Luteal phase of the menstrual cycle increases sweating rate during exercise

The present study evaluated whether the luteal phase elevation of body temperature would be offset during exercise by increased sweating, when women are normally hydrated. Eleven women performed 60 min of cycling exercise at 60 percent of their maximal work load at 32°C and 80 percent relative air humidity. Each subject participated in two identical experimental sessions: one during the follicular phase (between days 5 and 8) and the other during the luteal phase (between days 22 and 25). Women with serum progesterone >3 ng/mL, in the luteal phase were classified as group 1 (N = 4), whereas the others were classified as group 2 (N = 7). Post-exercise urine volume (213 ± 80 vs 309 ± 113 mL) and specific urine gravity (1.008 ± 0.003 vs 1.006 ± 0.002) changed (P < 0.05) during the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase in group 1. No menstrual cycle dependence was observed for these parameters in group 2. Sweat rate was higher (P < 0.05) in the luteal (3.10 ± 0.81 g m-2 min-1) than in the follicular phase (2.80 ± 0.64 g m-2 min-1) only in group 1. During exercise, no differences related to menstrual cycle phases were seen in rectal temperature, heart rate, rate of perceived exertion, mean skin temperature, and pre- and post-exercise body weight. Women exercising in a warm and humid environment with water intake seem to be able to adapt to the luteal phase increase of basal body temperature through reduced urinary volume and increased sweating rate.

Effects of bromocriptine on serum prolactin levels, pituitary weight and immunoreactive prolactin cells in estradiol-treated ovariectomized rats: an experimental model of estrogen-dependent hyperprolactinemia

The present study was designed to assess the effects of bromocriptine, a dopamine agonist, on pituitary wet weight, number of immunoreactive prolactin cells and serum prolactin concentrations in estradioltreated rats. Ovariectomized Wistar rats were injected subcutaneously with sunflower oil vehicle or estradiol valerate (50 or 300 mug rat-1 week-l) for 2, 4 or 10 weeks. Bromocriptine (0.2 or 0.6 mg rat-1 day-l) was injected daily during the last 5 or 12 days of estrogen treatment. Data were compared with those obtained for intact control rats. Administration of both doses of estrogen increased serum prolactin levels. No difference in the number of prolactin cells in rats treated with 50 mug estradiol valerate was observed compared to intact adult animals. In contrast, rats treated with 300 mug estradiol valerate showed a significant increase in the number of prolactin cells (P<0.05). Therefore, the increase in serum prolactin levels observed in rats treated with 50 mug estradiol valerate, in the absence of morphological changes in the pituitary cells, suggests a "functional" estrogen-induced hyperprolactinemia. Bromocriptine decreased prolactin levels in all estrogen-treated rats. The administration of this drug to rats previously treated with 300 mug estradiol valerate also resulted in a significant decrease in pituitary weight and number of prolactin cells when compared to the group treated with estradiol alone. The general antiprolactinemic and antiproliferative pituitary effects of bromocriptine treatment reported here validate the experimental model of estrogen-induced hyperprolactinemic rats.

Alterations in plasma prolactin and glucose levels induced by surgical stress in hyperprolactinemic female rats

The effects of hyperprolactinemia on plasma prolactin (PRL) and glucose were investigated in female rats submitted to surgical stress (laparotomy under ether anesthesia). Wistar rats weighing 250-280g received pituitary grafs under the kidney capsule three weeks before the experiments (N = 15) while a control group underwent sham transplantation (N = 14). The sham-operated rats presented a threefold increase of PRL levels as early as after 5 min of surgical stress (P<0.01); the PRL levels reached a peak at about 15 min and returned to baseline at 40 min. The PRL levels of the grafted rats were increased 3.5-fold compared to the sham-operated controls before stress (20.2 + 5.6 ng/ml vs 5.8 + 0.9 ng/ml, respectively; P<0.05), but did not change significantly during the experimental period. Plasma glucose was already significantly increased at 5 min in sham-operated control and grafted rats (P<0.01) and reached maximal concentrations at about 15 min. The grafted rats presented higher glucose levels than sham-operated controls before stress (122.2 + 3.3 vs 100.5 + 4.2 mg/dl; P<0.01) and at 40 min (182.6 + 13.6 vs 146.7 + 8.4 mg/dl; P<0.05). The hyperprolactinemic rats showed impaired surgical stress-induced PRL release and higher glucose levels both at rest and during the first postoperative hour. These results indicate that chronic hyperprolactinemia inhibited PRL secretion and enhanced the hyperglycemic stress response in the female rat.

Recovery of fibrinogen in cryoprecipitate pasteurized in the presence of sucrose and glycine

The effect of sucrose (60 per cent w/w) and 1 M glycine as thermal stabilizers for fibrinogen in cryoprecipitate was studied. Sucrose (9.2 g) and glycine (0.9 g) were dissolved in 6 g of cryoprecipitate and the solution was pasteurized at 60 degrees C for 10 h. The preparation was then dialyzed for 20 h in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), lyophilized, stored for one week at -40 degrees C and resuspended in distilled water. The recovery of total proteins and fibrinogen in the final product averaged 66.4 +/- 4.1 per cent and 43.8 +/- 6.4 per cent of the initial contents, respectively (mean +/- SEM, N = 9). The pasteurization of cryoprecipitate in the presence of PBS (control experiments) produced extensive precipitation, which is characteristic of protein denaturation. Thus, this method partially protected fibrinogen and other proteins in cryoprecipitate from inactivation by prolonged exposure to heat during pasteurization

Effect of prepuberal chronic morphine administration on the onset of puberty in pituitary-grafted female rats

The effect of morphine on the onset of puberty was studied in female Wistar rats bearing pituitary grafts implanted at 21 days of age, or sham operated (SO). Morphine was given sc, daily, from day 22 until the occurrence of vaginal opening (VO), taken as an index of puberty. Two doses of morphine (2 or 8 mg kg-1 day-1) were used and control animals received saline of the same volume. Morphine (both doses) induced delayed puberty in SO rats, as indicated by age at VO: mean ñ SEM, 36.90 ñ 0.75 and 36.33 ñ 1.08 days vs 33.06 ñ 0.69 days for 2 and 8 mg vs control group. Pituitary graft induced precocious puberty and this effect was reversed by the highest dose of morphine (29.47 ñ 0.84 vs 32.80 ñ 0.59 days for saline vs 8 mg morphine, grafted rats). These data show that chronic administration of morphine during the prepuberal period delayed the onset of puberty and reversed the precocious puberty induced by pituitary graft in the female rat

Leishmaniose cutanea difusa (LCD). Registro de um caso em Buriticupu (Estado do Maranhao, Brasil). / Diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL). Report of a case in Buriticupu (State of Maranhao, Brazil)

Os Autores, ao estudarem surto epidemico de leishmaniose tegumentar, diagnosticaram um caso de LCD em menina de 7 anos, com lesoes distribuidas por todo o corpo, grande riqueza parasitaria, reacao de Montenegro negativa, falta de resposta aos antimoniais, exame anatomo-patologico e lesoes experimentais no hamster compativeis com a forma cutanea difusa. Com o presente trabalho pretendem trazer a discussao esta variante da leishmaniose tegumentar, que segundo varios Autores se deve a um estado de anergia (especifica) do hospedeiro