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Adipocytokines may play a role in the pathogenesis of cancer or obesity-related complications in menopause. Estrogen therapy may reduce these complications by changing the levels of adipocytokines.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of tibolone on abdominal subcutaneous fat, serum leptin levels (SLLs), and anthropometric indices, and to investigate potential relationships between SLLs, subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness, and anthropometric indices in postmenopausal women. In a 6-mo, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 40 healthy postmenopausal women aged 42 to 67 y (mean: 50+/-4.7 y) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups; during a 6-mo treatment period, the first group received tibolone (Livial tablet; Organon, The Netherlands; 2.5 mg/d; n=19) and the other group was given placebo (n=21). Fasting SLLs determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness assessed by ultrasound, and anthropometric indices of body weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were recorded at the beginning and the end of the study. Statistical analyses were performed with Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, and Spearman tests. P values <.05 were considered significant. No significant differences between the 2 groups were reported in terms of all baseline characteristics. After 6 mo, body weight (+0.77+/-0.43 kg) and SLLs (+14.7+/-6.4 ng/mL) increased in the placebo control group, whereas waist circumference (-2.6+/-3.0 cm), hip circumference (-3.6+/-3.5 cm), and subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness (-4.3+/-4.8 cm) decreased significantly in the tibolone group (P<.05). At the end of the study, group comparisons revealed significant differences in waist and hip circumference and subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness (P<.05). At baseline, SLLs were correlated with subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness and all anthropometric indices except WHR (P<.05). Subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness was also highly correlated with all indices except WHR (P<.0001). Tibolone was found to decrease waist and hip circumference, as well as subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness. Also, tibolone appeared to attenuate weight gain and leptin increase. SLLs and subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness were positively correlated with all anthropometric indices except WHR.

The purpose of the study was to assess whether it is possible to reduce the oxidative damage using antioxidant agents combined with hormone replacement therapy after menopause. In this prospective experimental study, 50 mature female Wistar albino rats weighing 270-310 g were used. Rats were divided into the following six groups: (1) Ovx group (n=7): the animals underwent bilateral ovariectomy. No drug was administered following bilateral ovariectomy. (2) Ovx+ E 2 group (n=7): bilateral ovariectomy+17β-estradiol (100 μg/kg/day); (3) Ovx+E 2 +MT5 group (n=7): bilateral ovariectomy+17β-estradiol (100 μg/kg/day)+mel-atonin (5 mg/kg/day); (4) Ovx+E 2 +MT20 group (n=7): bilateral ovariectomy+17β-estradiol (100 μg/kg/day)+ melatonin (20 mg/kg/day); (5) Ovx+E 2 +Dxp250 group (n = 7): bilateral ovariectomy + 17β-estradiol (100 μg/kg/day)+dexpanthenol (250 mg/kg/day); (6) Ovx+E 2 +Dxp500 group (n=7): bilateral ovariectomy + 17β-estradiol (100 μg/kg/day) + dexpanthenol (500 mg/kg/day), and the activity of these antioxidative enzymes and oxidative stress products were measured. Enzymatic activity levels of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px), and glutathione reductase and levels of free radicals (malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide) were both analyzed. We observed an increase in the level of GSH activity, but no significant differences in levels of CAT, SOD, and GSH-Px enzymatic activity and in levels of free radical MDA following 17β-estradiol or additional antioxidant treatment (melatonin or dexpanthenol). Despite the present study indicating that the addition of melatonin and dexpanthenol into the hormone replacement therapy regimen may contribute to the antioxidant effect of estrogen, the existence of limited data in this field indicates that further studies are warranted.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and adiponectin and lipid profile in the ovariectomized-aged rats.Materials and Methods:Wistar albino rats were first divided into two groups; control (C) and ovariectomized (OVX). Bilateral ovariectomy were carried out on rats (n = 30) except control group (n = 10). After 6 weeks from ovariectomy, ovariectomized rats were subdivided into three groups; one group received no treatment (OVX), two groups received low dose (OVX + Cap5; 5 mg/kg/day) and high dose (OVX + Cap20; 20 mg/kg/day) captopril (Cap). Body weights were monitored weekly. Adiponectin, triglyceride, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) levels were measured at the end of the 6 weeks.Results:In the OVX group, body weights increased (P < 0.001). In the OVX + Cap20 group, body weights significantly decreased compared with the OVX group during weeks 5 and 6 (P < 0.05). While adiponectin levels increased in the OVX + Cap5 group (P = 0.014), triglyceride and cholesterol levels decreased in the OVX + Cap20 group (P = 0.016 and P < 0.001, respectively) compared to the OVX group. HDL-C and VLDL-C levels decreased only in OVX + Cap20 group (P < 0.005).Conclusions:ACE inhibitors may be decreasing the ovariectomy-induced weight gain by increasing adiponectin levels, and by affecting lipid profiles. The adipose tissue renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may be playing an important role in the development of adiposity.

