Inhibin B and ovarian function after total abdominal hysterectomy in women of reproductive age

The aim of this prospective study was to assess ovarian function using clinical and endocrine parameters in women of reproductive age who underwent total abdominal hysterectomy. Sixty-one women, aged ≤ 40 years, were allocated into two groups: group 1, consisting of 31 patients who had hysterectomy, and group 2, consisting of 30 normal women. Inclusion criteria were normal ovarian function at baseline, normal body weight, no hormonal diseases and basal follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level of < 15 mIU/ml. FSH, luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol and inhibin B levels as well as maturation value (MV) were measured by vaginal cytology on three occasions: baseline, and 6 and 12 months after hysterectomy. Analysis of variance, the Friedman test, Mann-Whitney test and t-test statistics were employed to compare the two groups. At baseline the groups were homogeneous. At months 6 and 12, hysterectomized women showed decreased median values of inhibin B, increased median values of estradiol (p < 0.05), unchanged median values of FSH and LH, and decreased median values of MV (p < 0.05). In the hysterectomy group, 12.9% (4/31) of the patients had FSH levels of > 40 mIU/ml, estradiol of < 20 pg/ml and inhibin B of < 5 ng/ml, compatible with ovarian failure. In the control group, all the parameters studied remained unchanged. These results suggest that total abdominal hysterectomy accelerates the decline in ovarian function in women of reproductive age.

Influence of lower cutoff values for 100-g oral glucose tolerance test and glycemic profile for identification of pregnant women at excessive fetal growth risk

Objective: To evaluate data from patients with normal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results and a normal or impaired glycemic profile (GP) to determine whether lower cutoff values for the OGTT and GP (alone or combined) could identify pregnant women at risk for excessive fetal growth. Methods: We classified 701 pregnant women with positive screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) into 2 categories - (1) normal 100-g OGTT and normal GP and (2) normal 100-g OGTT and impaired GP - to evaluate the influence of lower cutoff points in a 100-g OGTT and GP (alone or in combination) for identification of pregnant women at excessive fetal growth risk. The OGTT is considered impaired if 2 or more values are above the normal range, and the GP is impaired if the fasting glucose level or at least 1 postprandial glucose value is above the normal range. To establish the criteria for the OGTT (for fasting and 1, 2, and 3 hours after an oral glucose load, respectively), we considered the mean (75 mg/dL, 120 mg/dL, 113 mg/dL, and 97 mg/dL), mean plus 1 SD (85 mg/dL, 151 mg/dL, 133 mg/dL, and 118 mg/dL), and mean plus 2 SD (95 mg/dL, 182 mg/dL, 153 mg/dL, and 139 mg/dL); and for the GP, we considered the mean and mean plus 1 SD (78 mg/dL and 92 mg/dL for fasting glucose levels and 90 mg/dL and 130 mg/dL for 1- or 2-hour postprandial glucose levels, respectively). Results: Subsequently, the women were reclassified according to the new cutoff points for both tests (OGTT and GP). Consideration of values, in isolation or combination, yielded 6 new diagnostic criteria. Excessive fetal growth was the response variable for analysis of the new cutoff points. Odds ratios and their respective confidence intervals were estimated, as were the sensitivity and specificity related to diagnosis of excessive fetal growth for each criterion. The new cutoff points for the tests, when used independently rather than collectively, did not help to predict excessive fetal growth in the presence of mild hyperglycemia. Conclusion: Decreasing the cutoff point for the 100-g OGTT (for fasting and 1, 2, and 3 hours) to the mean (75 mg/dL, 120 mg/dL, 113 mg/dL, and 97 mg/dL) in association with the GP (mean or mean plus 1 SD-78 mg/dL and 92 mg/dL for the fasting state and 90 mg/dL and 130 mg/dL for 1- or 2-hour postprandial values-increased the sensitivity and specificity, and both criteria had statistically significant predictive power for detection of excessive fetal growth. © 2008 AACE.

Effect of 6-months of physical exercise on the nitrate/nitrite levels in hypertensive postmenopausal women

