Impact of psychological stress on the outcomes of assisted reproduction in Tunisian infertile women

Introduction: childlessness is an emotionally difficult experience for infertile couples. Undergoing assisted reproductive treatments (ART) could generate further stress in these patients. Studies investigating the impact of anxiety on ART outcomes have shown controversial results. Moreover, there are no publications focusing on anxiety symptomsin infertile Tunisian couples. Methods: we conducted a prospective study including 79 infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization at the Reproductive Medicine Unit of the Farhat Hached Hospital (Tunisia). Participants were asked to answer to the Beck anxiety inventory (BAI) on the day of oocyte retrieval. Accordingly, they were classified into the 3 groups: group A: very low anxiety (n= 36; BAI<21), group B: moderate anxiety (n= 24; 22≤BAI≤35) and group C: severe anxiety (n=19; BAI≥36). For each patient, two blood samples were collected to assess free cortisol level on the day of oocyte retrieval and on the day of embryo transfer. Results: results showed that women with primary infertility were significantly more stressed than those with secondary infertility (p= 0.011). Cortisol level was significantly higher on the day of embryo transfer than on the day of oocyte pick-up (p<0.0001). A lower implantation rate was found in severely anxious patients compared with moderately anxious women (p= 0.03) and those having low levels of anxiety (p= 0.001) and was negatively correlated to BAI score (r= -0.65; p= 0.001). Both clinical pregnancy and livebirth rates were similar among the three groups. Conclusion: the day of embryo transfer is the most stressful timepoint and psychological counseling is crucial to enhance implantation rate. Hence implantation took place, no effect of stress on pregnancy and live birth was found

A HIGH LEVEL OF VOLLEYBALL PRACTICE ENHANCES BONE FORMATION MARKERS AND HORMONES IN PREPUBESCENT BOYS

Objectives: To examine the effects of volleyball on hormones and biochemical markers before puberty. Methods: 130 prepubescent white boys were investigated in this study. 80 prepubescent volleyball players were divided into two groups according to the duration of training: 40 (age: 11.5 ± 0.6 years), representing the high-level training group (HLG), completed 6 to 8 hours of training/week; 40 (age: 11.2 ± 0.7 years), representing the low-level training group (LLG), completed 3 to 5 hours of training/week. The other 50 non-athletic boys (age: 11.3 ± 0.2 years) were used as control subjects (C). Results: Serum concentration of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and carrier protein 3 (IGFBP-3), cortisol, bone formation markers (osteocalcin [OC] and bone alkaline phosphatase [BAP], and a bone resorption marker (cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen [CTX] were measured. No difference in CTX was observed among the three groups. However, the HLG presented higher levels of bone formation markers (OC, BAP) compared to controls. Hormonal concentrations of GH, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and cortisol were higher in HLG than in controls. Conclusion: Volleyball did not lead to enhanced bone turnover markers and anabolic hormones of bone after a low-training level when compared to controls. Indeed, a high-training level induces enhanced bone formation markers and basal concentration of anabolic (GH, IGF-1, and IGFBP-3) and catabolic (cortisol) hormones of bone metabolism. Therefore, basal hormone concentrations and bone formation markers were directly related to the intensity and the duration of the training level

SPECIFIC SITES OF BONE EXPANSION DEPEND ON THE LEVEL OF VOLLEYBALL PRACTICE IN PREPUBESCENT BOYS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 18 months of high and low levels of volleyball practice on bone acquisition. 130 prepubescent boys (mean age 11.4 ± 0.7) were divided into a high-level training group (HLG), low-level training group (LLG), and controls. Bone mineral content (BMC) and bone area at the whole body, lumbar spine L2-L4, femoral neck of the dominant leg, and right and left radius were measured using dual-photon X-ray absorptiometry. Enhanced BMC resulted from high-training volleyball activity in all measured sites except the third left and right distal radius, which is not modified by low-level training in prepubescent players but it was accompanied by a bone area expansion in radius and weight-bearing sites for the HLG, and in legs, whole right and left radius for the LLG. Significant improvement of skeletal tissues is associated with the intensity and duration of volleyball training

