• Journal of Menopausal Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.139-145
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• 2017

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and complicated vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) are frequently occurring vaginal infections in postmenopausal women, caused by an imbalance in vaginal microflora. Postmenopausal women suffer from decreased ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone. A normal, healthy vaginal microflora mainly comprises Lactobacillus species (spp.), which act beneficially as a bacterial barrier in the vagina, interfering with uropathogens. During premenopausal period, estrogen promotes vaginal colonization by lactobacilli that metabolizing glycogen and producing lactic acid, and maintains intravaginal health by lowering the intravaginal pH level. A lower vaginal pH inhibits uropathogen growth, preventing vaginal infections. Decreased estrogen secretion in postmenopausal women depletes lactobacilli and increases intravaginal pH, resulting in increased vaginal colonization by harmful microorganisms (e.g., Enterobacter, Escherichia coli, Candida, and Gardnerella). Probiotics positively effects on vaginal microflora composition by promoting the proliferation of beneficial microorganisms, alters the intravaginal microbiota composition, prevents vaginal infections in postmenopausal. Probiotics also reduce the symptoms of vaginal infections (e.g., vaginal discharge, odor, etc.), and are thus helpful for the treatment and prevention of BV and VVC. In this review article, we provide information on the intravaginal mechanism of postmenopausal vaginal infections, and describes the effectiveness of probiotics in the treatment and prevention of BV and VVC.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.253-259
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• 2005

Objective: We investigated the expression of TSP-1 and -2 in eutopic endometrium of advanced endometriosis and control patients. Methods: The 33 endometriosis patients and 32 controls were enrolled. Endometrial samples were obtained from 65 premenopausal women aged 29-44 years, undergoing laparoscopic surgery or hysterectomy for non-malignant lesions. Sufficient samples were collected from 33 patients with endometriosis stage III and IV and 32 controls without endometriosis confirmed by laparoscopic surgery. The mRNA expression from eutopic endometrium for TSP-1 and -2 were analyzed by RT-QC PCR. Results: The mRNAs of TSP-1 and -2 were expressed in eutopic endometrium from endometriosis and normal controls throughout the menstrual cycle. There were no significant differences in expression of TSP-1 and TSP-2 in eutopic endometrium between controls and endometriosis patients. Conclusion: Our results indicated that TSP-1 and -2 had no crucial role compared to other molecules in the regulation of angiogenesis. These findings also suggest that dysregulation of other angiogenic regulators would be concerned in pathophysiologic role in endometriosis development.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.365-371
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• 2007

Recent studies suggest a possible pathogenic linkage between the osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. We investigated the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors, including high sensitivity C-reactive (hs-CRP), hs-CRP and bone metabolism in females. Anthropometric measurements were performed on 300 women, and cardiovascular risk factors, including fasting blood glucose, lipid profiles and hs-CRP. An atherogenic index was calculated using the serum total cholesterol level divided by the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. The lumbar spine bone mineral density was measured using dual X-ray abosorptiometry. By bivariate analysis, the lumbar spine BMD showed negative correlations with age, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The Age, BMI and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed significant correlations with the lumbar spine BMD. From linear regression analyses of all the study subjects, age, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were found to be determinants of the lumbar spine BMD($R^2=0.272$).

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 1992

Bone mineral density was measured to assess whether the patients with premonopausal hypogonadism, comprised of 19 patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism(HH), 55 with premature ovarian failure(POF), 23 with hyperprolactinemia(HPLN), and 8 with Sheehan's syndrome. All aged from 20 to 39, were associated with some decrease in regional bone mass compared with that of 63 normal-associated with some decrease in regional bone mass compared with that of 63 normal-cycling control women matched with age and sex. Measurement of bone mineral density was carried out using Dual photon absorptiometry at four sites; femur neck, ward's triangle, trochanter and spine(L2-L4). Bone mineral density at all four sites were significantly decreased in patients with HH(p<0.01), POF(p<0.01). In hyperprolactinemic patients, the decrease in bone mass was significant at femur neck and Ward's triangle(p<0.05). The patients with POF were noted to be associated with significant bone loss when their duration of amenorrhea exceeded one year. In this study, the degree of loss of bone mass and the affected sites seemed to be different depending on the various types of hypogonadism and POF was noted have caused the appearance of loss of bone mass earlier than other thpes of hypogondism we experienced.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2225-2229
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• 2013

