Prolactin Induces IL-2 Associated TRAIL Expression on Natural Killer Cells from Chronic Hepatitis C Patients In vivo and In vitro.

BACKGROUND: Natural killer cells (NKC) are a major component of the innate immune response to HCV, mediating their effects through TRAIL and IFN-γ. However, their function is diminished in chronic HCV patients (HCVp). Prolactin is an immunomodulatory hormone capable of activating NKC. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to explore if hyperprolactinemia can activate NKC in HCVp. METHODS: We treated twelve chronic HCVp (confidence level =95%, power =80%) for 15 days with Levosulpiride plus Cimetidine to induce mild hyperprolactinemia. Before and after treatment, we determined TRAIL and NKG2D expression on peripheral blood NKC, along with cytokine profiles, viral loads and liver function. We also evaluated in vitro effects of prolactin and/or IL-2 on NKC TRAIL or NKG2D expression and IFN-γ levels on cultured blood mononuclear cells from 8 HCVp and 7 healthy controls. RESULTS: The treatment induced mild hyperprolactinemia and increased TRAIL expression on NKC as well as the secretion of IL-1ra, IL-2, PDGF and IFN-γ. Viral loads decreased in six HCVp. IL-2 and TRAIL together explained the viral load decrease. In vitro, prolactin plus IL-2 synergized to increase TRAIL and NKG2D expression on NKC from HCVp but not in controls. CONCLUSION: Levosulpiride/Cimetidine treatment induced mild hyperprolactinaemia that was associated with NKC activation and Th1-type cytokine profile. Also, an increase in TRAIL and IL-2 was associated with viral load decrease. This treatment could potentially be used to reactivate NKC in HCVp.

Contribution of common genetic variation to the risk of type 2 diabetes in the Mexican Mestizo population.

Several studies have identified nearly 40 different type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci, mainly in European populations, but few of them have been evaluated in the Mexican population. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which 24 common genetic variants previously associated with type 2 diabetes are associated in Mexican Mestizos. Twenty-four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in or near genes (KCNJ11, PPARG, TCF7L2, SLC30A8, HHEX, CDKN2A/2B, CDKAL1, IGF2BP2, ARHGEF11, JAZF1, CDC123/CAMK1D, FTO, TSPAN8/LGR5, KCNQ1, THADA, ADAMTS9, NOTCH2, NXPH1, RORA, UBQLNL, and RALGPS2) were genotyped in Mexican Mestizos. A case-control association study comprising 1,027 type 2 diabetic individuals and 990 control individuals was conducted. To account for population stratification, a panel of 104 ancestry-informative markers was analyzed. Association to type 2 diabetes was found for rs13266634 (SLC30A8), rs7923837 (HHEX), rs10811661 (CDKN2A/2B), rs4402960 (IGF2BP2), rs12779790 (CDC123/CAMK1D), and rs2237892 (KCNQ1). In addition, rs7754840 (CDKAL1) was associated in the nonobese type 2 diabetic subgroup, and for rs7903146 (TCF7L2), association was observed for early-onset type 2 diabetes. Lack of association for the rest of the variants may have resulted from insufficient power to detect smaller allele effects.

Moderate hyperprolactinemia is associated with survival in patients with acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Fasting serum prolactin (PRL) levels in response to metoclopramide (MCP) and lymphocyte cytokine profiles was studied in patients given allografts and their donors. Thirty normoprolactinemic volunteers (12-59 years) were studied: group 1, 10 healthy men; group 2, 8 males and 2 females with various hematologic diseases; and group 3, 3 males and 7 females HLA-identical sibling donors: PRL and cytokines were measured. Four surviving recipients developed acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (+), and six did not. Before transplant Fasting PRL concentrations were higher in 'future' GVHD(+) recipients than in their donors (P < 0.001). The opposite was seen in response to MCP (P = 0.01). Donors had a predominant T-helper type 1 (Th1) cytokine profile compared with recipients (P ≤ 0.02), and GVHD(+) recipients had a greater tumor necrosis factor (TNF) value than GVHD(-) (P = 0.05). After transplant On days +30 and +100, a mild sustained rise in fasting PRL levels occurred only in GVHD(+) recipients (P ≤ 0.05) simultaneously with a transient rise in Th1 cytokines. GVHD(-) recipients had no changes. Donors with a Th1 cytokine profile might be more prone to induce GVHD in their recipients, and a mild sustained rise in PRL concentrations after transplantation in recipients GVHD(+) might participate in the amelioration of the severity of GVHD.

