Antioxidant effects of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women.

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: Postmenopausal women are more likely to develop coronary artery disease than premenopausal women of the same age. Postmenopausal oral oestrogen therapy is associated with increased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and decreased levels of lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. In this study we investigated the direct contribution of hormone replacement therapy on total antioxidant capacity rather than its effects on the serum lipid profile. METHODS: At the time of enrolment and after the drug delivery plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), HDL, LDL, uric acid, total bilirubin, albumin, oestradiol levels and total antioxidant capacity of plasma were assessed. RESULTS: Levels of plasma TG and total antioxidant capacity were significantly increased in the study group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that oestrogen has an antioxidant effect following 3 months of hormone replacement therapy. Progesterone in combination with oestrogen does not have this effect. Also plasma TG levels increased in those patients receiving HRT after 3 months.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux finding scores correlate with gastroesophageal reflux disease and Helicobacter pylori expression.

CONCLUSION: The expression of Helicobacter pylori (HP) positivity and degree of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) correlate with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). HP positivity and degree of GERD were more adverse in patients with a reflux finding score (RFS) of 7 or more. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the relationship between RFS and inflammation of the lower part of the esophagus as well as RFS and HP infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-five consecutive patients were analyzed prospectively. The degree of LPR was evaluated using the RFS method. The degree of GERD, lower esophageal mucosal inflammation, and antral HP positivity were evaluated using endoscopic surveys. RESULTS: The mean RFS of the whole population was 11.5+/-4.4. The mean RFS of patients who had lower esophageal mucosal inflammation was 7+/-0.1, 8.1+/-1.3, 13.9+/-3.7, and 16.6+/-3.5, for grades A, B, C and D, respectively. The RFS of patients according to HP expression was as follows: 7.2+/-0.4, 9.3+/-3.07, 12.7+/-3.16, and 17.8+/-2.1, for normal (score 0), score I, score II, and score III, respectively.

Global fibrinolytic capacity increased exponentially in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancers are one of the most common malignancies associated with coagulation abnormalities ranging from asymptomatic laboratory changes to massive thromboembolism or hemorrhage. It was previously shown that global fibrinolytic was increased in non-metastatic colorectal cancer. In this study global fibrinolytic capacity was measured in patients with colorectal cancer and metastatic liver disease, which always more commonly displays various coagulation disorders. Nineteen patients with biopsy-proven colorectal cancer, 30 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and 20 healthy control subjects were involved into the study. Using standart silicated fibrin pellets and tissue plasminogen activator, fibrinolytic capacity of the plasmas was detected with the amount of d-dimer produced before the reaction was stopped by adding aprotinin to the medium. Mean global fibrinolytic capacity (GFC) was increased to higher levels in patients with metastatic disease compared to levels in non-metastatic disease (p<0.05). Fibrinogen/GFC ratio correlated to the increase of d-dimer levels. Global fibrinolytic capacity was much higher in metastatic disease, reflecting a progression to overt disseminated intravascular coagulation.