Frontal Electroencephalogram α‑Asymmetry during the Luteal Phase of the Menstrual Cycle in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome

Background: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that causes significant distress and interferes with normal functioning. Aim: The aim of this work was to assess the resting frontal electroencephalographic patterns in females who meet criteria for PMS and PMDD. Subjects and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted on 150 female participants, of which 145 had PMS, and 45 were control women. All cases were counseled about the procedure. Furthermore, a written consent was taken from every patient. Cases were asked about their current phase of the cycle, in order to determine cycle timing. The custom PMDD interview involved asking each woman a series of questions concerning PMDD symptoms. This structured interview was created from the DSM‑IV‑TR criteria for PMDD. Women with PMDD were asked to complete a daily symptom rating checklist for three consecutive cycles. The ensuing methods were undertaken for each patient, including history taking, general, local and fundus examination, and routine investigations, and were submitted to resting electroencephalogram (EEG) examination during both follicular and luteal phases of the cycle. Results: Seventy percent of women with PMS and 75% of women with PMDD exhibited left frontal activity at rest, during the luteal phase of the cycle (P <0.001). Conclusions: We concluded that resting luteal phase of EEG frontal asymmetry must be added to the research criteria for PMDD (DSM‑IV‑TR).Keywords: Electroencephalogram, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, premenstrual tension, premenstrual syndrome, Tanta University Hospita

Prediction of Gestational Diabetes by Measuring First Trimester Maternal Serum Uric Acid Concentration

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication in pregnancy, affecting more than 10% pregnancies worldwide. However, the true underlying causes remain to be fully elucidated.Aim: This study aimed at searching for any relation between first trimester uric acid concentration and the development of GDM.Subjects and Methods: The study was conducted on 250 first trimester pregnant females at risk of diabetes mellitus attending the outpatient clinic of Tanta University Hospital. All cases underwent estimation of first trimester‑fasting blood sugar and maternal serum uric acid concentration. Between 24 and 28 weeks’ gestation random blood sugar and glucose challenge test were done. Positive cases were confirmed by 3 h glucose tolerance curve.Results: The results demonstrated an association between first trimester maternal serum uric acid concentration obesity and GDM. Approximately, 41.4% (60/145) of non‑diabetic women were at first quartile, while 44.8% (47/105) of the diabetic women were at fourth quartile.Conclusion: We concluded that the cut‑off level of maternal serum uric acid of 4 mg/dl in the first trimester was associated with developing GDM. Therefore, we suggest that serum uric acid level should be done as routine test during the first antenatal care visit.Keywords: Impaired fasting glucose, multiple logistic‑regression analysis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, uric aci

Potential biological role of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in male gametes

Maintaining the integrity of sperm DNA is vital to reproduction and male fertility. Sperm contain a number of molecules and pathways for the repair of base excision, base mismatches and DNA strand breaks. The presence of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), a DNA repair enzyme, and its homologues has recently been shown in male germ cells, specifically during stage VII of spermatogenesis. High PARP expression has been reported in mature spermatozoa and in proven fertile men. Whenever there are strand breaks in sperm DNA due to oxidative stress, chromatin remodeling or cell death, PARP is activated. However, the cleavage of PARP by caspase-3 inactivates it and inhibits PARP's DNA-repairing abilities. Therefore, cleaved PARP (cPARP) may be considered a marker of apoptosis. The presence of higher levels of cPARP in sperm of infertile men adds a new proof for the correlation between apoptosis and male infertility. This review describes the possible biological significance of PARP in mammalian cells with the focus on male reproduction. The review elaborates on the role played by PARP during spermatogenesis, sperm maturation in ejaculated spermatozoa and the potential role of PARP as new marker of sperm damage. PARP could provide new strategies to preserve fertility in cancer patients subjected to genotoxic stresses and may be a key to better male reproductive health