Journal of Menopausal Medicine最新文献

Objectives: This study aimed to demonstrate the bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition in postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who underwent surgical treatment, such as total knee arthroplasty, osteotomy, or meniscectomy.

Methods: A total of 254 women with OA aged 50 years who underwent surgical treatment were enrolled in this study. We evaluated obesity-related factors, muscle components, and BMD using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Results: No significant differences were noted in the BMD of the hip joint between the symptomatic side of the leg with knee OA and the contralateral side. However, when comparing the BMD of each component, the results indicated a significantly higher BMD in the obesity group based on body mass index (BMI). When defining sarcopenic obesity (SO) using various indicators of obesity (BMI, the estimated visceral adipose tissue area, android/gynoid ratio, and total body fat percentage), the prevalence of SO in the OA group who underwent surgical treatment ranged from 22.0% to 49.6%.

Conclusions: This study investigated obesity-related factors in patients with advanced knee OA who underwent surgery, revealing a high prevalence of overweight/obese individuals, the presence of SO, and a complex relationship between obesity, body composition, and bone density, highlighting the potential protective effects of weight-bearing on bone health while exploring the impact of sarcopenia on bone density differences in the context of OA. Depending on various definitions of obesity, diverse proportions of SO in patients with OA have been observed, and further detailed research is required to understand its impact on the condition.

Women undergo various physical changes because of hormonal changes occurring after menopause. Some representative changes caused by the reduction in estrogen levels in these women are dyslipidemia, abnormal lipoprotein levels, obesity, weight gain, and changes in body fat distribution. A characteristic of women approaching menopause is the shift of fat from their hips and thighs to their abdomen. Notably, fat accumulation is common in internal organs, resulting in male-pattern obesity among women approaching menopause; therefore, these women require more exercise therapy than premenopausal women to prevent and treat obesity. To the best of our knowledge, no effective exercise therapy guidelines have been established for postmenopausal women; therefore, I aimed to suggest more effective diet and exercise therapies for postmenopausal women with obesity. For this purpose, I organized the diet and exercise protocol by collaborating with an obstetrician and a researcher specializing in sports medicine; further, this protocol was actually applied to all participants. The results indicated that the protocol is effective in reducing weight; however, joint pain was commonly noted in participants who dropped out of the program. Based on the evaluation of joint pain, this study found that it is necessary to perform exercise therapy by avoiding weight-bearing activities and reinforcing personalized joint strengthening exercises because reduced estrogen level is an important factor exacerbating arthritis in postmenopausal women.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the correlation of sarcopenic obesity with various cardiometabolic risk factors and fracture risk in middle-aged Korean women.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of 1,775 women who had visited Pusan National University Hospital for routine health screenings from 2010 to 2016 were reviewed. The patients were divided into four groups as follows: group 1, nonsarcopenic, nonobese (NS-NO); group 2, nonsarcopenic, obese (NS-O); group 3, sarcopenic, nonobese (S-NO); and group 4, sarcopenic, obese (S-O). Each patient was assessed based on self-reported questionnaires and individual interviews with a healthcare provider. The Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) was used to assess bone fracture risk.

Results: Postmenopausal women accounted for 68.5% of the total patient population. The proportion of each group was as follows: NS-NO, 71.2%; NS-O, 17.9%; S-NO, 10.2%; and S-O, 0.7%. Statistical analysis of various parameters associated with metabolic and cardiovascular risks revealed that the S-O group had more patients with hypertension, diabetes, osteopenia, and metabolic syndrome. The FRAX scores were significantly higher in the S-O group than in other groups.

Conclusions: Middle-aged women with obesity and reduced muscle mass, known as sarcopenic obesity, are at increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, sarcopenic obesity, individual cardiometabolic risks, and menopause can increase the bone fracture risk.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effects of a combination of soy isoflavones, 8-prenylnaringenin (8-PN), and melatonin in postmenopausal women suffering from moderate-to-severe hot flashes (HFs).

Methods: A multicenter, prospective, open-label study enrolled 44 postmenopausal women suffering from moderate-to-severe HFs (≥ 5 daily or ≥ 35 weekly) to receive 54.4 mg standardized soy isoflavones (including 24.5 mg genistein and 16.3 mg daidzein), 100 µg 8-PN, and 1 mg melatonin once daily for 12 weeks. The primary clinical outcomes included changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores (Menopause-Specific QoL questionnaire [MENQoL] and Cervantes Scale) and HFs following 4 and 12 weeks of treatment. Other analyses included treatment adherence, acceptability, tolerability, and safety.

Results: All of the four domains of MENQoL questionnaire significantly improved at 4 weeks (P < 0.05) and 12 weeks (P < 0.001), affecting significantly the vasomotor, psychosocial, and physical spheres (41.2%, 26.3%, and 25.0%; 12 weeks improvements, respectively). Similarly, in the menopause (39.3%) and psychic (51.7%) domains (both P < 0.05 at 12 weeks), the global score of the Cervantes Scale significantly increased at 4 weeks (18.6%) and 12 weeks (35.4%). Accordingly, moderate-to-severe HFs significantly decreased at 4 weeks compared to baseline (41.7% reduction) and further reduced at 12 weeks (76.5%), including the total number of episodes.

