Analysis of testosterone pulsatility in women with ovulatory menstrual cycles

Objetivo: Avaliar o padrão pulsátil da secreção da testosterona em mulheres normais. Métodos: Oito mulheres saudáveis com ciclos ovulatórios foram selecionadas. Amostras sanguíneas foram coletadas a cada dez minutos durante seis horas, começando entre 7 e 8 h da manhã, após dez horas de jejum, nas três fases do ciclo menstrual: folicular média (Dia 7), folicular tardia (Dia 12) e lútea (Dia 21). Foram mensurados: testosterona, LH e, no basal, também SHBG. Resultados: A frequência dos pulsos de testosterona, média da amplitude do pulso, porcentagem do incremento da amplitude, duração e intervalos dos pulsos foram similares nas três fases (p > 0,05). A pulsatilidade do LH foi estatisticamente diferente entre as três fases (p < 0,001), caracterizando padrão característico do ciclo ovulatório normal. Conclusões: Esses dados aumentam o conhecimento sobre o padrão de secreção da testosterona no ciclo menstrual humano e representam uma contribuição para a investigação clínica, tanto no hiperandrogenismo como na síndrome de insuficiência androgênica __________________________________________________ ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the pattern of the pulsatile secretion of testosterone in normal menstrual cycle. Methods: Eight healthy women with ovulatory menstrual cycles were enrolled. Blood samples were collected at ten-minute intervals for six hours, starting between 7 and 8 am, after a ten-hour fasting, in three phases: mid-follicular (Day 7), late follicular (Day 12) and mid-luteal phase (Day 21). Samples were assayed for testosterone, LH and the baseline also for SHBG. Results: Testosterone pulse frequency, mean amplitude pulse, percentage of increment in pulse amplitude, mean duration of pulses and pulse interval were similar in the three phases. LH pulsatility was statistically different among the three phases (p < 0.001) representing normal ovulatory cycles. Conclusions: These data increase the knowledge about the testosterone secretion profile in the human menstrual cycle and can be used as a contribution to clinical investigation in both hyperandrogenism and androgen insufficiency syndrome

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in Brazilian women with polycystic ovary syndrome

SOARES, Elvira Maria Mafaldo et al. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in Brazilian women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertility and Sterility, v.89, n.3, p.649-655, mar. 2008

Select toxic metals status of pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications in Benin City, South-South Nigeria.

Toxic metals are part of the most important groups of environmental pollutants that can bind to vital cellular components and interfere with their functions via inhalation, foods, water etc. The serum levels of toxic metals (lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic) in pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications, pregnant women without history of pregnancy complication and non-pregnant women in Benin City, South – South Nigeria was investigated in this paper, with total of 135 healthy women comprising of 45 pregnant women with history of previous pregnancy complications, 45 pregnant women without history of pregnancy complications and 45 non-pregnant women without history of pregnancy complications (controls). Some demographic characteristics and 4ml of blood samples were obtained from each subject for the analysis of lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic by standard methods. Pregnant women with history of pregnancy complications recorded a highly significant increase in the toxic metal (lead) mean value of 25.81μg/dl as against 23.70μg/dl for pregnant women without history of pregnancy complications and 11.23μg/dl for non-pregnant (control) women without history of pregnancy complications as well as significant increases in the mean values of other toxic metals (mercury, cadmium and arsenic) compared with controls (p<0.001). The selected toxic metals (Pb, Hg, Cd and As) may be involved in the development of pregnancy complications among pregnant women in Benin City, South– South Nigeria. Lead in particular may pose threat to mothers and fetuses as its mean values in the two groups of pregnant women were well above normal.

A home-based treadmill training reduced epicardial and abdominal fat in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome

Introduction: The current study was designed to determine the effect of home-based treadmill training on epicardial and abdominal adipose tissue in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome (MS). A secondary objective was to identify significant correlations between imaging and conventional anthropometric parameters. Material and methods: Sixty postmenopausal women with MS volunteered for the current trial. Thirty were randomly assigned to perform a supervised home-based 16-week treadmill training program, 3 sessions/week, consisting of a warm-up, 30-40 min treadmill exercise (increasing 5-minutes each 4-weeks) at a work intensity of 60-75% of peak heart rate (increasing 5% each 4-weeks) and cooling-down. Epicardial fat thickness (EFT) was assessed by echocardiography. Abdominal fat mass in the lumbar regions L1-L4 and L4-L5 was determined by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Epicardial fat thickness and abdominal fat percentages were significantly improved after the completion of the training program. Another striking feature of the current study was the moderate correlation that was found between EFT and waist circumference (WC). Conclusion: Home-based treadmill training reduced epicardial and abdominal fat in postmenopausal women with MS. A secondary finding was that a moderate correlation was found between EFT and WC. While current investigations are promising, future studies are still required to consolidate this approach in clinical application.

