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Biomedical subjects

A Lanzone

Publications and source records attributed to A Lanzone.

154 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

The hypothalamic-pituitary-luteal axis in women: effects of long-term orally active opioid antagonist (naltrexone) administration.

Aim of our study is to assess the effect of a long-term oral opiate antagonist treatment during the luteal phase on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. Fourteen normovulatory women participated to the study. Immediately after the ovulation, the patients were randomly divided in two groups: in the first one women received naltrexone 50 mg/die orally (Antaxone Zambon Italy) from day 1 of the luteal phase for 7 days. In the second patients were treated with placebo for the same period and served as control group. On day 7, patients were hospitalized for a pulse pattern study followed by a GnRH test. LH, FSH, Estradiol, Progesterone were assayed. The naltrexone administration strongly increased the number as well as the amplitude of the gonadotropin pulses. The circulating P levels were also significantly higher in treated patients. The GnRH injection significantly increases the gonadotropin secretion in all patients. The stimulated LH and FSH secretion was significantly greater in treated patients when compared to controls. Such discharge of LH determined a significant increase of progesterone production in controls, but failed to stimulate the corpus luteum in treated patients. In conclusion the present paper strengthen an important role of the opioidergic system in the regulation of GnRH pulsatility in luteal phase. Moreover, our findings confirms the sensibility of the corpus luteum to LH and the possibility to stimulate the P secretion during the luteal phase.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Factors associated with climacteric symptoms in women around menopause attending menopause clinics in Italy.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain data on correlates of climacteric symptoms in women around menopause attending menopause clinics in Italy. METHODS: Since 1997 a large cross sectional study has been conducted on the characteristics of women around menopause attending a network of first level menopause outpatient's clinics in Italy. A total of 66,501 (mean age 54.4 years) women are considered in the present paper. RESULTS: The odds ratios of moderate and severe hot flashes/night sweats were lower in more educated women and (for severe symptoms only) in women reporting regular physical activity. Depression, difficulty to sleep, forgetfulness and irritability tended to be less frequent in more educated women and (depression only) in women reporting regular physical activity. Parous women reported more frequently these symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This large study confirms in Southern European population that low education, body mass index and low physical activity are associated with climacteric symptoms. Parous women are at greater risk of psychological symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Insulin in obstetrics: a main parameter in the management of pregnancy.

Insulin plays a central role in human pregnancy. Maternal insulin sensitivity decreases with advancing gestation in order to provide glucose and possibly other nutrients for feto-placental growth and energy needs. Moreover, alterations of insulin metabolism are clearly involved in the development of gestational diabetes. In recent years, hyperinsulinaemia has been also proposed as a possible pathogenic factor in the development of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia; furthermore it has also been postulated that there is an involvement of insulin sensitivity in fetal growth restriction. These intriguing data have stimulated our interest in summarizing the physiopathological mechanisms by which the pancreatic hormone could be involved in obstetrics.

Diabetes, Gestational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maternal renal and interlobar arteries waveforms evaluation with color Doppler ultrasound in pregnancy-induced hypertension.

The authors performed a color Doppler ultrasound examination of both renal and interlobar arteries of 15 pregnant women affected by pregnancy-induced hypertension. The pulsatility index (PI), the resistance index (RI) and the systolic/diastolic ratio (S/D) values were compared with those of 15 healthy pregnant women of the same gestational age and with those of 15 nonpregnant healthy women. The authors found a significant difference (p < 0.0001) for all parameters investigated in renal and interlobar arteries between healthy pregnant women and the other two groups. No difference was found between patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension and nonpregnant healthy women. In conclusion, color Doppler ultrasound examination of both renal and interlobar arteries seems to be important for understanding the etiopathogenesis of pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Differences in membrane order between C3H 10 T1/2 cells and their transformed counterparts as measured by EPR.

Membrane order of mouse embryo fibroblasts and their ionizing radiation and chemically transformed counterparts was investigated using EPR spectroscopy after labeling the membrane of the cells with the fatty acid spin label, 5-nitroxy stearic acid. The EPR spectra were recorded at temperatures ranging from 18 to 38 degrees C for both control and transformed cells. The distance between the outer hyperfine splitting (2T' parallel), which is used as indicator of membrane order, varies in these two cell types. Below 28 degrees C. 2T' parallel is higher in transformed fibroblasts than in normal cells, whereas above this temperature membrane order is the same. Lipid analysis as carried out by the measurement of the cholesterol/membrane proteins and sphingomyelin/lecithin ratios, showed no difference in the amounts of the main membrane rigidifiers. These findings suggest that cell transformation of mouse fibroblasts induced by radiation or chemicals may produce alterations in the cell membrane, as evidenced by variations in its order at low temperature. These measured differences are presumably not attributable to its fatty acids composition but to its glycoproteins content, since changes in membrane rigidifiers were not observed between normal and transformed cells.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Endoscopy of ovarian factor sterility.

After an overview of normal ovarian morphology assessed during diagnostic laparoscopy, the typical patterns most frequently associated to ovarian factor sterility, observed in gonadal dysgenesis and dysfunction syndromes as LUF or follicular cysts, polycystic ovary, postinflammatory adhesions and endometriosis, are analyzed. Laparoscopic surgical procedures as ovarian biopsy and lysis of adhesions are briefly mentioned.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidermal growth factor levels in human breast cyst fluid.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) seems to modulate the in vitro and in vivo growth of normal and neoplastic breast cells. We determined, by a radio-receptor assay, EGF levels in cyst fluid and in plasma of patients with gross cystic disease of the breast. The mean levels of EGF were lower in plasma than in breast cyst fluid (BCF) (p less than 0.001). In BCF of apocrine cysts we found higher EGF levels than in flattened cysts (p less than 0.001). The EGF content of apocrine BCF seems to be under sex steroid hormone control, being higher in reproductive age than in post menopause (p less than 0.05). Since it has been reported that patients with apocrine cysts are at a greater risk of developing breast cancer, we hypothesize that the high EGF concentration in apocrine BCF may play a role in the autocrine breast cyst epithelium growth control and neoplastic transformation.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pulsatile Gn-Rh induced ovulatory cycles: echographic and endocrine aspects.

Five patients with primary hypogonadotrophic amenorrhea were treated for the induction of ovulation with I.V. pulsatile Gn-Rh doses ranging from 2.5 to 12.5 micrograms/90 min) for 15 cycles. Ovulation occurred during Gn-Rh treatment in 7 cycles (A) or after i.m. HGC administration (5,000-10,000 IU) (B = 6) (ovulation rate = 86%). Four pregnancies (A = 2; B = 2) were obtained (in one case there was a twin pregnancy). Echographic and endocrine patterns were evaluated. Ovulatory follicular diameter was 18.3 +/- 6.0 mm, no difference between A and B (21.8 +/- 5.6 and 16.0 +/- 5.1 mm, respectively) was observed. In addition E2 preovulatary plasma levels were similar in the two groups examined (334 +/- 131 and 300 +/- 89 pg/ml, respectively). Also endocrine and echographic profiles of conceptive (C) and non conceptive (NC) cycles were similar. Furthermore all doses resulted effective in determining the ovarian response and no difference was found at different dosage used. It is concluded that pulsatile GnRh is a "physiological" way of inducing ovulation in PHA patients. By analysis of the present data we consider it advisable to induce ovulation by the enhancement of the endogenous LH peak which occurs during Gn-Rh administration (A group) and then periodic injections of HCG can be used for maintaining the luteal function.

Adult↗