Conclusions: Food supplements containing soy isoflavones, 8-PN, and melatonin showed an early and progressive benefit for reducing clinically significant HFs and for improving HRQoL across all domains, favorably affecting postmenopausal women's overall well-being.

Objectives: This study used the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) to determine the association between fractures and low muscle mass.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used the 2010-2011 KNHANES data. Low muscle mass was defined as (appendicular skeletal muscle mass [kg]/Height² [m²]) < 5.45 kg/m², which is < 2 SD below the sex-specific mean of a young reference group. Patients with T-scores between -1.0 and -2.5 indicated osteopenia, whereas those with T-scores lower than -2.5 indicated osteoporosis.

Results: Out of 1,306 women enrolled in the study, 330 were diagnosed with low muscle mass according to the abovementioned diagnostic criterion. The prevalence of fractures at various sites was significantly higher in postmenopausal women with low muscle mass than in those without low muscle mass (relative risk [RR], 1.64; odds ratio [OR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-2.48; P = 0.027). Furthermore, the prevalence of fractures was increased by the presence of osteopenia or osteoporosis in addition to low muscle mass (RR, 1.59; OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.02-2.49; P = 0.039) and by osteoporosis only (RR, 2.12; OR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.11-4.70; P = 0.025).

Conclusions: Fracture was more prevalent in postmenopausal women with low muscle mass than in those without low muscle mass. This finding is consistent in a subgroup analysis that included women who had osteoporosis or osteopenia. Moreover, the risk of fractures increased as low muscle mass worsened.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the effect of a mixture of fennel and valerian extracts on hot flashes and sleep disorders of postmenopausal women in Iran. A randomized trial was conducted.

Methods: A total of 76 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to either of the two groups: fennel-valerian extract or control. One 500 mg fennel-valerian extract capsule was given twice, daily for 8 weeks. The 500 mg oral placebo capsule (starch) was given the same way.

Results: The mean duration of hot flashes increased in both the groups over time (P < 0.001). The mean frequency and severity of hot flashes in the intervention group were significantly lower than in the control group, in the first and second months after intervention (P < 0.050). Women in the fennel-valerian extract group had a significantly lower Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score than the control group 2 months after intervention (P = 0.030).

Conclusions: This study found that fennel-valerian extract was effective for relieving sleep disorders as well as the severity and frequency of hot flashes compared with a placebo.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a major non-melanoma skin cancer, and its incidence is increasing worldwide. Although the main etiology is sun exposure, BCC may develop in sun-protected areas such as the vulva. The sonic hedgehog signaling pathway mutation may explain the mechanism underlying the occurrence of vulvar BCC. Owing to the rarity of metastases, wide local excision is an appropriate treatment option. Here, we report the cases two postmenopausal women with vulvar BCC who were surgically treated.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the interactive effect of supplementation with a native potential probiotic lactobacillus and 8-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in a menopause-induced metabolic syndrome.

Methods: A total of 40 ovariectomized (OVX) Wistar rats were divided into five groups: control (OVX + Vehicle), exercise (EXE) (OVX + Exe), probiotic (Prob) (OVX + Prob), exercise and probiotic (OVX + Exe + Prob), and sham surgery. After the end of the treatment interventions, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), visceral fat, and serum concentrations of glucose, insulin, lipid profile, and adiponectin were measured using colorimetric analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively.

Results: Data revealed a significant decrease in weight, waist circumference , visceral fat, BMI, and levels of glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, triacylglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), but an increase in high-density lipoprotein and adiponectin levels (P = 0.001), in OVX + Exe + Prob compared with the OVX + Vehicle group.

Conclusions: The present study indicates that native probiotic lactobacillus combined with HIIT effectively reduces body weight, visceral fat, and levels of LDL, glucose, and insulin and increases adiponectin level, although exercise contributes more to fat reduction and probiotics to insulin resistance.

Menopause is one the most crucial stages in a female's life. Identifying the education gaps regarding menopause is important, thus this study aims to explain the health-related needs of females during menopause. Scopus, PubMed, Scientific Information Database, and Web of Science databases were searched for the available observational (cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional), systematic review, meta-analysis, and clinical trial studies (2007-2021) using keywords, such as 'Educational Needs Assessment,' 'Assessment of Healthcare Needs,' 'menopause,' 'climacteric,' 'premenopause,' and 'postmenopause.' A total of 180 out of 5,705 papers were evaluated after considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The educational needs of females during menopause in the reviewed studies include osteoporosis, oral and dental problems, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, lung diseases, infectious diseases, musculoskeletal problems, urinary problems, breast cancer, defecation problems, genital disorders, special diseases such as eye diseases and hypothyroidism and hormone therapy, mental disorders, cognitive function, sleep disorders, sexual disorders, physical activity, supplement consumption, public health issues, health education, fall, and nutrition. The study results reveal that females during postmenopause require training, counseling, and support in all aspects to get through this challenging time, and providing these services, infrastructure, appropriate policy, and the use and support of the medical team's capacity are all required.