women with mental stress may have more trouble conceiving than their unstressed peers, a new study shows. Among 274 English women, all trying to get pregnant, those with the highest levels of alpha-amylase -- a salivary biomarker for stress -- had an estimated 12% reduction in their chance of getting pregnant each menstrual cycle, compared to women with the lowest levels.
These new results come from researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Oxford. Although the precise mechanisms by which stress hormones interfere with reproductive-system hormones are not entirely known, there is evidence that, in extreme cases, mental stress can even lead to lack of menstruation -- missed periods. At least in this current study, however, there was no correlation between women's levels of cortisol, another more commonly measured stress hormone, and their chance of conception.
The researchers worry that, in a cruel twist, the inability to conceive may create a vicious cycle of stress for some women. “It has been suggested that stress may increase with the disappointment of several failed attempts at getting pregnant, setting off a cycle in which pregnancy becomes even more difficult to achieve," said study collaborator Buck Louis in a statement from NIH.
H1N1 Vaccine Pandemrix's Link to Narcolepsy Under Investigation
So far, twelve confirmed cases of narcolepsy have been reported after patients received the Pandemrix vaccine. Apart from Sweden and Finland, where most of the cases were reported, there have also been cases reported in France, Germany, and Norway.
“Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder that causes a person to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly,” according to an MPA press release.
“Its precise cause is unknown, but it is generally considered to be triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, including infections.”
According to a 2009 report published by the European Medicines Agency, fatigue is one of the most common side effects of Pandemrix.
“The role of the vaccine in these cases is still unclear and under investigation,” said Dr. Jane Ahlqvist Rastad of the MPA.
“A number of different reasons may be behind the observed rise in the incidence of narcolepsy: A (H1N1) infection, vaccination, a compound effect of infection and vaccination, or some other factor entirely. Infections in general are known to cause narcolepsy,” said a press release of the Finnish National Institute for Health (THL).
Rastad says over six million doses of the vaccine have been used in Sweden, which has a total population of 9.3 million. Rastad said that there are other vaccines available, but Pandemrix was chosen for the Swedish vaccination campaign.
Pandemrix was authorized by the European Union in September 2009. At least 30 million people in Europe, and 90 million people in the world, have been vaccinated with Pandemrix.
On Tuesday, the THL proposed suspending Pandemrix until the investigation is completed.
According to another report, published in 2008, on the characteristics of Pademrix on the website of the European Medicines Agency, the vaccine has to be stored between 2°C and 8°C (35.6 – 46.4°F) and cannot be frozen. The 2009 report stated that the vaccine should be used within 24 hours after mixing.
“Caution is needed when administering this vaccine to persons with a known hypersensitivity (other than anaphylactic reaction) to the active substance, to any of the excipients, to thiomersal and to residues (egg and chicken protein, ovalbumin, formaldehyde, gentamicin sulphate and sodium deoxycholate),” the report says.
According to the 2009 report, Pandemrix was released after three studies about its effects. The studies were conducted on people aged between 18 to 60 years, over 60 years, and between 6 and 35 months, respectively.
Sweden physicians are focusing their investigation on a group of children aged 12 to 16 who developed narcolepsy symptoms one or two months after the vaccination. This vaccine’s effect on this age group was not studied before the vaccine's release.
Searching For 'Recipe For Pregnancy' Book Promotes Diet That Can Increase Chances Of Conceiving
Searching For 'Recipe For Pregnancy'
Book Promotes Diet That Can Increase Chances Of Conceiving
Acupuncture for Depression During Pregnancy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the efficacy of acupuncture for depression during pregnancy in a randomized controlled trial.
METHODS: A total of 150 pregnant women who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) criteria for major depressive disorder were randomized to receive either acupuncture specific for depression or one of two active controls: control acupuncture or massage. Treatments lasted 8 weeks (12 sessions). Junior acupuncturists, who were not told about treatment assignment, needled participants at points prescribed by senior acupuncturists. All treatments were standardized. The primary outcome was the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, administered by masked raters at baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. Continuous data were analyzed using mixed effects models and by intent to treat.
