This dissertation project investigated fluctuations in estradiol and testosterone across the human menstrual cycle. During the part of the cycle when women are most fertile, women show stronger preferences for men with more masculine faces, and these preference changes may be related to changes in hormone levels during ovulation. The present study investigated preferences changes among women for higher testosterone men over the menstrual cycle as estradiol and testosterone in those women fluctuated. 32 women participated in this 5-week long study tracking their estradiol and testosterone levels and preferences for masculine men. Women with higher levels of estradiol preferred men who had higher levels of testosterone than women who had lower levels of estradiol. During ovulation, women were more like to find high testosterone men more attractive than other parts of the menstrual cycle. In addition to ratings of men, several other psychological tests were administered and examined for changes as a function of state and trait levels of hormones.

Nursing is developing a science for explaining our interventions_ Hormones play a vital role in the female response pattern and that must be assessed in order for nursing to justify its actions. This descriptive design studied 30 women between the ages of 30 and 45 examining psychiatric addmissions and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Two hypotheses were considered: 1) There is no difference in the incidence of admission to psychiatric facilities of women for depression, schizophrenia, or other psychiatric crises during the paramenstruum of their menstrual cycle and 2) There is no difference in the incidence of premenstrual syndrome symptoms among women admitted to psychiatric facilities during their paramenstruum.Data was obtained by questionnaire and chart review. The nominal data was analyzed using chi-square. No significant results were found statistically. The practical significance of the study is that 20 of the 30 women were admitted during their paramenstruum. / School of Nursing

Metabolism is an integrated network of biochemical pathways involving a series of enzymecatalysed anabolic or catabolic reactions in cells. Metabolites are chemical compounds that are involved in or are products of metabolic pathways, and the metabolome is defined as the total complement of all the low molecular weight metabolites present in a cell at any given time. Metabolomics is a relatively new research technology utilised for the global investigation, identification and quantification of the metabolome. Three aims were defined for the metabolomics study presented here: • The use of metabolomics technology to generate new biological information; • Application of the metabolomics technology to gain information on the three natural perturbations, namely the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and aging; and • Reflection on metabolomic studies as a hypothesis-generating approach. I obtained three sets of urine samples from women during their menstrual cycle, samples from sixteen pregnant and eleven non-pregnant women for the second natural perturbation, and data sets from previous investigations on infant and child groups, as well as thirty-two urine samples from adults for the study of the metabolomic profiles due to age. These urine samples were analysed to determine the organic acid metabolite profiles. The metabolites were identified by means of AMDIS and were manually quantified. Data matrixes were compiled, which underwent certain data reduction steps, prior to statistical analysis. Different statistical approaches were used to generate information on these three natural perturbations due to the clear differences between the three experimental groups used. The investigation of the menstrual cycle did not show a distinct difference between the three phases involved in the cycle, whereas the pregnancy perturbation showed a difference between pregnant groups and non-pregnant groups. The most pronounced difference in metabolite profiles were found when the different age groups were compared to one another. Finally a hypothesis on the effect of age on metabolism was defined and an experimental approach was proposed to evaluate this hypothesis. In conclusion three proposals were formulated from this investigation: 1. If it appears that an insufficient number of participants can be generated for a metabolomics study, such a study should be discarded in the interest of a more feasible investigation. 2. It is advisable that a number of appropriate analytical validation parameters should be incorporated in the early stages of a metabolomics study, specifically linked to the context of the perturbation chosen for the investigation. 3. The control and experimental groups should be homogenous that is to say as comparable as possible with regard to age, ethnicity, diet, and gender, lifestyle habits and other possible confounding influences, except for the specific perturbation being studied. In a perfect world this would be possible, specifically when hypothesis formulation, testing and finally the expansion of scientific knowledge is a desired outcome of the investigation. