{"title":"Effect of Multimodal Exercises on Functional Capacity, Hand Grip Strength, and Pulmonary Function among Middle-aged Postmenopausal Women: A Quasi-experimental Preliminary Study.","authors":"Hina Vaish, Digvijay Sharma","doi":"10.4103/jmh.jmh_189_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_189_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pulmonary and physical functions are associated with menopausal status. The exercise recommendations have been described, however, there is a dearth of literature proposing the benefit of these exercises for improving pulmonary and physical function among postmenopausal women.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The study aimed to explore the effect of multimodal exercises on functional capacity, hand grip strength (HGS), and pulmonary function among middle-aged postmenopausal women.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Twelve postmenopausal women with a median age of 52.50 years were recruited by purposive sampling for this single group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental preliminary study. The outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks and included 6-min walk test (6MWT), HGS, and pulmonary function measures: forced expiratory volume in 1<sup>st</sup> s (FEV1) and maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV). The multimodal exercise intervention was given for 8 weeks at a frequency of three times a week.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The Wilcoxon Signed-rank test showed that 6MWT (<i>P</i> = 0.002), dominant HGS (<i>P</i> = 0.002), nondominant HGS (<i>P</i> = 0.003), FEV<sub>1</sub> (<i>P</i> = 0.004), and MVV (0.002) showed statistically significant improvement with multimodal exercise protocol. The <i>P</i> < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The multimodal exercise protocol has significant benefits in improving the functional capacity, HGS, and pulmonary function among postmenopausal women, however, larger experimental trials are warranted.</p>","PeriodicalId":37717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mid-life Health","volume":"16 1","pages":"103-106"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12052272/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144043738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cheng-Yu Long, Kun-Ling Lin, Jian-Lin Yeh, Chien-Wei Feng, Zi-Xi Loo
{"title":"Clinical Effect of <i>Hibiscus taiwanensis</i> Extract on Women with Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause.","authors":"Cheng-Yu Long, Kun-Ling Lin, Jian-Lin Yeh, Chien-Wei Feng, Zi-Xi Loo","doi":"10.4103/jmh.jmh_138_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_138_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The deficiency of estrogen becomes clinically more overt over time and correlated with amounts of genitourinary syndromes of menopause (GSM). Our study aimed at examining the clinical effect of <i>Hibiscus taiwanensis</i> compound extract (HERCET®-w gel) on women with GSM.</p><p><strong>Subjects and methods: </strong>This study included 31 patients with GSM symptoms. The treatment administered to patients included in this study was the daily use of vaginal treatment of HERCET®-w gel. Before, 3 months, and 6 months after HERCET®-w gel treatment, each patient's baseline characteristic data were collected.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our data showed that HERCET®-w gel could significantly improve some index or questionnaire in urinary symptoms including the Urogenital Distress Inventory 6, the Vaginal Health Index, or pH value. It also showed a significant increase in sexual function after 6 months treatment of HERCET®-w.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>HERCET®-w on the women with GSM after 6 months could significantly improve GSM. It also showed an obvious progress of patients' sexual function in the Female Sexual Function Index score in the 6-month follow-up.</p>","PeriodicalId":37717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mid-life Health","volume":"16 1","pages":"60-66"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12052280/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144048590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy in Special Circumstances.","authors":"Neerja Goel, Megha Ranjan, Jai Bhagwan Sharma, Ruchi Srivastava, Shailza Vardhan","doi":"10.4103/jmh.jmh_152_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_152_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was quite liberal in the 19<sup>th</sup> century. The controversial reports given by the World Health Initiative and million women study restricted its use in certain medical conditions. This article has been written to revisit the use of HRT in certain medical conditions where it was earlier contraindicated. In the era of modern medicine, benefits and risks of HRT should be carefully thought of and a holistic treatment approach should be used to provide women the best quality of life she can have in her circumstance. Contraindications to HRT should be reconsidered as the estrogen deficient state might itself give the woman symptoms that could make her overall health even worse. HRT can be safely given in minimum doses, for a restricted period of time in conditions such as breast cancer, genital malignancy, cardiovascular disorders, Alzheimer's disease and thromboembolism and many more medical conditions. Another breakthrough in the past has been the use of HRT in hormone deficient states such as Turner syndrome (TS) and primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). HRT when timely given with growth hormone can prove to be beneficial in cases of both TS and POI.