Healthy Chinese Women Research Articles

Alteration of thyroid blood flow during the normal menstrual cycle in healthy Chinese women

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between thyroid activity and the menstrual cycle by measuring the Doppler parameters of the superior thyroid arteries in women of reproductive age. The study was performed in 27 healthy Chinese women aged between 19 and 28 y for one menstrual cycle, and 25 age-matched healthy Chinese men for 3 weeks for comparison. In women, the peak systolic velocity increased from the follicular phase to the luteal phase, and the pulsatility index decreased from the follicular phase to the ovulatory phase and increased slightly in the luteal phase. In men, alterations in the pattern of thyroid blood flow were not observed; however, the average values of Doppler parameters during the study period in women were similar to those in men. The gender difference in the pattern of flow characteristics in the superior thyroid artery suggests effects of estrogen on thyroid function.

Age and Sex Effects on HbA1c: A study in a healthy Chinese population

To evaluate whether glycohemoglobin levels increase with age in both sexes and to determine the effect of BMI on this increment. A cross-sectional survey of 4,580 healthy Chinese men and women, aged 20-85 years, was performed. All subjects who did not have identifiable diseases and who were not on medication known to influence glucose tolerance were recruited from participants at the preventive services of the National Cheng-Kung University Hospital. As an indicator of plasma glucose levels, glycohemoglobin was measured. The subjects were classified according to their age and BMI for both men and women, and any relationships with glycohemoglobin levels were evaluated. In all the BMI groups divided into quartiles, glycohemoglobin levels increased with age. The largest elevation of glycohemoglobin was observed in the 45- to 54-year-old age-group, except in men with a BMI between the lowest and highest quartiles. The group with a BMI above the highest quartile had a higher glycohemoglobin than the group with a BMI below the lowest quartile in men aged < 54 years and women aged 35-64 years. Men had higher average glycohemoglobin levels than women < 55 years of age. The age factor itself may cause an elevation in glycohemoglobin independent of other age-related factors in Chinese men and women, and there is a sex difference with a lower average glycohemoglobin level in women before menopause. Furthermore, BMI, but not a family predisposition to diabetes or leisure-time physical activity, affects this age-dependent increase in glycohemoglobin levels.

Vitamin D stores of urban women in Taipei: Effect on bone density and bone turnover, and seasonal variation

This study was performed to survey the vitamin D nutritional status of urban Chinese women, and to define its role in determining bone metabolic rate and bone mineral density (BMD). We measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), the major storage form of vitamin D, and BMD, at the spine, hip, and total body skeleton, of 262 healthy Chinese women aged from 40 to 72 years, residing in Taipei city. Bone turnover markers, including serum osteocalcin, bone alkaline phosphatase isozyme, and C-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen, and a urinary bone resorption marker, N-terminal crosslinked fragment of type I collagen, were also measured. We found generally adequate vitamin D nutritional stores. The mean concentration of serum 25-OHD was 30.7 (SD = 8.2) ng/mL for all 262 subjects and there were no significant age-related changes. Those who had serum sampled during the summer showed higher serum 25-OHD levels (N = 138; mean ± SD: 32.7 ± 7.6 ng/mL) than those who had serum sampled during winter (N = 124; mean ± SD: 28.5 ± 8.3 ng/mL; Student's t-test, p<0.001), but these two groups showed similar BMD and bone marker values. Those with serum 25-OHD concentration in the lowest or highest tertile did not show different BMD or bone marker values than those in the other tertiles. Multiple regression demonstrated no correlation between 25-OHD and any bone marker or BMD at any site. Thus, in this free-living urban Chinese population, in a subtropical region, we could not demonstrate a role of vitamin D stores in determining bone turnover rate or BMD in women aged 40–70 years.

Bone densitometry of proximal femur in Chinese subjects: Gender differences in bone mass and bone areas

Bone mineral content (BMC), bone areas (BA), and bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal femur were measured in 202 healthy Chinese men and 507 healthy Chinese women, aged 21–70 years, to investigate gender differences in densitometry of the femur. Densitometric values measured at the femoral neck, trochanter, and Ward's triangle were generally greater in men than women of the same age, except at Ward's triangle. While BMD decreased with aging with similar slopes of −0.2 ∼ −1% per year, the actual readings were 10%–15% lower than those of Caucasian subjects of the same age and gender for Chinese men and women. Furthermore, with increasing age, trochanteric BA increased in women but not in men, and femoral neck BA increased in men but not in women. These different trends of change in bone dimensions were independent of weight or height. They may reflect a structural difference at the proximal femur and imply differences in mechanical strength, and thus may have played some roles in the different incidence of hip fractures between the elderly men and women.