CCR2 and CCR5 genes polymorphisms in women with cervical lesions from Pernambuco, Northeast Region of Brazil: a case-control study

Polymorphisms in chemokine receptors play an important role in the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) to cervical cancer (CC). Our study examined the association of CCR2-64I (rs1799864) and CCR5-Δ32 (rs333) polymorphisms with susceptibility to develop cervical lesion (CIN and CC) in a Brazilian population. The genotyping of 139 women with cervical lesions and 151 women without cervical lesions for the CCR2-64I and CCR5-Δ32 polymorphisms were performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The individuals carrying heterozygous or homozygous genotypes (GA+AA) for CCR2-64I polymorphisms seem to be at lower risk for cervical lesion [odds ratio (OR) = 0.37, p = 0.0008)]. The same was observed for the A allele (OR = 0.39, p = 0.0002), while no association was detected (p > 0.05) with CCR5-Δ32 polymorphism. Regarding the human papillomavirus (HPV) type, patients carrying the CCR2-64I polymorphism were protected against infection by HPV type 16 (OR = 0.35, p = 0.0184). In summary, our study showed a protective effect of CCR2-64I rs1799864 polymorphism against the development of cervical lesions (CIN and CC) and in the susceptibility of HPV 16 infection.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in women with unexplained infertility

Background: Genital tuberculosis (GTB) is an important cause of female infertility, especially in developing countries. The positive results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in endometrial GTB in the absence of tubal damage raise the possibility of the detection of sub-clinical or latent disease, with doubtful benefits of treatment. Objective: To evaluate the mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in endometrial biopsy samples collected from unexplained infertile women attending Yazd Research and Clinical Center for Infertility by using PCR techniques. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, 144 infertile women with unexplained infertility aged 20-35 years old and normal Histro-saplango graphy findings were enrolled. Endometrial biopsy samples from each participant were tested for mycobacterium tuberculosis detecting by PCR. In 93 patients, peritoneal fluid was also taken for culture and PCR. Results: The PCR results of endometrial specimens were negative in all cases, demonstrating that there was no GTB infection among our patients. Conclusion: Our results showed that GTB could not be considered as a major problem in women with unexplained infertility. Although, studies have indicated that PCR is a useful method in diagnosing early GTB disease in infertile women with no demonstrable evidence of tubal or endometrial involvement.

Changes in urethral sphincter size following rehabilitation in older women with stress urinary incontinence

Introduction and hypothesis The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a pelvic floor muscle (PFM) rehabilitation program on the striated urethral sphincter in women over 60 years with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We hypothesized that the PFM rehabilitation program would also exercise the striated urethral sphincter and that this would be demonstrated by hypertrophy of the sphincter on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods Women with at least weekly episodes of SUI were recruited. Participants were evaluated before and after a 12-week group PFM rehabilitation intervention with T2-weighted fast-spin-echo MRI sequences recorded in the axial plane at rest to assess urethral sphincter size. Data on SUI symptoms and their bother were also collected. No control group was included. Results Seventeen women participated in the study. The striated urethral sphincter increased significantly in thickness (21 %, p < 0.001), cross-sectional area (20 %, p = 0.003), and volume (12 %, p = 0.003) following the intervention. The reported number of incontinence episodes and their bother also decreased significantly. Conclusions This study appears to demonstrate that PFM training for SUI also trains the striated urethral sphincter and that improvement in incontinence signs and symptoms is associated with sphincter hypertrophy in older women with SUI. These findings support previous ultrasound (US) data showing an increase in urethral cross-sectional area following PFM training and extend the previous findings by more specifically assessing the area of hypertrophy and by demonstrating that older women present the same changes as younger women when assessed using MRI data.

Physical therapy for urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or low bone density : a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of 12 weekly physical therapy sessions for urinary incontinence (UI) compared with a control intervention, for reducing the number of UI episodes measured with the 7-day bladder diary, at 3 months and 1 year postrandomization. Methods: A single parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted at one outpatient public health center, in postmenopausal women aged 55 years and over with osteoporosis or low bone density and UI. Women were randomized to physical therapy (PT) for UI or osteoporosis education. The primary outcome measure was number of leakage episodes on the 7-day bladder diary, assessed at baseline, after treatment and at 1 year. The secondary outcome measures included the pad test and disease-specific quality of life and self-efficacy questionnaires assessed at the same timepoints. Results: Forty-eight women participated (24 per group). Two participants dropped out of each group and one participant was deceased before 3-month follow-up. Intention-to-treat analysis was undertaken. At 3 months and 1 year, there was a statistically significant difference in the number of leakage episodes on the 7-day bladder diary (3 mo: P = 0.04; 1 y: P = 0.01) in favor of the PT group. The effect size was 0.34 at 1 year. There were no harms reported. Conclusions: After a 12-week course of PT once per week for UI, PT group participants had a 75% reduction in weekly median number of leakage episodes, whereas the control group's condition had no improvement. At 1 year, the PT group participants maintained this improvement, whereas the control group's incontinence worsened.