The risk of gestational diabetes mellitus among Mexican women with a history of infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To study the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Mexican women with a history of infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared with women without PCOS matched by age, pregestational body mass index (BMI), and parity. DESIGN: Historic cohort study. SETTING: Level three medical institution. PATIENT(S): Group 1 (n = 52), women with a history of infertility and PCOS, and group 2 (n = 52), women without PCOS. Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancy with ≤ 13 weeks of gestation. Exclusion criteria were pregestational diabetes mellitus and/or concomitant diseases. INTERVENTION(S): Diagnosis of GDM was based on a 3-hour, 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (GTT) performed during the second trimester. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Incidence and relative risk (RR) for GDM. RESULT(S): The incidence of GDM was 26.9% and 9.6% for groups 1 and 2, respectively (RR = 2.8; 95% confidence interval 1.08-7.2). No other between-group differences were observed in the incidence of miscarriage, preterm birth, premature rupture of membranes, preeclampsia, stillbirth, fetal malformations, or small or large for gestational age newborns. CONCLUSION(S): Pregnant Mexican women with a history of infertility and PCOS are at increased risk for developing GDM. This risk should be considered beginning early in the second trimester for a timely intervention and to improve the maternal-fetal prognosis.

Effect of the diagnostic criteria of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups on the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in urban Mexican women: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), defined by the previous criteria of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), as well as the criteria suggested by the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG), in an unselected group of urban Mexican pregnant women and to analyze the frequency of large for gestational age (LGA) newborns in this same group of women with use of both diagnostic criteria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study included 803 consecutive Mexican urban women with a singleton pregnancy, without concomitant diseases and no prior history of GDM, who underwent a 2-step screening protocol for diagnosis of GDM at admission to prenatal care. RESULTS: The ADA criteria identified 83 women (10.3%) whereas the IADPSG criteria diagnosed 242 women (30.1%) having GDM (P = .0001). Fasting glucose concentrations during the 100-g 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test were abnormal in 116 women (14.4%) and in 160 women (19.9%) on the basis of ADA and IADPSG criteria, respectively (P = .004). The frequency of LGA newborns was 7.4% based on IADPSG criteria and 6.0% based on ADA criteria-no significant difference (P = .64). CONCLUSION: With use of the IADPSG criteria, the prevalence of GDM increased almost 3-fold in comparison with that for the ADA criteria. Nevertheless, no significant difference was found in the prevalence of LGA newborns.

Early intensive obstetric and medical nutrition care is associated with decreased prepregnancy obesity impact on perinatal outcomes.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To compare the gestational weight gain and adverse perinatal outcomes in urban Mexican women with prepregnancy overweight or obesity, under an early intensive obstetric and nutrition program versus women with prepregnancy normal weight. METHODS: A cohort of 546 pregnant women with prepregnancy normal weight (n = 201, NW), overweight (n = 171, OW) or obesity (n = 174, OB), ≤13 weeks of gestation and a singleton pregnancy. OW and OB groups were under early intensive obstetric and nutritional care and NW group was under routine prenatal care. Miscarriage, hypertensive disorders, premature rupture of membranes, preterm birth, stillbirth, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and large- or small-for-gestational-age newborns, were compared between groups. RESULTS: Weight gain was smaller in OB than in OW or NW (mean ± SD): 6.1 ± 4.4, 9.5 ± 5.1, 10.3 ± 5.4 kg, respectively (p < 0.001). OB women had the highest frequency of GDM (p < 0.001), lack of spontaneous labor (p < 0.001) and preeclampsia (p < 0.001), but no other between-group differences existed. CONCLUSION: Early intensive medical-nutrition prenatal care and adequate gestational weight gain may contribute to decreasing most maternal and newborn adverse outcomes associated with prepregnancy overweight or obesity.

