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Journal of Hypertension Jul 2023To evaluate the impact of sacubitril/valsartan on blood pressure (BP), ventricular structure, and myocardial fibrosis compared with valsartan in perimenopausal... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the impact of sacubitril/valsartan on blood pressure (BP), ventricular structure, and myocardial fibrosis compared with valsartan in perimenopausal hypertensive women.
METHODS
This prospective, randomized, actively controlled, open-label study included 292 women with perimenopausal hypertension. They were randomly divided into two groups: sacubitril/valsartan 200 mg once daily and valsartan 160 mg once daily for 24 weeks. The relevant indicators of ambulatory BP, echocardiography, and myocardial fibrosis regulation were assessed at baseline and at 24 weeks.
RESULTS
The 24-h mean SBP after 24 weeks of treatment was 120.08 ± 10.47 mmHg in the sacubitril/valsartan group versus 121.00 ± 9.76 mmHg in the valsartan group ( P = 0.457). After 24 weeks of treatment, there was no difference in central SBP between the sacubitril/valsartan and valsartan groups (117.17 ± 11.63 versus 116.38 ± 11.58, P = 0.568). LVMI in the sacubitril/valsartan group was lower than that in the valsartan group at week 24 ( P = 0.009). LVMI decreased by 7.23 g/m 2 from the baseline in the sacubitril/valsartan group and 3.70 g/m 2 in the valsartan group at 24 weeks ( P = 0.000 versus 0.017). A statistically significant difference in LVMI between the two groups was observed at 24 weeks after adjusting for the baseline LVMI ( P = 0.001). The levels of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), connective tissue growth factor (CT-GF) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were reduced in the sacubitril/valsartan group compared with the baseline ( P = 0.000, 0.005, and 0.000). LVMI between the two groups was statistically significant at 24 weeks after correcting for confounding factors 24-h mean SBP and 24-h mean DBP ( P = 0.005). The LVMI, serum TGF-β, α-SMA, and CT-GF remained statistically significant between the two groups after further correcting the factors of age, BMI, and sex hormone levels ( P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Sacubitril/valsartan could reverse ventricular remodeling more effectively than valsartan. The different effects of these two therapies on ventricular remodeling in perimenopausal hypertensive women might be because of their different effects on the down-regulation of fibrosis-related factors.
Topics: Female; Humans; Aminobutyrates; Biphenyl Compounds; Drug Combinations; Heart Failure; Hypertension; Perimenopause; Prospective Studies; Valsartan; Ventricular Remodeling
PubMed: 37071432
DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000003430 -
Fertility and Sterility Jul 2024Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most common female benign pelvic tumors, affecting >60% of patients aged 30-44 years. Uterine fibroids are asymptomatic in a large... (Review)
Review
Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most common female benign pelvic tumors, affecting >60% of patients aged 30-44 years. Uterine fibroids are asymptomatic in a large percentage of cases and may be identified incidentally using a transvaginal ultrasound or a magnetic resonance imaging scan. However, in approximately 30% of cases, UFs affect the quality of life and women's health, with abnormal uterine bleeding and heavy menstrual bleeding being the most common complaints, along with iron deficiency (ID) and ID anemia. Medical treatments used for UFs-related abnormal uterine bleeding include symptomatic agents, such as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and tranexamic acid, and hormonal therapies, including combined oral contraceptives, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists or antagonists, levonorgestrel intrauterine systems, selective progesterone receptor modulators, and aromatase inhibitors. Nevertheless, few drugs are approved specifically for UF treatment, and most of them manage the symptoms. Surgical options include fertility-sparing treatments, such as myomectomy, or nonconservative options, such as hysterectomy, especially in perimenopausal women who are not responding to any treatment. Radiologic interventions are also available: uterine artery embolization, high-intensity focused ultrasound or magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound, and radiofrequency ablation. Furthermore, the management of ID and ID anemia, as a consequence of acute and chronic bleeding, should be taken into account with the use of iron replacement therapy both during medical treatment and before and after a surgical procedure. In the case of symptomatic UFs, the location, size, multiple UFs, or coexistent adenomyosis should guide the choice with a shared decision-making process, considering long- and short-term treatment goals expected by the patient, including pregnancy desire or wish to preserve the uterus independently of reproductive goals.
Topics: Humans; Female; Leiomyoma; Uterine Neoplasms; Uterine Hemorrhage; Treatment Outcome; Uterine Myomectomy; Uterine Artery Embolization; Adult
PubMed: 38723935
DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.04.041 -
Circulation Feb 2024Up to 50% of women report sleep problems in midlife, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women. How chronic poor sleep exposure over...