</p>","PeriodicalId":37717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mid-life Health","volume":"16 1","pages":"6-13"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12052288/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144032995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluating Accuracy and Readability of Responses to Midlife Health Questions: A Comparative Analysis of Six Large Language Model Chatbots.","authors":"Himel Mondal, Devendra Nath Tiu, Shaikat Mondal, Rajib Dutta, Avijit Naskar, Indrashis Podder","doi":"10.4103/jmh.jmh_182_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_182_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The use of large language model (LLM) chatbots in health-related queries is growing due to their convenience and accessibility. However, concerns about the accuracy and readability of their information persist. Many individuals, including patients and healthy adults, may rely on chatbots for midlife health queries instead of consulting a doctor. In this context, we evaluated the accuracy and readability of responses from six LLM chatbots to midlife health questions for men and women.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty questions on midlife health were asked to six different LLM chatbots - ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, Meta artificial intelligence (AI), and Perplexity. Each chatbot's responses were collected and evaluated for accuracy, relevancy, fluency, and coherence by three independent expert physicians. An overall score was also calculated by taking the average of four criteria. In addition, readability was analyzed using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, to determine how easily the information could be understood by the general population.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In terms of fluency, Perplexity scored the highest (4.3 ± 1.78), coherence was highest for Meta AI (4.26 ± 0.16), accuracy of responses was highest for Meta AI, and relevancy score was highest for Meta AI (4.35 ± 0.24). Overall, Meta AI scored the highest (4.28 ± 0.16), followed by ChatGPT (4.22 ± 0.21), whereas Copilot had the lowest score (3.72 ± 0.19) (<i>P</i> < 0.0001). Perplexity showed the highest score of 41.24 ± 10.57 in readability and lowest in grade level (11.11 ± 1.93), meaning its text is the easiest to read and requires a lower level of education.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>LLM chatbots can answer midlife-related health questions with variable capabilities. Meta AI was found to be highest scoring chatbot for addressing men's and women's midlife health questions, whereas Perplexity offers high readability for accessible information. Hence, LLM chatbots can be used as educational tools for midlife health by selecting appropriate chatbots according to its capability.</p>","PeriodicalId":37717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mid-life Health","volume":"16 1","pages":"45-50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12052287/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144033151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correlation of Body Mass Index with Endometrial Pathology in Perimenopausal Women with AUB: A Prospective Study.","authors":"Saumya Bajpai Kaur, Sunmeet Singh, Amarjot Singh","doi":"10.4103/jmh.jmh_254_23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_254_23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Body mass index (BMI) rises in correlation with endometrial cancer incidence as obesity rates among women have risen in recent years. In this study, we sought to evaluate the relationship between BMI and the perimenopausal ladies' aberrant and normal endometrial pathology. We also evaluated the correlation of transvaginal ultrasonography findings with histopathological findings.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>A prospective analytical study was conducted in a Tertiary care centre of Northern India over a period of 12 months from June 2022-May 2023 on women aged 40-55 years with Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) according to PALM-COEIN criteria. Patients were divided into two groups according to endometrial biopsy findings; women in group 1 were diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia or carcinoma, while women in group 2 had normal endometrium, according to WHO classification. BMI, Endometrial biopsy pathology and transvaginal ultrasonography findings were noted. Data was analysed using SPSS version 24.0.