State of hormonal balance in adolescent girls with menstrual function disorders associated with obesity.

Investigation of the mechanisms promoting the development of menstrual function disorders associated with obesity in adolescent girls is one of the most important issues of modern medicine. This study included 110 patients. 79 patients aged 12-18 with menstrual disorders associated with obesity were divided into two groups: group 1: 46 patients with apparent signs of hyperandrogenism, group 2: 33 patients without clinical manifestations of hyperandrogenism. The control group included 31 girls of the same age with a regular menstrual cycle. The complex of hormone examination of adolescent girls included determination of serum content: gonadotropic hormones (luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL), estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), progesterone (PR), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate; insulin (In) - radioisotope method on a gamma counter "Narcotest" (reagents "IMMUNOTECH", Czech Republic). We identified hyperleptinemia and leptin resistance in patients with menstrual function impairment associated with obesity. In group I, the adiponectin level exceeded the values of the control group (p<0.05). The results revealed a decrease in A/L in group I - 5.4 times compared with patients in group II (p<0.05) and 4.3 times - compared with the control group (p<0.05). The results revealed a decrease in A/L among girls in the group I with MFI associated with obesity - 4.3 times - compared with girls in the control group (p<0,05).

Melatonin Levels Decrease in the Umbilical Cord in Case of Intrauterine Growth Restriction.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a common reason for perinatal morbidity and mortality. Also, it is often complicated with fetal distress. Melatonin is widely known as an anti-oxidant agent, and it might decrease the damage of tissues caused by hypoxia. It is also known that levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are changed during pregnancy. Placental growth factor (PlGF) is responsible for the angiogenesis in the placenta. We aimed to investigate whether the level of melatonin, cytokines, and PlGF in umbilical blood after birth is different in the case of IUGR compared to normal fetuses. Fourteen women whose pregnancies were complicated with IUGR were included in the study group. The presence of IUGR was confirmed by ultrasound fetometry in the third pregnancy trimester, 30-36 weeks of gestation. All patients delivered their children vaginally after 37 weeks of pregnancy. The cases of severe fetal distress that required a caesarian section, obstetrical forceps, or vacuum extraction of the fetus were excluded from the study. We found that the concentrations of cytokines did not differ significantly between the groups. Also, no significant difference in the daytime of delivery was found between the groups. The concentrations of melatonin and PlGF in the umbilical blood at labor were significantly lowered in the case of IUGR compared to normal pregnancies. This fact, as we consider, is caused by altered production of melatonin and PlGF by the placenta. Therefore, the protective action of these two factors for the fetus at labor is decreased in IUGR.