The University of Rochester Medical Center-led study is published in the International Journal of Andrology.

Because testosterone produces the masculine brain, researchers are concerned that fetal exposure to anti-androgens such as phthalates — which are pervasive in the environment — has the potential to alter masculine brain development, said lead author Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, director of the URMC Center for Reproductive Epidemiology, and an expert in phthalates.

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HIV occurs in multiple forms, distinguished by small differences in the virus’ genetic sequence and designated by letters A through K. Certain subtypes appear to cluster in particular areas of the world, and others have been associated with different rates of progression to full blown AIDS. Of the 35 million people living worldwide with HIV, the majority live in sub-Saharan Africa, where subtypes A, C and D dominate.

Nearly half of patients with advanced HIV infections have at least mild cognitive impairments, and about 5 percent have the severe form of cognitive impairment known as dementia.

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