Midfollicular Phase Research Articles

Serial Evaluation of Endometrial Blood Flow for Prediction of Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients Who Underwent Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation and In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer.

To investigate endometrial blood flow during the menstrual cycle in patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH), in vitro fertilization (IVF), and embryo transfer (ET) and prediction of pregnancy outcomes based on these characteristics. Endometrial blood flow was measured in 35 patients undergoing COH and IVF-ET (nonpregnant [n = 15] and pregnant [n = 20]) by measuring the resistive index (RI) of the uterine radial artery using 2-dimensional Doppler ultrasonography. Measurements were obtained in 4 different phases of the menstrual cycle day: early follicular, midfollicular, preovulatory, and midluteal. The uterine radial artery RI during the early follicular phase was significantly lower in the pregnant group than in the nonpregnant group (mean ± SD, 0.61 ± 0.01 versus 0.66 ± 0.01; P = .029). There was no significant difference between groups during the midfollicular, preovulatory, and midluteal phases (mean ± SD, 0.60 ± 0.02 versus 0.60 ± 0.01; P = .84; 0.61 ± 0.09 versus 0.57 ± 0.01; P = .12; 0.54 ± 0.01 versus 0.57 ± 0.02; P = .32, respectively). There was a significant difference in endometrial blood flow between the pregnant and nonpregnant groups during each phase (P = .016). The difference in the changes of the uterine radial artery RI from the preovulatory to midluteal phase between the pregnant and non pregnant groups was significant (-0.002 ± 0.03 versus 0.07 ± 0.02; P = .038). Increased endometrial blood flow during the midluteal phase, compared to the preovulatory phase, may correlate with successful COH and IVF-ET. Additionally, sufficient blood flow at initiation of COH may affect COH and IVF-ET results.

Is It Me or My Hormones? Neuroendocrine Activation Profiles to Visual Food Stimuli Across the Menstrual Cycle.

Homeostatic energy balance is controlled via the hypothalamus, whereas regions controlling reward and cognitive decision-making are critical for hedonic eating. Eating varies across the menstrual cycle peaking at the midluteal phase. To test responses of females with regular cycles during midfollicular and midluteal phase and of users of monophasic oral contraception pills (OCPs) to visual food cues. Participants performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging while exposed to visual food cues in four time points: fasting and fed conditions in midfollicular and midluteal phases. Twenty females with regular cycles and 12 on monophasic OCP, aged 18 to 35 years. Activity in homeostatic (hypothalamus), reward (amygdala, putamen and insula), frontal (anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and visual regions (calcarine and lateral occipital cortex). Tertiary hospital. In females with regular cycles, brain regions associated with homeostasis but also the reward system, executive frontal areas, and afferent visual areas were activated to a greater degree during the luteal compared with the follicular phase. Within the visual areas, a dual effect of hormonal and prandial state was seen. In females on monophasic OCPs, characterized by a permanently elevated progesterone concentration, activity reminiscent of the luteal phase was found. Androgen, cortisol, testosterone, and insulin levels were significantly correlated with reward and visual region activation. Hormonal mechanisms affect the responses of women's homeostatic, emotional, and attentional brain regions to food cues. The relation of these findings to eating behavior throughout the cycle needs further investigation.

Influence of endogenous estradiol, progesterone, allopregnanolone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate on brain resting state functional connectivity across the menstrual cycle

To [1] study brain resting state functional connectivity (Rs-FC) in a well-characterized sample of healthy women in the mid-follicular and late luteal phases of the menstrual cycle; and [2] examine the correlation between endogenous E2, P, allopregnanolone, and DHEAS and patterns of Rs-FC across the menstrual cycle. We studied the Rs-FC of the default mode network, salience network, meso-paralimbic network, fronto-parietal network, visual network, and sensorimotor network in the mid-follicular and late luteal phases. Serum levels of E2, P, allopregnanolone, and DHEAS were correlated to patterns of functional connectivity. University medical center. Twenty-five healthy women with regular menstrual cycles. None. Functional connectivity of key brain networks at rest and correlations of hormones to Rs-FC in the mid-follcuar and late luteal menstrual phases. There were no differences in Rs-FC between the mid-follicular and late luteal menstrual phases using either independent component analysis or seed-based analysis. However, specific correlations between each hormone and patterns of functional connectivity were found in both menstrual cycle phases. It seems that the association between female sex hormones and brain Rs-FC is menstrual cycle phase-dependent. Future studies should examine the cognitive and behavioral correlates of this association in regularly cycling women.