Searching for alternative methods of diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus in a Mexican urban population.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine whether a predictive value for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) could be established using different glucose screening test thresholds in Mexican urban pregnant women. MATERIAL/METHODS: A group of 635 pregnant women (12-33 weeks of gestation) with serum glucose screening values of > or = 7.2 mmol (> or = 130 mg/dl) were evaluated with a 100-g 3-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The positive predictive values (PPVs) for serum glucose screening values of > or = 7.2 mmol to > or = 11.1 mmol (> or = 130 to > or = 200 mg/dl), age, and pregestational BMI were calculated. RESULTS: Of the women, 304 (47.8%) had a normal OGTT, 126 (19.8%) had impaired glucose tolerance, and 205 (32.3%) had GDM. A serum glucose screening value of > or = 9.4 mmol (> or = 170 mg/dl) had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.85 and the relative risk for GDM was 6.62 (95%CI: 4.40-9.97, p=0.001). Omission of the 3-h value during OGTT yielded a sensitivity of 91.2% (187/205). CONCLUSIONS: In this group of Mexican urban pregnant women, a serum glucose screening value of > or = 9.4 mmol (> or = 170 mg/dl) had a PPV of 85%. An algorithm is proposed to reduce the number of OGTTs performed in pregnant women attending prenatal care by 36.2%.

Elevated vasoinhibins may contribute to endothelial cell dysfunction and low birth weight in preeclampsia.

Vasoconstriction and defective placental angiogenesis are key factors in the etiology of preeclampsia. Prolactin levels are elevated in maternal blood throughout pregnancy and the human decidua produces prolactin that is transported to the amniotic fluid. Prolactin is cleaved to yield vasoinhibins, a family of peptides that inhibit angiogenesis and nitric oxide-dependent vasodilation. Here, we conducted a case-control study to measure vasoinhibins in serum, urine, and amniotic fluid obtained from women with severe preeclampsia. We show that all three biological fluids contained significantly higher levels of vasoinhibins in preeclamptic women than in normal pregnant women. Amniotic fluid from preeclamptic women, but not from normal women, inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor-induced endothelial cell proliferation and nitric oxide synthase activity in cultured endothelial cells, and these actions were reversed by antibodies able to neutralize the effects of vasoinhibins. Furthermore, amniotic fluid does not appear to contain neutral prolactin-cleaving proteases, suggesting that vasoinhibins in amniotic fluid are derived from prolactin cleaved within the placenta. Also, cathepsin-D in placental trophoblasts cleaved prolactin to vasoinhibins, and its activity was higher in placental trophoblasts from preeclamptic women than from normal women. Importantly, birth weight of infants in preeclampsia inversely correlated with the extent to which the corresponding AF inhibited endothelial cell proliferation and with its concentration of prolactin+vasoinhibins. These data demonstrate that vasoinhibins are increased in the circulation, urine, and amniotic fluid of preeclamptic women and suggest that these peptides contribute to the endothelial cell dysfunction and compromised birth weight that characterize this disease.

Altered functional status of the hypothalamic dopaminergic tone in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a pilot study.

We compared the functional status of the hypothalamic dopaminergic tone in patients given an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) with that observed in patients with allo-HSCT without chronic GVHD and in healthy controls. The effect of acute dopaminergic blockade with intravenous metoclopramide on serum prolactin (PRL) concentrations was evaluated. Twenty volunteers, 20 to 52 years of age, seronegative for both hepatitis C virus and the human immunodeficiency virus, were studied: (1) 10 clinically healthy men (group 1), and (2) 9 patients with leukemia, and 1 patient with refractory aplastic anemia who underwent allo-HSCT, 5 of whom (3 men and 2 women) developed chronic GVHD (group 2), and 5 (3 men and 2 women) who did not develop chronic GVHD (group 3). Serum PRL concentrations were measured both fasting and after intravenous administration of metoclopramide (10-mg bolus). The area under the PRL curve was calculated. Patients in group 2 were older than those in groups 1 and 3 (P<.018), but their body mass index was similar. Fasting serum PRL concentrations were similar among the 3 groups; however, group 2 had higher PRL concentrations throughout the test (P<.001) and a greater area under the PRL curve than groups 1 and 3 (P<.001), without differences between the last 2 groups. The differences remained significant after adjustment for age (P<.01). Our results in a small group of patients with chronic GVHD after allo-HSCT suggest the existence of an increased functional level of their hypothalamic dopamine tone, which would favor a tendency toward a diminished endogenous production, release of pituitary PRL, or both. This could represent an adaptive mechanism aiming to maintain circulating PRL concentrations within a physiological range.