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Biochemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Metabolism is an integrated network of biochemical pathways involving a series of enzymecatalysed anabolic or catabolic reactions in cells. Metabolites are chemical compounds that are involved in or are products of metabolic pathways, and the metabolome is defined as the total complement of all the low molecular weight metabolites present in a cell at any given time. Metabolomics is a relatively new research technology utilised for the global investigation, identification and quantification of the metabolome. Three aims were defined for the metabolomics study presented here: • The use of metabolomics technology to generate new biological information; • Application of the metabolomics technology to gain information on the three natural perturbations, namely the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and aging; and • Reflection on metabolomic studies as a hypothesis-generating approach. I obtained three sets of urine samples from women during their menstrual cycle, samples from sixteen pregnant and eleven non-pregnant women for the second natural perturbation, and data sets from previous investigations on infant and child groups, as well as thirty-two urine samples from adults for the study of the metabolomic profiles due to age. These urine samples were analysed to determine the organic acid metabolite profiles. The metabolites were identified by means of AMDIS and were manually quantified. Data matrixes were compiled, which underwent certain data reduction steps, prior to statistical analysis. Different statistical approaches were used to generate information on these three natural perturbations due to the clear differences between the three experimental groups used. The investigation of the menstrual cycle did not show a distinct difference between the three phases involved in the cycle, whereas the pregnancy perturbation showed a difference between pregnant groups and non-pregnant groups. The most pronounced difference in metabolite profiles were found when the different age groups were compared to one another. Finally a hypothesis on the effect of age on metabolism was defined and an experimental approach was proposed to evaluate this hypothesis. In conclusion three proposals were formulated from this investigation: 1. If it appears that an insufficient number of participants can be generated for a metabolomics study, such a study should be discarded in the interest of a more feasible investigation. 2. It is advisable that a number of appropriate analytical validation parameters should be incorporated in the early stages of a metabolomics study, specifically linked to the context of the perturbation chosen for the investigation. 3. The control and experimental groups should be homogenous that is to say as comparable as possible with regard to age, ethnicity, diet, and gender, lifestyle habits and other possible confounding influences, except for the specific perturbation being studied. In a perfect world this would be possible, specifically when hypothesis formulation, testing and finally the expansion of scientific knowledge is a desired outcome of the investigation. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Biochemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

A small number of previous cross-sectional studies have examined the relationship between endurance training status on recovery of performance and metabolites from sprinting. However, no longitudinal studies have been undertaken. In addition, there is a dearth of information on female subjects and on running exercise which prompted the need, in the present thesis, to address the effect of menstrual cycle phase on performance and metabolic responses during a repeated sprint run. Thus, the overall purpose of the present thesis was to examine the effect of short-term endurance training on a repeated sprint in female subjects. A number of methodological studies (for which 25 subjects volunteered) were undertaken as preparation for the main experimental chapters of the thesis (Chapter 3). The first methodological study examined the reliability of performance during a 30-s sprint on the non-motorised treadmill. Performance was reproducible as indicated by the 95% limits of agreement for PPO (5 ± 42 W) and by the ratio limits of agreement for MPO (1.01 */÷1.06) during the 30 s sprint. In the second methodological study it was found that capillary lactate concentrations were significantly higher than venous blood lactate after a 30 s sprint (P < 0.05). The third methodological study revealed that a repeated sprint run caused an additional plasma volume loss when compared with the loss caused by a change in posture alone (12.7 % vs 7.5 % for sprint and posture change, respectively, P < 0.05). Finally, it seems that prolonged freezing (up to 13 months) does not have a detrimental influence on whole blood lactate concentration, but repeated defrosting may result in errors in the determination of blood lactate at high lactate concentrations (methodological study 4). The first mam experiment examined the effects