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PubMed1996

Effect of altered reproductive function and lowered testosterone levels on bone density in male endurance athletes.

It is apparent that bone density in male athletes can be reduced without a concomitant decrease in testosterone, suggesting that bone density and testosterone concentrations in the normal range are not closely related in male athletes. Further research is necessary to monitor concurrent changes in bone density and testosterone over a period of time in exercising males. In any case, the effect of exercise on the male reproductive system does not appear as extreme as that which can occur in female athletes, and any impact on bone density is not nearly as evident. These results imply that factors apart from testosterone concentrations must be responsible for the observed osteopenia in some male athletes. Many factors have the potential to adversely affect bone density, independently of alterations in reproductive function. These include low calcium intake, energy deficit, weight loss, psychological stress, and low body fat, all of which may be associated with intense endurance training. Future research investigating skeletal health in male athletes should include a thorough assessment of reproductive function in addition to these other factors.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2003

[Study on the thresholds of malaria transmission by Anopheles anthropophagus in Hubei Province].

OBJECTIVE: To study the thresholds and potential of malaria transmission by Anopheles anthropophagus in Hubei Province and provide indicators for the disease surveillance, early warning, prevention and control in the locality. METHODS: From July to August 2001, field investigations on vectors and malaria situation were carried out in the village of Yanjiafan, Suizhou City, where the malaria incidence was high. The entomological investigations included the man-biting rate, the proportion of parous anophelines, the human blood index and the blood preference. The others included malaria incidence and parasite rate in human population, the intervals from episode to treatment of the cases, and collection of data on the mean temperature in the area. Based on the formula of basic reproductive rate, the critical man-biting rate was estimated. RESULTS: 92.6% (63/68) of An. anthropophagus were found to have human blood meals, it occupied 91.5% (97/106) of the mosquitoes in human dwellings, its human blood index and vectorial capacity were 12.5 times (0.50/0.04) and 6.5 times (0.9448/0.1449) higher than those of An. sinensis. The critical man-biting rate was 0.2823 and the adjusted man-biting rate was 3.5 times of its critical man-biting rate (0.9892/0.2823). The malaria incidence was 0.65% (12/1844) and the parasite rate in pupils was 0.51%(1/198). CONCLUSION: A reduction of the adjusted man-biting rate of An. anthropophagus by 71.5% is needed for interrupting malaria transmission by this vector in the study area.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Obesity increases the risk of spontaneous abortion during infertility treatment.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the relationship between body mass and the risk of spontaneous abortion in a large cohort of patients who received infertility treatment. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This is a retrospective study using data on pregnancies (n = 2349) achieved after treatment in a tertiary medical center from 1987 to 1999. One pregnancy per subject was included, and the subjects were stratified into five body mass groups based on body mass index (BMI): underweight, <18.5 kg/m(2); normal, 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m(2); overweight, 25 to 29.9 kg/m(2); obese, 30 to 34.9 kg/m(2); and very obese, > or =35 kg/m(2). Logistical regression analysis was used. RESULTS: The overall incidence of spontaneous abortion was 20% (476 of 2349). The effect of BMI on the risk of spontaneous abortion was significant after adjusting for several independent risk factors. Compared with the reference group (BMI 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m(2)), underweight women had a similar risk of spontaneous abortion, whereas there was progressive increase of risk in overweight, obese, and very obese groups (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.001, respectively). DISCUSSION: Of all known risk factors for spontaneous abortion, the control of obesity has great significance because it is noninvasive, potentially modifiable, possibly amenable to low cost, and self-manageable by patients. This study established a positive relationship between BMI and the risk of spontaneous abortion in women who became pregnant after assisted reproductive technology treatment.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed2005

Early menopause, low body mass index, and smoking are independent risk factors for developing giant cell arteritis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess female sex hormone related variables in a group of women with biopsy positive giant cell arteritis and a control group. METHODS: 49 women with biopsy positive giant cell arteritis, aged 50 to 69 years at the time of diagnosis, answered a questionnaire on hormonal and reproductive factors. The same questions were answered by a large population of women from the same geographical area in connection with routine mammograms. The results were tested statistically, using logistic regression analysis of each variable adjusted for age, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis including age and the variables which differed significantly between giant cell arteritis and controls. RESULTS: From the multivariate logistic regression analysis, three independent variables were associated with an increased risk of having giant cell arteritis: smoking and being an ex-smoker (odds ratio (OR) = 6.324 (95% confidence interval (CI), 3.503 to 11.418), p<0.0001); body mass index (a reduction of 1.0 kg/m2 increased the risk by 10% (OR = 0.898 (0.846 to 0.952), p = 0.0003); and menopause before the age of 43 (OR = 3.521 (1.717 to 7.220), p = 0.0006). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant association between hormonal and reproduction related factors and the risk of developing giant cell arteritis in women given the diagnosis before the age of 70. The results suggest a possible role of oestrogen deficiency in the pathogenesis of giant cell arteritis. To confirm the results, an extended study will be needed, including women older than 70.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

