Tugsjargal Purevdorj, Moeka Arata, Mari Nii, Shota Yamamoto, Hiroki Noguchi, Asuka Takeda, Hidenori Aoki, Hiroaki Inui, Tomohiro Kagawa, Riyo Kinouchi, Yuri Yamamoto, Kanako Yoshida and Takeshi Iwasa : Porcine Placental Extract Improves the Lipid Profile and Body Weight in a Post-Menopausal Rat Model Without Affecting Reproductive Tissues, Nutrients, 17, 6, 984, 2025.
Arata Moeka, Kou Tamura, Hidenori Aoki, Hiroki Noguchi, Asuka Takeda, Saki Minato, Yamamoto Shota, Riyo Kinouchi, Kanako Yoshida, Yuri Yamamoto, Takashi Kaji and Takeshi Iwasa : The effects of testosterone on hypothalamic and serum oxytocin levels are affected by the estrogen milieu in female rats, Nutrients, 16, 15, 2533, 2024.
Takashi Kaji, Hiroki Noguchi, Kou Tamura, Hidenori Aoki, Atsuko Yoshida, Yuri Yamamoto, Kanako Yoshida and Takeshi Iwasa : Survey on the incidence of multiple pregnancies and neonatal outcomes by fertility treatment in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, The Journal of Medical Investigation : JMI, 71, 3.4, 251-253, 2024.
(Summary)
A survey on the incidence of multiple pregnancies and neonatal outcomes by assisted reproductive technology (ART) and non-ART fertility treatments was performed in 2011 and 2021. Questionnaires were sent to all institutions with obstetrics and gynecology departments in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, to collect data on fertility treatments and neonatal outcomes in 2011 and 2021. Non-ART fertility treatments were classified into ovarian stimulation (treatments for cases without ovulation disorder) and ovulation induction (treatments for cases with ovulation disorder). Among all pregnancies, the multiple pregnancy rates in 2011 were 7.7% for ovarian stimulation, 5.5% for ovulation induction, and 8.4% for ART, whereas those in 2021 were 3.8%, 2.3%, and 1.9%, respectively. The rates of triplet pregnancies in 2011 were 0.85% for ovulation induction, 2.4% for ovulation induction, and 1.4% for ART, whereas those in 2021 were 0% for all treatments. The rates of low birth weight, admission to a neonatal intensive care unit, and neonatal death in 2011 were 53.8%, 9.61%, and 9.61%, respectively, whereas those in 2021 were 40.9%, 22.7%, and 0%, respectively. These findings indicate that rates of multiple pregnancies, including higher-order multiple pregnancies, by fertility treatment have decreased over the last 10 years in Tokushima Prefecture. However, some adverse neonatal outcomes have still occurred. J. Med. Invest. 71 : 251-253, August, 2024.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with an increased risk of psychological distress as well as enhanced responses to psychosocial stress. Recently, it was hypothesized that PCOS patients may be at high risk of novel COVID-19 infections and worse clinical presentations during such infections. Here, we evaluated the effects of PCOS on stress responses to bacterial and viral mimetics using dihydrotestosterone-induced PCOS model rats. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; a bacterial mimetic) or polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly-IC; a viral mimetic) was injected into PCOS model rats (PCOS) and non-PCOS rats (control), and the rats' stress responses were evaluated. In the PCOS group, the rats' anorectic and febrile responses to LPS injection were enhanced, whereas their anorectic and febrile responses to Poly-IC injection were unaltered. The PCOS group also exhibited greater changes in peripheral cytokine levels in response to LPS, but not Poly-IC. On the contrary, after the injection of Poly-IC depressed locomotor activity was more evident in the PCOS group, whereas no such changes were observed after LPS injection. These findings indicate that although the stress responses of PCOS model rats to infection may be enhanced, the patterns of change in stress responses and their underlying mechanisms may differ between bacterial and viral infections.
Asuka Takeda, Yuri Yamamoto, Kou Tamura, Hidenori Aoki, Hiroki Noguchi, Saki Minato, Shuhei Kamada, Ryosuke Arakaki, Takashi Kaji and Takeshi Iwasa : Oncologic, fertility, and obstetric outcomes with MPA therapy in women with endometrial cancer and atypical endometrial hyperplasia, The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, 50, 4, 633-638, 2024.
(Summary)
Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is one of the treatments of atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) and endometrial cancer (EC) to preserve the fertility. Efficacy of MPA therapy and fertility and obstetric outcomes after remission were evaluated in EC or AEH patients. Among patients diagnosed with EC or AEH at Tokushima University Hospital between January 2002 and October 2020, we retrospectively analyzed patients, ages range from 26 to 40, who underwent conservative management using MPA (400-600 mg/day). In total, 19 patients underwent MPA therapy. The 18 (94%) patients achieved complete response (CR), and 1 (5%) patient achieved partial response (PR). Relapse occurred in 6 (32%) patients who had achieved CR. Of the patients who relapsed, 4 patients resumed MPA therapy and were in remission. Among 19 patients, 13 patients attempted pregnancy after CR. All of them underwent ovulation induction or assisted reproductive technology. As a result, 20 pregnancies in 10 (77%) patients and 12 live births in 9 (69%) patients were achieved. Rate of spontaneous abortion was 35% (7/20). MPA therapy can produce a high remission rate, and be considered an effective treatment for patients who wish fertility preservation. Around 70% patients who attempt to pregnancy can have at least one baby by infertility treatments. Because recurrence rate after MPA therapy is high, it may be desirable to aim for early pregnancy by active intervention.
While the effects of progesterone on body weight and appetite in pre-menopausal conditions have been well elucidated, its effects in post-menopausal conditions have not been clarified. On the contrary, the effects of estrogen on body weight and appetite in post-menopausal conditions have been well established. In this study, the effects of progesterone treatment on body weight, appetite, and fat mass in ovariectomized rats were evaluated. In addition, the central and/or peripheral levels of oxytocin (OT), leptin, and their receptors, which are potent anorectic factors, were examined. Female rats were ovariectomized and divided into control, progesterone-treated, and estrogen-treated groups. Body weight, food intake, and subcutaneous fat mass were lower in both the progesterone and estrogen groups than in the control group. The estrogen group exhibited higher serum OT levels than the control group, whereas the OT levels of the progesterone and control groups did not differ. The serum leptin levels of both the progesterone and estrogen groups were lower than those of the control group. Gene expression analysis of OT, leptin, and their receptors in the hypothalamus and adipose tissue found few significant differences among the groups. Hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA levels involved in appetite regulation were slightly altered in the progesterone and estrogen groups. These findings suggest that progesterone treatment may have favorable effects on body weight, appetite, and fat mass regulation in post-menopausal conditions and that the mechanisms underlying these effects of progesterone differ from those underlying the effects of estrogen.