Blood Pressure in Women Taking Oral Contraceptives

A controlled prospective survey of women taking oestrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives showed increases in mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 14·2 mm Hg and 8·5 mm Hg respectively after four years. The largest increases in individual cases were 36 mm Hg systolic and 20 mm Hg diastolic. Blood pressure returned to pretreatment levels within three months after oral contraceptives had been stopped. These changes in blood pressure were unrelated to the progestogenic potencies of the preparations being taken.     

Cryptogenic Cerebral Embolism in Women Taking Oral Contraceptives

Fourteen women taking oral contraceptives were admitted during a five-year period because of acute cerebrovascular lesions. A diagnosis of major cerebral embolism was established in four of them. No source of embolism was found, and thorough investigation failed to reveal any predisposing illness. Cerebral embolism was a probable diagnosis in several of the remaining 10 patients. A comparison was made with the strokes occurring in women not taking contraceptive pills in corresponding age groups.     

The Effect of Lipid Peroxide on the Lipid and Carbohydrate Metabolism in Rat Liver

Feeding tests were carried out on rats to clarify the mechanisms of fatty liver formation induced by autoxidized methyl linoleate. Lipid peroxides prepared by autoxidation of highly purified methyl linoleate were given orally to rats. Triglyceride and glycogen contents in liver were determined and enzyme activities including triglyceride synthetase and α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase were also examined. The following results were obtained. 1. Triglyceride accumulation in rat liver fed autoxidized methyl linoleate was observed. 2. Increase in triglyceride content in rat liver was soon followed by the decrease of hepatic glycogen. 3. When rats were starved prior to introduction of autoxidized methyl linoleate, hepatic triglyceride accumulation did not occur. 4. The activities of α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase and triglyceride synthetase in liver, and those of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase and leucine aminopeptidase in plasma were practically similar among the rats of test groups fed fresh or autoxidized methyl linoleate and the control fed diet without methyl linoleate. 5. The addition of l-carnitine which is a stimulator of fatty acid oxidation retarded the accumulation of the hepatic triglyceride mentioned above.     

瘦素在糖脂代谢中的调控作用

瘦素（leptin）是OB基因的编码产物,由脂肪细胞分泌,具有广泛的生理学功能.瘦素可通过作用于中枢神经系统与外周组织等途径在糖脂代谢调控、能量代谢、生殖发育及免疫调节过程中起重要作用.不同剂量、不同作用时间,也可导致瘦素产生不同的生理学作用.近年来,随着肥胖及糖尿病在全球范围内成为流行病,瘦素在糖脂代谢中的调控作用引起了人们的广泛关注.现有的研究已发现,瘦素抵抗与胰岛素抵抗之间具有重要的关联性,揭示瘦素功能异常在肥胖诱发的糖脂代谢紊乱过程中起着重要的作用.本文将对瘦素在机体糖脂代谢中的调控作用进行综述和讨论.     

The Emotional Responses of Married Women Receiving Oral Contraceptives

One hundred women taking oral contraceptives were questioned concerning their opinions about personal and sociological effects of this method of conception control. Fifty-three per cent reported improved coital satisfaction while 4% noted the opposite effect. Libido was increased in 22% and decreased in 13%. One woman in five believed that an increase in premarital and extramarital sexual activity would take place in the general population as a result of tablet-induced infertility. The problem of population control is discussed. It is paradoxical that the incidence of unplanned pregnancies continues to increase despite the availability of completely reliable conception control. This reflects present inability to communicate contraceptive knowledge to the appropriate people.     

Brain Carbohydrate Metabolism in Developing Rats During Hypercapnia

Abstract: Brain glucose metabolism was studied in developing rats at ages 10 and 20 days postnatal under normal and hypercapnic conditions. Brains were removed and frozen within 1 s with a freeze-blowing apparatus. Glucose utilization was measured with [2-¹⁴C]glucose and [³H]deoxyglucose as tracers. Metabolites were determined by standard enzymatic techniques. Data from [³H]deoxyglucose phosphorylation indicated that normal brain glucose utilization increased almost threefold between the 10th and 20th postnatal days. From the relative rates of utilization of the two isotopes in the 20-day-old control group, it appeared that about 25% of ¹⁴C label derived from metabolism of [2-¹⁴C]glucose was lost from brain (probably as lactate) rather than entering the Krebs cycle. Under hypercapnic conditions (20% CO₂-21% O₂-59% N₂), rates of glucose utilization by brain were decreased by one-half at both ages and there were progressive decreases in the concentrations of many intermediary metabolites. The bases for concluding that these metabolites were used to supplement glucose as a fuel for respiration, rather than being lost by leakage into blood, are discussed. Despite the differences in brain glucose metabolism between 10-day-old and 20-day-old rats, their responses to hypercapnia are remarkably similar: Rates of glucose utilization are reduced to approximately the same proportion of the original rate by 20% CO₂, and endogenous metabolites (particularly glutamate and lactate) appear to be oxidized as replacement fuels.     

