Antioxidants play a crucial role in mitigating oxidative stress and preventing cellular damage caused by free radicals. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of three antioxidant assays—DPPH, TEAC, and FRAP—in quantifying the antioxidant capacity of 15 plant-based spices, herbs, and food materials from five distinct plant families. The relationship between these assays and total polyphenol content (TPC) as well as total flavonoid content (TFC) was also investigated. The results showed that FRAP exhibited the strongest correlation with TPC (r = 0.913), followed by TEAC (r = 0.856) and DPPH (r = 0.772). Lamiaceae species, such as rosemary and thyme, consistently demonstrated high antioxidant activities across all assays. The study highlights the complementary nature of these assays in assessing antioxidant capacity and underscores their utility in profiling polyphenol- and flavonoid-rich plants for potential nutritional and therapeutic applications.

Background/Objectives: Epidemiological data on vitamin D status revealed that, despite various dosage and durations of supplementation, the effectiveness often fails to achieve optimal outcomes. The need for higher doses than previously recommended was suggested, but several modifying factors should be considered, including the level of deficiency, and BMI. The objectives of this post hoc evaluation are to characterize treatment effectiveness based on the applied dose, duration and BMI; and to assess the safety aspects associated with rapid repletion of vitamin D. Methods: Vitamin D deficient subjects selected in the post-hoc analysis: seventy patients included from a combined loading-maintenance supplementation (300,000 IU followed by 60,000 IU) protocol and 62 deficient subjects who received a low-dose maintenance (1000 IU/day) therapy. The risk of overload and the incidence of hypercalciuria and hypercalcemia resulting from loading or post-loading maintenance were investigated. Results: The moderate–fast-loading schedule of 60,000 IU per week for 5 weeks, effectively achieves the target in 25(OH)D levels over 30 ng/mL for all deficient subjects, regardless of their BMI. Slower loading with lower weekly doses confirms the safety of supplementation, but the effectiveness is dependent on the subjects’ BMI; overweight and obese patients require higher doses to reach the same vitamin D levels. No difference in safety parameters observed compared to low-dose therapies. Conclusions: The loading treatment involving a total dose of 300,000 IU administered over 5 or 10 weeks is effective for repletion, does not lead to 25(OH)D overload, and poses no additional risks of hypercalcemia or hypercalciuria. Furthermore, there are no safety concerns regarding changes in bone resorption markers. A combination of the loading treatment with a subsequent maintenance dose of 2000 IU daily is adequate to achieve the target vitamin D levels.

Background/Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency is common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and may be associated with metabolic and endocrine disorders as well as ovulatory dysfunction. Vitamin D supplementation may improve ovarian dysfunction and follicular development by effecting gene expression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of vitamin D supplementation in women with PCOS through a prospective, randomized, two-phase, parallel design, placebo-controlled trial. Methods: We assessed the impact on ovarian morphology, cycle length, and ovulatory dysfunction. Transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) examinations and clinical laboratory assessments were conducted at the baseline, and again after 12 and 24 weeks. The participants received vitamin D (30,000 IU/week) or a placebo (without concurrent metformin use) for 12 weeks, supplemented with calcium, followed by an additional 12 weeks of vitamin D treatment. Results: The treatment resulted in improvements in ovarian morphology and regularity of menstrual cycles in more than half of the patients. Additionally, vitamin D3 was associated with a significant increase in the ovulation rate. A statistically significant reduction in mean testosterone levels was observed in the subgroup of patients with an LH/FSH ratio greater than 2. Conclusions: Our results suggest that vitamin D3 treatment could function as either a standalone or an adjunctive therapy in the management of PCOS.

