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Objective: To evaluate inflammatory markers and insulin resistance (IR) in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), with different body mass index (BMI). Methods: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed in serum samples from 40 women in reproductive age. Patients were divided into four groups: I (non-eutrophic with PCOS, n = 12), II (non-eutrophic without PCOS, n = 10), III (eutrophic with PCOS, n = 8) and IV (eutrophic without PCOS, n = 10) being non-eutrophic, the overweight and obese women with BMI > 25 kg/m2 and eutrophic women with BMI < 24.9 kg/m2. Homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR) was calculated for evaluation of IR. Results: PCOS patients showed increased levels of CRP ( p < 0.01) and HOMA-IR ( p < 0.01). When divided by BMI, both non-eutrophic and eutrophic PCOS showed increased CRP levels ( p < 0.01) and HOMA-IR ( p < 0.01). There were no differences in TNF-α and IL-6 levels between groups. Conclusion: In the PCOS group, the levels of CRP and IR were elevated, compared to their counterparts, regardless of body mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Central obesity is highly prevalent in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Objectives: To define cut-off points of waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and conicity index (C-Index) to discriminate metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Brazilian women with PCOS. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, anthropometric, biochemical and clinical parameters were measured in 113 Brazilian PCOS women (27.2 ± 4.5 years). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to find out the cut-off points of anthropometric indices to predict MetS according with National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP-III) criteria. Results: Considering the ROC curve analysis the WC and WHtR had a similar performance in predicting MetS and these parameters were better than WHR and C-Index. The optimal cut-off values of the anthropometric indices for discriminate MetS were: WC == 95 cm; WHtR == 0.59; WHR == 0.88; and C-Index == 1.25. By using these cut-off points the sensitivity and specificity rates of WC and WHtR were higher than those observed for WHR and C-Index. Conclusion: Our results indicated that WC and WHtR are more accurate than WHR and C-Index to predict MetS in Brazilian PCOS women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To compare the modulation of heart rate in a group of volunteers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to that of a group of healthy ovulatory women on the basis of R-R interval variability and analyze the relationships between heart rate variability (HRV) and other cardiovascular risk factors. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, HRV and anthropometric, biochemical and hormonal parameters were measured in 23 women with PCOS and 23 age-matched controls. Mean outcomes measures: HRV indexes in the time (SDNN and rMSSD) and frequency domain (low frequency--LF and high frequency--HF). Differences between groups and correlation analysis were performed. Results. Intergroup analysis showed significant differences ( p < 0.05) between groups, with lower SDNN, rMSSD, LF and HF indexes in PCOS women when compared to the control group. There was significant negative correlation between BMI and SDNN, LF and HF, indicating a decrease in the autonomic modulation of heart rate with increasing weight. A negative correlation was also found between the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level and the rMSSD index. Conclusion. Our results show that PCOS is associated with alterations in the autonomic modulation of heart rate, possibly due to the influence of weight gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]