Background: As data on the relation between obesity and lymph node ratio are missing in the literature, we here aimed to assess the impact of obesity on this parameter and other clinicopathological features of breast cancer cases and patient survival. Materials and Methods: Medical data of 646 patients, all referred to two centers in Tehran, Iran, were reviewed. Factors that showed significant association on univariate analysis were entered in a regression model. Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression were employed for survival analysis. Results: Obesity was correlated with the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptor (p=0.004 and p=0.039, respectively), metastasis to axillary lymph nodes (p=0.017), higher lymph node rate (p<0.001) and larger tumor size (p<0.001). The effect of obesity was stronger in premenopausal women. There was no association between obesity and expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor. Three factors showed independent association with BMI on multivariate analysis; tumor size, estrogen receptor and lymph node ratio. Obesity was predictive of shorter disease-free survival with a hazard ratio of 3.324 (95%CI: 1.225-9.017) after controlling for the above-mentioned variables. Conclusions: The findings of this study support the idea that obese women experience more advanced disease with higher axillary lymph node ratio, and therefore higher stage at the time of diagnosis. Furthermore, obesity was associated with poorer survival independent of lymph node rate.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2407-2412
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• 2013

Background and Objectives: Data on associations between soy food intake after cancer diagnosis with breast cancer survival are conflicting, so we conducted this meta-analysis for more accurate evaluation. Methods: Comprehensive searches were conducted to find cohort studies of the relationship between soy food intake after cancer diagnosis and breast cancer survival. Data were analyzed with comprehensive meta-analysis software. Results: Five cohort studies (11,206 patients) were included. Pooling all comparisons, soy food intake after diagnosis was associated with reduced mortality (HR 0.85, 95%CI 0.77 0.93) and recurrence (HR 0.79, 95%CI 0.72 0.87). Pooling the comparisons of highest vs. lowest dose, soy food intake after diagnosis was again associated with reduced mortality (HR 0.84, 95%CI 0.71 0.99) and recurrence (HR 0.74, 95%CI 0.64 0.85). Subgroup analysis of ER status showed that soy food intake was associated with reduced mortality in both ER negative (highest vs. lowest: HR 0.75, 95%CI 0.64 0.88) and ER positive patients (highest vs. lowest: HR 0.72, 95%CI 0.61 0.84), and both premenopausal (highest vs. lowest: HR 0.78, 95%CI 0.69 0.88) and postmenopausal patients (highest vs. lowest: HR 0.81, 95%CI 0.73 0.91). In additioin, soy food intake was associated with reduced recurrence in ER negative (highest vs. lowest: HR 0.64, 95%CI 0.44 0.94) and ER+/PR+ (highest vs. lowest: HR 0.65, 95%CI 0.49 0.86), and postmenopausal patients (highest vs. lowest: HR 0.67, 95%CI 0.56 0.80). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis showed that soy food intake might be associated with better survival, especially for ER negative, ER+/PR+, and postmenopausal patients.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.569-576
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• 2013

This study aims to evaluate the influence of oral contraceptive(OC) on periodontal disease. Research data was used the results derived from the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(KNHANES), and 1,101 Korean women, aged 19 to 50 years with non-pregnant and premenopausal, were selected. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were performed to identify the relationship between OC use and periodontal disease, according to factors of demographic and socioeconomic, oral health behavior, OC use period, and periodontal status. In the results, OC use was statistically related with age, marital status and smoking. No significant differences were found in between the gingival condition and current OC use. The prevalence of periodontal disease increased with age, but did not have significant correlations with period of OC usage, smoking and oral health behavior. Final analysis was indicated that OC use is not associated with periodontal disease, regardless of adjustment for confounding variables.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5445-5450
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• 2012