Altered fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation in premenstrual syndrome: A resting state fMRI study

BackgroundPremenstrual syndrome (PMS) is becoming highly prevalent among female and is characterized by emotional, physical and behavior symptoms. Previous evidence suggested functional dysregulation of female brain was expected to be involved in the etiology of PMS. The aim of present study was to evaluate the alterations of spontaneous brain activity in PMS patients based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods20 PMS patients and 21 healthy controls underwent resting-state fMRI scanning during luteal phase. All participants were asked to complete a prospective daily record of severity of problems (DRSP) questionnaire. ResultsCompared with healthy controls, the results showed that PMS patients had increased fALFF in bilateral precuneus, left hippocampus and left inferior temporal cortex, and decreased fALFF in bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and cerebellum at luteal phase. Moreover, the DRSP scores of PMS patients were negatively correlated with the mean fALFF in ACC and positively correlated with the fALFF in precuneus. Limitations(1) the study did not investigate whether or not abnormal brain activity differences between groups in mid-follicular phase, and within-group changes. between phases.(2) it was relatively limited sample size and the participants were young; (3) fALFF could not provide us with more holistic information of brain network;(4) the comparisons of PMS and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) were not involved in the study. ConclusionsThe present study shows abnormal spontaneous brain activity in PMS patients revealed by fALFF, which could provide neuroimaging evidence to further improve our understanding of the underlying neural mechanism of PMS.

Anti-Müllerian hormone levels to predict oocyte maturity and embryo quality during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation.

The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) outcome parameters and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) serum levels during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment in women with varying ovarian reserve levels. Prospective study of 46 women undergoing GnRH-antagonist short protocol for IVF. Participants included women with low ovarian reserve (N.=11), normoreserve (N.=16), and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS; N.=19). AMH was measured on menstrual cycle day 1-3 (basal AMH), on the day of GnRH-antagonist administration (AMH-GnRH), on the day of hCG administration (AMH-hCG), and in follicular fluid on the day of oocyte retrieval (AMH-FF). Basal AMH was significantly correlated (P<0.001) with antral follicle count and number of follicles >11mm on hCG day (P<0.05). Both basal AMH and AMH-GnRH were significantly correlated (P<0.05) with the number of oocytes retrieved and metaphase II. AMH-hCG was correlated with top quality embryos (P=0.04). No correlations were found between COH outcome parameters and AMH-FF. Basal AMH serum concentration was the strongest predictor of oocyte yield. AMH concentration at the mid-follicular phase was also a good predictor of oocyte yield and this marker was the only useful ovarian reserve indicator during the follicle growth process to predict IVF outcomes. AMH-hCG levels appear to predict embryo quality. AMH levels during the COH can provide valuable data to help individualize treatment and predict COH results.

Resting state functional connectivity in women with bipolar disorder during clinical remission.

Periods of euthymia in bipolar disorder (BD) serve as a valuable time to study trait-based pathophysiology. The use of resting state functional connectivity (Rs-FC) can aid in the understanding of BD pathophysiology free of task or mood state biases. The present study investigated two unexplored areas of Rs-FC research in bipolar remission: (i) Rs-FC in women, controlling for the potential influence of premenstrual symptoms, and (ii) the use of both independent component analysis (ICA) and seed-based analysis (SBA) to investigate Rs-FC. We investigated Rs-FC of the default mode network, meso-paralimbic network and fronto-parietal network in a sample of 32 euthymic women with BD and 36 age-matched controls during the mid-follicular phase of their menstrual cycle. Rs-FC was assessed with ICA and SBA using the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) as seed points for their respective resting state networks. In BD, compared to controls, SBAs revealed increased coupling between the PCC and the angular gyrus (P=.002, false discovery rate [FDR]-corrected) and between the right dlPFC and the brainstem (P=.03, FDR-corrected). In BD only, PCC-angular gyrus coupling was correlated with anxiety symptoms. Group differences in Rs-FC using ICA did not survive multiple comparisons. Negative findings from whole-brain ICA Rs-FC may reflect a state of clinical remission in BD. Heightened activation between the PCC and the angular gyrus and between the dlPFC and the brainstem may reflect (i) an abnormal trait integration of affective information during clinical remission and/or (ii) an adaptive compensatory mechanism required for clinical stabilization.

