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Oxidative stress is a leading cause of neuronal damage in ischemic stroke. Melatonin may play a role in the antioxidant response. Melatonin and its metabolites may be involved in the modulation of oxidative stress in human acute stroke. No data are available in humans to establish this relationship. In this context, on the first and the fifth days post-stroke, we assessed serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and urine levels of melatonin, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6S), and N1-acetyl-N2-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AFMK), the last compound being produced in the brain after reaction of melatonin with reactive oxygen species. Compared to controls' values, TAC and levels of melatonin and aMT6S were reduced, without difference between the first and the fifth days post-stroke, whereas AFMK levels remained in the normal range at both time points. Melatonin catabolism might be speeded up in acute ischemic stroke in order to increase the antioxidant response., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

Background: Iodine deficiency (ID) remains common in Europe, and may be especially detrimental during pregnancy. The aim of our study was to assess iodine status and thyroid function in healthy pregnant women in the Lyon metropolitan area., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, healthy pregnant women (n=228) with no history of thyroid disease were consecutively recruited from an obstetric clinic during all trimesters. Thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies, thyroglobulin (Tg), and urinary iodine concentration (UIC) (n=100) were measured. Thyroid functions were compared with those in a control group of nonpregnant adults., Results: The median (range) UIC was 81 (8-832) μg/L, and 77% of pregnant women had a UIC <150 μg/L, indicating inadequate iodine intake. Overall, 11% of women had abnormal TSH or anti-TPO. The median FT4 (pmol/L) was 14.9, 12.6, and 11.5 in the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. The median Tg in pregnant women was 16.2 μg/L, did not differ across trimesters, and was significantly higher than in the control group of nonpregnant adults (11.7 μg/L) (p=0.02). Controlling for maternal age and week of gestation, UIC was not a significant predictor of any of the thyroid function tests., Conclusions: Pregnant women in the Lyon area are iodine deficient and have increased serum Tg concentrations compared with nonpregnant controls, likely due to physiological thyroid hyperstimulation during gestation exacerbated by ID.

Long-term body composition (BC) changes and their determinants have been rarely explored. We aimed to evaluate BC changes in French women from the Os des Femmes de Lyon (OFELY) cohort and to explore several determinants of those changes. At baseline, premenopausal (PreM) women (n = 145) had lower fat body mass (FM) and greater lean body mass (LM), relative skeletal muscle mass index (RASM), and total body bone mineral content (TBBMC) compared with untreated postmenopausal (PostM) women (n = 412). During a 6-year follow-up, LM and RASM did not change, whereas a significant increase of FM and a decrease of TBBMC were observed in PreM (n = 88) and PeriM women (n = 44; women who became PostM during the follow-up). In untreated PostM women, FM increased, whereas LM, RASM, and TBBMC decreased (p < 0.0001). Age was a significant determinant of the changes in BC. After controlling for age, menopausal status was still a significant determinant only for changes in TBBMC. FM, LM, RASM, and TBBMC were higher in women with normal bone mineral density (BMD) compared with women with osteopenia or osteoporosis (p < 0.0001), but after adjusting for age, changes of BC were not significantly different according to the bone status. After controlling for age and menopausal status, levels of P1NP in the highest quartile were associated with a greater decrease of LM and RASM compared with lower levels. In conclusion, BC changes in French women over a 6-year follow-up showed a high interindividual variability. Aging may be the most important determinant of changes in body composition, rather than menopausal and bone status., (© 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research)