Singlet Pathway to the Ground State of Ultracold Polar Molecules.

Starting from weakly bound Feshbach molecules, we demonstrate a two-photon pathway to the dipolar ground state of bi-alkali molecules that involves only singlet-to-singlet optical transitions. This pathway eliminates the search for a suitable intermediate state with sufficient singlet-triplet mixing and the exploration of its hyperfine structure, as is typical for pathways starting from triplet dominated Feshbach molecules. By selecting a Feshbach state with a stretched singlet hyperfine component and controlling the laser polarizations, we assure coupling to only single hyperfine components of the A^{1}Σ^{+} excited potential and the X^{1}Σ^{+} rovibrational ground state. In this way an ideal three level system is established, even if the hyperfine structure is not resolved. We demonstrate this pathway with ^{6}Li^{40}K molecules, and discuss its application to other important molecular species.

Fat distribution, endocrine and metabolic profile in obese women with and without hirsutism.

The relationship between adipose tissue distribution, androgen levels, and metabolic complications of obesity was studied in 20 hirsute and 20 nonhirsute obese premenopausal women. The group of hirsute women showed preferentially an upper body type of obesity as assessed by the waist-to-hip ratio (0.902 + 0.017 v 0.778 +/- 0.015, P less than .01). They had higher serum concentrations of total testosterone (100.4 + 11.7 v 48.8 +/- 4.5 ng/dL, P less than .01) and lower levels of serum sex-hormone-binding globulin (28.1 +/- 3.6 v 44.0 + 4.2 nmol/L, P less than .05) exhibiting an increased androgenic activity as compared to the nonhirsute women. Serum glucose and insulin levels after an oral glucose load were significantly higher in the hirsute women. In addition, the group of hirsute females has significantly higher fasting concentrations of total cholesterol (5.82 +/- 0.28 v 4.75 +/- 0.14 mmol/L, P less than .05) and triglycerides (2.51 +/- 0.38 v 1.14 +/- 0.10 mmol/L, P less than .01). The hirsute group also showed higher systolic (166.7 +/- 5.1 v 142.1 +/- 4.5 mm Hg, P less than .01) and diastolic (100.9 +/- 3.6 v 85.2 +/- 2.5 mm Hg, P less than .01) blood pressure values than the nonhirsute women. Analysis of correlation revealed that an increasing waist-to-hip ratio was accompanied by increasing testosterone levels (r = .39, P less than .05) and by decreasing sex-hormone-binding globulin levels (r = .37, P less than .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Distribution of adipose tissue and complications of obesity in overweight women with and without hirsutism]. / Fettgewebsverteilung und Adipositaskomplikationen bei übergewichtigen Frauen mit und ohne Hirsutismus.

A correlation between the serum androgen levels and the distribution pattern of adipose tissue as well as occurrence of complications of obesity were investigated in 24 obese women with and without hirsutism. The hirsute women (n = 12) displayed higher androgen levels than the women without hirsutism (n = 12) of the same age and weight and possessed a more abdominally pronounced distribution of adipose tissue measured as the quotient of waist and hip circumference (0.87 +/- 0.08 as compared to 0.76 +/- 0.06; P less than 0.05). In addition, the overweight women with hirsutism had higher fasting triglyceride levels as well as higher values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Overall, a positive correlation was found between testosterone and the ratio of waist and hip circumference (r = 0.40; P less than 0.05) and the values of diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.51; P less than 0.01). Moreover, the ratio of waist and hip circumference correlated with the systolic blood pressure values (r = 0.61; P less than 0.001), the fasting triglyceride levels (r = 0.42; P less than 0.05) as well as the basal insulin concentration (r = 0.48; P less than 0.05). These results are an indication that raised androgens predispose to accumulation of fat in the abdominal region. In turn, an android distribution of adipose tissue is associated with more frequent metabolic disorders and vascular hypertension.

Urinary pregnanetriol and delta 5-pregnentriol in women with idiopathic hirsutism.