Differences in nocturnal basal and rhythmic prolactin secretion in untreated compared to treated HIV-infected men are associated with CD4+ T-lymphocytes.

The existence of decreased hypothalamic dopaminergic tone in HIV-infected men has been suggested. In a cross-sectional study, we determined 12 h nocturnal basal and pulsatile prolactin (PRL) release levels (by blood sampling every 10 min) and their correlation with CD4+ T cells in seven volunteer HIV-negative, healthy men (group 1), and 21 normoprolactinemic, euthyroid, HIV-infected men divided into 3 groups (each group = 7): (i) group 2, asymptomatic HIV-infected stage A1 men, untreated; (ii) group 3, AIDS stage C3 without active opportunistic infections, untreated; and (iii) group 4, previously stage C3 after at least 6 months of successful highly active antiretroviral therapy. Serum PRL was measured by radioimmunoanalysis and the results were analysed by waveform-independent deconvolution analysis. CD4+ T lymphocytes were measured by flow cytometry and viral load by a nucleic acid sequence-based amplification assay. No differences were detected in the first two groups. In the third group, however, 100% of prolactin secretion was found to be pulsatile with a shorter secretory burst duration (P = 0.04), and a greater circulating half-life and pulse amplitude (P < or = 0.04). Group 4 had the greatest basal prolactin secretion (P < or = 0.04), and a shorter secretory burst duration (P = 0.04 vs group 2), circulating half-life (P = 0.01 vs group 3) and intersecretory burst interval (P = 0.06 vs group 1). PRL approximate entropy was similar among all groups. Linear correlations existed between CD4+ T cell counts and PRL secretory burst half duration (r = 0.62, P = 0.002) and amplitude (r = -0.63, P = 0.001), and in circulating serum half-life (r = - 0.61, P = 0.002) in HIV-infected groups. Viral load showed no correlations. It is suggested that differential changes in nocturnal prolactin secretion among HIV-infected men occurred while maintaining the normal coordinate feedback and/or feedforward control within the lactotropic axis. These changes may represent an adaptative mechanism to sustain, by different means, the maximal physiologic PRL production to stimulate the highest cellular immune response and/or reconstitution in attempting to survive.

Gestational diabetes mellitus and glucose intolerance among Mexican pregnant adolescents.

There is an increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) among adolescents (especially females), and the serum glucose concentrations in pregnant women <25 years during a 3-h oral glucose tolerance test (3-h OGTT) seem to be lower than those of pregnant women >25 years. Among 115 Mexican pregnant adolescents (<18 years) we analyzed their serum glucose concentrations during: a) 1-h 50-g glucose challenge test (GCT) performed at 24-28 weeks of gestation (n = 103) or at 29-35 weeks of gestation (n = 12); b) A standard 3-h OGTT performed 3-5 days later. Eight adolescents had an abnormal GCT, three of whom also had an abnormal 3-h OGTT. Sixteen adolescents (13 with previously normal GCT) had an abnormal 3-h OGTT, 15 classified as GGI and one as gestational DM (GDM). Serum glucose concentrations in adolescents with GGI were higher than in adolescents with normal 3-h OGTT: a) at 60 and 120 min during the 3-h OGTT (p < 0.001); and b) when expressed as the area under the glucose curve (p < 0.001). Adolescents with GGI had serum glucose concentrations during the 3-h OGTT similar to adult, non-diabetic pregnant Mexican women. It is suggested that GGI in pregnant adolescents may represent an early sign of a future deterioration in glucose metabolism, leading to a higher risk for GDM in future pregnancies and/or type 2 DM in adulthood. Thus, the current criteria to diagnose GDM in adults may not completely apply to adolescents, especially in ethnic groups with high risk for glucose abnormalities and considering the frequency of multiparous adolescents, especially in developing countries.