Background/Objectives: Big data analysis has revolutionized medical research, making it possible to analyze vast amounts of data and gain valuable insights that were previously impossible to obtain. Our knowledge of the characteristics of vitamin D sufficiency is primarily based on data from a limited number of observations, generally spanning a few years at most. Methods: Here at the Medical Faculty of the University of Debrecen, the big data approach has allowed us to analyze trends in vitamin D status using nearly 60,000 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration results from 2000 onwards. Results: Apart from analyzing the well-known phenomenon of seasonality in 25(OH)D concentration, we observed a trend in test requests, which increased from a few hundred in 2000 to almost 10,000 in 2020. Of particular interest is the change in the gender gap in test requests. In previous years, test requests were primarily from women, but by the end of the analysis period, a significant number of requests were from men as well. Since the data set includes all age groups, we analyzed 25(OH)D concentration for incremental age sets of five years, from a few months to 100 years old. The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (<75 nmol/L) was clearly demarcated among various years of observation, age groups, sexes, and seasons. Our data was particularly valuable for analyzing the effect of the methodology used for 25(OH)D determination. Three different methodologies were used during the study period, and clear, statistically significant bias was observed. Conclusions: Our results clearly demonstrate the effect of the methodology used to determine 25(OH)D concentrations on vitamin D status, explicitly highlighting the urgent need to standardize the various platforms used to measure this important analyte and its consequences for public health.

Male hypogonadism, or Testosterone Deficiency (TD), involves decreased testicular function, leading to low androgen levels and impaired sperm production. This condition can negatively impact quality of life and increase cardiovascular risks. The adult hypogonadism frequently occurs over 40 in men, and it is characterized by persistent symptoms alongside low testosterone levels, typically below 300 ng/dL. Supplementation with testosterone as a replacement therapy (TRT) is hormonal enhancement found to be effective, however the delivery methods vary, each with specific advantages and drawbacks. The TRT has potentially life-changing effects, patients feel improved quality of life in several aspects: more energy and muscular strength, increased libido, improved mood, etc. as the most ferquent patients reported outcome. Oral TRT, particularly testosterone undecanoate (TU), offers notable convenience. TU is absorbed via the lymphatic system, bypassing first-pass hepatic metabolism, making it a promising agent for TRT. Its absorption, however, is influenced by dietary factors, such as lipid intake, thus the high-fat consumption promoting lymphatic absorption. Pharmaceutical technology to address this dependency, newly developed TU formulations incorporate special self-emulsifying systems that enhance lymphatic absorption regardless of food fat content. This lymphatic absorption allows for stable testosterone levels, positioning TU as a viable also for an oral treatment option.

: Hypothalamic regulation of pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion switches to dopamine (DA) with a parallel loss of DAerg control of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) release in lactating dams. It has been also shown that dephosphorylation/inactivation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in terminals of DA neurons at the median eminence is required not only for suckling-induced PRL release but also for ACTH responses. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the regulatory switch of ACTH with special emphasis on potential changes at the level of anterior lobe (AL) and the neuro-intermediate lobes (NIL) of the pituitary gland in lactating rats. AL and NIL cells obtained from ovariectomized (OVX) and lactating rats were cultured in vitro. Levels of PRL, ACTH and α-MSH were measured by RIA from culture media, with and without DA treatment. In cells obtained from OVX rats, ACTH secretion was not sensitive to DA, but both PRL and α-MSH were blunted. In contrast, on AL cells obtained from lactating rats, DA treatment resulted in an inhibition in both PRL and ACTH secretion but had no effect on α-MSH. ACTH immunohistochemistry and D₂ DA receptors (D₂R) in situ hybridization techniques were combined to investigate whether DA inhibition of ACTH secretion is due to the expression of D₂R on corticotropes. It was found that expression of D₂R was much higher in both the AL and the NIL of lactating dams compared to OVX animals. Combination of in situ hybridization with immunohistochemistry revealed co-localization of D₂R with ACTH in a subpopulation of corticotropic cells of lactating animals. Therefore, the release of ACTH from corticotropes can be regulated by hypothalamic DA in lactating animals. This subpopulation of cells may also be responsible for the higher basal activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal system and the stress hyporesponsiveness during lactation.