Effect of sex on the acute skeletal muscle response to sprint interval exercise.

What is the central question of this study? Are there sex-based differences in the acute skeletal muscle response to sprint interval training (SIT)? What is the main finding and its importance? In response to a SIT protocol that involved three 20s bouts of 'all-out' cycling, the expression of multiple genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis, metabolic control and structural remodelling was largely similar between men and women matched for fitness. Our findings cannot explain previous reports of sex-based differences in the adaptive response to SIT and suggest that the mechanistic basis for these differences remains to be elucidated. A few studies have reported sex-based differences in response to several weeks of sprint interval training (SIT). These findings may relate to sex-specific responses to an acute session of SIT. We tested the hypothesis that the acute skeletal muscle response to SIT differs between sexes. Sedentary but healthy men (n = 10) and women (n = 9) were matched for age (22±3 versus 22±3years old) and cardiorespiratory fitness [45±7versus 43±10ml O2 (kg fat-free mass)-1 min-1 ], with women tested in the mid-follicular phase of their menstrual cycles. Subjects performed three 20s 'all-out' cycling efforts against a resistance of 5% of body mass, interspersed with 2min of recovery. Relative mean power outputs [7.6±0.5 versus 7.5±0.9W(kg fat-free mass)-1 ] were similar between men and women (P>0.05). Furthermore, there were no differences in the exercise-induced changes in mRNA expression of PGC-1α, PRC, PPARD, SIRT1, RIP140, HSL, HKII, PDK4, PDP1, FOXO3, MURF-1, Myf5, MyoD and VEGFA at 3h of recovery versus rest (P<0.05, main effect of time). The only sex-specific responses to exercise were an increase in the mRNA expression of GLUT4 and LPL in women only and Atrogin-1 in men only (P<0.05). Women also had higher expression of HKII and lower expression of FOXO3 compared with men (P<0.05, main effect of sex). We conclude that the acute skeletal muscle response to SIT is largely similar in young men and women. The mechanistic basis for sex-based differences in response to several weeks of SIT that has been previously reported remains to be elucidated.

Fitter Women Did Not Have Attenuated Hemodynamic Responses to Psychological Stress Compared with Age-Matched Women with Lower Levels of Fitness.

According to the ‘cross stressor adaptation hypothesis’, regular exercise acts as a buffer against the detrimental effects of stress. Nevertheless, evidence that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness moderate hemodynamic responses to acute psychological stress is inconclusive, especially in women. Women aged 30–50 years (in the mid-follicular phase of the menstrual cycle) with higher (n = 17) and lower (n = 17) levels of fitness were subjected to a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Continuous, non-invasive measurements were made of beat-to-beat, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), left ventricular ejection time (LVET), maximum slope, pulse interval (PI) and total peripheral resistance (TPR). Maximal oxygen consumption was significantly (p<0.001) higher in the ‘higher fit’ women. Lower fit women had higher fasting glucose, resting heart rate, waist to hip ratios and elevated serum triglyceride and cholesterol/ HDL ratios compared with higher fit women (p<0.05 for all). While all measured parameters (for both groups)displayed significant (p<0.001) responses to the TSST, only HR, PI and LVET differed significantly between higher and lower fit women (p<0.001 for all) with the higher fit women having the larger response in each case. It was also found that higher fit women had significantly shorter time to recovery for maximum slope compared with the lower fit women. These findings provide little support for the notion that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness result in lower cardiovascular responsivity to psychological stress in women but may indicate that lower fit women have blunted responses to stress.

Influence of the mid-follicular and late luteal phases on anaerobic power in university students

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the menstrual cycle on the anaerobic power of short duration in healthy adult women.