BACKGROUND
Up to 50% of women report sleep problems in midlife, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women. How chronic poor sleep exposure over decades of midlife is related to CVD risk in women is poorly understood. We tested whether trajectories of insomnia symptoms or sleep duration over midlife were related to subsequent CVD events among SWAN (Study of Women's Health Across the Nation) participants, whose sleep was assessed up to 16 times over 22 years.
METHODS
At baseline, SWAN participants (n=2964) were 42 to 52 years of age, premenopausal or early perimenopausal, not using hormone therapy, and free of CVD. They completed up to 16 visits, including questionnaires assessing insomnia symptoms (trouble falling asleep, waking up several times a night, or waking earlier than planned ≥3 times/week classified as insomnia), typical daily sleep duration, vasomotor symptoms, and depressive symptoms; anthropometric measurements; phlebotomy; and CVD event ascertainment (ie, fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, revascularization). Sleep trajectories (ie, insomnia, sleep duration) were determined by means of group-based trajectory modeling. Sleep trajectories were tested in relation to CVD in Cox proportional hazards models (multivariable models: site, age, race and ethnicity, education, CVD risk factors averaged over visits; additional covariates: vasomotor symptoms, snoring, depression).
RESULTS
Four trajectories of insomnia symptoms emerged: low insomnia symptoms (n=1142 [39% of women]), moderate insomnia symptoms decreasing over time (n=564 [19%]), low insomnia symptoms increasing over time (n=590 [20%]), and high insomnia symptoms that persisted (n=668 [23%]). Women with persistently high insomnia symptoms had higher CVD risk (hazard ratio, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.19, 2.46], =0.004, versus low insomnia; multivariable). Three trajectories of sleep duration emerged: persistently short (~5 hours: n=363 [14%]), moderate (~6 hours: n=1394 [55%]), and moderate to long (~8 hours: n=760 [30%]). Women with persistent short sleep had marginally higher CVD risk (hazard ratio, 1.51 [95% CI, 0.98, 2.33], =0.06, versus moderate; multivariable). Women who had both persistent high insomnia and short sleep had significantly elevated CVD risk (hazard ratio, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.03, 2.98], =0.04, versus low insomnia and moderate or moderate to long sleep duration; multivariable). Relations of insomnia to CVD persisted when adjusting for vasomotor symptoms, snoring, or depression.
CONCLUSIONS
Insomnia symptoms, when persistent over midlife or occurring with short sleep, are associated with higher CVD risk among women.
Topics: Female; Humans; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Cardiovascular Diseases; Snoring; Sleep; Women's Health
PubMed: 38284249
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.066491 -
Nature Communications Jan 2024Age-associated myometrial dysfunction can prompt complications during pregnancy and labor, which is one of the factors contributing to the 7.8-fold increase in maternal...
Age-associated myometrial dysfunction can prompt complications during pregnancy and labor, which is one of the factors contributing to the 7.8-fold increase in maternal mortality in women over 40. Using single-cell/single-nucleus RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, we have constructed a cellular atlas of the aging myometrium from 186,120 cells across twenty perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. We identify 23 myometrial cell subpopulations, including contractile and venous capillary cells as well as immune-modulated fibroblasts. Myometrial aging leads to fewer contractile capillary cells, a reduced level of ion channel expression in smooth muscle cells, and impaired gene expression in endothelial, smooth muscle, fibroblast, perivascular, and immune cells. We observe altered myometrial cell-to-cell communication as an aging hallmark, which associated with the loss of 25 signaling pathways, including those related to angiogenesis, tissue repair, contractility, immunity, and nervous system regulation. These insights may contribute to a better understanding of the complications faced by older individuals during pregnancy and labor.
