Association of severity and sex with vasoactive substance and sexual hormone level in patients with vascular dementia in the type of kidney asthenia and blood stasis syndrome

BACKGROUND: Kidney asthenia is the basic cause of the development of vascular dementia (VD). Kidney asthenia lasting for a long time will result in blood stasis. Also, the cause of VD may have relationships with endothelin (ET), nitric oxide (NO), homocysteine (HCY), estrogen (E2), and testosterone (T). OBJECTIVE: To observed clinical curative effect of the kidney tonic, pancreas tonic, and blood tonic with promoting blood circulation components in treating kidney asthenia with blood stasis syndrome of VD. DESIGN: Case controlled study. SETTING: Geriatric Institute of Integrated Medicine, Fujian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 70 patients, including 39 males and 31 females aged 60-80 years, were selected from Department of Neurology, Pingshan Hospital from May 2000 to September 2002. Diagnostic criteria were used for probable VD of the American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical of Manual of Mental Disorder, 4th ed (DSM-Ⅳ), 1994 revised, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and criteria of kidney asthenia with blood stasis with mixed weak and sthenia syndrome of Guidelines of Clinical Research of New Chinese Medicine in Treating Dementia. According to score of kidney asthenia with blood stasis syndrome, they were classified to three groups: mild (n =22), moderate (n =33) and severe (n =15). All of them with complete chest X-Ray, ECG, blood chemistry and other related examinations, exclusive of cardiovascular, liver, kidney diseases, homeopathy and psychiatry diseases. And hereby we also select 30 normal people as the comparing group, having no substantial diseases in heart, brain, kidney, liver, lung and other main organic systems after medical examination. Of this group, 11 were males and 19 were females, ranging from 62 years old to 78 years old. There were no obvious differences between the above two groups in sex, age, and education level after statistical analysis. All patients observed in Pingxi Hospital, Fuzhou, from May 2000 to September 2002. METHODS: ① According to the diagnoses standard of blood stasis syndrome: 0-89: The increase in score indicated that blood stasis syndrome was getting serious. ② According to MMSE: All the test samples were evaluated, those with scores of 0-30, in which the non-educated ≤ 17, primary school ≤ 20, above middle school ≤ 24 were categorized. ③ Testing all sample's ET, E2 and T by using radioimmunoassay, the RIA kits were provided by Scientific and Technological Development Center of General Hospital of PLA. ④ Testing the level of NO by using colorimetic method. ⑤ Testing the level of HCY by using Enzyme-linked Immunoassay. ⑥ Meanwhile, analyzing the blood stasis score by comparing with every standard. The differences of data were compared by using t test and F test. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Blood plasma ET, blood serum NO, HCY, E2 and T. ② The analyzing results obtained from comparing score of blood stasis with every indicators. RESULTS: The result analysis was including of both the 70 patients of VD with kidney asthenia and blood stasis and compared group consist of 30 healthy people. ① ET, NO, HCY and ET/NO: The levels of ET, HCY and ET/NO were increasing with pathography, while the levels of ET, NO, HCY and ET/NO were decreasing with the pathography, and the difference in statistics was significant (P < 0.01). ② The level of E2 and T: The levels of both E2, T and E2/T for male VD patients were (67.72±12.18) pg/L and (351.58±155.02) ng/L, 0.24±0.12 respectively, which were higher than the compared group [(53.96±16.13) pg/L, (471.83±143.99) ng/L, 0.12±0.00, P < 0.05]. The level of E2 in the female VD patients was lower than the compared group [(34.23±10.99), (44.81±14.65) pg/L, P < 0.05]. ③ The relationship between the score of blood stasis and each indicators: The levels of ET, ET/NO and HCY had significant positive relationship with blood stasis mark (r = 0.352, 0.754, 0.347, P < 0.05-0.01), obvious negative relationship with NO (r =-0.528, P < 0.01) and no clear relationship with female E2/T and male E2/T (r = -0.210, 0.04, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: ① The levels of ET, HCY and ET/NO are increasing with pathography, while the level of NO is decreasing, which may be the evidence that the possibility of VD pathography may have relationship with the indicators above. ② The level of E2 increase in male's VD patients, and decrease in male's. And the decrease of the female may have relationship with the VD.

Electrical Activities and Pressure Pain Threshold in Oral Contraceptives Users and Nonusers

The aim is to evaluate the influence of oral contraceptive intake and menstrual cycle on the electrical activity and pressure pain threshold from anterior temporal and masseter muscles. Twenty-eight women on reproductive age were selected, 13 OC users and 15 nonusers. They were weekly submitted to electromyography and algometry of the anterior temporal and masseter muscles during three consecutive menstrual cycles. Electrical activities at rest position and PPTs of temporal and masseter muscles were not affected by menstrual cycle or by OCs uses. Comparison between groups demonstrated that working side electrical activity was increased in OC users in both muscles, except during lutheal phase for the anterior temporal. However, comparison within weeks did not demonstrate statistical difference. It was suggested that, in healthy women, oral contraceptive use may influence electrical activity, but different phases of the cycle may not.

Activities of autonomic neurotransmitters in meibomian gland tissues are associated with menopausal dry eye

The secretory activities of meibomian glands are regulated by the autonomic nervous system, The change in density and activity of autonomic nerves in meibomian glands during menopause play an important role in the pathogenesis of dry eye. In view of this, we established a dry eye rat model by removing the bilateral ovaries. We used neuropeptide Y and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide as markers of autonomic neurotransmitters. Our results showed that the concentration of estradiol in serum significantly decreased, the density of neuropeptide Y immunoreactivity in nerve fibers significantly increased, the density of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide immunoreactivity in nerve fibers significantly decreased, and the ratio of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide/neuropeptide Y positive staining significantly decreased. These results suggest that a decrease in ovary activity may lead to autonomic nervous system dysfunction, thereby affecting the secretory activity of the meibomian gland, which participates in sexual hormone imbalance-induced dry eye.

Serum vitamin D content is associated with semen|parameters and serum testosterone levels in men

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of serum vitamin D levels on semen quality and testosterone levels.This is a crosssectional study conducted at Androscience,Science and Innovation Center in Andrology and High-Complex Clinical and Andrology Laboratory in Sao Paulo,Brazil,with 508 male patients,aged 18-60 years,from 2007 to 2017.Seminal parameters and serum sexual hormones were correlated with serum vitamin D concentrations in 260 men selected by strict selection criteria.Patients were divided into normozoospermic group(NZG,n=124)and a group with seminal abnormalities(SAG,n=136).Evaluation included complete physical examination,past medical history,habits and lifestyle factors,two complete seminal analysis with sperm functional tests,serum levels of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D_(3)(25(OH)VD_(3)),total and free testosterone,luteinizing hormone(LH),follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH),sex hormone-binding globulin(SHBG),total cholesterol,homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)index,and karyotype.The mean concentration of 25(OH)VD_(3)was significantly lower in the SAG(P<0.001)and positively correlated with all baseline seminal parameters and total testosterone levels.In addition,serum vitamin D_(3)concentration was found to be positively correlated with sperm concentration(β=2.103;P<0.001),total number of spermatozoa with progressive motility(β=2.069;P=0.003),total number of motile spermatozoa(β=2.571;P=0.015),and strict morphology(β=0.056;P=0.006),regardless of other variables.This is the first comparative study to address the issue of serum vitamin D_(3)content between normozoospermic patients and those with sperm abnormalities.It clearly demonstrates a direct and positive relationship between serum vitamin D level and overall semen quality,male reproductive potential,and testosterone levels.