Background: Evidences have showed that the incidence of arterial hypertension is greater in postmenopausal women as compared to premenopausal. Physical inactivity has been implicated as a major contributor to weight gain and abdominal obesity in postmenopausal women and the incidence of cardiovascular disease increases dramatically after menopause. Additionally, more women than men die each year of coronary heart disease and are twice as likely as men to die within the first year after a heart attack. A healthy lifestyle has been strongly associated with the regular physical activity and evidences have shown that physically active subjects have more longevity with reduction of morbidity and mortality. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial cells has been implicated in this beneficial effect with improvement of vascular relaxing and reduction in blood pressure in both laboratory animals and human. Although the effect of exercise training in the human cardiovascular system has been largely studied, the majority of these studies were predominantly conducted in men or young volunteers. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the effects of 6 months of dynamic exercise training (ET) on blood pressure and plasma nitrate/nitrite concentration (NOx-) in hypertensive postmenopausal women. Methods: Eleven volunteers were submitted to the ET consisting in 3 days a week, each session of 60 minutes during 6 months at moderate intensity (50% of heart rate reserve). Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, NOx- concentration were measured at initial time and after ET. Results: A significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure values was seen after ET which was accompanied by markedly increase of NOx- levels (basal: 10 ± 0.9; ET: 16 ± 2 μM). Total cholesterol was significantly reduced (basal: 220 ± 38 and ET: 178 ± 22 mg/dl), whereas triglycerides levels were not modified after ET (basal: 141 ± 89 and ET: 147 ± 8 mg/dl). Conclusion: Our study shows that changing in lifestyle promotes reducftion of arterial pressure which was accompanied by increase in nitrite/nitrate concentration. Therefore, 6-months of exercise training are an important approach in management arterial hypertension and play a protective effect in postmenopausal women. © 2009 Zaros et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Women's contribution to equality in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

The United Nations Regional Commissions: Enhancing Capacities To Eradicate Violence Against Women

This study captures the significant regional and national knowledge that has been accumulated on measuring violence against women through the interregional project "Enhancing capacities to eradicate violence against women through networking of local knowledge communities". Supported by the United Nations Development Account, this two-year project was coordinated by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), through its Division for Gender Affairs, and implemented by the five regional commissions of the United Nations, in cooperation with the United Nations Statistical Division and UN-Women. Through the project, more than 30 countries worldwide have been engaged in the development, dissemination and testing of core indicators endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission. This process has made a decisive contribution to designing and building consensus around a common methodology to measure and document violence against women. Furthermore, the inclusion of all five regions in piloting the newly-developed tools to measure violence has also ensured that these tools capture a more comprehensive and complex vision of violence as experienced by women across cultures and regions. This report presents an overview of the activities that have taken place in the five regions, and outlines the key outcomes and lessons learned. Through its activities, the interregional project has made the cumulative body of existing knowledge in terms of policies, findings, innovative practices, processes and statistical data available to policymakers, activists and women's organizations. New knowledge was also produced through national studies that examined underexplored sources of data on violence against women. National capacities to collect information on violence against women through official statistics were strengthened through targeted training activities as well as through participation in expert meetings which provided the space for an effective exchange of best practices.

The new information technologies and women: essential reflections

Includes bibliography

Effect of exercise training on the cardiovascular and biochemical parameters in women with eNOS gene polymorphism

Context: Presence of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphism has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) whereas exercise training (EX) promotes beneficial effects on CVD which is related to increased nitric oxide levels (NO). Objective: To evaluate if women with eNOS gene polymorphism at position-G894T would be less responsive to EX than those who did not carry T allele. Methods: Women were trained 3 days/week, 40 minutes session during 6 months. Cardio-biochemical parameters and genetic analysis were performed in a double-blind fashion. Results: Plasma NOx - levels were similar in both groups at baseline (GG genotype: 18.44±3.28 μM) and (GT + TT genotype: 17.19±2.43 μM) and after EX (GG: 29.20±4.33 and GT+TT: 27.38±3.12 μM). A decrease in blood pressure was also observed in both groups. Discussion and conclusion: The presence of eNOS polymorphism does not affect the beneficial effects of EX in women. © 2011 Informa UK, Ltd.

Adapted Judo training on bone-variables in postmenopausal women in pharmacological treatment

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Clinical patterns and epidemiological characteristics of facial melasma in Brazilian women

Background Melasma is a common acquired chronic hypermelanosis of sun-exposed areas which significantly impacts quality of life. There are few epidemiological studies in medical literature concerning these patients. Objective Characterize clinical and epidemiological data on Brazilian female patients with melasma. Methods A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to melasma patients treated at a dermatology clinic between 2005 and 2010. Association between variables was performed by multivariate regression models. Results We assessed 302 patients; intermediate skin phototypes III (34.4%) and IV (38.4%) were prevalent. Mean disease onset age was 27.5 ± 7.8 years and familiar occurrence of melasma was identified in 56.3%. The most commonly reported trigger factors were pregnancy (36.4%), contraceptive pills (16.2%) and intense sun exposure (27.2%). Preferred facial topographies were zygomatic (83.8%), labial superior (51.3%) and frontal (49.7%). Pregnancy induced melasma has been associated to early disease (OR = 0.86) and number of pregnancies (OR = 1.39). Childbearing was correlated to melasma extension. Older disease onset age was associated to darker skin phototypes. Co-occurrence of facial topographies supported clinical classification as centrofacial and peripheral melasma. Conclusion This population was characterized by: a high prevalence in adult females, intermediate skin phototypes, disease precipitation by hormonal stimulus and familiar genetic influence. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology © 2012 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Antioxidant Effect of Melatonin on the Functional Activity of Colostral Phagocytes in Diabetic Women

