Ameliorative effect of nicotine exposure on insulin resistance is accompanied by decreased cardiac glycogen synthase kinase-3 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 during oral oestrogen-progestin therapy.

CONTEXT: Cigarette smoking is considered to be a major risk factor for the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Oestrogen-progestin combined oral contraceptive (COC) use has been associated with adverse cardiometabolic events. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that nicotine would ameliorate insulin resistance (IR) that is accompanied by decreased cardiac glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). METHODS: Female Wistar rats received (po) low-(0.1 mg/kg) or high-nicotine (1.0 mg/kg) with or without COC containing 5.0 µg levonorgestrel plus 1.0 µg ethinylestradiol daily for 8 weeks. RESULTS: Data showed that COC treatment or nicotine exposure led to IR, glucose deregulation, atherogenic dyslipidemia, increased corticosterone, aldosterone, cardiac and circulating GSK-3 values and PAI-1. However, these effects with the exception of corticosterone and aldosterone were ameliorated in COC + nicotine-exposed rats. CONCLUSION: Amelioration of IR induced by COC treatment is accompanied by decreased circulating PAI-1, cardiac PAI-1 and GSK-3 instead of circulating aldosterone and corticosterone.

Effect of oral contraceptive with and without associated estriol on ultrasound measurements of breast fibroadenoma: randomized clinical trial.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Fibroadenomas are the most common benign tumors of the female breast. The aim of this study was to evaluate the proliferative activity of breast fibroadenoma as shown by ultrasound measurements, following administration of oral contraceptives with and without associated estriol. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial carried out in the Mastology Sector, Department of Gynecology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo. METHODS: We studied 33 women with fibroadenomas. Ten were placed in group 1 and took an oral contraceptive consisting of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol together with placebo material in the same capsule, for four consecutive cycles with a seven-day interval between them. The other 23 patients constituted group 2 and took the oral contraceptive as above together with estriol in the same capsule, in the same way as done by the group 1 patients. We took ultrasound measurements of their tumors (in three dimensions) before and after the intake of medication. At the end of the study, all the patients had their tumors removed by surgery. RESULTS: We observed decreased fibroadenoma width among the users of oral contraceptives with placebo, and this decrease was statistically significant. In the other group, we did not observe any changes (in width, length or height). CONCLUSION: The results confirm that estriol may block the protective effect of oral contraceptives on fibroadenomas, since we observed decreased fibroadenoma width among the group 1 patients but not the group 2 patients.

Effect of oral contraceptive with and without associated estriol on ultrasound measurements of breast fibroadenoma: randomized clinical trial

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Fibroadenomas are the most common benign tumors of the female breast. The aim of this study was to evaluate the proliferative activity of breast fibroadenoma as shown by ultrasound measurements, following administration of oral contraceptives with and without associated estriol. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial carried out in the Mastology Sector, Department of Gynecology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo. METHODS: We studied 33 women with fibroadenomas. Ten were placed in group 1 and took an oral contraceptive consisting of levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol together with placebo material in the same capsule, for four consecutive cycles with a seven-day interval between them. The other 23 patients constituted group 2 and took the oral contraceptive as above together with estriol in the same capsule, in the same way as done by the group 1 patients. We took ultrasound measurements of their tumors (in three dimensions) before and after the intake of medication. At the end of the study, all the patients had their tumors removed by surgery. RESULTS: We observed decreased fibroadenoma width among the users of oral contraceptives with placebo, and this decrease was statistically significant. In the other group, we did not observe any changes (in width, length or height). CONCLUSION: The results confirm that estriol may block the protective effect of oral contraceptives on fibroadenomas, since we observed decreased fibroadenoma width among the group 1 patients but not the group 2 patients.

CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: Fibroadenomas são os tumores benignos mais comuns na mama feminina. Avaliamos a atividade proliferativa do fibroadenoma mamário por medidas ultra-sonográficas após a administração de anticoncepcional hormonal combinado oral, associado ou não ao estriol. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Ensaio clínico randomizado, duplo-cego, placebo-controlado, realizado na Universidade Federal de São Paulo. MÉTODOS: Foram estudadas 33 pacientes portadoras de fibroadenoma, do setor de Mastologia da Disciplina de Ginecologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo, sendo que 10 mulheres constituíram o grupo 1 e utilizaram anticoncepcional oral composto de levonorgestrel e etinilestradiol, associados a um comprimido de placebo, na mesma cápsula, por quatro ciclos consecutivos, com intervalo de sete dias entre os mesmos. As restantes 23 pacientes alocaram-se no grupo 2 e ingeriram, além do anticoncepcional oral descrito acima, um comprimido de estriol, que foi manufaturado conjuntamente ao anticoncepcional, em uma mesma cápsula, sendo utilizado da mesma forma que nas pacientes do grupo 1. Realizamos medidas ultra-sonográficas dos tumores (três dimensões) antes e após a ingestão da medicação. Ao término do estudo, as pacientes sofreram exérese de suas tumorações. RESULTADOS: Obtivemos diminuição da largura nos fibroadenomas de pacientes usuárias apenas de anticoncepcional oral e esse resultado foi estatisticamente significante. Não houve alteração de nenhuma dimensão (largura, altura ou comprimento) no outro grupo. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados corroboraram que o estriol bloquearia o efeito protetor do anticoncepcional hormonal combinado oral sobre os fibroadenomas, já que observamos diminuição na largura dos fibroadenomas das pacientes do grupo 1 e não do grupo 2.

Dentists, pills and pregnancies.

Unplanned pregnancies may occur if antibiotics are prescribed to women using the combined oral contraceptive pill. To investigate awareness of the potential for this interaction among general dental practitioners, the authors designed a cross-sectional questionnaire based study and sent it out to a random sample of GDPs in Scotland.

17beta-oestradiol and Enovid mammary tumorigenesis in C3H/HeJ female mice: counteraction by concurrent 2-bromo-alpha-ergocryptine.

Chronic administration of 17beta-oestradiol (via drinking water) or the oral contraceptive Enovid (norethynodrel and mestranol) (0-1 mg injected s.c. twice weekly) to nulliparous C3H/HeJ female mice, beginning at one month of age and terminating at 20 months (17beta-oestradiol) or 22 months (Enovid), significantly increased the incidence of mammary tumours over solvent-treated controls. Concurrent treatment of the steroid-treated mice with 2-bromo-alpha-ergocryptine (CB-154) (0-1 mg s.c. injected daily) significantly reduced mammary tumour incidence and mammary hyperplastic nodule development to the control level. CB-154 is an efficacious inhibitor of pituitary prolactin secretion. These results demonstrate that steroid-induced mammary gland dysplasias can be sharply reduced by chronic CB-154 treatment, and suggest that some of the mammary tumorigenic activities of oestrogenic steroids in C3H mice are mediated via an increased secretion of pituitary prolactin.