Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Brandon J Bankowski.
This cross-sectional study examined 1,096 midlife women, associating menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, vaginal dryness, sore joints, incontinence, irritability, mood changes, and headache, with quality of life (QOL), as measured using Cantril's Ladder of Life. The results showed that low QOL may be significantly associated with feeling tense and mood changes, but not the other selected symptoms.
CONTEXT: Concern has been raised regarding the potential impact of chronic glucocorticoid therapy on the bone mineral density (BMD) of patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation was to assess the impact of chronic glucocorticoid replacement in adult women with classical CAH. PATIENTS AND DESIGN: We used dual energy x-ray absorptiometry to evaluate lumbar spine and whole body BMD in 11 women with salt-losing (SL) CAH and 15 with the simple virilizing form. Physical characteristics and serum hormone concentrations were also measured. Results were compared with those of unaffected sisters of CAH patients (n = 9). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: BMD was the main outcome measure. RESULTS: Osteopenia was noted in 45% of SL CAH patients, 13% of patients with the simple virilizing form, and 11% of controls. Lumbar spine and whole body BMDs of CAH subjects were lower than those of controls (P < 0.05). Compared with CAH subjects with normal BMD, those with osteopenia had reduced serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and dehydroepiandrosterone. Adrenal androgen levels were particularly suppressed among postmenopausal women receiving glucocorticoid replacement. CONCLUSIONS: Adult women with classical CAH treated with long-term glucocorticoids are at risk for decreased BMD, especially those with the SL form. Oversuppression of adrenal androgens is associated with increased risk for bone loss in this population.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize the existing literature regarding the social implications of embryo cryopreservation and outline areas in need of further study. RESULT(S): The potential social impact of oocyte cryopreservation has not been investigated. Embryo cryopreservation has been increasingly used to improve the cost-effectiveness of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and expand the options available to infertile couples, yet its widespread adoption has occurred more rapidly than our ability to study the social consequences for the couples and health professionals involved. For maintaining cryopreserved embryos, the existing literature is fragmented and incompletely explores the effects on an infertile couple's psychosocial health and personal relationships, their family planning strategies, or their preferences for the disposition of the embryos. Managing unclaimed embryos continues to create challenges for assisted reproduction professionals. CONCLUSION(S): We currently lack a thorough understanding of the numerous social implications of cryopreservation. Major areas for future research include the impact of stored embryos on couples' fertility intentions and psychosocial health, factors that affect couples' decisions about embryo disposition, strategies to minimize unclaimed embryos, and the consequences of oocyte/ovarian cryopreservation.
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