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 72 patients, 22 patients had histopathological findings of Adenocarcinoma (3, 13.6%) and endometrial hyperplasia (19, 86.4%) and rest 50 patients had normal proliferative (13, 26%). On the basis of BMI, 51.5% (32/72) were overweight, 31.9% (23/72) were of Normal BMI, 11.1% (15/72) were Obese. The mean age in Group A and B was 52.37 ± 2.68 and 48.74 ± 7.98 respectively (<i>P</i> value- 0.003). Significant association between obesity and endometrial hyperplasia or carcinoma (<i>P</i> value-0.033). Correlation of Transvaginal Ultrasound (TVS) findings with that of histopathology was statistically significant (<i>P</i> value-0.002). Adenomyosis and Polyp and 100% correlation percentage on TVS and Histopathology.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There is a direct link between a high body mass index and AUB due to endometrial hyperplasia. Importance of physical activity as a preventative factor against AUB, endometrial cancer, and hyperplasia should be promoted. TVS is also a suitable diagnostic technique for the assessment of AUB as an initial procedure.</p>","PeriodicalId":37717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mid-life Health","volume":"16 1","pages":"19-25"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12052279/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143988502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anjali Prem, Murali Thekkeveettil, Reeba Sara Mathew, Milu Elizabeth Cyriac, S Sheeja, Anu N Joseph
{"title":"Clinicopathological Profile of Carcinoma Endometrium in a Single Institution of Kerala, India.","authors":"Anjali Prem, Murali Thekkeveettil, Reeba Sara Mathew, Milu Elizabeth Cyriac, S Sheeja, Anu N Joseph","doi":"10.4103/jmh.jmh_191_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_191_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The incidence of endometrial cancer is on the rise in India, particularly in Kerala. A comprehensive understanding of the clinicopathological profile of endometrial cancer can help identify the underlying factors driving this trend and facilitate the development of targeted preventive strategies and effective management policies.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This register-based retrospective study analyzed clinicopathological patterns in endometrial cancer patients at a tertiary care hospital in Kerala from 2013 to 2019, with Institutional Review Board and Scientific Committee clearance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 476 patients were identified with endometrial cancer diagnosed and/or treated at our institution. The mean age was 57.9 years (standard deviation [SD] ± 9.5 years) with 73.3% (<i>n</i> = 349) postmenopausal, 14.1% (<i>n</i> = 67) perimenopausal/unknown status, and 12.6% (<i>n</i> = 60) premenopausal. Histopathological analysis showed 80.0% (<i>n</i> = 381) endometrioid, 8% (<i>n</i> = 38) carcinosarcoma, 6.3% (<i>n</i> = 30) serous, 3.6% (<i>n</i> = 17) clear cell, 1.9% (<i>n</i> = 9) un/dedifferentiated, and 0.2% (<i>n</i> = 1) a rare squamous cell carcinoma. Out of 406 patients with available tumor grading, 50% (<i>n</i> = 203) were classified as Grade 1, 15.8% (<i>n</i> = 64) as Grade 2, and 34.2% (<i>n</i> = 139) as Grade 3. There was a significant relationship between age and tumor grade; the mean age of occurrence of high grade was 61 years (SD ± 9.8), and low grade was 56.5 (SD ± 8.6) (<i>P</i> = <0.001). Age also correlated with the incidence of endometrioid or nonendometrioid tumors (mean age 56.7 ± 9.1 years vs. 62.2 ± 9.4 years, <i>P</i> = <0.001). Nonendometrioid tumors were diagnosed in advanced stages compared to endometrioid type (38.1% vs. 20.8% in Stage III/IV, <i>P</i> = 0.004). The tumor size was directly correlated with advanced stage, tumor grade, and myometrial invasion. Specifically, the likelihood of diagnosis at an advanced stage increased with tumor size: 0% for tumors smaller than 2 cm, 11% for tumors measuring 2-4 cm, and 21% for tumors larger than 4 cm (<i>P</i> = 0.001). The deep myometrial invasion occurred in 33.0% of tumors <4 cm versus 68.0% of tumors ≥4 cm (<i>P</i> = <0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The most common type of endometrial cancer is the endometrioid type. Older age is associated with nonendometrioid as well as high-grade disease. Tumor size plays an important role in predicting myometrial invasion, grading, and stage of the disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":37717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mid-life Health","volume":"16 1","pages":"96-102"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12052273/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144042389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ruchika Garg, Radhika Chetan, G S Jyothi, Prabhat Agrawal, Prashant Gupta