Granulocytic sarcomas are extramedullary tumors (EMD) of malignant myeloid precursor cells. EMD or granulocytic sarcoma of ovary is rare disease. A 15-year-old girl had complaints of abdominal pain and weight loss for 3 months. On physical examination, there were hepatosplenomegaly and a painless mass under the umbilicus. Breast development was grade II. There was no clitoris hypertrophy. Her labia majora were separate and vagina hypoplastic. Hemoglobin level was 9.3 g/dl, white blood cells count 2.8 x 10(6)/1, platelet count 31.6 x 10(9)/1. There were dysplastic features in the blood and bone marrow cells. There were 10 and 22% blasts in the peripheral blood smear and bone marrow, respectively. The levels of serum follicle stimulating and luteinizing hormones were high. An inguinal mass (diameter 9.5 x 7.6) cm was detected on computed tomography. The histopathological diagnosis of this was obtained from laporascopy was composed of ovotestis and there was marked blastic infiltration in this ovotestis which had myeloid markers on flow cytometry. In the immunohistochemical analyses of ovotestis and bone marrow, blasts were positive for LCA, CD-13, CD-33 and CD 68. The cytogenetic analysis of the bone marrow shaved 46 XY karyotype. No response was achieved with combination chemotherapy and the patient died from progressive leukemia. Here we report a rare patient with myelodysplastic syndrome, EMD and hermaphroditism. To our knowledge this is the first case of MDS, EMD and hermaphroditism.

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Objective: The effect of smoking on the activated protein C (APC) ratio in normal gestation was systematically investigated. The frequency of acquired APC resistance (APCR) in the smoking and non-smoking subjects with normal follow-up of pregnancy and the outcome observed in these two groups were documented. Study Design: A total of 180 normal pregnant women (non-smokers 138, smokers 42) in different trimesters of gestation admitted to the hospital were enrolled into a cross-sectional study. APC ratio, factor V, factor VIII, protein S and protein C were quantitated. Factor V Leiden mutation analyses were performed by real-time PCR. Results: This cross-sectional study tries to detail the effect of smoking on APCR together with the changes in some components of the protein C/protein S system which may contribute to alterations in the APC ratio in normal gestation. A decreased APC ratio observed in pregnancy was statistically significant in the smokers (p = 0.03). When the trimesters were taken into consideration, APC ratios were significantly lower in the third trimester in the smokers compared with the non-smokers in the same trimesters (p = 0.001). The difference in the APC ratio between the groups in early pregnancy was not significant. Conclusion: These studies have demonstrated that the modified test abolishes the pregnancy-related effect on the APCRs in normal pregnant non-smoking women presumably by normalization of coagulation factors (except factor V). Our result for the non-smoking group is consistent with data provided in previous studies. However, we noted a very significant decrease in the APC ratio in smoking pregnant women in the third trimester, most likely secondary to decreased factor V levels.