of menstrual cycle phase on performance and metabolic responses during a repeated sprint run (2x30 s, with a 2 min passive recovery) in 8 volunteers (chapter 4). Performance was unaltered during the follicular, mid-cycle and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle as reflected by PPO (461 ± 51 and 395 ± 48, 443 ± 43 and 359 ± 44, 449 ± 52 and 397 ± 48 W, for the first and second sprint, during the follicular, mid-cycle and luteal phase, respectively, P > 0.05) and MPO (302 ± 41 and 252 ± 29, 298 ± 37 and 248 ± 29, 298 ± 39 and 252 ± 35 W, for the first and second sprint, at follicular, mid-cycle and luteal phases, respectively, P > 0.05). Similarly, blood metabolic responses were unaffected by menstrual cycle phase as reflected by the unchanged metabolic profile of blood lactate, plasma' ammonia, blood pH and % changes in plasma volume across menstrual cycle. These results suggest that the hormonal fluctuations of 17-,β-estradiol (estradiol) and progesterone, due to menstrual cycle phase, have no effect on repeated sprint performance and possibly on the metabolic responses as reflected by the blood metabolic responses. The second main experiment examined the effects of short-term endurance training on power output recovery and metabolic responses to a repeated sprint run (2x30 s with a 2 min passive recovery) (chapter 5, n = 16). Six weeks of endurance training resulted in a 3% increase (P < 0.05) in V̇ 0₂ max (from 48.7 ± 4.4 before training to 50.17 ± 5.1 mL.kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ after training) in the training group (n = 8) in comparison with 1.9% decrease (from 50.4 ± 1.3 to 49.4 ± 1.2 mL.kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ post-trial) in the control group (n = 7). In addition, % V̇ 0₂ max @ 4 mmol·L⁻¹ [the relative intensity (% V̇ 0₂ max) corresponding to blood lactate concentration of 4 mmol·L⁻¹] was 3% higher (from 82 to 84%) in the training group as compared with the 1% decrease in the control group (from 81 to 80%) (P < 0.05). These endurance adaptations were accompanied by a 7% improvement in MPO recovery (in the second of two 30 s sprints) in the training group in comparison with 2% increases in the control group after training (P < 0.05). Metabolic responses to sprints were unaltered after training, but there was a tendency for higher pH immediately after sprint 1 in the training group in comparison with the control group (7.12 ± 0.07 vs 7.19 ± 0.06 and 7.09 ± 0.07 vs 7.10 ± 0.06, before and after training, in the training and control group, respectively, P = 0.082). These findings suggest that endurance training can be beneficial in terms of quicker recovery of performance during a repeated sprint run. The third main experiment examined the effects of endurance training on performance recovery and muscle metabolites (chapter 6, n=14). Endurance training resulted in a tendency towards lower blood lactate concentrations during sub-maximal exercise in the training group in comparison with the control group (P = 0.063) whilst time to exhaustion for the incremental V̇ 0₂ max test was 12.7% longer for the training group in comparison with 4.1% decrease in the control group (P = 0.095). These endurance training adaptations were accompanied by a 7% improvement (77 ± 7 to 84 ± 5 W) in MPO recovery in the second of two 30 s sprints in the training group while in the control group MPO recovery improved by just 2% (87 ± 8 to 89 ± 8%) (P < 0.05). In addition, similar increases in the recovery of peak speed (3.4% vs 1%, P < 0.05), and mean speed (5% vs 0.9%, P < 0.05) were also evident in the training in comparison with control group. Endurance training resulted in 5.6% decrease in ATP provision from PCr degradation ≈ 14 s post-sprint 1 (P < 0.05) while glycogen degradation was 10% lower (P = 0.063). The latter alterations, in turn, resulted in a tendency towards less reliance on anaerobic energy resources for energy supply after training in the training group (11%, P = 0.098). These results corroborate the findings of chapter 5, but it is still unclear which physiological mechanisms were instrumental in enhancing recovery of performance. It is possible that a faster initial PCr resynthesis or an improved mechanical efficiency or an increased reliance on aerobic metabolism, independently, all together, or in any combination, could have contributed to these improvements in performance recovery. In conclusion the present thesis has shown that: the non-motorised treadmill is a reliable tool for the examination of sprint running performance in the laboratory; that performance and metabolic responses during a repeated sprint run are unaffected by menstrual cycle phase and; that endurance training enhances the recovery of power in female subjects during a repeated sprint run of 2 x 30 s duration with a 2 min passive recovery. The mechanisms underlying the performance improvement following endurance training are unknown, but it is possible that faster PCr resynthesis during the initial phase of recovery (< 1 min) after the sprint is the dominant factor, while greater reliance on aerobic metabolism and improved mechanical efficiency can not be excluded.