Different Age-Related Trends of Bone and Nonbone Forms of Alkaline Phosphatase in Chinese Men and Women

Bone alkaline phosphatase (b-ALP; EC 3.1.3.1) is a tetrameric glycoprotein found on the cell surface of osteoblasts. Previous studies have shown that both b-ALP (1) and total ALP (2) can be considered markers of bone formation. Because postmenopausal osteoporosis in women and senile osteoporosis in both sexes are global epidemiological problems, biochemical markers of bone turnover have become important clinical tests. Such markers are used to identify subjects with rapid bone turnover (and thus bone loss) (3) and to monitor the therapeutic efficacy of various drugs (4). These two purposes mandate separate reference ranges for different sexes and age groups. To evaluate the age-related changes of these two markers in Chinese men and women, we measured both total ALP and b-ALP of healthy Chinese men (n = 156, ages 20–90 years) and women (n = 385, ages 40–70 years; 118 premenopausal and 267 postmenopausal), …

Study on the basal metabolic rate and body composition in healthy Chinese women throughout pregnancy and postpartum

Study on the basal metabolic rate and body composition in healthy Chinese women throughout pregnancy and postpartum

Spirometry in life-long non-smoking, healthy Chinese women in Taiwan

To establish the spirometric values for normal, healthy Chinese women in Taiwan, the spirometry of 506 life-long non-smoking, healthy Chinese women was examined, including 140 subjects over the age of 60 years. Significant correlations among age, height and forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1), FEV 1 FVC % , peak expiratory flow (PEF), V ̇ max75 , V ̇ max50 , and V ̇ max25 were found. However, there were no significant correlations between age and FEV 1 FVC % , nor age and V ̇ max25 in the elderly group. FEV 1 (FEV 1∗) and FVC (FVC∗) were standardized to the overall mean height for elderly women using Cole's formula. The decline in FEV 1∗ and FVC∗ with age were observed. The predicted value for the average 70-year-old woman with a height of 1·5 m derived from the present study is compared with those from other surveys of the elderly. The values from the present study are somewhat higher than the values from the Hong Kong study. The authors believe the fact that all of the present subjects were life-long non-smokers might explain the differences.

Simultaneous Detection by Consensus Multiplex PCR of High- and Low-Risk and Other Types of Human Papilloma Virus in Clinical Samples

A consensus multiplex PCR (CM-PCR) technique was developed to detect high-risk (HPV 16/18), low-risk (HPV 6/11), and over 40 other types of human papillomavirus (HPV), separately but simultaneously, by mixing three pairs of consensus primers in the same PCR mixture, for gene amplification. Simultaneous detection of three groups of HPV DNA provides valuable information for clinical practice and this procedure is simple and convenient for routine laboratory examinations. We detected HPV DNA sequences in plasmid HPV DNA and DNA extracted from tissues of condyloma acuminata and cervical carcinoma and from exfoliated cells of the lower genital tract of healthy Chinese women living in the People's Republic of China. We confirmed that this simple, convenient, and cost-beneficial CM-PCR technique is reliable for the detection of HPV DNA sequences.

Increased body cadmium burden in Chinese women without smoking and occupational exposure.

To investigate the chronic low-level environmental cadmium and zinc exposure of Chinese women and find the relationships between these parameters and hypertension, 58 women without histories of smoking and occupational exposure were conducted into this cross-section study and divided into three groups: Group I: 24 normal healthy, Group II: 24 untreated essential hypertension, and Group III: 10 untreated nonessential hypertension women. The serum cadmium and daily urinary cadmium excretion of Group II (1.69 +/- 0.92 micrograms/L; 2.43 +/- 1.93 micrograms/d) were significantly higher than those of Group I (0.88 +/- 0.92 micrograms/L; 1.07 +/- 1.45 micrograms/d) as well as Group III (0.92 +/- 0.91 micrograms/L; 0.19 +/- 0.23 micrograms/d). The ratio of urinary zinc (micrograms)/urinary creatinine (g) of Group II (865.99 +/- 460.54 micrograms/g) was higher than that of Group I (622.39 +/- 250.96 micrograms/g). The ratio of urinary cadmium concentrations (micrograms)/urinary creatinine (g) of all healthy Chinese women was 1.30 +/- 1.67 which is higher than that of other nations in the world except Japanese. After adjusting age and body mass index, we found mean arterial pressure positively correlated with serum cadmium in all subjects (p = 0.0058). The mean arterial pressure also positively correlated with serum cadmium (p = 0.0017) as well as daily urinary cadmium excretion (p = 0.0088) in all women except the nonessential group. Both the ratios of urinary zinc (micrograms)/urinary creatinine (g) (p = 0.0165) and urinary cadmium (micrograms)/urinary creatinine (g) positively (p = 0.0246) related to mean arterial pressure in women of Group I and II.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Are the WHO (1980) criteria for the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test appropriate for pregnant women?