Carbohydrate Content and Enzyme Metabolism in Developing Canola Siliques

Little biochemical information is available on carbohydrate metabolism in developing canola (Brassica napus L.) silique (pod) wall and seed tissues. This research examines the carbohydrate contents and sucrose (Suc) metabolic enzyme activities in different aged silique wall and seed tissues during oil filling. The silique wall partitioned photosynthate into Suc over starch and predominantly accumulated hexose. The silique wall hexose content and soluble acid invertase activity rapidly fell as embryos progressed from the early- to late-cotyledon developmental stages. A similar trend was not evident for alkaline invertase, Suc synthase (SuSy), and Suc-phosphate synthase. Silique wall SuSy activities were much higher than source leaves at all times and may serve to supply the substrate for secondary cell wall thickening. In young seeds starch was the predominant accumulated carbohydrate over the sampled developmental range. Seed hexose levels dropped as embryos developed from the early- to midcotyledon stage. Hexose and starch were localized to the testa or liquid endosperm, whereas Suc was evenly distributed among seed components. With the switch to oil accumulation, seed SuSy activity increased by 3.6-fold and soluble acid invertase activity decreased by 76%. These data provide valuable baseline knowledge for the genetic manipulation of canola seed carbon partitioning.     

Carbohydrate Metabolism in the Developing Endosperm of Rice Grains

The metabolism of carbohydrates in developing rice endospermwas characterized by a comparison of levels of activities of33 major enzymes between the endosperm and green leaves of rice.Activities of ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase, starch synthaseand branching enzyme (Q-en-zyme), compared on the basis of solubleprotein content, were markedly higher in endosperm than in greenleaves. The high levels of Q-enzyme may be responsible for theefficient production of starch in the rice endosperm. The measurementof levels of metabolic intermediates and the localization ofkey enzymes in isolated amyloplasts from rice endosperm supportthe view that sucrose is metabolized in the cytoplasm via thepathway: sucroseUDPglucosehexose-PFBPtriose-P. Triose-P thenenters the amyloplast, where it is converted to G1P via FBPand, finally, G1P is converted to starch by the concerted reactionsof ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase, starch synthase and Q-enzyme. ¹Present address: Yamagata Prefectural Agricultural Experi mentStation, Minorigaoka, Yamagata, 990-02 Japan. ²Present address: Institute of Biological Sciences, The University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki, 305 Japan. (Received February 15, 1989; Accepted June 10, 1989)     

Effect of Prostaglandins on Hepatic Cyclic Nucleotide Concentration,Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism

The effects of exogenous prostaglandin E₁ (PGE₁) or prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) were studied in the isolated perfused rat liver and in the intact canine liver in order to determine the possible physiological role of prostaglandins on hepatic carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. The data indicate that PGE₁ and PGE₂ did not stimulate cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cyclic GMP (cGMP) concentrations in intact dog liver and PGE₁ failed to stimulate cAMP or cGMP in fed or fasted perfused rat liver. PGE₁ did not promote hyperglycemia, glycogenolysis, lipolysis, or prevent epinephrine-induced hyperglycemia in the isolated perfused rat liver. Other known glycogenolytic agents including glucagon and epinephrine increased cAMP and glycogenolysis in the same perfusion system. This study does not support a physiologic role for PGE₁ on hepatic glycogenolysis or lipolysis. If PGE₁ subsequently is found to influence other metabolic parameters such as lipogenesis, gluconeogenesis, ureogenesis or amino acid transport in isolated perfused liver, such alterations would probably occur independent of changes in cyclic nucleotide activity.     

Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism During Germination of Uredospores of Puccinia graminis tritici

Uredospores of Puccinia graminis (Pers.) tritici (Eriks. and Henn.) were uniformly labeled with ¹⁴C by permitting the host (Triticum aestivum L.) to carry out photosynthesis in ¹⁴CO₂ during the process of spore production by the obligate parasite. The use of ¹⁴C labeled spores provided advantages in a study of the utilization of endogenous substrates at frequent intervals with small amounts of spores under conditions conducive to germination.

Because of previous uncertainties about the nature of the substrates of importance to germination, a detailed study of carbohydrate and lipid components, both in the spores and in the germination medium, was made during the first 7 hours after placing the spores on aqueous media. Diethyl ether and 80% ethanol soluble metabolites each constituted approximately 20% of the total spore carbon. During the first hour nearly 60% of the 80% alcohol solubles disappeared from the spores while the total ether soluble material did not change appreciably. A significant part of the 80% ethanol soluble materials appeared in the germination medium.

During germination and germ tube extension, there was rapid utilization of trehalose, arabitol and mannitol even though appreciable amounts of these materials were present as exogenous pools in the germination medium. Although the total amounts of ether soluble components did not change as drastically as the carbohydrate fraction, there was extensive utilization of palmitic, oleic, linolenic and 9,10-epoxyoctadecanoic acids.

The results indicate that the germination process in spores of obligate parasites is not based solely on the utilization of lipids and some possible roles of the changes in internal and external pools of soluble carbohydrates are discussed.

     

Depressive Symptoms and Oral Contraceptives

Of 261 women who completed a self-rating scale for measuring depression, 168 were taking oral contraceptives and 93 were using physical methods of contraception. Of the group of women taking oral contraceptives 6·6% were more severely depressed than any of the control group. There was a significant variation in the depth of depression related to the day of the menstrual cycle in the control group. This association was not found in the oral contraceptive group, where premenstrual depression was limited to the one or two days preceding menstruation.Women taking a contraceptive containing lynoestrenol 2·5 mg. and mestranol 0·075 mg. showed a significantly increased incidence of pessimism, feelings of dissatisfaction, crying, and tension, compared with women taking other oral contraceptives and the control group.