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Biomedical subjects

L Nachtigall

Publications and source records attributed to L Nachtigall.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of raloxifene on sexual function in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of raloxifene on sexual function in postmenopausal women with pre-existing vaginal atrophy treated with vaginal estrogen cream. METHODS: A total of 187 naturally postmenopausal women, 42-80 years of age, with signs of genitourinary atrophy were enrolled in this 6-month, multicenter, parallel-group study. Subjects were randomized to oral raloxifene HCl 60 mg daily or matching placebo; the same subjects were also randomized to receive one application of either vaginal conjugated estrogen cream 0.5 g twice weekly for 6 months or non-hormonal vaginal moisturizer twice weekly for 3 months, followed by conjugated estrogen cream for 3 months. Both investigators and subjects were masked to the identity of the oral medication. The vaginal preparations were administered in an open-label fashion. The Sexual Activity Questionnaire (SAQ) was administered at baseline and at 3 and 6 months. Safety was assessed throughout the study. RESULTS: A total of 102 women were sexually active at baseline and, of these, 82 were also sexually active at the 6-month end-point. At 6 months, raloxifene and placebo, in the presence of vaginal conjugated estrogen cream, were both associated with improvement from baseline in vaginal dryness and reduced discomfort during sexual activity. There were no significant differences between raloxifene and placebo groups in any SAQ item. Enjoyment of sexual activity significantly increased from baseline with raloxifene but not with placebo. No difference in adverse events was observed between groups. CONCLUSION: Raloxifene had no negative effects on sexual function in postmenopausal women with vaginal atrophy who were treated concomitantly with vaginal estrogen cream.

Administration, Intravaginal↗

Adrenal hypoplasia congenita with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism: evidence that DAX-1 mutations lead to combined hypothalmic and pituitary defects in gonadotropin production.

Adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC) is an X-linked disorder that typically presents with adrenal insufficiency during infancy. Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HHG) has been identified as a component of this disorder in affected individuals who survive into childhood. Recently, AHC was shown to be caused by mutations in DAX-1, a protein that is structurally similar in its carboxyterminal region to orphan nuclear receptors. We studied two kindreds with clinical features of AHC and HHG. DAX-1 mutations were identified in both families. In the JW kindred, a single base deletion at nucleotide 1219 was accompanied by an additional base substitution that resulted in a frameshift mutation at codon 329 followed by premature termination. In the MH kindred, a GGAT duplication at codon 418 caused a frameshift that also resulted in truncation of DAX-1. Baseline luteinizing hormone (LIT), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and free-alpha-subunit (FAS) levels were determined during 24 h of frequent (q10 min) venous sampling. In patient MH, baseline LH levels were low, but FAS levels were within the normal range. In contrast, in patient JW, the mean LH and FSH were within the normal range during baseline sampling, but LH secretion was erratic rather than showing typical pulses. FAS was apulsatile for much of the day, but a surge was seen over a 3-4-h period. Pulsatile gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) (25 ng/kg) was administered every 2 h for 7 d to assess pituitary responsiveness to exogenous GnRH. MH did not exhibit a gonadotropin response to pulsatile GnRH. JW exhibited a normal response to the first pulse of GnRH, but there was no increase in FAS. In contrast to the priming effect of GnRH in GnRH-deficient patients with Kallmann syndrome, GnRH pulses caused minimal secretory responses of LH and no FAS responses in patient JW. The initial LH response in patient JW implies a deficiency in hypothalamic GnRH. On the other hand, the failure to respond to pulsatile GnRH is consistent with a pituitary defect in gonadotropin production. These two cases exemplify the phenotypic heterogeneity of AHC/HHG, and suggest that DAX-1 mutations impair gonadotropin production by acting at both the hypothalamic and pituitary levels.

Adrenal Glands↗

Endometrial assessment by vaginal ultrasonography before endometrial sampling in patients with postmenopausal bleeding.

Endometrial sampling is the mainstay of management of the postmenopausal patient with uterine bleeding. Thirty women with postmenopausal bleeding were studied prospectively. Before endometrial sampling, a vaginal probe ultrasonographic examination was performed. Eleven patients demonstrated a thin "pencil line" endometrial echo in which the maximum anteroposterior thickness on the long axis view was less than or equal to 5 mm. All eleven patients had minimal tissue obtained on biopsy and a pathology report of "tissue insufficient for diagnosis." Seventeen patients had an echogenic endometrium greater than or equal to 6 mm. Pathology reports of their samples revealed tissue insufficient for diagnosis (two cases), proliferative endometrium (six), secretory endometrium (three), hyperplastic endometrium (three), polyp (two), and endometrial cancer (one case). Two additional patients had no endometrial echo visualized because of associated myomas. These findings suggest (1) that the absence of significant endometrial tissue (echo less than or equal to 5 mm) on vaginal ultrasonography in cases with postmenopausal bleeding is uniformly associated with tissue insufficient for diagnosis, and (2) when endometrial thickness is greater than or equal to 6 mm the histologic diagnosis should be determined in the pathology laboratory.

Adult↗

Lipid changes after hormone replacement therapy for menopause.

Three regimens of hormone replacement therapy were administered to 62 postmenopausal women for a period of 12 weeks and evaluated for their effect on blood lipids. Each group was given a continuous dose of 0.625 mg of conjugated estrogens combined with either a continuous dose of 2.5 mg of medroxyprogesterone acetate or 5.0 mg of medroxyprogesterone acetate, or a cyclic dose of 5.0 mg of medroxyprogesterone acetate on days 17-28 of the cycle. After treatment there was a significant decrease in the total cholesterol (P less than .0007) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (P less than .0001) together with a significant increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (P less than .0029). There was no significant difference in the response of the blood lipids to the three hormone groups. Therefore, preference would depend on the combination that caused the least bleeding or amenorrhea.

Alanine Transaminase↗

The effect of preimplantation culture conditions on murine embryo implantation and fetal development.

Ham's F-10 medium (Gibco, Grand Island, NY) and medium T6 with and without 15% fetal calf serum (FCS) were compared for their ability to support development of murine blastocysts with the capacity to implant and produce normal fetuses when transferred to pseudopregnant females. All media supported equal rates of blastocyst development from 2-cell embryos. In addition, there were no differences in the rates of blastocyst implantation. However, once implanted, blastocysts grown in T6 produced a significantly higher proportion of normal fetuses (58.5% to 65.9%) than blastocysts grown in either Ham's F-10 (2.4%) or T6 with FCS (27.6%). These results demonstrate that the rate of murine blastocyst development from 2-cell embryos in vitro is not a good criterion of healthy embryos. Murine blastocysts transferred in medium with 0% versus 50% FCS implanted and developed into normal fetuses at equal rates.

Animals↗