RESULTS: Fifty-two women were randomized to acupuncture specific for depression, 49 to control acupuncture, and 49 to massage. Women who received acupuncture specific for depression experienced a greater rate of decrease in symptom severity (P<.05) compared with the combined controls (Cohen's d=0.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.01–0.77) or control acupuncture alone (P<.05; Cohen's d=0.46, 95% CI 0.01–0.92). They also had significantly greater response rate (63.0%) than the combined controls (44.3%; P<.05; number needed to treat, 5.3; 95% CI 2.8–75.0) and control acupuncture alone (37.5%;P<.05: number needed to treat, 3.9; 95% CI 2.2–19.8). Symptom reduction and response rates did not differ significantly between controls (control acupuncture, 37.5%; massage, 50.0%).
CONCLUSION: The short acupuncture protocol demonstrated symptom reduction and a response rate comparable to those observed in standard depression treatments of similar length and could be a viable treatment option for depression during pregnancy.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00186654.
Acupuncture: the new painkiller
Acupuncture: the new painkiller
By Christina Larmer From: The Sunday Telegraph August 15, 2010
AUSTRALIAN hospitals are finally catching up with what the Chinese have long known –acupuncture is a great alternative form of pain relief.
Acupuncture is fast gaining acceptance in mainstream medicine right across the Western world. It’s already used routinely in several Australian emergency departments and is now undergoing a randomised, controlled trial in three Melbourne hospitals to alleviate pain from acute migraines, back pain and ankle sprain.
Researchers at the University of York and Hull York Medical School in the UK have just mapped acupuncture’s effect on the brain and have found that it changes specific neural structures, deactivating the areas in the brain associated with the processing of pain.
This is key, says Professor Marc Cohen, head of the trial and professor of complementary medicine at RMIT University.
“We know that pain is the most common reason for people coming to emergency departments, and we know that it’s not very well treated in that a lot of people don’t get sufficient pain relief,” he says.
“We also know that pharmacotherapy, the main method of treating pain in emergency situations, has severe side effects. Some people can’t tolerate drugs, others find that opioid medication such as pethidine or morphine causes nausea and constipation.
Once you give morphine you have to watch the patient for several hours and monitor blood pressure and nausea.
“What we’ve found anecdotally is that people who have come into an emergency department in pain and tried acupuncture, have had their pain relieved in a very short period of time.”
Acupuncture can also be safely combined with most conventional drugs and treatments and has very few side effects.
Scientific proof
Today, acupuncture is one of the most accepted complementary therapies in the country, with more than 80 per cent of GPs referring patients to an accredited acupuncturist in the past 12 months.
And, despite not being part of the standard curriculum, about one-fifth of GPs have gone on to do post-graduate training in acupuncture.
You can thank modern science for that, says Dr Morton Rawlin, vice president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
“Acupuncture has gradually increased its acceptability over the last 20 years [because] it has good, double-blind, scientific proof that it is of assistance for pain and other disorders.”
But has it reached a tipping point? “We’re on the verge,” says Professor Cohen. “Emergency physicians and GPs have taken it up on their own initiative because they see the benefits. If we find positive results [in the study] it will open the door for it to be included in all Western emergency departments and that will be a major shift.”
Modern panacea?
So when should you be demanding acupuncture over mainstream medical treatments?
“Acupuncture, like all modalities of treatment for different conditions, needs to be discussed by the individual with their doctor,” says Dr Rawlin.
Professor Cohen agrees. “Everyone’s situation is individual, but the one thing I can say is that acupuncture can’t really hurt. So try it.”
Just be warned: it’s not a panacea.
“Acupuncture won’t help everyone for everything,” says Professor Cohen. “But there are cases where people have gone the gamut of Western medicine, had no relief and then acupuncture has given significant relief.
“Acupuncture provides a different perspective on a treatment program and, in the hands of a trained therapist, has been shown over thousands of years to be extremely safe.”
How it can help you…
1 Dental anxiety New British research shows acupuncture can calm dental patients and help post-operative pain.
For more: www.ada.org.au
2 Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) A 2009 Swedish study found that PCOS can be relieved by the use of electro-acupuncture – where the needles are stimulated with a low-frequency current.