[The genetic-demographic approach in anthropological research. VII. The influence of the social environment on the indices of the reproductive function in Khakass women].

The biodemographic parameters showing the influence of social factors upon the different elements of population and family structure are considered. It has been shown that the semi-generation time interval which corresponds to the duration of the active reproductive period of the generation is worth using to reveal the mechanisms of the social adaptation of the population. It has been found that socially determined differential fertility of families and genetically determined mortality in perinatal period are now the main components of the potential selection (index Crow).

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Determinants of early follicular phase gonadotrophin and estradiol concentrations in women of late reproductive age.

BACKGROUND: FSH and estradiol measured during the menstrual (basal) phase of cycles predict the success of infertility treatment; but the role of these hormones as markers for ovarian reserve in normal populations needs further study. METHODS AND RESULTS: From a cohort study of depressed and non-depressed women, a subset of 406 non-depressed women between the ages of 36 and 45 years with spontaneous periods were selected and their concentrations and determinants of basal hormones measured at study entry, 6 and 12 months later were described. FSH and LH increased significantly over the 12 months of observation (P <or= 0.001), but considerable variation was noted in FSH and estradiol in some women monitored over the three cycles. Concentrations often varied between a pattern of low FSH, high estradiol in one cycle and high FSH, low estradiol in another. In multivariate models focusing on the maximum observed hormone concentration, significant predictors included: increasing age (P < 0.0001), smoking (P = 0.04), and shorter cycle length (P < 0.0001) during adolescence (P < 0.0001) associated with higher FSH; increasing age (P < 0.0266) and lower body mass index (P < 0.0289) associated with higher LH; and a greater number of estimated ovulatory cycles associated with higher estradiol (P < 0.0425). CONCLUSIONS: Early reproductive landmarks, smoking, body weight, and factors that determine number of ovulatory cycles impact on ovarian/pituitary physiology in late reproductive life.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Proliferative and secretory activity in human breast during natural and artificial menstrual cycles.

Events of cell proliferation have been assessed by thymidine labeling index (TLI) in morphologically normal breast lobules from women of reproductive age. TLI is higher during the second half of the menstrual cycle both in women with natural menstrual cycles and in those with artificial cycles due to oral contraceptive (OC) use. TLI varies between 0.04% and 5.7% and declines with increasing age. There is no difference in mean TLI between OC users and nonusers if correction is made for the difference in age distribution between these two groups. Immunohistochemical detection of immunoglobulin A (IgA), secretory component (SC), and alpha-lactalbumin shows more frequent positive staining during artificial than natural menstrual cycles, and positive staining tends to be associated with higher TLI values. No significant variation in staining with cycle phase is detected in natural or artificial cycles. These results show that breast tissue does not resemble endometrium in the relationships that exist between proliferation, secretion, and menstrual cycle phase.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Cell-mediated immunity to trophoblast antigens in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether trophoblast antigens activate cell-mediated immune responses in women with recurrent abortion of unknown cause by inducing lymphocyte proliferation and to correlate this with embryotoxic factor production. STUDY DESIGN: Mononuclear cells were isolated from 57 nonpregnant women with recurrent abortion of unknown cause and from 10 fertile controls with normal reproductive histories. Lymphocyte proliferation assays were performed with trophoblast antigen extracts from the human choriocarcinoma cell lines Jeg-3 and JAR, fractionated trophoblast antigens, and for control, red blood cell membrane antigens. A stimulation index > 3 was considered significant stimulation. Trophoblast-stimulated culture supernatants were also tested for embryotoxic activity. RESULTS: Thirty (52.6%) women with recurrent abortion of unknown cause responded to trophoblast antigen stimulation with a stimulation index > 3, whereas none of the control group responded. Neither patients with recurrent abortion nor women with normal reproductive histories responded to red blood cell membrane antigen. The mean stimulation index in the trophoblast antigen lymphocyte proliferation assay was significantly higher in women with recurrent abortion than in women with normal reproductive histories (3.99 +/- 2.82 vs 1.64 +/- 0.34, p < 0.01). Antigen extracts from the cytosol and membrane fractions of Jeg-3 provided the strongest stimulation. Lymphocyte proliferation correlated with embryotoxic factor production; 90.0% of women with a stimulation index > 3 and none of the controls produced embryotoxic factors after stimulation with trophoblast antigens. CONCLUSION: In this study 52.6% of women with recurrent abortion of unknown cause compared with none in controls exhibited in vitro evidence of T-cell immunity to trophoblast antigen stimulation. Further work is needed to determine whether T-cell immunity to trophoblast is involved in the pathogenesis of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

