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Objective: In this study, we examined the relationships between perimenopausal symptoms, biochemical parameters, and markers of oxidative stress in women in perimenopause and compared them with those of premenopausal women., Methods: Sixty-two women (age, 53.2 ± 5.7 y) with perimenopausal symptoms were recruited to participate in our study. The control group consisted of 18 women without perimenopausal symptoms (age, 40 ± 5 y).Clinical perimenopausal symptoms were evaluated via the questionnaire of the Menopausal Rating Scale. Our participants were checked for basic biochemical parameters. The oxidative status of our samples was determined through the examination of lipoperoxides, 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) levels, and the total antioxidant status (TAS)., Results: Perimenopausal women had higher total cholesterol values and lower paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity compared to reference values. Other biochemical parameters as well as 8-oxoG levels were unchanged compared with those of healthy control women. Lipoperoxide levels were significantly increased compared with those of premenopausal women. We found an indirect correlation between PON1 arylesterase (PON1 A) activity and lipoperoxide levels, between PON1 A activity and atherogenic index, between age and TAS, and between age and 8-oxoG levels. DNA repair ability and the total antioxidant status of women in perimenopause were significantly increased compared with women in premenopause. Hypercholesterolemic women had significantly increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels when compared with normocholesterolemic individuals, but these values were still within the reference range. Normocholesterolemic women had significantly decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, below the reference range. We found no correlations between perimenopausal symptoms and biochemical parameters or oxidative stress markers., Conclusions: We found that women in perimenopause are under increased oxidative stress manifested by reduced PON1 A activity and elevated lipoperoxidation, DNA repair ability, and TAS. Nutritional antioxidant supplementation may be an effective approach in improving menopausal symptoms.

The main goal of this research was to investigate how different factors influence membrane fouling. The impact of the different concentrations of activated sludge and the amount of extracellular polymer substances (EPS) were monitored. Two pilot plants with submerged membrane modules (hollow fiber and flat sheet) were operated and the raw wastewater was used. Humic substances were identified as the major components of EPS in the activated sludge (more than 34%) in both pilot plants. As the basic constituent in permeate, humic substances were identified as the most dominant components in the effluent (61%) in both pilot plants. Conversely, proteins were mostly analyzed in permeate and supernatant below the detection limit. The total amount of EPS [mgg(-1) (VSS)] was similar for concentrations of activated sludge 6, 10 and 14 g L(-1). Carbohydrates were identified as the component of EPS which tends most to clog membranes., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Hydroponicaly cultivated plants were grown on medium containing uranium. The appropriate concentrations of uranium for the experiments were selected on the basis of a standard ecotoxicity test. The most sensitive plant species was determined to be Lactuca sativa with an EC(50) value about 0.1mM. Cucumis sativa represented the most resistant plant to uranium (EC(50)=0.71 mM). Therefore, we used the uranium in a concentration range from 0.1 to 1mM. Twenty different plant species were tested in hydroponic solution supplemented by 0.1mM or 0.5mM uranium concentration. The uranium accumulation of these plants varied from 0.16 mg/g DW to 0.011 mg/g DW. The highest uranium uptake was determined for Zea mays and the lowest for Arabidopsis thaliana. The amount of accumulated uranium was strongly influenced by uranium concentration in the cultivation medium. Autoradiography showed that uranium is mainly localized in the root system of the plants tested. Additional experiments demonstrated the possibility of influencing the uranium uptake from the cultivation medium by amendments. Tartaric acid was able to increase uranium uptake by Brassica oleracea and Sinapis alba up to 2.8 times or 1.9 times, respectively. Phosphate deficiency increased uranium uptake up to 4.5 times or 3.9 times, respectively, by Brassica oleracea and S. alba. In the case of deficiency of iron or presence of cadmium ions we did not find any increase in uranium accumulation., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Our purpose in this randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study was to find out the possible effect of a polyphenolic pine bark extract, Pycnogenol® (Pyc) on the level of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG) as representative of oxidative damage to DNA and on the DNA repair ability of elderly people. According to our results, three months of Pyc administration had no effect on the level of oxidative damage to DNA or on repair ability, but we found a relationship between the level of 8-oxoG and repair ability of DNA in this group. To conclude, even if the positive effect of Pyc was not confirmed in the case of elderly people it is important to highlight the necessity of further investigations about the mechanisms of Pyc acting on different age groups.

Background: Sex hormone-binding globulin biosynthesis is influenced by three hormonal systems: gonadal, insular and thyroid. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is characterized by overproduction of adrenal androgens associated with impaired insulin sensitivity, hyperinsulinemia and often also with hypothyroidism. Only scarce data are available concerning congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The objective of this study was to determine the distribution of sex hormone-binding globulin and free testosterone levels in these patients and to what extent these values correlate with actual 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione levels, which are commonly used for monitoring of treatment effectiveness., Materials and Methods: A total of 300 retrospective laboratory records of 78 males and boys and 456 records of 162 girls and premenopausal women with diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia under common substitution treatment were evaluated statistically. The data were divided artificially into groups of low, normal and high levels, with respect to physiological concentrations for each sex and age. The percentages of the total in each group were calculated., Results: Whereas an almost Gaussian distribution occurred for males, the data for females displayed a considerable shift to low sex hormone-binding globulin and accordingly high free testosterone levels. Sex hormone-binding globulin levels did not correlate with 17-hydroxyprogesterone., Conclusion: Low sex hormone-binding globulin levels in congenital adrenal hyperplasia, at least in females, reflect their involvement in insular and eventually thyroid axes, rather than the effectiveness of substitution.