OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that during the luteal phase of the ovarian cycle, as compared with the follicular phase, the peripheral immune response is shifted toward a type-2 response. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING Academic research setting. PATIENT(S) Women with regular menstrual cycles. INTERVENTION(S) Blood samples were collected between days 6 and 9 of the menstrual cycle ...

There is evidence that the menstrual cycle affects appetite, such that energy intake is lower during the follicular compared with the luteal phase. Gastric emptying influences energy intake, glycemia, and plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), insulin, and cholecystokinin (CCK) release. We hypothesized that 1) gastric emptying of a glucose drink is slower, and glycemia, plasma hormones, hunger...

The corpus luteum, a temporally established endocrine gland, formed on the ovary from remaining cells of the ovulated follicle, plays a key role in maintaining the early mammalian pregnancy by secreting progesterone. Despite being a monovular species, 2-12 corpora lutea (CLs) were found on the elephant ovaries during their long pregnancy lasting on average 640 days. However, the function and th...

BACKGROUND The fact that most women experience sleep changes across the menstrual cycle is thought to be associated with changes in circadian rhythms; however, few studies have investigated this relationship. METHODS We applied an ultrashort sleep-wake schedule to eight healthy women and studied diurnal fluctuations in sleep propensity, sleepiness, rectal temperature, and serum concentrations...

Gender differences in human cardiovascular norepinephrine transporter function may be mediated through female sex hormones. We studied 16 healthy eumenorrheic women (25+/-1 years) during the early follicular phase (day 5+/-0) and midluteal phase (day 22+/-0) of the menstrual cycle. In a randomized, crossover, double-blind fashion, subjects ingested 8 mg of the selective norepinephrine transport...

To examine the effect of menstrual cycle on the ventilatory sensitivity to rising body temperature, ten healthy women exercised for ~60 min on a cycle ergometer at 50% of peak oxygen uptake during the follicular and luteal phases of their cycle. Esophageal temperature, mean skin temperature, mean body temperature, minute ventilation, and tidal volume were all significantly higher at baseline an...

Background: Recent studies have revealed that adiponectin, a novel adipocytokine, and its two receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) are involved in regulation of ovarian function in various farm animal species. The aim of this study was to investigate the gene expression pattern of Adiponectin and its receptors in ovarian cells of dominant (DFs) and non- dominant follicles (NDFs) in the bovine. Mater...

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is essential for the angiogenesis required for the formation of the corpus luteum; however, its role in ongoing luteal angiogenesis and in the maintenance of the established vascular network is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether VEGF inhibition could intervene in ongoing luteal angiogenesis using immunoneutralisation of VEGF startin...