Abortion, Habitual↗
PubMed2000

Gametes, law and modern preoccupations.

This article surveys a range of recent media stories about human gametes, pinning them to a series of wider preoccupations within late modern life. Three preoccupations are singled out: first, kinship and relational identity; secondly, Nature and globalization; and finally, sexual difference and equality. Each one of these preoccupations has been characterised as iconic; debates about them are said to crystallize who we are, especially our uncertainties, and what we will be in the future. By indexing these preoccupations to the stories about human gametes, the article aims to upset both the increasing attempts to present assisted reproduction technologies as 'familiar' (as Nature's 'helping hand', for example) and the recurring assumptions about this technology's alleged 'novelty' and 'anomaly'. The article concludes that treating reproduction technologies, and their regulation, as 'familiar' risks complacency: equally, assumptions about their 'novelty' narrows the search for effective explanatory tools and regulatory mechanisms. The upshot is that it might be best for us to view reproductive technologies as both less 'familiar' and less 'novel'.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1992

Taxonomic revision of the genus Trichinella.

The analysis of genetic, biochemical, and biological data on about 300 Trichinella isolates, reported in the literature, allows a taxonomic revision of this genus. We propose the recognition of 5 sibling species, Trichinella spiralis (Owen, 1835) sensu stricto; Trichinella nativa Britov and Boev, 1972; Trichinella pseudospiralis Garkavi, 1972; Trichinella nelsoni Britov and Boev, 1972 sensu stricto; and Trichinella britovi n. sp., on the basis of biochemical and biological characteristics. Trichinella britovi n. sp. is characterized by distribution in the Palaearctic Region; newborn larvae (NBL) production in vitro of 35-55 NBL/72 hr; nurse cell development time (NC d.t.) between 24 and 42 days postinfection (d.p.i.); low reproductive capacity index (RCI) in mice, rats, and pigs; low resistance to freezing; 1 unique marker allozyme; and moderate pathogenicity for humans. The new species is most similar to Trichinella nativa but differs from it in 4 allozymes, in having less resistance to freezing, in having a different pattern of major ribosomal DNA fragments after endonuclease digestion, and in distribution area. Trichinella nativa is characterized by a holarctic distribution; hosts that are sylvatic mammals; NBL production in vitro 28-54/72 hr; NC d.t. between 20 and 30 d.p.i.; low RCI in mice, rats, and pigs; high resistance to freezing; 2 unique marker allozymes; and moderate to severe pathogenicity for humans. Trichinella spiralis sensu stricto is characterized by a cosmopolitan distribution in domestic pigs, associated wildlife, and humans; high NBL production in vitro (greater than 90 NBL/72 hr); NC d.t. between 16 and 37 d.p.i.; high RCI in mice, rats, and pigs; no resistance to freezing; 6 unique marker allozymes; and high pathogenicity for humans.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Androgen receptor gene GGN repeat length and reproductive characteristics in young Swedish men.

BACKGROUND: The human androgen receptor (AR) gene contains two polymorphisms of CAG and GGN repeats respectively. The GGN repeat function is still largely unknown and to date there are no in vivo data on this segment with respect to the general population. METHODS: We investigated the impact of CAG and GGN repeats on male reproductive function, one by one and in interaction with each other, in 220 adolescent men from the general Swedish population. Physical examination and semen analysis, including accessory sex gland markers and measurement of reproductive hormone levels, were performed. Lifestyle-associated factors, including maternal smoking during pregnancy, were recorded. GGN and CAG repeat lengths were determined by sequencing. RESULTS: GGN<23 was associated with lower semen volume when compared to GGN=23 (mean difference -0.6 ml, P=0.02) and GGN>23 (mean difference -0.9 ml, P=0.002). Men with GGN<23, exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy, had higher body mass index compared to men with other GGN lengths, no matter whether their mother had smoked or not during pregnancy (mean difference 4.8 kg/m2, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Short GGN repeats seem to be associated with decreased semen volume, possibly due to suboptimal AR activity. Body composition may be influenced by the combination of fetal exposure to maternal smoking and certain AR genotypes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

A novel melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) gene mutation associated with morbid obesity.