Although benign uterine leiomyomata (LMA) is the most common reproductive tumor in premenopausal women, its etiology is largely unknown. We aimed in the present study to demonstrate the potential role of environmental factors with estrogenic activity in tumor etiology by focusing on the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) which mediates the effects of many environmental endocrine disruptors and contributes to the loss of normal ovarian function in polluted environments. This case-control study aimed to compare the interactions between AhR and lifestyle factors in a clinical setting for the first time among 138 newly diagnosed LMA patients and 138 normal controls who lived in Tehran and Mashhad, respectively, during the last 10 years. To conduct immunohistochemical studies using appropriate monoclonal antibodies, 30 cases were selected retrospectively from 2009-2011 from the pathology departments of two university hospitals in Tehran. Although the levels of sex steroid receptors were similar in adjacent myometrium and uterine leiomyomas of all cases, AhR was significantly overexpressed (p=0.034, OR=1.667) in uterine LMA and this overexpression was correlated with living in Tehran [(p=0.04, OR=16 (1.216-210.58)], smoking[P=0.04, OR=2.085 (1.29-3.371)], living near polycyclic aromative hydrocarbon producing companies [p=0.007, OR=2.22 (1.256-3.926)] and eating grilled meat [p=0.042, OR=1.28 (1.92-3.842)]. Our study contributes to the understanding of the effects of EDCs on AhR levels as well as women's health and points out possible risk factors for the development and growth of uterine LMA. It seems that the development of LMA could be the result of interactions between hormonal and environmental factors.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.24-35
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• 2014

Objectives: Although the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is thought to play an important role in treatment of obesity, no study has been conducted to investigate acupuncture's effects on this aspect of the ANS. This study aimed to describe the effects of acupuncture in the ANS by means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Methods: A total of 46 obese women aged from 21 to 54 with body mass index ranging from 25.1 to $39.3kg/m^2$ were recruited and randomized into both the real acupuncture group (n=23) and sham acupuncture group (n=23). A total of 3 instances of HRV analysis were conducted before, during, and after treatment. Statistically significant differences between time and groups were analyzed using repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: All parameters of time domain analysis and frequency domain analysis except for the square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal sinus intervals (RMSSD) and very low frequency (VLF) showed significant differences between times. The mean of all R-R intervals (mean RR) showed significant level of interaction between time and group. Between groups, time domain analysis of standard deviation of the normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), RMSSD and frequency domain analysis of total power (TP) and high frequency (HF) showed significant differences. Conclusions: The real acupuncture group showed deactivation of parasympathetic function and relative increase of sympathetic activity in obese subjects. Further studies are necessary to uncover the mechanisms of acupuncture in obesity treatment.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.956-966
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to examine the comparative between depression and stress related to life events among women in the menopausal stage. Menopausal stages were divided into two groups: Pre and post-menopausal stages. The degree of depression and stress related to life events between pre and post menopausal women were compared to each other. Women, aged between 41 and 59 years, answered self-reported questionnaires which included Zung's depression scale and life events scale modified by Lee (1984). Findings were as follows; 1) The mean score of premenopausal women who experienced depression was 39.66, and for post-menopausal women the score was 41.45. There was no significant differences in depression levels between pre and post menopausal group.s (t=-1.55, p=.122). 2) Menopausal women experienced low levels of stress related to life events. There were no significant differences between pre and post menopausal groups(t=.527, p>.05). Both pre and post menopausal groups were highly concerned about education issues of their children and disharmony between couples. 3) There was a significant relationship between depression and stress related to life events among post-menopausal groups (r=.22, p<.01). Based on the findings of this study, the menopausal depression was associated with stress related to life events, especially among post-menopausal women. Feelings of lost fertility and feminine attributies result in menopausal depression, which is significantly correlated with women's negative perception of their life events. Therefore, nursing intervention needs to develop to help reduce the levels of depression and overcome their negative perception of the menopausal experience. Nurses should develop nursing strategies to help menopausal women to have positive perceptions and enhance quality of life by assisting their adaptability to physiological and psychological changes related to menopause.