Memory function was examined in association with sex hormone levels in women. The results of the first study suggest that self-reports of memory problems were especially prevalent among women attending a menopause clinic compared to a nonpatient sample. In the following investigation, women given placebo after undergoing a bilateral oophorectomy showed decreases in memory performance, specifically on a paired-associate learning task, coincident with declines in estrogen levels. Significant improvements were found in estrogen-treated women pre- to postoperatively in the immediate recall of paragraphs, in association with supraphysiological estrogen levels. A final study on naturally-cycling women found a decline in visual memory performance during the menstrual compared to the luteal phase of the cycle. Visual memory scores were positively correlated with progesterone levels whereas paired-associate recall scores were positively associated with estradiol levels during the luteal phase. These results suggest that certain aspects of memory covary with changes in sex steroid levels in some women.

Background: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) affects 3–8% of women in fertile ages. Combined oral contraceptives (OCs) are widely used and some users experience adverse mood effects. The cyclicity of PMDD symptoms coincides with increased endogenous levels of allopregnanolone after ovulation. Allopregnanolone enhances the effect of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the GABAA receptor, the principal inhibitory transmitter system in the brain. The sensitivity to other GABAA receptor agonists than allopregnanolone (i.e. benzodiazepines, alcohol and the 5 β epimer to allopregnanolone, pregnanolone) has been reported to depend on menstrual cycle phase and/or PMDD diagnosis. Isoallopregnanolone, the 3 β epimer to allopregnanolone, has previously been used to verify specific allopregnanolone GABAA receptor effects. Saccadic eye velocity (SEV) is a sensitive and objective measurement of GABAA receptor function. Aims: To study the pharmacological effects, and any effect on gonadotropin release, of intravenous allopregnanolone in healthy women. A second aim was to explore whether allopregnanolone sensitivity differs over the menstrual cycle or during OC use in healthy women, and thirdly in PMDD patients. Methods: Ten women were challenged with a cumulative dose of intravenous allopregnanolone in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. The effect on FSH and LH was compared to women exposed to isoallopregnanolone. A single dose of allopregnanolone was administered once in the follicular phase and once in the luteal phase in another ten healthy women and in ten PMDD patients, and additionally in ten women using OCs. Repeated measurements of SEV, subjectively rated sedation and serum concentrations after allopregnanolone injections were performed in all studies. Results: Allopregnanolone dose-dependently reduced SEV and increased subjectively rated sedation. Healthy women had a decreased SEV response in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase. By contrast, PMDD patients had a decreased SEV response and subjectively rated sedation response to allopregnanolone in the follicular phase compared to the luteal phase. There was no difference in the SEV response to allopregnanolone between women using oral contraceptives and healthy naturally cycling women. Allopregnanolone decreased serum levels of FSH and LH whereas isoallopregnanolone did not affect FSH and LH levels. Conclusion: Intravenous allopregnanolone was safely given and produced a sedative response in terms of SEV and subjectively rated sedation in women. The sensitivity to allopregnanolone was associated with menstrual cycle phase, but in the opposite direction in healthy women compared to PMDD patients. The results suggest mechanisms of physiological tolerance to allopregnanolone across the menstrual cycle in healthy women and support that PMDD patients have a disturbed GABAA receptor function. In addition, one of our studies suggests that allopregnanolone might be involved in the mechanism behind hypothalamic amenorrhea.

Tez (Tıpta Uzmanlık) - Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi, Çocuk Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, 2006. / Bibliyografya var.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-110). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-110). Also available on the Internet.