Mutations in the melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R) are the most common cause of monogenic human obesity. As part of our ongoing project entitled 'Turkish Obesity Genome Study' we determined the nucleotide sequence of the entire coding region of the MC4R gene in 40 morbidly obese subjects from independent families. Here we report a novel heterozygous mutation (N274S) in an adult female obese individual (age: 52 yrs, BMI 41.7 kg/m(2), height 158 cm, weight: 104 Kg). The sister of the index case (age: 55 yrs, height: 160 cm, weight: 110 Kg, BMI: 43 kg/m(2)) also carries the same mutation. Although both sisters were morbidly obese and hypertensive the index case had normal plasma insulin and fasting blood glucose levels whereas her sister had type 2 diabetes mellitus. No abnormalities of the reproductive function were present. Despite marked hyperphagia in childhood both sisters had a history of relatively diminished intensity of appetite after the age of 20. Of notice, index case was diagnosed to have cyclothymia whereas her sister was being treated for bipolar affective disorder. Detailed clinical evaluation revealed normal bone mineral density and serum calcium parameters as well as intact thyroid axis and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in both patients. The human MC4-R deficient phenotype resembles the murine deficient state with regard to preserved reproductive function although hyperphagia, increased linear growth and absence of diabetes in mice are not observed in humans. Affected individuals have hyperphagia in childhood, which looses intensity later in life, and they also present with normal height and diabetes mellitus. Accumulating evidence indicate that melanocortin endocrine system or defective melanocortin signaling has inherently different characteristics in mice and humans resembling the variation observed with regard to leptin deficiency in both species.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed2001

Plasma homocysteine, fasting insulin, and androgen patterns among women with polycystic ovaries and infertility.

OBJECTIVE: To measure plasma homocysteine, androgen, and insulin concentrations in women with normal and polycystic-appearing ovaries in an infertility setting. METHODS: Among women referred for infertility evaluation (n = 54), homocysteine, androstenedione, DHEAS, total testosterone, fasting insulin/glucose and methyltetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphism status (C677T mutation) were studied. Ovaries were examined via transvaginal sonogram by one observer and scored as either normal (n = 18) or polycystic (n = 36). RESULTS: When polycystic ovaries were identified, mean total testosterone was significantly higher than when non-polycystic ovaries were present (p = 0.01), although no measured androgen was outside the normal reference range in either group. Average BMI was higher in the polycystic group, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.10). We observed a trend toward higher mean fasting insulin levels in women with polycystic ovaries, but this increase did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.07). Median plasma homocysteine was identical (7.0 mmol/l) in both populations, and no study subject exceeded the current recommended maximum reference value. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, the presence of polycystic ovaries was associated with higher serum androgens (especially total testosterone) although none of the measured androgens were above the normal range. While fasting insulin levels were also higher in this group, median plasma homocysteine levels were similar irrespective of ovarian morphology. Concomitant plasma homocysteine derangements in this population of young, lean patients with polycystic-appearing ovaries seem unlikely. Further studies are needed to clarify the role(s) of homocysteine in human reproductive physiology.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Evaluation of gene expression in pigs selected for enhanced reproduction using differential display PCR and human microarrays: I. Ovarian follicles.