Topics: Pregnancy; Humans; Female; Myometrium; Labor, Obstetric; Muscle, Smooth; Aging; Muscle Contraction
PubMed: 38296945
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45143-z -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2023The aim of this narrative review is to consolidate knowledge on the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in depression pathophysiology at different... (Review)
Review
The aim of this narrative review is to consolidate knowledge on the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in depression pathophysiology at different reproductive stages across the female lifespan. Despite growing evidence about the impact of gonadal hormones on mood disorders, no previous review has examined the interaction between such hormonal changes and the HPA axis within the context of depressive disorders in women. We will focus on HPA axis function in depressive disorders at different reproductive stages including the menstrual cycle (e.g., premenstrual dysphoric disorder [PMDD]), perinatally (e.g., postpartum depression), and in perimenopausal depression. Each of these reproductive stages is characterized by vast physiological changes and presents major neuroendocrine reorganization. The HPA axis is one of the main targets of such functional alterations, and with its key role in stress response, it is an etiological factor in vulnerable windows for depression across the female lifespan. We begin with an overview of the HPA axis and a brief summary of techniques for measuring HPA axis parameters. We then describe the hormonal milieu of each of these key reproductive stages, and integrate information about HPA axis function in depression across these reproductive stages, describing similarities and differences. The role of a history of stress and trauma exposure as a contributor to female depression in the context of HPA axis involvement across the reproductive stages is also presented. This review advances the pursuit of understanding common biological mechanisms across depressive disorders among women. Our overarching goal is to identify unmet needs in characterizing stress-related markers of depression in women in the context of hormonal changes across the lifespan, and to support future research in women's mental health as it pertains to pathophysiology, early diagnosis, and treatment targets.
Topics: Animals; Female; Humans; Depression; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Pituitary-Adrenal System; Menstrual Cycle; Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder; Life Cycle Stages
PubMed: 38149098
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1295261 -
The British Journal of General Practice... Jul 2023Each woman's experience of the perimenopause and/or menopause is individual and unique. Research shows women from ethnic minorities often have different experiences from...
BACKGROUND
Each woman's experience of the perimenopause and/or menopause is individual and unique. Research shows women from ethnic minorities often have different experiences from their White peers, and these are not being considered in conversations about the menopause. Women from ethnic minorities already face barriers to help-seeking in primary care, and clinicians have expressed challenges in cross cultural communication including the risk that women from ethnic minorities' perimenopause and/or menopause health needs are not being met.
AIM
To explore primary care practitioners' experiences of perimenopause and/or menopause help-seeking among women from ethnic minorities.
DESIGN AND SETTING
A qualitative study of 46 primary care practitioners from 35 practices across 5 regions of England, with patient and public involvement (PPI) consultations with 14 women from three ethnic minority groups.
METHOD
Primary care practitioners were surveyed using an exploratory approach. Online and telephone interviews were conducted and the data were analysed thematically. The findings were presented to three groups of women from ethnic minorities to inform interpretation of the data.
RESULTS
Practitioners described a lack of awareness of perimenopause and/or menopause among many women from ethnic minorities, which they felt impacted their help-seeking and communication of symptoms. Cultural expressions of embodied experiences could offer challenges to practitioners to 'join the dots' and interpret experiences through a holistic menopause care lens. Feedback from the women from ethnic minorities provided context to practitioner findings through examples from their individual experiences.
CONCLUSION
There is a need for increased awareness and trustworthy information resources to help women from ethnic minorities prepare for the menopause, and clinicians to recognise their experiences and offer support. This could improve women's immediate quality of life and potentially reduce future disease risk.
Topics: Female; Humans; Perimenopause; Ethnic and Racial Minorities; Ethnicity; Quality of Life; Minority Groups; Menopause; Qualitative Research; Primary Health Care
PubMed: 37130614
DOI: 10.3399/BJGP.2022.0569 -
European Psychiatry : the Journal of... Sep 2023The menopause transition is a vulnerable period that can be associated with changes in mood and cognition. The present study aimed to investigate whether a symptomatic... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
The menopause transition is a vulnerable period that can be associated with changes in mood and cognition. The present study aimed to investigate whether a symptomatic menopausal transition increases the risks of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.
METHODS
This population-based, retrospective cohort study analysed data from five electronic health record databases in South Korea. Women aged 45-64 years with and without symptomatic menopausal transition were matched 1:1 using propensity-score matching. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A primary analysis of 5-year follow-up data was conducted, and an intention-to-treat analysis was performed to identify different risk windows over 5 or 10 years. The primary outcome was first-time diagnosis of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorder. We used Cox proportional hazard models and a meta-analysis to calculate the summary hazard ratio (HR) estimates across the databases.
RESULTS
Propensity-score matching resulted in a sample of 17,098 women. Summary HRs for depression (2.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.63-2.71), anxiety (1.64; 95% CI 1.01-2.66), and sleep disorders (1.47; 95% CI 1.16-1.88) were higher in the symptomatic menopausal transition group. In the subgroup analysis, the use of HRT was associated with an increased risk of depression (2.21; 95% CI 1.07-4.55) and sleep disorders (2.51; 95% CI 1.25-5.04) when compared with non-use of HRT.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that women with symptomatic menopausal transition exhibit an increased risk of developing depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Therefore, women experiencing a symptomatic menopausal transition should be monitored closely so that interventions can be applied early.