More information: www.posaa.asn.au
3 Depression Chicago researchers found acupuncture may be an effective alternative treatment to antidepressants for depression during pregnancy. It’s also being increasingly used in psychiatric disorders.
More information: www.beyondblue.org.au
4 Breast cancer treatment
A recent trial of breast cancer patients in Norway found acupuncture provided a 50 per cent reduction in hot flushes.
More information: www.cancercouncil.com.au
5 Migraines Randomised controlled studies have shown acupuncture can reduce tension headaches by half and ensure fewer headaches after three to four months than routine drug treatment.
More information: www.acupuncture.com.au
6 IVF A 2008 review of seven clinical trials into acupuncture found that when given to women undergoing embryo transfer, acupuncture may improve rates of pregnancy for one in 10 women.
More information: www.ivfacupuncture.com.au
Radiation to Pelvis Harmful in Pregnancy - Study
by Sophie Anderson - July 25, 2010
Findings of a new study suggest that women who undergo radiotherapy for cancer treatment during childhood have an elevated risk of suffering a stillbirth or neonatal death.
The study conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt University brings to fore the unintended long-term adverse repercussions of cancer treatment on reproduction.
Radiation to the pelvis harmful
For the purpose of the study, researchers analyzed 4,946 pregnancies from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study wherein a parent had survived childhood cancer.
All the participants of the study were less than 21 years of age when they were initially diagnosed with cancer.
The analysis revealed that high doses of radiation to the pelvis were responsible for the enhanced risk in pregnancy. Furthermore, the link appeared only in those patients who had received radiation treatment before puberty.
Of the total participants, only 28 women had been given high doses of radiation to their pelvis. Five such women reported stillbirths or early death.
The analysis revealed that high doses of radiation to the pelvis were responsible for the enhanced risk in pregnancy. Furthermore, the link appeared only in those patients who had received radiation treatment before puberty.
"We could not directly assess whether uterine damage (e.g., to the musculature, vasculature, or endometrium) or oocyte damage was the cause of the association with stillbirth or neonatal death, although we believe a uterine effect was most likely," Lisa Signorello of the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville and lead author of the study said.
The study revealed that one out of the 100 women who did not have radiotherapy at all to their womb or ovaries had a baby who died soon after birth.
The risk rose to two in 100 with a low dose of radiation before puberty and increased further to 13 in 100 with higher doses of radiation.
Chemotherapy drugs proved to be safe and appeared not to have a detrimental effect on pregnancies later in life.
"Careful management is warranted for pregnant women treated with high doses of pelvic irradiation before they have reached puberty," suggested the researchers.
Not true for men
The study also established that cancer radiation therapy does not damage the testes in men. As such, there is no increased risk of an unfavorable effect among the offspring of men treated for childhood cancer.
The researchers said that this revelation is “reassuring not only for male survivors of childhood cancer but also for men exposed to ionizing radiation in occupational or other settings."
Jessica Harris, of Cancer Research UK, hailed the study and said, "Studies like these are essential for us to understand the long-term effects of being treated for cancer."
http://www.themoneytimes.com/featured/20100725/radiation-pelvis-harmful-pregnancystudy-id-10121864.html
Acupuncture During Pregnancy
relief right to the point
As more women seek drug-free treatment for the conditions of pregnancy, this ancient Chinese healing art has much to offer, says acupuncturist and midwife Valerie Hobbs, director of the Boulder, Colo., campus of Southwest Acupuncture College. With no contraindications, it can treat many conditions for which there is rarely another lasting or effective remedy.
Treatments are normally given once a month until the last month, when weekly sessions help prepare for labor, she says. An average session lasts 45 minutes, and women usually only feel a mild sensation such as a feeling of slight heaviness at the site of needle insertion.
While some treatments may cause a slight increase in fetal movements, no treatment, unless intended to start labor, should significantly increase uterine activity, Hobbs cautions. In most states except California, acupuncturists must be nationally certified as a diplomate of acupuncture. An additional national certification is available in Chinese herbology, says Hobbs, who holds both certifications.