To determine the normal response to a 75 g glucose challenge in the context of an oral glucose tolerance test in the third trimester of pregnancy. Prospective observational study. Antenatal clinic, Kandang Kerbau Hospital, Singapore. Sixty-four normal pregnant women with a low risk for diabetes. Glucose (75 g) challenge following an overnight fast after 28 weeks of gestation. Venous plasma glucose levels taken before and 2 h after the glucose challenge. Upper limits of normality were found to be fasting glucose 4.9 mmol/l and 2 h glucose 9.2 mmol/l. The WHO (1980) criteria should not be used in pregnancy.

Age-related changes in bone density, serum parathyroid hormone, calcium absorption and other indices of bone metabolism in Chinese women.

To study the age-related changes in bone density, serum parathyroid hormone, calcium absorption and other indices of calcium metabolism in Chinese women who habitually have a low calcium intake. Cross-sectional study. One hundred and fifty-six healthy Chinese women aged 20-83 years. None were on any medication or vitamin supplements. Subjects over the age of 60 years were all living in a hostel; younger subjects were nurses or subjects attending a family clinic for minor illnesses. Fasting blood and urine samples were collected for biochemical measurements and calcium absorption was measured using 45Ca by the method of Marshall and Nordin. Bone density was measured by dual energy X-ray densitometry (Norland X R20 X-ray bone densitometer) at the left hip and lumbar spine. Serum parathyroid hormone was measured by a chemiluminometric assay. Plasma ionized calcium concentration, alkaline phosphatase, bicarbonate, plasma creatinine and serum B2 microglobulin were significantly higher in the elderly than in the young, whereas plasma phosphate and the anion gap were higher in the young. Urinary excretion of calcium, phosphate and hydroxyproline were all higher in older women. Plasma parathyroid hormone concentration was positively correlated with age even after taking into account the decline in renal function (as indicated by the rise in B2 microglobulin (r = 0.506, P less than 0.001). Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were not lower in the older women. Fractional calcium absorption from an oral load of radiolabelled calcium was significantly lower in the older women and 37% of the older women were below the 2.5 percentile found in the younger women. Bone density measured by dual energy X-ray densitometry was also significantly lower in the elderly. In Chinese women there is an increase in PTH and a decrease in calcium absorption with age in spite of the presence of normal vitamin D metabolites.

Bone mineral density of normal Chinese women in Taiwan

Bone mineral density (BMD) may be different in different ethnic groups. To determine BMD and the effect of aging and body weight upon it in healthy Chinese women living in the Taipei urban area, we measured BMD of 116 healthy women aged 18–80 years using a commercially available dual photon absorptiometer (DPA).

Fulminant tuberculous bronchopneumonia in a young hong kong chinese woman

A 24-yr-old, previously healthy Chinese woman presented with symptoms of acute bronchopneumonia which led to acute respiratory failure and death 6 days after admission to hospital despite intensive antibiotic treatment. Autopsy showed acute tuberculous bronchopneumonia of the acinar type. This is a rare presentation and outcome of tuberculous infection in Hong Kong, where 124 cases per 100,000 population were notified in 1988, and indicates that tuberculosis can mimic acute bronchopneumonia and should be considered in cases so presenting, particularly when there is no growth on routine culture and no response to conventional antibiotics. Acute respiratory failure developing in such cases can cause a delay in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Obstetric epidural analgesia with mixtures of bupivacaine, adrenaline and fentanyl

We performed a double-blind comparison of six solutions for epidural analgesia in 90 healthy Chinese women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Patients were randomly allocated to receive 10 ml bupivacaine 0.125% or 0.25% plain, bupivacaine 0.125% with adrenaline 1.25 micrograms/ml, bupivacaine 0.25% with adrenaline 2.5 micrograms/ml or the latter two solutions with added fentanyl 50 micrograms. Analgesia was unsatisfactory in 30% of the bupivacaine 0.125% groups without fentanyl. The addition of adrenaline, compared with bupivacaine 0.25% plain, gave faster onset and longer duration of analgesia (p less than 0.05) which was similar to that found in both fentanyl groups. There were no differences in method of delivery or neonatal Apgar scores among groups. The least concentrated mixture that gave the best analgesia was the combination of bupivacaine 0.125% with adrenaline 1.25 micrograms/ml and fentanyl 50 micrograms.