Topics: Female; Humans; Anxiety; Depression; Menopause; Retrospective Studies; Sleep Wake Disorders; Middle Aged
PubMed: 37697662
DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2439 -
Heliyon Nov 2023To evaluate the relationship between periodontitis and postmenopausal osteoporosis. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between periodontitis and postmenopausal osteoporosis.
METHODS
This research was carried out according to the principles laid down by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guideline statement. We searched the Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, and WanFang databases from inception to July 1, 2023 to collect all relevant publications, with no restrictions on publication date or Languages. Cochrane's tool for assessing RoB was used to evaluate the RoB for RCTs. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the RoB for cohort studies and case-control studies. Mean differences (MD) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were used for analysis of continuous data. Heterogeneity was measured using the I statistic. Revman 5.4 software was used for the meta-analysis.
RESULTS
28 observational studies with 19611 patients, including 5813 cases in the postmenopausal osteoporosis group and 13798 cases in the non-osteoporosis group. The studies showed that the degrees of clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), simplified oral hygiene index (OHIS), and percentage of sites with bleeding on probing (BOP) in the postmenopausal osteoporosis group were higher than those in the non-osteoporosis group[CAL(MD = 0.89(mm), 95 % CI [0.48,1.30], < 0.00001), PD (MD = 0.27(mm), 95 % CI [0.13, 0.41], = 0.0001), GR (MD = 0.28(mm), 95 % CI [0.20, 0.35], < 0.00001), OHIS (MD = 1.32,95 % CI [1.12,1.51], < 0.00001), BOP(MD = 12.71(%), 95 % CI [3.24,22.18], = 0.009)]. Eleven studies found that bone mineral density (BMD) in the postmenopausal osteoporosis group was lower than that in non-osteoporosis group (MD = -0.41(U/cm), 95 % CI [-0.77,-0.05], p = 0.03). The combined analysis results of the studies in the two groups showed that there were no significant differences in the loss of alveolar crestal height (ACH)[(MD = -1.76(%),95%CI [-3.64,0.12], = 0.07)].
CONCLUSION
Postmenopausal osteoporosis patients are more likely to suffer from periodontitis, and the condition is easily aggravated.
PubMed: 37920517
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20922 -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Nov 2023Perimenopausal is the period when women's ovarian function begins to decline before and after menopause. During this period, women experience a series of mental state...
BACKGROUND
Perimenopausal is the period when women's ovarian function begins to decline before and after menopause. During this period, women experience a series of mental state changes, such as decreased hormone levels, decreased libido, and even female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in severe cases, which reduces their quality of life. Factors affecting the occurrence of FSD include physiological and non-physiological factors, among which physiological factors are uncontrollable. Therefore, it is particularly important to ascertain the related non-physiological factors that affect the occurrence of FSD for improving the quality of sexual life of perimenopausal women.
AIM
To investigate the mediating effect of depressive mood and body image on menopausal symptoms and sexual function in perimenopausal women.
METHODS
A total of 186 perimenopausal women were enrolled between January 2019 and January 2021 and divided into the FSD (134 cases) and control (52 cases) groups based on the presence and absence of FSD. Clinical data were compared between the two groups. FSD-related factors were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Body Image Scale (BIS), and Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) scores were compared among women with different FSD scores. The correlation of the MRS score with the BIS and HAMD scores and the mediating effect of the BIS and HAMD scores on the MRS score and female sexual function index (FSFI) were analyzed.
RESULTS
The HAMD and BIS scores were higher in the FSD group than in the control group, and the difference in monthly income between the two groups was statistically significant (all < 0.05). Monthly income of < 2000 yuan [odds ratio (OR) = 26.586, = 0.000], BIS score (OR = 1.590, = 0.000), and HAMD score (OR = 1.884, = 0.000) were independent risk factors for FSD. MRS scores were positively correlated with BIS and HAMD scores ( = 0.358 and 0.244, = 0.000 and 0.001, respectively) and negatively correlated with FSFI scores ( = -0.433, = 0.000). Body image and depressive mood had partial mediating effects, accounting for 39.90% of the total effect.
CONCLUSION
Depression and body image play mediating roles between menopausal symptoms and sexual function in perimenopausal women.
PubMed: 38073680
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i32.7761