Rapid UHPLC-MS/MS measurement of pregnanediol 3-glucuronide in spot urine samples for detecting ovulation.

Biochemical confirmation of ovulation typically involves measuring serum progesterone levels during the mid-luteal phase. Alternatively, this information could be obtained by monitoring urinary excretion of conjugated metabolites of ovarian steroids such as pregnanediol 3-glucuronide (PDG) using immunoassay techniques that have methodological limitations. The aim of the present study was to develop a mass spectrometry (MS)-based method for the rapid and accurate measurement of urinary PDG levels in spot urine samples.

Resting energy expenditure in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Study Question: Is resting energy expenditure (REE) altered in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?

Summary Answer: Women with PCOS have a reduction in REE, when corrected for fat-free mass, independent of PCOS clinical phenotypes and BMI categories.

What Is Known Already: Obesity is an important issue in women with PCOS, in terms of frequency and pathophysiological implications. It has been hypothesized that obesity may be favoured by alterations in REE, but the studies have been limited and conflicting.

[Codes, guidelines and guidance of ethics of research: the issue of quality].

After an overview of the evolution of ethics laws for medical activities, we suggest a possible classification of documents regarding the ethical conduct of scientific research with human beings. The authors outline the necessity to define formal criteria for the development and the implementation of ethics standards.

A post-trial survey to assess the impact of dissemination of results and unmasking on participants in a 13-year randomised controlled trial on age-related cataract.

Background: The Italian-American Clinical Trial of Nutritional Supplements and Age-Related Cataract was designed to assess the impact of a multivitamin-mineral supplement on age-related cataract. Trial results showed evidence of a beneficial effect of the supplement on all types of cataract combined, opposite effects on two of the three types of cataract (beneficial for nuclear opacities and harmful for posterior sub-capsular opacities) and no statistically significant effect on cortical opacities. No treatment recommendations were made.

Body mass index, cardiovascular risk factors, and carotid intima-media thickness in a pediatric population in southern Italy.

Objectives: Obesity and exposure to cardiovascular risk factors during adolescence may be associated with the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases later in life. The objective of the study was to investigate whether any excess body weight, including moderate overweight, is associated with a more severe cardiovascular risk profile and signs of early atherosclerosis in a pediatric population.

Patients And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 646 adolescents ages 11 to 13 years from several primary schools of Reggio Calabria, Italy.