The effects of exercise on anxiety symptoms in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a pilot study.

Purpose: Anxiety is a common mental health issue during pregnancy. Moreover, women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) seem to have to cope with higher levels of anxiety, being at higher risk for several health and mental complications. Women with GDM are recommended to undertake regular physical exercise to improve metabolic and reproductive outcomes.

Skin Microvascular Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis and Association with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness.

It is established that diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by increased cardiovascular risk associated with subclinical atherosclerosis as well as microvascular alterations. Laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) is an innovative, non-invasive method for assessing skin microvascular function. We sought to assess skin microvascular function in patients with type 2 DM and matched controls.

Hypogonadism and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), recently proposed to be renamed to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is a major global public health concern, affecting approximately 25-30% of the adult population and possibly leading to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver transplantation. The liver is involved in the actions of sex steroids via their hepatic metabolism and production of the sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Liver disease, including NAFLD, is associated with reproductive dysfunction in men and women, and the prevalence of NAFLD in patients with hypogonadism is considerable.

EMAS position statement: Thyroid disease and menopause.

Introduction: Thyroid diseases are common in women in their late reproductive years; therefore, thyroid disease and menopause may co-exist. Both conditions may present with a wide range of symptoms, leading to diagnostic challenges and delayed diagnosis. Aim To construct the first European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) statement on thyroid diseases and menopause.

Diet Quality and Nutritional Risk Based on the FIGO Nutrition Checklist among Greek Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Routine Antenatal Care Study.

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) nutrition checklist is a tool for everyday antenatal clinical practice, easy to use by most healthcare professionals, aiming to initiate a conversation regarding gestational weight gain (GWG) and nutrition and identify women who might require further assessment. The present cross-sectional study aimed to apply the FIGO nutrition checklist to pregnant women attending routine antenatal care and identify nutritional risk factors. Pregnant women ( = 200) were recruited from the outpatient pregnancy clinics of two hospitals in Thessaloniki and completed the checklist.

Microvascular and Endothelial Dysfunction in Prediabetes.

Prediabetes is a significant metabolic status since there is high potential for future progression of diabetes mellitus (DM). People with prediabetes are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. Endothelial and microvascular dysfunction is considered a key step towards the development and progression of CVD.

Plasma Ceramide Concentrations in Full-Term Pregnancies Complicated with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Case-Control Study.

Ceramides, a sphingolipid group that acts as a messenger in cellular differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and senescence, have been associated with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The evidence for an association between ceramides and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is scarce. This case-control study aimed to compare women with GDM with healthy, pregnant women in terms of plasma ceramide concentrations at the time of delivery.

Seminal L-Carnitine In Infertile Oligoasthenoteratozoospermic Men with Varicocele.

Background: Few studies have investigated the relationship of seminal L-Carnitine (LC) with male infertility associated with varicocele. The purpose of this prospective cross-sectional study was to assess seminal plasma LC levels in infertile oligoathenoteratozoospermic (OAT) men with varicocele.

Methods: Overall, 86 men were investigated.

Metabolic, Oxidative and Psychological Stress as Mediators of the Effect of COVID-19 on Male Infertility: A Literature Review.

Over 300 million patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported worldwide since the outbreak of the pandemic in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. COVID-19 is induced by the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the male reproductive system is unclear.

Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Has a Wide Spectrum of Growth Hormone Excess.

Overgrowth due to growth hormone (GH) excess affects approximately 10% of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and optic pathway glioma (OPG). Our aim is to describe the clinical, biochemical, pathological, and genetic features of GH excess in a retrospective case series of 10 children and adults with NF1 referred to a tertiary care clinical research center. Six children (median age = 4 years, range of 3−5 years), one 14-year-old adolescent, and three adults (median age = 42 years, range of 29−52 years) were diagnosed with NF1 and GH excess.

ESE Clinical Practice Guideline on functioning and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas in pregnancy.