{"title":"Intermittent Fasting and Weight Management at Menopause.","authors":"Ruchika Garg, Radhika Chetan, G S Jyothi, Prabhat Agrawal, Prashant Gupta","doi":"10.4103/jmh.jmh_227_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_227_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Menopause marks a significant transition in a woman's life, characterized by hormonal changes that influence metabolism, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being. As women approach menopause, managing these changes becomes crucial for maintaining health and quality of life. Among various dietary interventions, intermittent fasting has emerged as a promising strategy, not only for weight management but also for addressing hormonal imbalances and mitigating age-related risks such as cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.</p>","PeriodicalId":37717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mid-life Health","volume":"16 1","pages":"14-18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12052274/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144064854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anusha Devalla, Aparna Jarathi, Immanuel Pradeep, Annapurna Srirambhatla, Subhrajyoti Roy
{"title":"Silent Intruders: A Case Report of Concurrent Atypical Endometrial Polyp with Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia.","authors":"Anusha Devalla, Aparna Jarathi, Immanuel Pradeep, Annapurna Srirambhatla, Subhrajyoti Roy","doi":"10.4103/jmh.jmh_188_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_188_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Postmenopausal bleeding is an alarming symptom that needs careful consideration. Endometrial polyps co-existing in the background of endometrial hyperplasia/endometrial cancer is well-established. However, it has been very sparsely reported in the background of atrophic endometrium. The authors report a unique case of concurrent atypical endometrial polyp with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in the background of an atrophic endometrium. A 53-year-old multiparous, postmenopausal lady of Asian ethnicity presented with recurrent episodes of bleeding per vaginum. She did not give any history of exogenous estrogen intake, diabetes, hypertension, or any other surgical risk factors for endometrial malignancy. Her body mass index was 23.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>. Magnetic Resonance Imaging revealed a large cervical fibroid, endometrial thickness 8 mm (mixed with blood clots), and focal adenomyosis. Outpatient endometrial sampling was unsatisfactory. She underwent a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. An incidental hidden diagnosis of concurrent atypical endometrial polyp with CIN underlying the cervical leiomyoma was made. This is the first of its kind to be reported so far. It is not known whether such an association could be due to cervical leiomyoma or <i>de novo</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":37717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mid-life Health","volume":"16 1","pages":"110-112"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12052278/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144037735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
V L Nissy, Gopika Gopinathan Bhaskaran, S S Lal, G K Mini
{"title":"Menopause-Specific Quality of Life among Rural Women: A Community-based Cross-sectional Study in Kerala, India.","authors":"V L Nissy, Gopika Gopinathan Bhaskaran, S S Lal, G K Mini","doi":"10.4103/jmh.jmh_171_24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_171_24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim and objectives: </strong>The health of women in the menopausal age is often ignored by most healthcare programs in countries like India. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence and pattern of menopause-specific quality of life (MENQOL) and associated factors of rural women in Kerala, India.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among menopausal women in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala using a multistage random sampling method. We collected details of basic sociodemographic and reproductive problems using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. MENQOL questionnaire was used to measure the quality of life.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We surveyed 250 women in the age group of 48-60 years. The average score of the overall quality of life was 12.4 ± 4.3. The mean MENQOL score was significantly poor for those with lower socioeconomic status (SES), those who had any morbidity, those who had bad perceived health status, and inactive women compared to their counterparts. The majority of women (92%) used self-care to alleviate their menopause symptoms. Women of lower SES, with any morbidity, poor perceived health status, and inactive, were more likely to report more symptoms in all domains (vasomotor, physical, and psychological). In addition, employed women reported more vasomotor and psychological symptoms compared to their counterparts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Menopausal symptoms are common in the population studied, and self-care is the main strategy for alleviating these symptoms. It is important to educate women about common menopause symptoms and the importance of receiving proper medical care.</p>","PeriodicalId":37717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Mid-life Health","volume":"16 1","pages":"67-75"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12052282/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144062743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}