Periodontium in females - A review

Periodontium is physically and anatomically similar for both males and females. However, the response of periodontal tissues to hormones varies in both, due to different hormonal interaction. At different life stages of a female such as puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause and post-menopause, use of contraceptives and hormone replacement therapies; sex hormones like estrogen and progesteron effects periodontal tissues.Sex hormones play significant roles in modulating the periodontal tissue responses, which can be minimized with good plaque control and with hormone replacement.

Obesity as a Neuroendocrine Reprogramming

Obesity represents a health problem resulting from a broken balance between energy intake and energy expenditure leading to excess fat accumulation. Elucidating molecular and cellular pathways beyond the establishment of obesity remains the main challenge facing the progress in understanding obesity and developing its treatment. Within this context, this opinion presents obesity as a reprogrammer of selected neurological and endocrine patterns in order to adapt to the new metabolic imbalance represented by obesity status. Indeed, during obesity development, the energy balance is shifted towards increased energy storage, mainly but not only, in adipose tissues. These new metabolic patterns that obesity represents require changes at different cellular and metabolic levels under the control of the neuroendocrine systems through different regulatory signals. Therefore, there are neuroendocrine changes involving diverse mechanisms, such as neuroplasticity and hormonal sensitivity, and, thus, the modifications in the neuroendocrine systems in terms of metabolic functions fit with the changes accompanying the obesity-induced metabolic phenotype. Such endocrine reprogramming can explain why it is challenging to lose weight once obesity is established, because it would mean to go against new endogenous metabolic references resulting from a new “setting” of energy metabolism-related neuroendocrine regulation. Investigating the concepts surrounding the classification of obesity as a neuroendocrine reprogrammer could optimize our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and, importantly, reveal some of the mysteries surrounding the molecular pathogenesis of obesity, as well as focusing the pharmacological search for antiobesity therapies on both neurobiology synaptic plasticity and hormonal interaction sensitivity.

Role of Hormones in Unexplained Infertility

ABSTRACT Unexplained infertility is a term applied to an infertile couple whose standard infertility investigations and workup are normal. The aim of the study is to assess the role of hormones in women with unexplained infertility. The female reproductive system is regulated by a balanced hormonal interaction between the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, and ovaries. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) are important for ovulation and stimulation of secretion of estradiol and progesterone from the ovaries. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is an important marker to predict the ovarian reserve. The primary function of the ovary is the production of a mature and viable oocyte capable of fertilization, embryo development, and implantation. Fifty women diagnosed with unexplained infertility were enrolled as cases. These were age matched with 50 healthy fertile women volunteers. Body mass index (BMI) was found to be significantly higher in women with unexplained infertility. Serum FSH, LH, and estradiol were significantly higher in cases. LH:FSH ratio and serum AMH were significantly lower in cases as compared to controls. To conclude, serum AMH, FSH, and LH:FSH ratio indicated poor ovarian reserve in women with unexplained infertility. How to cite this article Ekka DC, Jain A, Puri M. Role of Hormones in Unexplained Infertility. Indian J Med Biochem 2016;20(1):34-37.

Inhibition of carnation petal inrolling by growth retardants and cytokinins

Excised carnation petals induced to senescence by ethrel (an ethylene-releasing compound) exhibited morphological changes that closely resembled those of senescing petalsin situ in cut flowers. The sensitivity of the excised petals to ethylene was reduced by exogenous cytokinin and this type of hormonal interaction in the control of plant development is discussed. Using the excised petals, a number of known and potential growth inhibitors were compared for ability to prevent petal inrolling induced by ethrel. Cycloheximide and 6-methylpurine were the most effective and inhibited inrolling almost completely, but purine, purine riboside, lauric acid, L-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid and n-decyl alcohol were also very effective. All these compounds were considerably more effective than any cytokinin tested. When supplied through the transpiration stream to short-stemmed carnations, cycloheximide, 6-methylpurine and purine inhibited inrolling nearly completely and the flowers finally senesced by water loss. 6-Methylpurine inhibited ethylene production in cut flowers and RNA synthesis in excised petals very markedly. Degradation of exogenous zeatin riboside by cytokinin oxidase, and the level of activity of the enzyme in petals, were reduced by 6-methylpurine. These biochemical changes probably account for the strong inhibition of inrolling induced by this compound.

TRANCE Is Necessary and Sufficient for Osteoblast-mediated Activation of Bone Resorption in Osteoclasts

TRANCE (tumor necrosis factor–related activation-induced cytokine) is a recently described member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily that stimulates dendritic cell survival and has also been found to induce osteoclastic differentiation from hemopoietic precursors. However, its effects on mature osteoclasts have not been defined. It has long been recognized that stimulation of osteoclasts by agents such as parathyroid hormone (PTH) occurs through a hormonal interaction with osteoblastic cells, which are thereby induced to activate osteoclasts. To determine whether TRANCE accounts for this activity, we tested its effects on mature osteoclasts. TRANCE rapidly induced a dramatic change in osteoclast motility and spreading and inhibited apoptosis. In populations of osteoclasts that were unresponsive to PTH, TRANCE caused activation of bone resorption equivalent to that induced by PTH in the presence of osteoblastic cells. Moreover, osteoblast-mediated stimulation of bone resorption was abrogated by soluble TRANCE receptor and by the soluble decoy receptor osteoprotegerin (OPG), and stimulation of isolated osteoclasts by TRANCE was neutralized by OPG. Thus, TRANCE expression by osteoblasts appears to be both necessary and sufficient for hormone-mediated activation of mature osteoclasts, and TRANCE-R is likely to be a receptor for signal transduction for activation of the osteoclast and its survival.