Increased hypothalamic dopaminergic tone only in early parous women with either malignant or benign breast tumors.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the serum prolactin (PRL) response to a dopamine antagonist was different in nonobese, euthyroid women with malignant or benign breast tumors in comparison with healthy women, considering their age at first full-term pregnancy or their nulliparity. METHODS: Serum PRL concentrations before and 60, 90, and 120 minutes after oral administration of metoclopramide (10 mg) were studied in 122 nonobese, nonsmoking, euthyroid women: 28 who had invasive breast cancer, stage I or II (group 1), 34 who had benign breast disease (group 2), and 60 who were clinically healthy (group 3). These three main groups were subdivided into early and late parous women (< or = 25 and >25 years, respectively) and nulliparous women, and the menopausal status was also considered. RESULTS: Early parous women with invasive breast cancer (both premenopausal and postmenopausal) and early parous premenopausal women with benign breast disease had significantly higher serum PRL concentrations in response to administration of metoclopramide (P<0.05) and a greater area under the PRL curve (P<0.05) than those observed in early parous healthy women. No other significant differences in the serum PRL response were noted between or within groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest the existence of an increased hypothalamic dopaminergic tone in early parous women but not in late parous or nulliparous women with malignant or benign breast tumors in comparison with similar healthy women. This finding may represent an adaptive protective mechanism attempting to prevent persistently increased serum PRL concentrations, a factor that could adversely affect the clinical evolution of the disease.

Participación de los factores de crecimiento en la reproducción humana / Growth factors participation in human reproduction

Los factores de crecimiento (FC) incluyen un grupo de moléculas peptídicas, con importantes efectos tróficos, mitóticos y de diferenciación celular sobre prácticamente todos los tejidos humanos. Se hace una revisión acerca de los diferentes FC, así como de sus efectos biológicos sobre los tejidos involucrados en el proceso reproductivo humano. Del mismo modo, se comenta la importancia de los FC en el desarrollo embrionario, así como en el proceso de la implantación. Finalmente, se valora la participación de los FC en la fisiopatología del síndrome de ovarios poliquísticos y de la endometriosis, a la luz de recientes investigaciones en estos campos. Se puede apreciar la importancia que los FC tienen como mediadores de diferentes hormonas (tanto en su secreción como en sus efectos biológicos), así como en la regulación de varios procesos celulares. Queda por establecer la utilidad de estos FC en la práctica cotidiana, por las limitantes tecnológicas inherentes a su identificación y cuantificación así como por la falta de más investigaciones clínicas en humanos. Sin embargo, parece tener un interesante potencial de aplicación en el manejo de problemas de esterilidad humana, así como en las diferentes técnicas de reproducción asistida, ya se in vivo o in vitro

Respuesta de andrógenos en mujeres con síndrome de ovarios poliquísticos e hiperinsulinemia durante la estimulación con córticotrofina e inhibición con dexametasona / Serum androgen response during acth stimulation and dexamethasone inhibition in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome and hyperinsulinism

