The severity of depressive symptoms vs. serum Mg and Zn levels in postmenopausal women.

The aim of this study was to assess the severity of depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women, depending on serum Mg and Zn levels. The study involved 171 postmenopausal women from Poland, who were not using menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). The intensity of depressive symptoms was evaluated using a standard research technique, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The plasma Mg and Zn concentrations were measured. Depressive symptoms of different severity levels were diagnosed in 36.8 % of the women. The mean serum Mg level was 1.53 ± 0.28 mg/dL, and Zn level was 72 ±14 µg/dL. The women with higher serum Mg and Zn levels had less depressive symptoms, and this observation is a precious information which can be used when planning depressive disorder prevention programmes.

[Degradation and consumption of one's own glycogen in placental tissue in pregnancy complicated by gestosis and anemia]. / Rozklad i zuzycie glikogenu wlasnego przez tkanke lozyska z ciazy powiklanej gestoza i niedokrwistoscia.

We estimated in vitro degradation and consumption of glycogen by placental tissue derived from pregnancies complicated by gestosis and anemia. Placental tissue was incubated in suitable medium. Glycogen concentration either before or after incubation was assayed. Glycogen consumption was expressed as micromoles of glucose per 1 g of wet tissue, the percentage of glycogen consumption has been shown in tables. It is concluded that in advanced gestosis and severe anemia of pregnancy the consumption of native glycogen is increased, consequently it may lead to metabolic insufficiency of human placenta.

[Effect of diseases in pregnancy on certain placental functions. Enzymatic systems degrading placental glycogen in pregnancy with gestosis]. / Ocena wplywu chorób ciezarnej na wybrane funkcje lozyska. Uklady enzymatyczne rozkladajace glikogen w lozysku od Ciezarnej z gestoza.

Pathways of human placental glycogen degradation either in normal or gestotic pregnancy were examined. Determinations of glycogen phosphorylase served as an index of glycogen cleavage in the phosphorylitic pathway. The activity of hydrolytic route was measured by estimating placental glucoamylase. Samples of placental tissue were obtained after delivery (between the 36th and the 40th week of pregnancy). In placentas derived from gestotic cases elevated activity of phosphorylase A, the decrease in phosphorylase B activity and the rise in glucoamylase were found. It suggests that gestosis may evoke certain impairment of placental glycogen metabolism deteriorating chiefly the glycogen degradation as it may be observed in hypoxic experiments.

[Placental function in pregnant women with anemia]. / Ocena wydolnosci lozyska u kobiet ciezarnych z niedokrwistoscia.

The important finding in anemia of pregnancy is impairing hormonal placental function, certain complications of pregnancy and labor. Oxytocinase in the maternal serum was determined to evaluate placental function. Many authors pointed out the important role of the enzyme in biochemical monitoring of human pregnancy. 120 females at the III trimester of gestation were selected at random, but women with additional complications of pregnancy were excluded. Serum iron, total iron binding capacity, hemoglobin level, red blood cells count and hematocrit were assayed. Oxytocinase activity in different periods of gestation was compared to the earlier established normal values. It was found that iron deficit was associated with decreasing activity of the enzyme. It is concluded that there is impaired placental function in pregnancy anemia.