CYP3A7*1C allele is associated with reduced levels of 2-hydroxylation pathway oestrogen metabolites

Background:Endogenous sex hormones are well-established risk factors for breast cancer; the contribution of specific oestrogen metabolites (EMs) and/or ratios of specific EMs is less clear. We have previously identified a CYP3A7*1C allele that is associated with lower urinary oestrone (E1) levels in premenopausal women. The purpose of this analysis was to determine whether this allele was associated with specific pathway EMs.Methods:We measured successfully 12 EMs in mid-follicular phase urine samples from 30 CYP3A7*1C carriers and 30 non-carriers using HPLC-MS/MS.Results:In addition to having lower urinary E1 levels, CYP3A7*1C carriers had significantly lower levels of four of the 2-hydroxylation pathway EMs that we measured (2-hydroxyestrone, P=1.1 × 10−12; 2-hydroxyestradiol, P=2.7 × 10−7; 2-methoxyestrone, P=1.9 × 10−12; and 2-methoxyestradiol, P=0.0009). By contrast, 16α-hydroxylation pathway EMs were slightly higher in carriers and significantly so for 17-epiestriol (P=0.002).Conclusions:The CYP3A7*1C allele is associated with a lower urinary E1 levels, a more pronounced reduction in 2-hydroxylation pathway EMs and a lower ratio of 2-hydroxylation:16α-hydroxylation EMs in premenopausal women. To further characterise the association between parent oestrogens, EMs and subsequent risk of breast cancer, characterisation of additional genetic variants that influence oestrogen metabolism and large prospective studies of a broad spectrum of EMs will be required.

Effect of mid-follicular phase recombinant LH versus urinary HCG supplementation in poor ovarian responders undergoing IVF – a prospective double-blinded randomized study

Luteinizing hormone (LH) is crucial for the development of follicular growth and oocyte maturation, especially in the management of poor ovarian responders (PORs). This study presents the results of a prospective double-blinded randomized study to compare the effect of mid-follicular phase recombinant LH (rLH) supplementation with urinary human chorionic gonadotrophin (uHCG) supplementation when using a fixed gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol in IVF cycles. A total of 49 women with poor ovarian response (POR) according to the Bologna criteria were recruited. This study showed no statistically significant difference in cycle cancellation rates, numbers of oocytes retrieved per cycle initiated, fertilization rates, the numbers of embryos obtained per cycle initiated, implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates, although the live birth rate per cycle initiated in the uHCG group (29.2%) was 3.6 times that of the rLH group (8.0%). Further studies are required to verify if uHCG supplementation produces better clinical outcomes compared with rLH in women with POR.

Diurnal and circadian variation of sleep and alertness in men vs. naturally cycling women

This study quantifies sex differences in the diurnal and circadian variation of sleep and waking while controlling for menstrual cycle phase and hormonal contraceptive use. We compared the diurnal and circadian variation of sleep and alertness of 8 women studied during two phases of the menstrual cycle and 3 women studied during their midfollicular phase with that of 15 men. Participants underwent an ultradian sleep-wake cycle (USW) procedure consisting of 36 cycles of 60-min wake episodes alternating with 60-min nap opportunities. Core body temperature (CBT), salivary melatonin, subjective alertness, and polysomnographically recorded sleep were measured throughout this procedure. All analyzed measures showed a significant diurnal and circadian variation throughout the USW procedure. Compared with men, women demonstrated a significant phase advance of the CBT but not melatonin rhythms, as well as an advance in the diurnal and circadian variation of sleep measures and subjective alertness. Furthermore, women experienced an increased amplitude of the diurnal and circadian variation of alertness, mainly due to a larger decline in the nocturnal nadir. Our results indicate that women are likely initiating sleep at a later circadian phase than men, which may be one factor contributing to the increased susceptibility to sleep disturbances reported in women. Lower nighttime alertness is also observed, suggesting a physiological basis for a greater susceptibility to maladaptation to night shift work in women.