Urinary pregnanetriol and delta 5-pregnenetriol were determined in 90 normal women and in 90 women with idiopathic hirsutism of comparable age group. When group Student's "t"-test was carried out, the mean steroid excretion values in hirsute women were found to be significant with delta 5-pregnenetriol more significant than pregnanetriol. Of the 90 women with hirsutism, 8 patients had pregnanetriol and delta 5-pregnenetriol values higher than normal. When, on the basis of these elevated values, the women were sent for a thorough gynaecological investigation, they were found to have the polycystic ovary syndrome. After wedge resection, the diagnosis was confirmed and the urinary excretion of pregnanetriol and delta 5-pregnenetriol came down to a normal level. This study shows that, in the case of women with idiopathic hirsutism suspected of any ovarian disorder, the measurement of these two steroids could be of diagnostic importance.

The pattern of urinary excretion of corticosteroids in Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

Urinary total 17-oxogenic steroids (17-OGS), cortisol, cortisone, corticosterone, tetrahydrocortisol (THF), allo-tetrahydrocortisol (all-THF), tetrahydrocortisone (THE), cortols and cortolones, were estimated by established methods in 30 female and 20 male rhesus monkeys. The pattern of the excretion of these steroids in this species was comparable with the human corticosteroids excretion, irrespective of sex difference. The results obtained from this investigation show that they could be used during the study of adrenocortical function and cortisol metabolism in this species.

Urinary testosterone and epitestosterone excretions in women with idiopathic hirsutism.

Urinary testosterone and epitestosterone were determined in 90 normal healthy women and in 90 women with idiopathic hirsutism, both groups aged between 16 and 46 years. Testosterone and epitestosterone excretion values were above the normal range in 27 of the 90 hirsute women (30%), and these 27 women had much more prominent hair growth than the others. When these results were statistically analysed according to the age groups or for all ages as a whole, they were found to be highly significant (P less than 0.0005). Therefore, it is concluded that the estimation of urinary testosterone and epitestosterone could be meaningfully applied to study the androgen status of hirsute women.

Urinary cortisol and cortisol metabolites in women with idiopathic hirsutism.

Urinary unconjugated cortisol, total 17-oxogenic steroids and cortisol metabolites (THF, allo-THF, THE, cortol and cortolone) were measured in 90 normal women and in 90 women with idiopathic hirsutism of comparable age group. After carrying out Student's "t"-test, the mean steroid excretion values in hirsute women were significantly higher than those from normal females. The results indicate that, due to stress, these hirsute women do have altered adrenocortical function, as assessed by the estimation of these corticosteroids of which urinary unconjugated cortisol was found to be the most sensitive index.

Urinary dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate excretion in women with idiopathic hirsutism.

Urinary dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHAS) concentration was measured as DHA in 100 non-obese females with idiopathic hirsutism, while, at the same time, a similar number of normal males and normal females, of comparable age group and with normal body weight, were also included in this study. The method applied involved hydrolysis of DHA-sulphate conjugate after boiling the urine samples, followed by ether extraction of the free steroid, evaporation of ether, Girard T separation of ketones from non-ketones, paper chromatographic separation of DHAS from 6beta-hydroxy-3,5-cycloandrostan-17-one and, finally DHAS was estimated spectrophotometrically after Zimmermann reaction. For comparison, 30 urine samples were estimated by a g.l.c. procedure and good agreement was found with the spectrophotometric method. It was necessary to purify DHAS by paper chromatography before Zimmerman reaction was carried out as, in the same 30 urine samples, DHAS was consistently being overestimated. Urinary DHAS (mg/24 h) in normal males gave a mean of: 2.5+/-0.94 (SD), range: 0.35+/-4.8; in normal females, mean: 1.3+/-0.57 (SD), range: 0.28-2.6; in hirsute females, mean: 2.1+/-1.5 (SD), range: 0.65-9.7. Of these hirsute females, 26 were above the range found in normal women and mean values were higher than those from the same number of normal females of comparable age group; this was found to be significant (P less than 0.0005). These results indicate that urinary DHAS (as DHA) estimation in women with idiopathic hirsutism is clinically useful and could be applied as an index of androgen status in these women.