Autonomic nervous system dysfunction throughout menopausal transition: A potential mechanism underpinning cardiovascular and cognitive alterations during female ageing.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), are highly prevalent conditions in middle-aged women that severely impair quality of life. Recent evidence suggests the existence of an intimate cross-talk between the heart and the brain, resulting from a complex network of neurohumoral circuits. From a pathophysiological perspective, the higher prevalence of AD in women may be explained, at least in part, by sex-related differences in the incidence/prevalence of CVD.

Menopause and development of Alzheimer's disease: Roles of neural glucose metabolism and Wnt signaling.

Late onset Alzheimer´s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with gender differences in its onset and progression, being the prevalence predominant in women and at an earlier age than in men. The pathophysiology of the menopausal condition has been associated to this dementia, playing major roles regarding both endocrine and glucose metabolism changes, amongst other mechanisms. In the current review we address the role of estrogen deficiency in the processes involved in the development of AD, including amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing to form senile plaques, Tau phosphorylation forming neurofibrillary tangles, Wnt signaling and AD neuropathology, the role of glucose brain metabolism, Wnt signaling and glucose transport in the brain, and our research contribution to these topics.

Neurodevelopmental impact of the offspring by thyroid hormone system-disrupting environmental chemicals during pregnancy.

Everyday use chemicals have been demonstrated to be endocrine disruptors. Since normal thyroid function during pregnancy is transcendental for the neurodevelopment of the offspring, knowledge of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) is of main importance. The aim of our study is to recognize and describe EDC actions in pregnant women and focus on neurodevelopmental processes that can lead to neurotransmitter imbalance and cognitive impairment, and the possible clinical outcomes in the newborn and child.

An individualized approach to the management of vaginal atrophy in Latin America.

Objective: In the absence of guidelines specific for Latin America, a region where the impact of menopause is becoming increasingly important, an evidence-based specialist opinion on management of vaginal atrophy will help improve outcomes.

Methods: An advisory board meeting was convened in São Paulo, Brazil, to discuss practical recommendations for managing vaginal atrophy in women in Latin America. Before the meeting, physicians considered various aspects of the condition, summarizing information accordingly.

Postmenopausal androgen-secreting ovarian tumors: challenging differential diagnosis in two cases.

Postmenopausal hyperandrogenism constitutes a very rare condition of tumoral or non-tumoral origin primarily residing either in the ovary or in the adrenal glands. We present herein two cases with this condition; one with abnormal postmenopausal genital bleeding and mild increase in facial hair, and the second with slow-developing hirsutism and virilization. Both cases shared a notorious increase in libido.