Effect of estrogen-progestin replacement therapy on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in postmenopausal women.

Serum levels of cholesterol (Chol), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), both apolipoproteins A1 and B (Apo A1, Apo B), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), testosterone (T) and steroid hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured in postmenopausal women, before and after four different estrogen-progestin replacement therapies. Each woman was her own control to avoid genetic or socioeconomic differences. Our results showed that serum E2 and TG significantly increased and serum FSH, LH, LDH, Apo B, and Chol significantly decreased after all treatments. Serum P and T did not significantly change after any of the treatments. HDL, Apo A1 and SHBG significantly increased in the groups treated with medroxiprogesterone acetate (MPA) but not in the group treated with Norgestrel. We conclude that estrogen-progestin replacement therapy in postmenopausal women leads to profound and beneficial changes in plasma lipids and lipoproteins and that treatments with cyclic or continuous MPA could provide greater protection against coronary heart disease (CHD).

Hormonal and psychological treatment: therapeutic alternative for menopausal women?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether psychological support associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was more beneficial than replacement therapy alone. Our findings showed that HRT alone was more effective against vasomotor symptoms than HRT with psychological treatment (PT). While the combination of both treatment modalities (HRT + PT) was more effective against insomnia, nervousness, melancholy, fatigue, palpitations, and vertigo. Hormonal treatment alone and HRT with psychological treatment had little effect against paresthesia or tingling. Neither HRT alone nor HRT with psychological treatment was effective against joint and muscle pain or headache.

Effects of estrogen-progestin replacement therapy on plasma beta-endorphin levels in menopausal women.

Serum beta-endorphin, LH, FSH, estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) were measured in postmenopausal women before and after four different estrogen-progestin replacement therapies. Our result showed that serum E2 increased significantly and serum LH and FSH decreased significantly after all treatments. Serum P levels were similar before and after all treatments. Serum beta-endorphin levels increased significantly after cyclic administration of estrogen-progestin, but not after continuous administration of E2. We conclude that the frequently observed beneficial effects of estrogen-progestin replacement therapy on behavior and mood in postmenopausal women may be related to changes in peripheral opioid levels.

Prenatal ultrasound semiography of anencephaly: sonographic-pathological correlations.

A better understanding of the ultrasound findings in each of the different types of fetal anencephaly can help to reduce the number of false-negative diagnoses of this condition during the prenatal period. Errors in the estimation of the remaining cerebral tissue (angiomatous stroma, area cerebrovasculosa) can cause false-negative diagnoses or diagnostic confusion with cases of microcephaly or incomplete ossification of the cranial vault. In a retrospective study, 30 fetuses with anencephaly (diagnosed at 13-38 weeks of gestation) were grouped, in terms of their ultrasound results, according to the Nanagas classification. The ultrasound diagnoses were then correlated with those found through autopsy, to identify any errors in the ultrasound classification.

[The urinary excretion of pregnanediol during pregnancy determined by gas-liquid chromatography. III. Its relation with the obstetric results (author's transl)]. / Pregnandioluria durante el embarazo determinada por cromatografía gas-líquido. III. Relación con los resultados obstétricos.

269 determinations of urinary pregnanediol by gas-liquid chromatography were made in 140 patients during pregnancy. A relation between the pregnandioluria and the fetal results (adequacy of the weight to gestational age, Apgar score at one and five minutes of birth, umbilical artery blood PH and perinatal mortality) as well as the global evaluation of the placenta (macroscopic aspect, vascular index of Kawai et al. and Scott and Jordan index) was studied. The results show that in the cases with fetal pathology (small for date, depression, acidosis, perinatal death) as well as in the cases with placental pathology, the values of pregnanediol were significantly decreased from the first months of pregnancy, which indicate that the placental insufficiency is a very precoz chronic process and on the other hand, that the determination of urinary pregnanediol is a good method for its detection.