Variation in circulating antimüllerian hormone precursor during the periovulatory and acute postovulatory phases of the human ovarian cycle

To determine whether the relative quantity of circulating AMH precursor (proAMH) declines relative to levels of the active form (AMHN,C) in the periovulatory phase of the ovarian cycle. Longitudinal study. Local community. Sixteen women aged between 18 to 30years with regular menstrual cycles between 25 to 35days long. None. Serum concentrations of proAMH and total AMH (proAMH and AMHN,C combined) measured by immunoassay, with relative levels of proAMH expressed as the AMH prohormone index (API = [ProAMH]/[Total AMH] × 100). The mean API in the 11 eligible women fell from 20.7 during the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge period to 18.7 during the acute postsurge period. No statistically significant differences in the API were observed among samples taken at single time points in the early follicular, midfollicular, midluteal, and late luteal phases. This study suggests that activation of AMH by proteolytic enzymes is largely stable throughout the ovarian cycle. However, there is a subtle but robust decrease in the level of proAMH relative to AMHN,C in the acute postovulatory period. This may indicate that periovulatory increases in prohormone convertases cause increases in proAMH cleavage rates. Alternatively, rapid changes in the hierarchy of follicle developmental stages during ovulation may result in changes in the relative ratios of proAMH and AMHN,C.

Luteal versus follicular phase surgical oophorectomy plus tamoxifen in premenopausal women with metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer

PurposeIn premenopausal women with metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, hormonal therapy is the first-line therapy. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue + tamoxifen therapies have been found to be more effective. The pattern of recurrence risk over time after primary surgery suggests that peri-operative factors impact recurrence. Secondary analyses of an adjuvant trial suggested that the luteal phase timing of surgical oophorectomy in the menstrual cycle simultaneous with primary breast surgery favourably influenced long-term outcomes. MethodsTwo hundred forty-nine premenopausal women with incurable or metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer entered a trial in which they were randomised to historical mid-luteal or mid-follicular phase surgical oophorectomy followed by oral tamoxifen treatment. Kaplan–Meier methods, the log-rank test, and multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess overall and progression-free survival (PFS) in the two randomised groups and by hormone-confirmed menstrual cycle phase. ResultsOverall survival (OS) and PFS were not demonstrated to be different in the two randomised groups. In a secondary analysis, OS appeared worse in luteal phase surgery patients with progesterone levels <2 ng/ml (anovulatory patients; adjusted hazard ratio 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.89–2.41, p = 0.14) compared with those in luteal phase with progesterone level of 2 ng/ml or higher. Median OS was 2 years (95% CI: 1.7–2.3) and OS at 4 years was 26%. ConclusionsThe history-based timing of surgical oophorectomy in the menstrual cycle did not influence outcomes in this trial of metastatic patients.ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00293540.

Relationships of abdominal pain, reports to visceral and temperature pain sensitivity, conditioned pain modulation, and heart rate variability in irritable bowel syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a heterogeneous condition with a number of pathophysiological mechanisms that appear to contribute to symptom chronicity. One of these is altered pain sensitivity. Women between ages 18-45 were recruited the community. Of those enrolled, 56 had IBS and 36 were healthy control (HC) women. Participants completed questionnaires, kept a 4-week symptom diary and had a 12-h Holter placed to assess nighttime heart rate variability including high frequency power (HF), low frequency power (LF), and total power (TP). At mid-follicular phase approximately 80% of women completed a thermal pain sensitivity test with conditioned pain modulation and visceral pain sensitivity using a water load symptom provocation (WLSP) test. As expected, daily abdominal pain was significantly higher in the IBS compared to HC group. There were no differences between the bowel pattern subgroups (IBS-diarrhea [IBS-D], IBS-constipation plus mixed [IBS-CM]). Thermal pain sensitivity did not differ between the IBS and the HC groups, but was significantly higher in the IBS-CM group than the IBS-D group. In the WLSP test, the IBS group experienced significantly more symptom distress than HCs and the IBS-CM group was higher than the IBS-D group. Heart rate variability indicators did not differ between the groups or IBS subgroups. Daily abdominal pain was positively correlated with LF and TP in the IBS group. Despite similar levels of abdominal pain in IBS, the IBS-CM group demonstrated greater sensitivity to both thermal and visceral testing procedures.