Among the many benefits of acupuncture during pregnancy, a recent study has shown its particular effectiveness in relieving morning sickness or the potentially more dangerous hyperemesis gravidarum (severe vomiting during pregnancy). The Australian study published in the journal Birth reportes that of 593 women less than 14 weeks pregnant who participated, those who received traditional acupuncture reported having less frequent and shorter periods of nausea than the women who received no acupuncture. These improvements were felt immediately and lasted throughout the study's four-week duration. In the first trimester, acupuncture can also relieve fatigue, migraines and bleeding.
As it helps maintain balance during the second trimester, acupuncture can alleviate heartburn, hemorrhoids and stress. While acupuncture can also be used to treat edema, elevated blood pressure or excessive weight gain, the root cause of these may be deeper complications, says Hobbs. "Acupuncturists with adequate training in the care of pregnant women would recognize the potentially serious nature of these symptoms and only offer care concurrent with adequate Western medical care."
Drinking Alcohol During Pregnancy May Damage Semen Quality in Sons
Doctors in Denmark found that if mothers had drunk 4.5 or more drinks a week
while pregnant, then the sperm concentration of their sons, measured about
20 years later, was a third lower in comparison to men who were not exposed
to alcohol while in the womb. A drink was measured as 12 grams of alcohol,
which is the equivalent to one 330 ml beer, one small (120 ml) glass of wine
or one glass of spirits (40 ml).
Dr Cecilia Ramlau-Hansen, senior researcher at the Department of
Occupational Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital (Denmark) and clinical
associate professor at the Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Public
Health, University of Aarhus, told a news briefing: "Our study shows that
there is an association between drinking a moderate amount of alcohol (about
four to five drinks a week) during pregnancy and lower sperm concentrations
in sons. However, because this is an observational study we cannot say for
certain that the alcohol causes the lower sperm concentrations. It is
possible that drinking alcohol during pregnancy has a harmful effect on the
foetal semen-producing tissue in the testes -- and thereby on semen quality
in later life -- but our study is the first of its kind, and more research
within this area is needed before any causal link can be established or safe
drinking limits proposed."
Dr Ramlau-Hansen and her colleagues studied 347 sons of 11,980 women with
singleton pregnancies who were recruited to the Danish "Healthy habits for
two" study between 1984-1987. Around the 36th week of pregnancy the mothers
answered a questionnaire on lifestyles and health. The sons were followed up
between 2005-2006, when they were aged between 18-21, and semen and blood
samples were collected and analysed.
The researchers divided the sons into four groups, ranging from those who
were least exposed to alcohol (their mothers had drunk less than one drink a
week) -- and this was the reference group against which the other groups
were measured -- to those whose mothers drank 1-1.5 drinks a week, 2-4
drinks a week, or 4.5 or more drinks per week.
They found that sons of mothers drinking 4.5 or more alcoholic drinks a week
had average sperm concentrations of 25 million per millilitre, while the
sons who were least exposed to alcohol had sperm concentrations of 40
million/ml. After adjusting for various confounding factors, they found the
sons in the group most exposed to alcohol had an average sperm concentration
that was approximately 32% lower than that in the least exposed group.
The World Health Organization defines a "normal" level of sperm
concentration as being approximately 20 million/ml or more. Dr Ramlau-Hansen
said: "The reduced sperm concentrations in the most exposed men are rather
close to the lower end of the WHO's normal range for fertility. The
probability of conception increases with increased sperm concentration up to
40 million/ml and so it is possible that the most exposed men could be less
fertile than the least exposed."
She found that semen volume and total sperm count (which also affect a man's
fertility) were associated with prenatal alcohol exposure; these were
highest in sons whose mothers drank 1-1.5 drinks a week. The researchers
could find no association between alcohol exposure and the movement and
shape of the sperm or with any reproductive hormones such as testosterone.
Dr Ramlau-Hansen said: "Our finding that sons prenatally exposed to 1-1.5
drinks per week had higher semen volume and total sperm count compared to
the least exposed group is not surprising and is quite a common finding when
studying alcohol. It could indicate that small amounts of alcohol have a
beneficial effect (for example, on the semen-producing tissue in the foetal
testes), but, in fact, we believe this result may be biased by the
characteristics of the women drinking small amounts of alcohol during
pregnancy or by inaccurate reporting of alcohol consumption. Therefore, it
is not possible to draw a firm conclusion from this result."
