Melatonin Alleviates Ovariectomy-Induced Cardiovascular Inflammation in Sedentary or Exercised Rats by Upregulating SIRT1.

We aimed to evaluate the impact of hormone replacement, melatonin, or exercise alone or their combination on oxidative damage and functional status of heart, brain, and aorta of ovariectomized (OVX) rats and to determine whether the signaling pathway is dependent on sirtuin-1 (SIRT1). Ovariectomized Sprague Dawley rats were orally given either a hormone replacement therapy (1 mg/kg/day,17β estradiol; HRT) or melatonin (4 mg/kg/day) or HRT + melatonin treatments or tap water, while each group was further divided into sedentary and exercise (30 min/5 days/week) groups. After the heart rate measurements and memory tests were performed, trunk blood was collected at the end of the 10th week to determine metabolic parameters in serum samples.

Gallbladder function and dynamics of bile flow in asymptomatic gallstone disease.

Aim: To investigate the effects of gallbladder stones on motor functions of the gallbladder and the dynamics of bile flow in asymptomatic gallstone disease.

Methods: Quantitative hepatobiliary scintigraphy was performed to detect the parameters of gallbladder motor function [gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF), gallbladder visualization time (GBVT), gallbladder time to peak activity (GBT(max)), gallbladder half emptying time (GBT(1/2)), and transit time of bile to duodenum (TTBD)] in 24 patients with asymptomatic cholelithiasis who were diagnosed incidentally during routine abdominal ultrasonographic examination and 20 healthy subjects with normal gallbladder.

Results: Even though there was no significant difference in the clinical and laboratory parameters between the patient and control groups, all parameters of gallbladder function except TTBD were found to differ significantly between the two groups.