Changes in urethral sphincter size following rehabilitation in older women with stress urinary incontinence

Introduction and hypothesis The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a pelvic floor muscle (PFM) rehabilitation program on the striated urethral sphincter in women over 60 years with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We hypothesized that the PFM rehabilitation program would also exercise the striated urethral sphincter and that this would be demonstrated by hypertrophy of the sphincter on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods Women with at least weekly episodes of SUI were recruited. Participants were evaluated before and after a 12-week group PFM rehabilitation intervention with T2-weighted fast-spin-echo MRI sequences recorded in the axial plane at rest to assess urethral sphincter size. Data on SUI symptoms and their bother were also collected. No control group was included. Results Seventeen women participated in the study. The striated urethral sphincter increased significantly in thickness (21 %, p < 0.001), cross-sectional area (20 %, p = 0.003), and volume (12 %, p = 0.003) following the intervention. The reported number of incontinence episodes and their bother also decreased significantly. Conclusions This study appears to demonstrate that PFM training for SUI also trains the striated urethral sphincter and that improvement in incontinence signs and symptoms is associated with sphincter hypertrophy in older women with SUI. These findings support previous ultrasound (US) data showing an increase in urethral cross-sectional area following PFM training and extend the previous findings by more specifically assessing the area of hypertrophy and by demonstrating that older women present the same changes as younger women when assessed using MRI data.

Physical therapy for urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or low bone density : a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of 12 weekly physical therapy sessions for urinary incontinence (UI) compared with a control intervention, for reducing the number of UI episodes measured with the 7-day bladder diary, at 3 months and 1 year postrandomization. Methods: A single parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted at one outpatient public health center, in postmenopausal women aged 55 years and over with osteoporosis or low bone density and UI. Women were randomized to physical therapy (PT) for UI or osteoporosis education. The primary outcome measure was number of leakage episodes on the 7-day bladder diary, assessed at baseline, after treatment and at 1 year. The secondary outcome measures included the pad test and disease-specific quality of life and self-efficacy questionnaires assessed at the same timepoints. Results: Forty-eight women participated (24 per group). Two participants dropped out of each group and one participant was deceased before 3-month follow-up. Intention-to-treat analysis was undertaken. At 3 months and 1 year, there was a statistically significant difference in the number of leakage episodes on the 7-day bladder diary (3 mo: P = 0.04; 1 y: P = 0.01) in favor of the PT group. The effect size was 0.34 at 1 year. There were no harms reported. Conclusions: After a 12-week course of PT once per week for UI, PT group participants had a 75% reduction in weekly median number of leakage episodes, whereas the control group's condition had no improvement. At 1 year, the PT group participants maintained this improvement, whereas the control group's incontinence worsened.

Distance Education in the Professionalization of People with Disability and Prison Inmates

This paper illustrates the impact of the Universidad Estatal a Distancia  (UNED, by its Spanish acronym) in supporting and professionalizing the vulnerable groups of the Costa Rican society, including prison inmates, persons with physical disability, individuals from remote areas, among others.  This study attempts to answer this type of questions: What kind of support has been provided to these sectors?  What are the challenges faced by distance education universities to succeed?  How does UNED have solved these challenges?  What is the impact of the Universidad Estatal a Distancia on the Costa Rican society for the professionalization of its population?  Documentation and statistics have been used in the study; in addition, two people who graduated from UNED were selected to illustrate the type of cases the University serves.(1) Translator’s note: It refers to the “Costa Rican Distance Education State University”.

Visiones de sí de jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad que asisten a escuelas públicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires

La presente tesis tiene como propósito central estudiar las visiones de sí de jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad incluidas en procesos de escolarización en escuelas públicas del sistema de educación tanto común como especial de la ciudad de La Plata y el Gran La Plata, provincia de Buenos Aires. La relevancia de la temática propuesta radica en que, en los estudios de juventud y género así como en los referidos al campo escolar, se observan escasas investigaciones sobre las mujeres con discapacidad. Desde una perspectiva socio-antropológica y a través de un enfoque etnográfico, se intenta comprender e interpretar las visiones de sí de las jóvenes con discapacidad en la trama de sus narrativas autobiográficas. Las estrategias metodológicas están orientadas a registrar la situación vivida por integrantes de este grupo social específico, focalizando en las relaciones entre el contexto social y cultural de pertenencia, el sexo género y la escolarización de las mujeres. El estudio realizado ha identificado que las jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad constituyen una de las poblaciones menos escolarizadas y más vulneradas en sus derechos. Asimismo, ha sido posible registrar que las visiones discapacitantes e inferiorizantes de las jóvenes están vinculadas a sus experiencias en la vida escolar, signada por rupturas, exclusiones, discontinuidades y violaciones a múltiples derechos, incluido el derecho a la educación. Se observa así la forma en que las instituciones y el sistema educativo no hacen efectivo el reconocimiento de las jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad como sujetas de derecho, prevista en la Convención sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad, de jerarquía constitucional en la Argentina

Jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad en escuelas públicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires : Problematizando los procesos de inclusión y exclusión educativa

El presente estudio tiene como objetivo general problematizar los procesos de inclusión y exclusión escolar de jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad en escuelas públicas del sistema de educación tanto común como especial de la ciudad de La Plata y el Gran La Plata, provincia de Buenos Aires. Las mujeres con discapacidad constituyen uno de los grupos más oprimidos a lo largo de la historia, prueba de ello han sido los obstáculos y limitaciones en su proceso de escolarización. Las investigaciones sobre este grupo tanto en educación como en los estudios de género y de discapacidad resultan todavía escasas, por lo que consideramos relevante el abordaje de esta temática. Desde una perspectiva foucaultiana y feminista de la discapacidad procuraremos comprender e interpretar el punto de vista de las mujeres con discapacidad a fin de lo cual hemos recreado herramientas metodológicas específicas que nos permitan acceder a las voces de las jóvenes. La investigación describe al menos tres formas de incumplimiento del derecho a la educación inclusiva y la vida independiente en la escolarización de las mujeres con discapacidad: exclusión, segregación e integración (o exclusión en la inclusión). Asimismo, analiza diferentes formas en las que la escuela, en oportunidades en alianza con las familias de las jóvenes con discapacidad, actúa, de forma opresiva y deshumanizante, negándoles el derecho a la educación y la vida independiente

Visiones de sí de jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad que asisten a escuelas públicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires

La presente tesis tiene como propósito central estudiar las visiones de sí de jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad incluidas en procesos de escolarización en escuelas públicas del sistema de educación tanto común como especial de la ciudad de La Plata y el Gran La Plata, provincia de Buenos Aires. La relevancia de la temática propuesta radica en que, en los estudios de juventud y género así como en los referidos al campo escolar, se observan escasas investigaciones sobre las mujeres con discapacidad. Desde una perspectiva socio-antropológica y a través de un enfoque etnográfico, se intenta comprender e interpretar las visiones de sí de las jóvenes con discapacidad en la trama de sus narrativas autobiográficas. Las estrategias metodológicas están orientadas a registrar la situación vivida por integrantes de este grupo social específico, focalizando en las relaciones entre el contexto social y cultural de pertenencia, el sexo género y la escolarización de las mujeres. El estudio realizado ha identificado que las jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad constituyen una de las poblaciones menos escolarizadas y más vulneradas en sus derechos. Asimismo, ha sido posible registrar que las visiones discapacitantes e inferiorizantes de las jóvenes están vinculadas a sus experiencias en la vida escolar, signada por rupturas, exclusiones, discontinuidades y violaciones a múltiples derechos, incluido el derecho a la educación. Se observa así la forma en que las instituciones y el sistema educativo no hacen efectivo el reconocimiento de las jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad como sujetas de derecho, prevista en la Convención sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad, de jerarquía constitucional en la Argentina

Jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad en escuelas públicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires : Problematizando los procesos de inclusión y exclusión educativa

El presente estudio tiene como objetivo general problematizar los procesos de inclusión y exclusión escolar de jóvenes mujeres con discapacidad en escuelas públicas del sistema de educación tanto común como especial de la ciudad de La Plata y el Gran La Plata, provincia de Buenos Aires. Las mujeres con discapacidad constituyen uno de los grupos más oprimidos a lo largo de la historia, prueba de ello han sido los obstáculos y limitaciones en su proceso de escolarización. Las investigaciones sobre este grupo tanto en educación como en los estudios de género y de discapacidad resultan todavía escasas, por lo que consideramos relevante el abordaje de esta temática. Desde una perspectiva foucaultiana y feminista de la discapacidad procuraremos comprender e interpretar el punto de vista de las mujeres con discapacidad a fin de lo cual hemos recreado herramientas metodológicas específicas que nos permitan acceder a las voces de las jóvenes. La investigación describe al menos tres formas de incumplimiento del derecho a la educación inclusiva y la vida independiente en la escolarización de las mujeres con discapacidad: exclusión, segregación e integración (o exclusión en la inclusión). Asimismo, analiza diferentes formas en las que la escuela, en oportunidades en alianza con las familias de las jóvenes con discapacidad, actúa, de forma opresiva y deshumanizante, negándoles el derecho a la educación y la vida independiente