The researchers also investigated whether fathers' alcohol consumption had
any effect. "We investigated the association between fathers' total alcohol
intake and semen quality in the sons and found that paternal alcohol was not
associated with semen volume or sperm concentration. This finding suggests
that the observed associations between maternal alcohol consumption and
sons' semen quality are not confounded by lifestyle factors that are shared
by a couple, such as smoking," said Dr Ramlau-Hansen.
She concluded: "If further research shows that maternal alcohol consumption
is a cause of reduced semen concentration in male offspring, then we are a
bit closer to an explanation of why semen quality may have decreased during
the last decades and why it differs between populations. If exposure to
alcohol in foetal life causes poor semen quality in adult life, we would
expect that populations with many pregnant women drinking, possibly heavily,
in pregnancy would have lower fertility in comparison with populations of
where pregnant women do not drink."
Amazing Images of Ovulation!
When you consider how detailed our understanding of the biological processes of the human body are, down to the DNA helicases which unzip the foundational blueprints for life, our understanding of the reproductive cycles of women seem fuzzy at best.
Physiological study of the processes and disorders that affect only women have historically been behind the times, but there is more to it then just that. Men are constantly producing sperm, so we investigate the exact processes surrounding this process basically anytime.
We can constantly see the immature sperm, known as spermatozoon, forming and growing within the seminiferous tubules. We have filmed this process, and we have thousands of close-up photos of sperm as they are swimming, and photos of the sperm bonding with the ovum.
One of the reasons that we have such amazing photos of sperm while they are swimming is because we can create a laboratory environment to keep the sperm alive and allow them to flourish. We can even film conception in a petri dish, taking away variables of time or physical constraints.
Ovulation, however, has always been a tricky little bugger. It has been assumed that ovulation in humans is quite similar to that which occurs in other animals, but most photos of human ovulation have been blurry and often only showed the follicle before it released the ovum.
NewScience just published an article announcing that Jacques Donnez, a Belgium scientist, accidentally captured the clearest detailed photos of human ovulation yet. He was performing a hysterectomy on a woman, and happened to capture the ovulation. The most interesting feature, apparently, was the amount of time that the ovulation took. It has been assumed that the actual process of ovulation took only seconds, but in this instance Donnez reported that it lasted at least fifteen minutes.
This is really exciting, if only because it means that we have cooler pictures for future editions of overpriced textbooks. For centuries our only understanding of the human body came from a limited number of autopsies which had been done in Alexandria, before the church had outlawed human dissection completely. When Rene Descartes finally explained to the church that the soul was located in the pineal gland, in the mid 17th century, they began to allow scientists to dissect human bodies.
Even after dissection was allowed, the female reproductive system was not well understood. Even the most basic anatomy of the female sexual organs was misunderstood. For instance, a Stanford science teacher says that our understanding of the uterus has changed greatly over the years:
"For centuries, its structure was thought to reveal the mysteries of the number and sex of its offspring. "It is hollow and villous within, smooth outside, divided into seven cells, and has two openings," wrote Master Nicolaus, reflecting the standard view that the womb had as many divisions as the days of the week and could yield a maximum of seven children at a time. Mondino de' Liuzzi affirmed this idea in 1316. Others divided the womb simply into two parts, arguing that males were born on the right side and females on the left. "Woman was endowed with two wombs," wrote Moses Maimonides in the late twelfth century, arguing that they corresponded to the number of breasts. Many insisted on a central cell in which hermaphrodites were born. Finally, anatomists argued for the presence of uterine horns, an error that arose from dissecting animals."Thankfully, most of these misunderstandings have been cleared up with time and further investigation. That is why science rocks. It is able to self-correct the false assumptions or confused conclusions of the previous thinkers.
These newest photos by Donnez can only help to further expand our understanding of this fascinating step in the process of human reproduction. To finally be able to clearly see that exact moment of ovulation, is invaluable as a teaching tool, and may possibly spark future research in this area.