Melatonin is involved in a number of physiological and oxidative processes, including functional regulation in human milk. The present study investigated the mechanisms of action of melatonin and its effects on the functional activity of colostral phagocytes in diabetic women. Colostrum samples were collected from normoglycemic (N = 38) and diabetic (N = 38) women. We determined melatonin concentration, superoxide release, bactericidal activity and intracellular Ca2+ release by colostral phagocytes treated or not with 8-(Diethylamino) octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate hydrochloride (TMB-8) and incubated with melatonin and its precursor (N-acetyl-serotonin-NAS), antagonist (luzindole) and agonist (chloromelatonin-CMLT). Melatonin concentration was higher in colostrum samples from hyperglycemic than normoglycemic mothers. Melatonin stimulated superoxide release by colostral phagocytes from normoglycemic but not hyperglycemic women. NAS increased superoxide, irrespective of glycemic status, whereas CMTL increased superoxide only in cells from the normoglycemic group. Phagocytic activity in colostrum increased significantly in the presence of melatonin, NAS and CMLT, irrespective of glycemic status. The bactericidal activity of colostral phagocytes against enterophatogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) increased in the presence of melatonin or NAS in the normoglycemic group, but not in the hyperglycemic group. Luzindole blocked melatonin action on colostrum phagocytes. Phagocytes from the normoglycemic group treated with melatonin exhibited an increase in intracellular Ca2+ release. Phagocytes treated with TMB-8 (intracellular Ca2+ inhibitor) decreased superoxide, bactericidal activity and intracellular Ca2+ release in both groups. The results obtained suggest an interactive effect of glucose metabolism and melatonin on colostral phagocytes. In colostral phagocytes from normoglycemic mothers, melatonin likely increases the ability of colostrum to protect against EPEC and other infections. In diabetic mothers, because maternal hyperglycemia modifies the functional activity of colostrum phagocytes, melatonin effects are likely limited to anti-inflammatory processes, with low superoxide release and bactericidal activity. © 2013 Morceli et al.

Aquatic Exercise is as Effective as dry Land Training to Blood Pressure Reduction in Postmenopausal Hypertensive Women

Background and Purpose: The evidence of the benefits from regular physical activity to hypertensives is based on dry land training studies. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the effect of aquatic exercise with dry land training on hypertensive women. Methods: This is a randomized controlled study with 52 post-menopausal hypertensive women. The patients were randomly allocated in three groups: water aerobic training group (n=19), dry land aerobic training group (n=19) and a non-intervention control group (n=14). The training protocol was performed by 12weeks. Results: There were no differences among the three groups concerning basal blood pressure (BP) and biochemical variables. In water group, there was a statistically significant reduction of systolic BP from 136±16mmHg at zero week to 124±18mm Hg at 11th week and 124±15mmHg at 12th week. In dry land training group, there was a statistically significant reduction of systolic BP from 138±15mmHg at zero week to 125±10mmHg at 7th week, 127±10mmHg at 10th week and 126±9mmHg at 12th week. The control group presented no change in any of the assessed variables. No changes were carried out in any antihypertensive medications during study. Discussion: This is a randomized controlled study that demonstrates the antihypertensive efficacy of aerobic aquatic exercise. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Report of the International Meeting on Gender Statistics and Indicators for Measuring the Incidence of and Trends in Violence Against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

The International Meeting on Gender Statistics and Indicators for Measuring the Incidence of and Trends in Violence against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean met from 21 to 23 November 2001 in La Paz, Bolivia. The meeting was attended by statisticians and specialists in gender studies on violence against women from various countries of the region, specialists of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations as well as international cooperation agencies. Once the group work sessions had concluded, the specialists adopted a series of political and technical recommendations addressed to national statistical institutes, national Women's offices, victim services, Women's organizations and international cooperation agencies.

O gênero conto em Lives of Girls and Women: o labirinto de vozes em Heirs of the Living Body

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise de vocábulos recorrentes e preferenciais na obra As mulheres de Tijucopapo, de Marilene Felinto, e na respectiva tradução para o inglês The women of Tijucopapo, realizada por Irene Mathews, com base em aspectos de normalização

Pós-graduação em Estudos Linguísticos - IBILCE

Situation of unpaid work and gender in the Caribbean: The measurement of unpaid work through time-use studies

Includes bibliography.