Associate Professor Susan Byrne, Dr Angelica Claudino, Dr Anthea Fursland, Associate Professor Jennifer Gaudiani, Dr Susan Hart, Ms Gabriella Heruc, Associate Professor Michael Kohn, Dr Rick Kausman, Dr Sarah Maguire, Ms Peta Marks, Professor Janet Treasure and Mr Andrew Wallis.

SummaryThe endocrinological changes of the climacteric have been defined by studying the concentrations of folliclestimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), androstenedione, testosterone, oestrone,-and oestradiol in 60 normal postmenopausal women of different menopausal ages. The women were studied in six groups, according to the number of years since their menopause.One year after the menopause androstenedione, oestrone, and oestradiol concentrations were reduced to about 20°, of the values recorded during the early proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle. At the same time the mean concentration of FSH had risen by a factor of 13 4 and that of LH by a factor of 3 0. Concentrations of both gonadotrophins reached a peak of 18 4 and 3 4 times the proliferative phase value respectively after two to three years, and then gradually declined in the next three decades to values that were 40-500,, of these maximal levels. Testosterone concentrations remained mostly in the normal range for premenopausal women but were depressed to 600,0 of these levels two to five years after the menopause, and the mean androstenedione levels showed a significant increase in the same group of women. The concentrations of both oestrone and oestradiol remained consistently low for 10 years after the menopause, but oestradiol concentrations inexplicably increased in the last two decades, with levels at the lower end of normal range for reproductive women in six patients.The LH:FSH ratio was found to have no value in diagnosing the climacteric, but a single FSH assay, which can be performed in most hospitals, was valuable.

Individual nutritional intervention provided by a dietitian is highly successful at preventing olanzapine-induced weight gain.

Angiotensin (ANG) II is not only a potent vasoconstrictor but may also be involved in the regeneration of new blood vessels. In proliferative endometrium, ANG II-like immunoreactivity was detected in glandular epithelium and stroma with negligible staining around the vascular endothelium. In contrast, in secretory endometrium intense immunostaining was seen in the perivascular stromal cells around the endometrial spiral arterioles with negligible staining of the other cell types. Quantitative receptor autoradiography using the nonselective radioligand [125I]-ANG II and subtype selective competing compounds showed that endometrium contained predominantly AT2 receptors, with relatively low expression of AT1 receptors and a novel non-AT,/non-AT2 angiotensin II recognition site that was insensitive to AT1 or AT2 selective ligands. Levels of specific ['"I]-ANG II receptor binding displayed cyclic changes during the menstrual cycle, reaching a maximum in early secretory endometrium and then decreasing in mid to late secretory endometrium to levels seen in early to mid proliferative endometrium. In situ hybridization showed AT1 receptor mRNA expression in the glands and in the endometrial blood vessels. The cyclic changes in ANG TI-like immunoreactivity together with expression of both the known and the novel AT receptor subtypes imply that this octopeptide may play a dual role both in the control of the uterine vascular bed and also in the regeneration of the endometrium after endometrial shedding, acting as an angiogenic and mitogenic mediator. (J. Clin. Invest. 1995. 96:848-857.)