Exposure to flame retardants linked to changes in thyroid hormones
Exposure to flame retardants linked to changes in thyroid hormones
BERKELEY — Pregnant women with higher blood levels of a common flame retardant had altered thyroid hormone levels, a result that could have implications for fetal health, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
A new study shows that PBDE flame retardants alter thyroid function in pregnant women."This is the first study with a sufficient sample size to evaluate the association between PBDE flame retardants and thyroid function in pregnant women," said the study’s lead author, Jonathan Chevrier, a UC Berkeley researcher in epidemiology and in environmental health sciences. "Normal maternal thyroid hormone levels are essential for normal fetal growth and brain development, so our findings could have significant public health implications. These results suggest that a closer examination between PBDEs and these outcomes is needed."
PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are a class of organobromine compounds found in common household items such as carpets, textiles, foam furnishings, electronics and plastics. U.S. fire safety standards implemented in the 1970s led to increased use of PBDEs, which can leach out into the environment and accumulate in human fat cells.
Studies suggest that PBDEs can be found in the blood of up to 97 percent of U.S. residents, and at levels 20 times higher than those of people in Europe. Because of California's flammability laws, residents in this state have some of the highest exposures to PBDEs in the world.
"Despite the prevalence of these flame retardants, there are few studies that have examined their impact on human health," said the study’s principal investigator, Brenda Eskenazi, UC Berkeley professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health. "Our results suggest that exposure to PBDE flame retardants may have unanticipated human health risks."
The new study, to be published June 21 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, is the second study to come out this year from Eskenazi's research group linking PBDEs to human health effects. Eskenazi was the principal investigator on the earlier study that found that women with higher exposures to flame retardants took longer to get pregnant.
In the new study, the researchers analyzed blood samples from 270 women taken around the end of their second trimester of pregnancy. The women in the study were part of a larger longitudinal study from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) that examines environmental exposures and reproductive health.
The researchers measured concentrations of 10 PBDE chemicals, two types of thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). They controlled for such factors as maternal smoking, alcohol and drug use, and exposure to lead and pesticides.
Analysis focused on the five PBDE chemicals that were detected most frequently and are components of a mixture called pentaBDE. The researchers found that a 10-fold increase in each of the PBDE chemicals was associated with decreases in TSH ranging from 10.9 percent to 18.7 percent. When the five PBDEs were analyzed together, a tenfold increase was linked to a 16.8 percent decrease in TSH.
The study did not find a statistically significant effect of PBDE concentrations on levels of T4. With one exception, all the women in the study with low TSH levels had normal free T4 levels, which corresponds to the definition of subclinical hyperthyroidism. The study found that odds of subclinical hyperthyroidism were increased 1.9 times for each tenfold increase in PBDE concentrations.
"Low TSH and normal T4 levels are an indication of subclinical hyperthyroidism, which is often the first step leading toward clinical hyperthyroidism," said Chevrier. "Though the health effect of subclinical hyperthyroidism during pregnancy is not well understood, maternal clinical hyperthyroidism is linked to altered fetal neurodevelopment, increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth and intrauterine growth retardation."Exactly how flame retardants influence TSH levels is unclear, the researchers said, but animal studies have shown that certain PBDEs can mimic thyroid hormones.
In addition to the commercial mixture pentaBDE, octaBDE and decaBDE have been developed for use as commercial flame retardants. PentaBDE and octaBDE have both been banned for use by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the European Union and eight U.S. states, including California, but they are still present in products made before 2004.
The production of decaBDE by major manufacturers is scheduled to be phased out in the United States by 2013. However, pentaBDE and decaBDE are being replaced by new brominated and chlorinated compounds whose impact on human health is not yet clear, the researchers noted.
Other co-authors of the study are Kim Harley and Asa Bradman, associate directors at the Center for Children's Environmental Health Research at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health; Myriam Gharbi, a doctoral student at the Pasteur Institute in France; and Andreas Sjödin, chief of the Combustion Products and Persistent Pollutants Laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States provided support for this research.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2010/06/21_pbde.shtml