Intravenous intralipid therapy is not beneficial in having a live delivery in women aged 40-42 years with a previous history of miscarriage or failure to conceive despite embryo transfer undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of intralipid intravenous infusion in achieving a live pregnancy following IVF – embryo transfer in women of advanced reproductive age (40-42 years). Materials and Methods: A matched control was performed. Women aged 40-42 with a previous history of miscarriage or who failed to conceive despite previous embryo transfer who entered an IVF program were offered intravenous intralipid therapy (four ml of 20% liposyn II in 100 ml normal saline over one hour) during the mid-follicular phase. Clinical pregnancy rates (eight weeks with viable gestation) and live delivered pregnancy rates were then determined and compared. Results: The results were evaluated after ten matched cycles. There were no clinical pregnancies in those receiving intralipid vs. a 40% clinical and a 30% live delivered pregnancy rate in the untreated controls (p = 0.087, Fisher’s exact test). The study was terminated because of these preliminary data. Conclusions: In the test tube, adding intralipid to natural killer cells can inhibit their cytolytic action. However, the use of intravenous intralipid to suppress natural killer cell activity does not seem to improve the chance of a live delivery in women aged 40-42 years with a previous history of miscarriage. In fact this therapy may actually be detrimental in this age group. Since efficacy of this therapy was not found in a group of advanced reproductive age, it is not clear why this should be effective for a younger population. A controlled study for the younger group is needed. Perhaps such a study could be limited to only those with miscarriage rather than also concluding failure to conceive despite embryo transfer. Intralipid failed to improve live delivered pregnancy rates in women with prior miscarriage or previous failure with embryo transfer.

Endogenous inhibition of pain and spinal nociception in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

PurposePremenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is characterized by severe affective and physical symptoms, such as increased pain, during the late-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The mechanisms underlying hyperalgesia in women with PMDD have yet to be identified, and supraspinal pain modulation has yet to be examined in this population. The present study assessed endogenous pain inhibitory processing by examining conditioned pain modulation (CPM, a painful conditioning stimulus inhibiting pain evoked by a test stimulus at a distal body site) of pain and the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR, a spinally-mediated withdrawal reflex) during the mid-follicular, ovulatory, and late-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle.MethodsParticipants were regularly-cycling women (14 without PMDD; 14 with PMDD). CPM was assessed by delivering electrocutaneous test stimuli to the sural nerve before, during, and after a painful conditioning ischemia task. Participants rated their pain to electrocutaneous stimuli, and NFR magnitudes were measured. A linear mixed model analysis was used to assess the influence of group and menstrual phase on CPM.ResultsCompared with controls, women with PMDD experienced greater pain during the late-luteal phase and enhanced spinal nociception during the ovulation phase, both of which were independent of CPM. Both groups showed CPM inhibition of pain that did not differ by menstrual phase. Only women with PMDD evidenced CPM inhibition of NFR.ConclusionEndogenous modulation of pain and spinal nociception is not disrupted in women with PMDD. Additionally, greater NFR magnitudes during ovulation in PMDD may be due to tonically-engaged descending mechanisms that facilitate spinal nociception, leading to enhanced pain during the premenstrual phase.

The effects of a multi-ingredient supplement on markers of muscle damage and inflammation following downhill running in females.

BackgroundThe effects of a multi-ingredient performance supplement (MIPS) on markers of inflammation and muscle damage, perceived soreness and lower limb performance are unknown in endurance-trained female athletes. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of MIPS (NO-Shotgun®) pre-loaded 4 weeks prior to a single-bout of downhill running (DHR) on hsC-Reactive Protein (hsCRP), interleukin (IL)-6, creatine kinase (CK), muscle soreness, lower limb circumferences and performance.MethodTrained female runners (n = 8; 29 ± 5.9 years) (VO2max: ≥ 50 ml-1.kg-1.min-1, midfollicular phase (7-11 days post-menses) were randomly assigned in a double-blind manner into two groups: MIPS (n = 4) ingested one serving of NO Shotgun daily for 28 days prior to DHR and 30 min prior to all post-testing visits; Control (CON) (n = 4) consumed an isocaloric maltodextrin placebo in an identical manner to MIPS. hsCRP, IL-6, CK, perceived soreness, limb circumferences, and performance measures (flexibility, squat jump peak power) were tested on 5 occasions; immediately before (PRE), immediately post-DHR, 24, 48 and 72 h post-DHR.ResultsThere were main effects of time for CK (p = 0.05), pain pressure threshold (right tibialis anterior (p = 0.010), right biceps femoris (p = 0.01), and left iliotibial band (ITB) (p = 0.05) across all time points), and maximum squat jump power (p = 0.04). Compared with 24 h post-DHR, maximum squat jump power was significantly lower at 48 h post-DHR (p = 0.05). Lower body perceived soreness was significantly increased at 24 h (p = 0.02) and baseline to 48 h (p = 0.02) post DHR. IL-6 peaked immediately post-DHR (p = 0.03) and hsCRP peaked at 24 h post-DHR (p = 0.06). Calculation of effect sizes indicated a moderate attenuation of hsCRP in MIPS at 72 h post-DHR. ConclusionsConsumption of MIPS for 4 weeks prior to a single bout of DHR attenuated inflammation three days post, but did not affect perceived soreness and muscle damage markers in endurance trained female runners following a single bout of DHR.