Growth factor concentrations and their placental mRNA expression are modulated in gestational diabetes mellitus: possible interactions with macrosomia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. GDM is a well known risk factor for foetal overgrowth, termed macrosomia which is influenced by maternal hypergycemia and endocrine status through placental circulation. The study was undertaken to investigate the implication of growth factors and their receptors in GDM and macrosomia, and to discuss the role of the materno-foeto-placental axis in the <it>in-utero </it>regulation of foetal growth.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>30 women with GDM and their 30 macrosomic babies (4.75 ± 0.15 kg), and 30 healthy age-matched pregnant women and their 30 newborns (3.50 ± 0.10 kg) were recruited in the present study. Serum concentrations of GH and growth factors, <it>i.e</it>., IGF-I, IGF-BP3, FGF-2, EGF and PDGF-B were determined by ELISA. The expression of mRNA encoding for GH, IGF-I, IGF-BP3, FGF-2, PDGF-B and EGF, and their receptors, <it>i.e</it>., GHR, IGF-IR, FGF-2R, EGFR and PDGFR-β were quantified by using RT-qPCR.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The serum concentrations of IGF-I, IGF-BP3, EGF, FGF-2 and PDGF-B were higher in GDM women and their macrosomic babies as compared to their respective controls. The placental mRNA expression of the growth factors was either upregulated (FGF-2 or PDGF-B) or remained unaltered (IGF-I and EGF) in the placenta of GDM women. The mRNA expression of three growth factor receptors, <it>i.e</it>., IGF-IR, EGFR and PDGFR-β, was upregulated in the placenta of GDM women. Interestingly, serum concentrations of GH were downregulated in the GDM women and their macrosomic offspring. Besides, the expression of mRNAs encoding for GHR was higher, but that encoding for GH was lower, in the placenta of GDM women than control women.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that growth factors might be implicated in GDM and, in part, in the pathology of macrosomia via materno-foeto-placental axis.</p

Reduced forced vital capacity is independently associated with, aging, height and a poor socioeconomic status: a report from the Tunisian population-based BOLD study

BACKGROUND: Reduced forced vital capacity (FVC) is a risk factor of all-cause mortality; however, the prevalence and determinants of reduced FVC are not available for the Tunisian population. This study investigated the association of reduced FVC with risk factors and health variables in an urban population of subjects aged ≥ 40 years and living in the city of Sousse in Tunisia. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed using data from the Tunisian Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study. We defined reduced FVC as a post-bronchodilator FVC below the lower limit of normal using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) values and Global Lung Function Initiative 2012 equations (GLI 2012) and determined the relation between this finding and the potential risk factors (demographic and socioeconomic factors and the presence of chronic diseases), using multivariable regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of reduced FVC was 26.6% (176/661) when using NHANES values for white Americans and 14.2% (94/661) using the GLI 2012 equations. Compared to people with normal FVC, those with a reduced FVC were significantly older, taller, had a lower body mass index (BMI), more respiratory symptoms and a higher prevalence of heart disease and hypertension. Multivariable analysis showed that reduced FVC was essentially driven by exposure to biomass smoke for heating, a number of schooling years lower than or equal to 6 years, a childhood history of hunger for a lack of money, aging and height. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of reduced FVC is associated with a poor socioeconomic status aging and height

LEPTIN, ITS IMPLICATION IN PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND TRAINING: A SHORT REVIEW

Leptin, a hormone synthesized by fat tissue had been noted to regulate energy balance and metabolism and thus to influence body weight. The influence of acute exercise and chronic exercise training on circulating leptin and its relationship with hormonal and metabolic changes that induce energy balance are presented. Research that has examined the influence of exercise under various experimental conditions on leptin and the conflicts in the literature are presented. It appears that a significant caloric perturbation (> 800 kcals) is necessary for acute exercise to result in a significant reduction in leptin. In contrast, exercise training can result in a leptin decline but typically this manifests a reduction in adipose tissue stores. In addition, future directions are presente