Se compararon la estimulación suprarrenal con corticotrofina (HACT) y la inhibición suprarrenal con dexametasona (DEX) en seis mujeres sanas (31.6 ñ 0.6 años) con índice de masa corporal (IMC) 24.8 ñ 1.3 kg/m² (grupo 1) y en siete mujeres (28.1 ñ 0.8 años, IMC 30.9 ñ 2.1 kg/m²) con síndrome de ovarios poliquísticos (SOP) e hiperinsulinemia (grupos 2). Ambos grupos tuvieron las siguientes pruebas: a) curva de tolerancia a la glucosa oral (CTGO, 100 g, 2 h) cuantificándose glucosa e insulina sérica; b) 0.25 mg HACT sintética (hormona adrenocorticotrópica, Cortrosyn en bolo i.v.) y c) DEX 1 mg oral a las 12 de la noche. Se determinaron las concentraciones séricas de cortisol, 17-hidroxiprogesterona, sulfato de dehidroepiandrosterona (S-DHEA), testosterona libre (TL) y androestenediona, durante 2 h con HACT y a las 8 AM del día siguiente a la administración de DEX. A diferencia del grupo 1, en el grupo 2 hubo: a) aumento de la relación LH:FSH (hormona luteinizante: hormona folículoestimulante) y de TL basales e hiperinsulinemia acentuada durante la CTGO; b) la TL aumentó significativamente durante la estimulación con HCT; y c) la TL y el S-DHEA no se inhibieron con DEX. Se sugiere la existencia de un cierto grado de participación suprarrenal en el hiperandrogenismo de este grupo de pacientes, que pudiera ser la expresión final de la acción estimuladora sinérgica sobre las glándulas suprarrenales de la hiperinsulinemia, la elevación proporcional de la LH, y el hiperestrogenismo relativo persistente, características presentes virtualmente en todas las mujeres con SOP

Serun insulin in clomiphene responders and nonresponders with polycystic ovarian disease

Objetivo. Investigar las concentraciones plasmáticas de insulina de mujeres con síndrome de ovario poliquístico (SOP) respondedoras y no respondedoras citrato de clomifeno (CC). Diseño. Estudio abierto y prospectivo. Sitio. Consulta externa de una clínica de esterilidad en una institución médica de tercer nivel. Pacientes. Diez mujeres sanas (grupo 1) y 35 pacientes con SOP clasificadas como respondedoras. (grupo 2 n = 10) o no respondedoras (grupo 3 n = 25) con base en progesterona sérica ò 19 nmol/L en respuesta a la administración repetida de CC en dosis de hasta 250 mg/día por cinco días. Las mujeres fueron subsecuentemente divididas si su índice de masa corporal (IMC) fue menor (N) o mayor (A) a media + 3 desviaciones estándar del grupo. Intervenciones: se obtuvieron muestras de sangre durante una curva de tolerancia oral a 100 g de glucosa (CTOG) tanto en ayuno como cada 30 minutos por 2 horas. Métodos. De cada muestra de sangre se obtuvo suero y en él se midieron glucosa, insulina, testosterona libre (TL), sulfato de dehidroepiandrosterona (DHEA-S) y androstenediona (A). Se calculó el área bajo la curva (ABC) de estas sustancias. Resultados. El grupo 3 tuvo mayor IMC, LH, insulina basal y ABC de insulina que los grupos 1 y 2; la TL fue más alta en los grupos 2 y 3 que en el 1, y la PRL fue mayor en el grupò 2 que en los grupos 1 y 3. Cuando se investigó un IMC ó 25.4 kg/m² (promedio + 1 desviación estándar del grupo 1) 77 por ciento de mujeres con SOP respondieron al CC (10 de 13); con IMC > a 25.4 km/m², ninguna de ellas respondió (n = 22), independientemente del nivel de insulina basal o en ABC. Conclusiones. Se sugiere que el sobrepeso, moderado o excesivo, está más frecuentemente asociado a una respuesta negativa al CC en mujeres con SOP que la hiperinsulinemia

Prolactina sérica durante metoclopramida oral en mujeres nuligestas normales / Serum prolactin during oral metoclopramide in normal nulliparous women