Evaluation of cardiorespiratory changes during various phases of menstrual cycle in young women before and soon after exercise

Background: Menstruation involves a cyclic expulsion of sanguinous fluid and a sloughing of uterine wall in a female and is a typical feature of the reproductive cycle in humans and subhuman primates. The variations in radial artery distensibility are typical in the natural menstrual cycle. Respiratory function is influenced by female sexual hormones, especially progesterone, which could increase ventilator at rest and soon after exercise. Objective: To study the cardiorespiratory changes during mid-follicular phase and early luteal phases of menstrual cycle before and soon after exercise. Materials and Methods: The samples were collected from young unmarried and nonpregnant women of age group 17 and 25 years from Government General Hospital, Madras Medical College. Blood was drawn during the mid-follicular phase and early luteal phase of menstrual cycle; the serum was separated and stored at 20C. The separated serum was used for quantitative determination of estradiol (E2) concentration by SMAR Test diagnostics and for progesterone determination using hormone kit. Cardiac output, peripheral blood flow, expiratory blast test, performance of isotonic exercise, and cardiac output measurement were performed, and the comparison was made between the different phases of parameters. Result: Cardiac output, peripheral blood flow, and expiratory blast test were performed, and the comparison was made between the parameters. Female subjects show higher ventilatory responses in the luteal phases than in the follicular phase without a change in VO2. Progesterone stimulates respiration and the alveolar PCO2 in women during the luteal phase of menstrual cycle, which is lower than that in men. During exercise, the muscle blood flow can increase a maximum of about 25-fold, the value being 90 mL/100g muscle/min from resting blood flow of 3.6 mL/100 g. In expiratory blast test, a normal subject can increase the mercury column to 55–100 mm or more during a single forceful expiration. Conclusion: The result suggests that cardiovascular parameters were more affected in follicular phase after exercise. Respiratory parameters were more affected in luteal phase after exercise. Change in peripheral blood flow was found to show marked effect than in cardiac output.

Variability of Three-dimensional Automatic Ovarian Follicle Count in Menstrual Cycle

To evaluate the variability of three-dimensional automatic counts of ovarian follicles measuring 2-6 to 2-10 mm during the menstrual cycle and to determine if this test can be applied outside the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. in a prospective observational study, serial transvaginal ultrasound scans were performed from April 20, 2013, to October 30, 2014, on infertile patients. age between 18 and 35 years, BMI 18-25 kg/m2, regular menstrual cycles, no history of ovarian surgery and no hormonal changes in TSH, prolactin, fasting insulin or glucose. We excluded patients with ovarian cysts or who did not complete one or more days of the serial transvaginal ultrasound scans. The follicle count was performed in 3D mode ultrasound with a Sono AVC system. Visits were scheduled for the early follicular, mid-follicular, periovulatory and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Forty-five women were included. The Friedman test showed that the total number of follicles measuring 2-6 mm varied significantly (p = 0.001) across the four periods of the menstrual cycle. The Paired Student t-test showed a significant increase in 2-6 mm follicle count from the mid-follicular and periovulatory phase to the luteal phase. We found no significant intra-cycle variation between the small follicles (2-6 mm) in the early follicular, mid-follicular and periovulatory phases. The Friedman test showed that the total number of follicles measuring 2-10 mm varied significantly (p = 0.003) across the menstrual cycle. The variation of three-dimensional automatic counts of 2-6 mm follicles in the early follicular, mid-follicular and periovulatory phases was not statistically significant. The significant variability in the counts of follicles measuring 2-10 mm across the menstrual cycle does not permit this examination to be performed side the early follicular phase.