Impact of intermediate-term oral contraceptive use on oxidative stress, lipid profile, and liver function in Iraqi women
2025-02-10
(Press-News.org) Background and objectives
Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) are commonly used for contraception, but their long-term effects on oxidative stress, lipid profiles, and liver function remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of intermediate-term OCP use (Yasmin) on oxidative stress, lipid profile, and liver function, with particular emphasis on antioxidant markers, lipid metabolism, and hepatic enzyme activity, to better understand the potential metabolic and hepatic effects.
Methods
A case-control study was conducted in Maysan Governorate, Iraq, involving 150 women (100 OCP users and 50 non-users). Blood samples were collected from Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital and a specialized clinic between February and April 2023. Serum levels of antioxidants, lipids, and liver enzymes were measured using biochemical assays.
Results
OCP users had significantly lower levels of glutathione peroxidase vitamin E and uric acid (p < 0.001) compared to non-users. Lipid profiles showed that OCP users had higher levels of triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein (p < 0.05), whereas total cholesterol was significantly higher in non-users (p < 0.05). Liver enzyme activity, including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and total serum bilirubin, did not show statistically significant differences (p > 0.05). Longer duration of OCP use was significantly negatively correlated with vitamin E levels (r = −0.67), glutathione peroxidase activity (r = −0.56), uric acid levels (r = −0.45) and high-density lipoprotein (r = −0.54). Positive correlations were found between the duration of OCP use and total cholesterol (r = 0.62), triglyceride (r = 0.58), low-density lipoprotein (r = 0.60), and liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (r = 0.66) and aspartate aminotransferase (r = 0.64).
Conclusions
Intermediate-term OCP use was associated with changes in oxidative stress and lipid metabolism, potentially increasing cardiovascular and metabolic risks. Regular monitoring of these parameters is recommended for OCP users.
Full text:
https://www.xiahepublishing.com/2472-0712/ERHM-2024-00035
The study was recently published in the Exploratory Research and Hypothesis in Medicine.
Exploratory Research and Hypothesis in Medicine (ERHM) publishes original exploratory research articles and state-of-the-art reviews that focus on novel findings and the most recent scientific advances that support new hypotheses in medicine. The journal accepts a wide range of topics, including innovative diagnostic and therapeutic modalities as well as insightful theories related to the practice of medicine. The exploratory research published in ERHM does not necessarily need to be comprehensive and conclusive, but the study design must be solid, the methodologies must be reliable, the results must be true, and the hypothesis must be rational and justifiable with evidence.
Follow us on X: @xiahepublishing
Follow us on LinkedIn: Xia & He Publishing Inc.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2025-02-10
A first-of-its-kind study provides a snapshot of the substantial mental health burden on nurses around the world. Published in the journal International Nursing Review, the research documents the impact of three years of intense working conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our study describes how nurses are affected by stressors in their workplace and shows how the stress carries over into their home life. The personal losses from the pandemic complicate this picture as there could easily be lingering grief in a third of the workforce,” said Allison Squires, ...
2025-02-10
Doctors at Queen Mary University of London, Barts Health NHS Trust, and University College London have led the development of a simple, minimally invasive Targeted Thermal Therapy (Triple T) that has the potential to transform medical management of a common, but commonly overlooked, cause of high blood pressure.
This breakthrough, published today in The Lancet, could, after further testing, help millions of people worldwide who currently go undiagnosed and untreated.
In the UK, Triple T, known scientifically as endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation, was rigorously tested, in collaboration with researchers from ...
2025-02-10
WASHINGTON - In our digital times as we are inundated with YouTube videos, memes and social media, satire is everywhere, but it can be more damaging to people's reputations than direct criticism, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Seemingly innocuous satire may be more harmful than direct criticism because it can dehumanize people and reduce them to caricatures, the study found. The research was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
“Most people think satire is just humorous and playful, but dehumanization exists on a spectrum and can include things like forgetting ...
2025-02-10
Background and objectives
Protein disulfide isomerases (PDIs) are essential enzymes that facilitate the proper folding of proteins and maintain protein quality within the endoplasmic reticulum. Dysregulation of PDIs has been correlated with numerous disorders, including cancer and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). E64FC26 (EFC), a small molecule that inhibits a wide range of PDI family members, has shown promise as a therapeutic agent in oncology. However, its effects on RA have not yet been studied. This research investigates the efficacy of EFC as a potential treatment for RA.
Methods
To investigate EFC’s effects on RA fibroblast-like ...
2025-02-10
Dr. Ha Yoon-Cheol's team at KERI's Next Generation Battery Research Center has developed an 'enhanced coprecipitation method' that enables faster and higher-quality production of lithium superionic conductors for ASSBs.
ASSB replaces the ‘electrolyte’, which transfers ions between the anode and cathode, with a solid instead of a liquid, significantly reducing the risk of fire or explosion..
Solid electrolytes are difficult to manufacture and expensive. However, in 2021, Dr. Ha Yoon-Cheol's team garnered significant attention by proposing the 'coprecipitation method', ...
2025-02-10
The rapid melting and thinning of the Arctic ice have sparked serious concerns in the scientific community. In addition, sea ice thickness also has decreased, which makes ice cover more vulnerable to warming air and ocean temperature.
Understanding the ecological role of sea ice in the Arctic is crucial, particularly because the extent of sea ice in the region has been decreasing at an unprecedented rate. What would happen to the Arctic marine ecosystem if the sea ice melted even faster? To answer these questions, a long-term monitoring and data collection system is necessary in the harsh Arctic environment.
However, ...
2025-02-10
Older adults who didn’t have enough savings to cover emergency expenses during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic faced another surprising problem: higher levels of loneliness.
In a new study, researchers at The Ohio State University found that adults over the age of 65 faced increases in loneliness during the pandemic, regardless of income level or wealth.
But those who said they would have to use a credit card to pay off an emergency expense over time were more likely to report high levels of loneliness.
“Our ...
2025-02-10
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common and severe complication that occurs after stem cell transplantation, where the donor’s immune cells attack the recipient’s tissues. Ocular manifestation of GVHD is among the most challenging to treat, often leading to chronic inflammation and corneal tissue damage, which can result in loss of vision. Conventional treatments, including corticosteroids, are frequently used to manage ocular inflammation associated with GVHD. However, these therapies come with significant side effects, including the risk of glaucoma and other ocular complications.
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), a heterogeneous population of cells present in various ...
2025-02-10
Multifamily residential buildings with multiple floors are common in South Korea. These buildings usually have pilotis—support structures like pillars that elevate the building, creating an open ground floor generally used for parking vehicles. These piloti parking spaces are often risky to navigate for pedestrians and residents due to limited visibility, unclear boundaries between adjacent areas, and poor management. For instance, these spaces have blind spots that criminals could exploit, which induces fear among people.
Though evidence-based architectural design strategies ...
2025-02-10
Researchers have developed a sustainable catalyst that increases its activity during use while converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable products. This discovery offers a blueprint for designing next-generation electrocatalysts.
A collaborative team from the University of Nottingham's School of Chemistry and the University of Birmingham have developed a catalyst made of tin microparticles supported by a nanotextured carbon structure. The interactions between the tin particles and graphitised ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Impact of intermediate-term oral contraceptive use on oxidative stress, lipid profile, and liver function in Iraqi women