Pregnancies are rare in women with pituitary adenomas, which may relate to hormone excess from secretory subtypes such as prolactinomas or corticotroph adenomas. Decreased fertility may also result from pituitary hormone deficiencies due to compression of the gland by large tumours and/or surgical or radiation treatment of the lesion. Counselling premenopausal women with pituitary adenomas about their chance of conceiving spontaneously or with assisted reproductive technology, and the optimal pre-conception treatment, should start at the time of initial diagnosis.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in males with low testosterone concentrations.

Aims: There are limited clinical data on the association between serum testosterone concentrations and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in men. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the association between testosterone concentrations and NAFLD in adult men, in terms of noninvasive indices of NAFLD and hepatic fibrosis.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 98 men were recruited on an outpatient basis and were divided into low-testosterone (<12 nmol/l or <346 ng/dl, n = 37) or high-testosterone groups (≥12 nmol/l or ≥346 ng/dl, n = 61).

The effect of underweight on female and male reproduction.

Chronic energy deficiency can impair the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and lead to hypothalamic anovulation in underweight women. This review presents the syndromes related to underweight status that are associated with infertility, summarizes the underlying mechanisms, and reviews the available treatment options. Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa (AN), constitute the most common cause of infertility in underweight women, who, in addition, experience miscarriages, and sexual dysfunction.

The effect of excess body fat on female and male reproduction.

The dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity coincides with a decline in reproductive health indices in both sexes. Energy excess mediates changes to the regulatory mechanisms of the reproductive system. Obese individuals exhibit increased estrogen concentrations, due to the overexpression of aromatase in the adipose tissue; via a negative feedback loop, men present with symptoms of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

Non-coronary atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a common autosomal dominant inherited disease, affecting 1 in 200-500 individuals worldwide. FH is characterized by elevated circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations. Its association with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) (>10-fold, compared with patients without FH) is well documented.

Evidence for a manifold role of selenium in infertility.

This review aimed to assess the evidence from observational and interventional studies in humans and animals regarding the role of selenium (Se) in male and female infertility. As oxidative stress can seriously impair male, and possibly also female, reproductive functions, it can be speculated that the antioxidant properties of Se could constitute one of the pathways by which this element is involved in fertility. Specifically, there are strong indications that Se influences the growth, maturation, and replication of oocytes, though the precise mechanisms have not as yet been fully elucidated.

Egg freezing and late motherhood.

Egg freezing was initially used as an intervention for iatrogenic ovarian insufficiency. Nowadays, it is not considered an experimental procedure, and it is increasingly popular among healthy women who wish to maintain their reproductive potential (fertility preservation). This review summarises the evidence on egg freezing technology, reproductive outcomes and long-term effects, as well as its psychological and socioeconomic implications.

Could Lipid Profile be Used as a Marker of Autonomous Cortisol Secretion in Patients with Adrenal Incidentalomas?

Adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) have been associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and dyslipidemia, though evidence regarding the latter is limited. Lipid abnormalities in patients with AIs have been associated with subclinical hypercortisolism. The current study aims to test whether lipid profile in patients with AIs predicts "autonomous cortisol secretion" (ACS).

ThyPROgr: the Greek edition of the ThyPRO questionnaires for patients with benign thyroid diseases.

The thyroid-related patient-reported outcome measure ThyPRO is currently the most reliable and valid instrument for the measurement of thyroid-related quality of life. The objective of the current study was to translate the original (85 items) and short (39 items) versions of ThyPRO into the Greek language as well as to validate and culturally adapt ThyPRO among the Greek population. Translation of patient-reported outcomes was done according to standard methodology.

Sexual Health During Postgraduate Training-European Survey Across Medical Specialties.

Background: Sexual health problems are common. Therefore, training in sexual health is relevant for the clinical practice of trainees and early-career specialists in several specialties who deal with patients with sexual health problems. However, little is known about how sexual health training is provided across countries and specialties.

In vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic insemination and thyroid function: reviewing the evidence.

Recent findings, that specific G protein-coupled TSH receptors (TSHR) and the nuclear thyroid hormone receptors (THRs) are widely expressed in reproductive tissues, reveal the close links between hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid and hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axes. It has been suggested that thyroid function as well as thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) have an impact on Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) reproductive outcome. Lately, it became evident that ovarian stimulation (OS) may also have an impact on thyroid function.