Differential display PCR (ddPCR) and complementary DNA microarray analyses were used to evaluate gene expression differences in porcine ovarian follicles between a line of pigs selected for an index of ovulation rate and embryo survival (Line I) and its randomly selected control line (Line C). Follicles (4.0 to 7.0 mm) were dissected from ovaries of multiparous sows (n = 27) at either 2 or 4 d following PGF2alpha analog injection on d 12 to 14 of the estrous cycle. Using ddPCR, differentially expressed bands (n = 282) were excised from gels and 107 were sequenced, yielding 84 unique porcine follicle expressed sequence tags. Northern hybridization confirmed differential expression (between lines, days, or follicle sizes) for messenger RNA representing the calpain I light subunit, cytochrome C oxidase subunit III, cytochrome P450 aromatase, and cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage genes. For microarray analysis, two mRNA pools representing follicles (d 2; 4.50 to 4.75 mm) from Line I and Line C sows were hybridized to the Incyte UniGEM V1.0 human chip (approximately 7,000 gene probes). A second analysis was performed using mRNA from follicles (d 2; 4.50 to 5.00 mm) hybridized to the Incyte UniGEM V2.0 human chip (approximately 9,100 gene probes). A total of 33 and 21 genes were identified with significant expression differences using UniGEM V1.0 and V2.0, respectively (twofold or greater relative expression following adjustment for expression of control probes). However, there was little overlap between results of the two hybridizations. Expression differences between lines for two genes, follistatin and nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 1, were confirmed using Northern hybridization. These results demonstrate changes in follicular gene expression as the result of long-term selection for enhanced reproduction. These correlated responses may directly represent allelic variation utilized by selection (e.g., quantitative trait loci), or more likely, transcriptional changes in other genes that interact with reproductive QTL. This work represents one of the first applications of gene expression analysis to evaluate long-term selection response in livestock populations.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Body mass index and gynecological factors as determinants of bone mass in healthy Moroccan women.

UNLABELLED: Several studies have shown that low body mass index (BMI) is associated with low BMD and fractures. However, the results that have been published from studies on reproductive factors and BMD are extremely controversial, with some demonstrating a beneficial effect, while others show a detrimental impact of these factors on bone mass. OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of several gynecological factors (years since menopause (YSM), age at menarche and gynecological age or reproductive life) simultaneously with anthropometric factors as determinants of bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy women older than 40. METHODS: BMD was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the lumbar spine and femurs in women aged >40 randomly chosen from the population of Rabat with a cluster sampling method. RESULTS: Four hundred and twenty-two healthy women older than 40 years were included in the study. The mean age was 57.2 years (8.4) [40-79] and the mean number of parities was 4.42 (2.9) [0-14]. Osteoporosis according to the classification of WHO (T-score<or=-2.5) was observed in 133 women (32.2%). The increase in the number of parities was associated to a larger body mass index and a lower BMD as well in the hips and the lumbar spine after adjustment for age. The comparison of groups of patients according to the age at menarche, the age at menopause or the period of fertility did not highlight an association with BMD. BMD at the lumbar spine and the hips was correlated negatively with age, YSM and parity and positively with BMI. Multivariate analysis showed that the determinant of BMD are BMI (OR=0.88; 95% CI: 0.83-0.92), parity (OR=1.10; 1.01-1.56) and YSM (OR=1.06; 1.03-1.10). CONCLUSION: Bone loss in women older than 40 is a function of aging, parity and years since menopause; and there is a definite bone-protective effect of body mass weight. Further studies are required to evaluate the role of these parameters in the fracture risk.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1984

Opportunity for selection during the 17th-19th centuries in the diocese of Linköping as estimated with Crow's index in a population of clergymen's wives.

Opportunity for selection in human populations can be estimated by means of Crow's index, which is the sum of two indices, one measuring prefertile mortality and the other reproductive performance. Data on the population under study (1,616 clergymen's wives in the diocese of Linköping born 1600-1850) were obtained from a biography of all the clergymen in the diocese during the period of study. The total material was divided into 9 time periods. Crow's index was found to vary over time. This variation was influenced by fluctuations in both index components. A comparison of the indices for the period 1800-1849 with those from two other contemporary Swedish populations, Fleninge (county of Malmöhus) and Nedertorneå (county of Norrbotten), was performed. The highest index was found for Nedertorneå, the lowest for Fleninge, while the index for the Linköping population is intermediate. The bias introduced by different strategies for data collection is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Female mate value at a glance: relationship of waist-to-hip ratio to health, fecundity and attractiveness.

A fundamental assumption of adaptive explanations of female attractiveness is that bodily features that males judge as attractive reliably signal youthfulness, healthiness, and fertility or female mate value. One of the bodily features, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), is a reliable indicator of a female's reproductive age, sex hormone profile, parity and risk for various diseases. Systematic variation in the size of WHR also systematically affects the judgment of female attractiveness, healthiness, and youthfulness. This article summarizes recent findings about the relationship between female's WHR and various factors affecting reproductive capability and risk for diseases. Research on the relationship between attractiveness and WHR is discussed in light of some methodological objections to previous research. Finally, cross-cultural and historical data are presented that suggest that the relationship between WHR and female attractiveness is not culture-specific and not inculcated by modern Western fashion dictates or media.

Body Mass Index↗