The Addition of Fentanyl to Epidural Bupivacaine in First Stage Labour

Epidural analgesia was studied in 100 healthy Chinese women with uncomplicated pregnancies in first stage labour. Patients were randomly allocated to receive 8 ml of one of the following five solutions: bupivacaine 0.125% with fentanyl 50 micrograms or fentanyl 100 micrograms, bupivacaine 0.25% plain, bupivacaine 0.25% with fentanyl 50 micrograms or fentanyl 100 micrograms. There was no difference in quality of analgesia among groups as measured by the reduction of visual analogue pain scores 20 minutes after the epidural dose. The duration of analgesia was similar among groups with the overall median duration being 105 minutes. There was no difference in method of delivery or neonatal Apgar scores. The least concentrated mixture providing good quality analgesia for the first stage of labour was the combination of bupivacaine 0.125% with fentanyl 50 micrograms.

Fibrinopeptide A levels in maternal and newborn plasma

Plasma fibrinopeptide A (FPA), a dynamic measure of intravascular coagulation, was determined in 70 healthy Chinese women during normal pregnancy, labour, delivery and the early puerperium and compared to a group of healthy non-pregnant adult controls. In the normal controls the plasma FPA level (mean ± SD) was 1.43 ± 0.46 ng/ml. During pregnancy and labour, the FPA levels were 3.05 ± 0.98 ng/ml and 11.47 ± 4.43 ng/ml, respectively, and it reached a peak of 32.95 ± 11.66 ng/ml at parturition, then falling to 6.15 ± 2.52 ng/ml in the early puerperium. All these levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001) compared to controls. Fifteen of the 21 mothers with blood sampling during parturition also had umbilical cord blood taken for determination of FPA level. There was no significant difference between the maternal (34.07 ± 10.12 ng/ml) and cord (31.06 ± 12.67 ng/ml) plasma FPA levels. It is concluded that the hypercoagulable state in women during pregnancy and the puerperium is associated with increased intravascular coagulation activity, and that increased intravascular coagulation activity also occurs in the fetus during parturition. This observation may account for the increased risk of thrombotic disorders observed in pregnant and parturient women as well as in the newborn.

Serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in Chinese healthy subjects and patients with certain diseases

Serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) were determined, and values of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-C/TC(%), and the LDL-C/HDL-C (ratio) were calculated in 1101 healthy Chinese men and women, 77 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), 70 patients with cerebral vascular disease (CVD), 64 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), 40 bilaterally oophorectomized women and 95 women using oral contraceptives. Serum HDL-C levels seemed higher and LDL-C levels lower in the healthy Chinese population as compared with those previously reported from European and American whites. Serum HDL-C was significantly higher in fertile females than in males of comparable ages. We failed to demonstrate any sharp fall in HDL-C after the menopause or bilateral oophorectomy. Serum HDL-C levels were significantly lower in both CHD and CVD patients than in healthy subjects of comparable sex and age. Concomitant increases in serum TC, LDL-C and TG, however, were found in CHD patients but not in CVD patients. No abnormality in the mean serum HDL-C level was found in DM patients. However, those complicated with CHD had significantly lower HDL-C than those without CHD. A striking serum HDL-C lowering effect was found with some kinds of oral contraceptives.

Menstrual blood loss in healthy Chinese women

Intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) are commonly used in China, but uterine bleeding is the main problem. So far, the menstrual blood loss (MBL) is based on subjective judgments by the patients, and objective quantitative data of MBL is lacking. It is necessary to determine the baseline MBL of healthy Chinese women. MBL was determined in 131 healthy women for one period, the range was 7.5–176.5 ml; the mean value was 56.3±2.8 (S.E.) ml; the median was 50.8 ml; and the central percentile limits of 80% and 90% were 20.7–95.0 ml and 13.9–120.8 ml, respectively. The amount of MBL in 92.4% of tested subjects was within 100 ml; the 95th percentile was 120.8 ml. Hematological studies were made in 25 subjects. There was a tendency for the blood iron to decrease with increasing MBL and when the MBL reached 80–100 ml, the hemoglobin and hematocrit began to decline. When MBL increased to 100–120 ml, hemoglobin and hematocrit were reduced to the lower limit of normal value. Further investigation should be made to determine if 100 ml can be used as the upper limit of normal for Chinese women.