Como la primera fase de un extenso proyecto encaminado a determinar los valores de prolactina (PRL) sérica en respuesta a la metoclopramida oral en mujeres con diferentes antecedentes ginecoontétricos, se decidío estudiar a 51 mujeres nulíparas, clínicamente sanas entre 15.8 y 48.8 años, con antecedentes de ciclos menstruales regulares cuando menos un año antes del estudio (salvo tres mujeres menopáusicas), sin ingestión regular de medicamentos los seis meses previos a la prueba. Se estudiaron en condiciones basales, en días 18 a 22 del ciclo menstrual, después de un descanso mínimo de 30 minutos (3 muestras) y 60, 90 y 120 minutosdespués de una dosis única de 10 mg. de metoclopramida por vía oral. En todas las muestras se determinó la PRL y progesterona (P) sólo en una alícuota de las tres muestras basales, en duplicado y mediante radioinmunoanálisis. Todas las mujeres tuvieron niveles séricos de P * 4.0 ng/ml. Se observó una correlación lineal positiva (r=0.6795,p<0.001) entre la edad cronológica (EC) y los niveles séricos de PRL, independientemente de la forma de expresión. considerando las respuestas individuales se decidió dividir al grupo de acuerdo con la EC y se observó que los niveles del PRL **expresados en cualquier forma**eran siempre significativamente mayores en las mujeres> 25 años (Grupo 2) en comparación con las * 25 años (Grupo 1). Dado que las diferencias eran evidentes, se calcularon las percentilas 3.50 y 97 de los niveles séricos de PRL durante cada tiempo de la prueba 3een cada grupo. En conclusión, se presentan los resultados de una prueba con un agente antiopaminérgico (metoclopramida por vía oral) en mujeres nulíparas, Clinicamente sanas en forma de curvas percentilares para mujeres * y > de 25 años de edad.Se sugiere que esta prueba sencilla y segura puede ser de utilidad en la evaluación clínica de mujeres nulíparas con problemas asociados con variaciones en los niveles séricos de PRL, principalmente en el caso de mujeres con alteraciones menstruales y en especial en aquellas con normoprolactinemia basal.

Alteración del metabolismo de la glucosa durante la gestación: experiencia institucional / Glucose metabolism alteration during gestation: institutional experience

La heterogeneidad clínica de la Diabetes Mellitus (DM) se manifiesta también durante la gestación, ya que ésta puede complicarse con una DM ya diagnosticada o que es diagnosticada por primera vez durante un embarazo, presentándose con diversos garados de alteración de la glucemia, que son clasificados como Diabetes Mellitus Gestacional o como Alteración gestacional de la curva de tolerancia oral a la glucosa, de acuerdo con los criterios internacionalmente aceptados. Independientemente del momento en que se haya establecido el diagnóstico en la madre, el producto de la gestación probablemente desde el momento mismo de la concepción, está sujeto a un mayor riesgo de aborto, malformaciones congénitas, complicaciones metabólicas perinatales y de muerte, riesgos que parecen estar en relación directa con el momento de establecimiento, el grado y el tiempo de duración del descontrol metabólico materno (hiperglucemia básicamente) y las consecuentes adaptaciones del producto (hiperinsulinemia). Estudiamos en forma retrospectiva el resultado del embarazo de 412 mujeres complicado con algún tipo de alteración en el metabolismo de los carbohidratos, atendidos en nuestro servicio. Los resultados evidenciaron una frecuencia alta de DM gestacional (42.2 por ciento) y de diabetes tipo II (35.9 por ciento) dentro del grupo estudiado, así como concordancia con lo reportado en lo que respecta a los antecedentes personales y familiares de las pacientes diagnosticadas antes del embarazo. Por otro lado, el tipo de las complicaciones obstétricas y perinatales fueron las mismas a lo informado, sin embargo, en nuestro grupo hubo una mayor frecuencia de polihidramnios, toxemia e infección de vías urinarias, con una menor frecuencia solo de cetoacidosis; igualmente fue mayor la incidencia de malformaciones congénitas en los productos. La frecuencia de complicaciones de los recién nacidos fue semejante a lo reportado, con discreto predominio en los hijos de madres diagnosticadas como diabéticas antes de la gestación. Concluimos que entre nuestras pacientes con algún tipo de alteración en el metabolismo de los carbohidratos durante la gestación, parece haber una mayor frecuencia de diabetes gestacional y de diabetes tipo II se inició en nuestras pacintes en edades más tempranas con respecto a lo descrito por otros autores. Destaca la frecuencia alta de malformaciones congénitas dentro del grupo completo y más aún entre los hijops de madres catalogadas como portadoras de diabetes gest