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The article offers information on the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in women and the importance of diagnosing it. As stated, MetS is a syndrome that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), thus it has been advised to diagnose MetS, to reduce the risk factors. As reported, obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia are few medical conditions associated with MetS.

Differences in the rates of affective disorders between women and men may relate to gender differences in gonadal steroid levels such as estrogen that have effects on brain monoamines important to mood regulation. Changes in estrogen secretion patterns during the perimenopause and menopause may be relevant to the increased risk for affective symptoms at that time. This study examined whether 17β-estradiol (E2) administration can modify the mood effects of experimental psychosocial stress following acute monoamine depletion in postmenopausal women. Subjects consisted of 15 normal postmenopausal women (PMW) (ages 67.1±11.2 years) blindly placed on either oral placebo or E2 (1 mg/day for 1 month, then 2 mg/day for 2 months). At the end of the 3-month treatment phase, subjects participated in three blinded depletion challenges in which they ingested each of three amino-acid mixtures: deficient in tryptophan, deficient in phenylalanine/tyrosine, or nutritionally balanced. After 5 h, subjects performed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), followed by mood and anxiety ratings. E2-treated subjects exhibited a significant increase in negative mood and anxiety after the TSST compared to placebo-treated women. These effects were independent of monoamine depletion and were not manifest before the TSST or at baseline. Exogenous estrogen administration in PMW may alter or modulate emotional reactivity to stressful events and may alter the sensitivity of emotional regulation. This modulation appears to be independent of alterations in monoaminergic neurotransmission. The dose of estrogen used after menopause may be important in determining the effects of gonadal steroids on emotional regulation.Neuropsychopharmacology (2008) 33, 1514–1527; doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1301530; published online 22 August 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggest that Sex Steroid Therapy involving estrogen while beneficial, may have adverse effects as well. Both of the known estrogen receptors, estrogen receptor-α (ER-α) and estrogen receptor-β (ER-β) have been found in reproductive tissues as well as bone, liver, and brain. These receptors are important targets for endogenous estrogen, estrogen replacement therapy and pharmacological estrogen agonists allowing specific modulation of sex steroids. This article will review the basic mechanisms of sex steroid biosynthesis and detail our current understanding of the action of these hormones on specific hormone responsive tissues. The properties of tibolone, a synthetic steroid will be outlined and its mechanism reviewed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports published within on topics including various ways of assessing ovarian function after cancer treatment and the complex issue of linking ethnicity and race to sex hormone.