Insulin resistance and adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To estimate (1) the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR), by fasting glucose: insulin ratio (G:I<7.0) in adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), (2) to compare the clinical and biochemical parameters between insulin-resistant and non-insulin resistant groups. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: Clinic based. PARTICIPANTS: 49 adolescent girls with complaints of oligomenorrhoea with hirsutism and or acne. INTERVENTIONS: Forty-nine adolescent girls diagnosed to have PCOS (Rotterdam 2003 criteria) were studied. Body mass index (BMI), abdominal circumference (AC), hirsutism (Ferriman Gallway score > or = 6), presence of acne, acanthosis nigricans (AN) were noted in each case. Serum testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels were measured. Free androgen index (FAI) was calculated. RESULTS: 69.4% of these girls were found to have IR. There were no differences in age, BMI, AC, serum testosterone, FAI and fasting glucose levels between insulin resistant and non-insulin resistant girls. But there were significant differences in frequencies of hirsutism, acne, AN, and serum levels of SHBG and fasting insulin between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Adolescent girls with PCOS and IR are more hirsute and have more AN and lower SHBG and higher fasting insulin levels compared to non-insulin resistant girls.

Molecular cloning, purification and characterisation of myosin of human lymphatic filarial parasite Brugia malayi.

Global efforts have been made towards development of vaccine for prevention of lymphatic filariasis. However, lack of thorough knowledge about developmental biology and pathogenesis of filarial parasite restricts us from developing an effective vaccine. A limited number of immunodominant antigens of human lymphatic filariid Brugia malayi have been characterised; however, none of these recombinant antigens so far induced significant degree of protective immunity to challenge infection. In the present study, we identified a approximately 2.0 Kb cDNA clone by immunoscreening of cDNA library of adult female Brugia malayi. The nucleotide sequence of the identified clone showed 94.3% homology with C-terminal part of myosin heavy chain gene of Brugia malayi. This cDNA insert was sub-cloned into pET28b vector and expressed in BL21(DE3). The recombinant protein was purified to near homogeneity by immobilised metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) with yield of approximately 25 mg/l. The purified protein was recognised in western blot with anti-His tag antibody as also with the antibodies present in the sera of human W. bancrofti patients of all categories and infected/immunized rodent serum demonstrating its functional role. Recombinant myosin induced marked cellular immune response as observed by lymphoproliferation assay. The present findings demonstrate the usefulness of B. malayi recombinant myosin as vaccine candidate against human lymphatic filariasis.

Effects of tibolone on health-related quality of life in menopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: The present study assessed improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in menopausal women using tibolone. METHODS: One hundred women who underwent surgical menopause for various benign gynecological conditions were advised to take tibolone (2.5 mg) daily. The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS II) was used to assess the change in HRQOL after 3 months and 12 months of treatment. RESULTS: Sixty-two women returned for follow-up after 3 months, while only 15 returned for after 12 months. Significant improvements in HRQOL were found after 3 months, and further improvements were obtained after 12 months, although at a slower rate. Among the three subscales of MRS, maximum improvement in the somatovegetative component and lesser improvements in the other two subscales were found. CONCLUSION: Tibolone is effective in improving the overall HRQOL of menopausal women. Somatovegetative symptoms show most improvement.

Anti-phospholipid antibodies as a cause of recurrent pregnancy loss: a study in Calcutta, India.

This prospective, observational study was carried out in a teaching hospital in Calcutta, India. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) among women with recurrent miscarriages/late pregnancy loss when no other apparent causes were identified, in the study population. The women were put through a variety of investigations to determine the cause of miscarriage/pregnancy loss. Only those women who had a normal result for all the investigation went for the anti-phospholipid antibodies (APLA) test. The expelled products of conception/placenta were also sent for histopathological confirmation. A total of 445 women were studied over a 4-year period. A total of 155 women were offered a screening for APLA antibodies. Out of them, 43 women (27.7%) tested positive for APLA. Histopathological evidence was present in all the specimens. Interestingly, one woman had histopathological evidence of thrombosis, but her blood tests for the antibody were negative.