Effect of hyperthermia and physical activity on circulating growth hormone

The aim of this study was to differentiate the effects of hyperthermia and physical activity on circulating growth hormone (GH) secretion. Nine healthy volunteer adults performed two 40 min exercise trials and two 50 min passive standing trials. The exercise was performed in either thermo-neutral (N-Ex: air temperature 18 8C, air humidity 40%, and wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) 17.7 8C) or hot environmental conditions (H-Ex: air temperature 33 8C, air humidity 30%, and WBGT 34.6 8C). The passive exposure trials were also performed in either a comfortable (N-P: air temperature 18 8C, air humidity 40%, and WBGT 17.7 8C) or a hot climatic chamber (H-P: air temperature 40 8C, air humidity 100%, and WBGT 97.1 8C). Plasma GH, plasma volume (PV), tympanic temperature (Tty), and body mass loss (BML) were measured before and after each trial. The decrease in PV was significantly higher during H-Ex and H-P sessions than during N-Ex and N-P sessions. Comparisons showed significantly lower BML in the N-Ex session (1.5% ± 0.3%) than in the H-Ex and H-P sessions (2.1% ± 0.3% and 1.9% ± 0.2%, respectively) (p < 0.001). The rise in Tty was significantly higher during the H-P session (2.9 ± 0.4 8C) (p < 0.001) when compared with the other sessions. Plasma GH concentration increased significantly during all the trials, particularly during the H-Ex session (45 ± 7 ng�mL–1) (p < 0.01). Both exercise and heat exposure, separately, are sufficient to increase significantly the plasma GH concentration, and their combined effect induced a highly synergistic rise in GH

Bone mineral density of young boy soccer players at different pubertal stages: relationships with hormonal concentration.

International audienceOBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of soccer in relation with the hormonal concentration, on the bone mass of young Tunisian players at different pubertal stages. METHODS: Two groups of 152 young boys (age: 13.3+/-0.9 years) participated in this study: (1) 91 soccer players, and (2) 61 non-athletic boys used as control subjects. The bone mineral density (BMD) and the bone mineral content (BMC) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Pubertal stages were assessed, and serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), growth hormone (GH) and the total testosterone were measured. RESULTS: The BMD and BMC for whole body, lumbar spine, femoral neck, pelvis and lower limbs were higher in soccer players than in controls (p<0.001). In early puberty, the soccer players also exhibited significantly greater BMD and BMC in the whole body and in weight-bearing bones compared with the controls (p<0.001). However, there was no intersubject variability due to puberty in either BMD or BMC. The pubescent soccer players had significantly higher hormonal concentrations of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 than their counterpart controls (p<0.05). Moreover, the whole body BMD was significantly (p<0.001) correlated with GH, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 but not with the testosterone concentrations. CONCLUSION: The soccer participation of boys is generally associated with the improvement of their bone mass which is mainly marked at early and late puberty. The relationships between somatotropic axis hormones and BMD of the players may be linked to the parallel development of these two parameters during puberty

EFFECT OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND TRAINING STATUS ON LEPTIN RESPONSE TO SUB-MAXIMAL CYCLING

We examined the leptin response and related hormones during and after two sub-maximal exercise protocols in trained and untrained subjects. During this study, plasma concentrations of leptin [Lep], insulin [I], cortisol [C], growth hormone [GH], glucose [G] and lactate [La] were measured. 7 elite volleyball trained players (TR) and 7 untrained (UTR) subjects (percent body fat: 13.2 ± 1.8 versus 15.7 ± 1.0, p < 0.01, respectively) were examined after short and prolonged sub-maximal cycling exercise protocols (SP and PP). Venous blood samples were collected before each protocol, during, at the end, and after 2 and 24 h of recovery. SP and PP energy expenditures ranged from 470 ± 60 to 740 ± 90 kcal for TR and from 450 ± 60 to 710 ± 90 kcal for UTR, respectively. [Lep] was related to body fat percentage and body fat mass in TR (r = 0. 84, p < 0.05 and r = 0.93, p < 0.01) and in UTR (r = 0.89, p < 0.01 and r = 0.92, p < 0. 01, respectively). [Lep] did not change significantly during both protocols for both groups but was lower (p < 0.05) in all sampling in TR when compared to UTR. Plasma [I] decreased (p < 0.01) and [GH] increased (p < 0.01) significantly during both SP and PP and these hormones remained lower (I: p < 0.01) and higher (GH: p < 0.01) than pre-exercise levels after a 2-h recovery period, returning to base-line at 24-h recovery. Plasma [La] increased (p < 0.01) during both protocols for TR and UTR. There was no significant change in [C] and [G] during and after both protocols for all subjects. It is concluded that 1) leptin is not sensitive to acute short or prolonged sub-maximal exercises (with energy expenditure under 800 kcal) in volleyball/ anaerobically trained athletes as in untrained subjects, 2) volleyball athletes showed significantly lower resting and exercise leptin response with respect to untrained subjects and 3) it appears that in these anaerobically trained athletes leptin response to exercise is more sensitive to the level of energy expenditure than hormonal or metabolic modifications induced by acute exercis