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Due to importance of menopause and it’s effects on the menopausal women, and also the use of hormonal replacement therapy, we decided to evaluate side effects of Estrogen therapy on menopausal women, such as sleep disorder and related problems. 60 menopausal women entered a 3-months prospective, placebo-case controlled, double blind and accidental study. They were selected after taking history and physical examination, some necessary laboratory data, exclusion of interfering factors. They were divided in 2 groups with equal members. Conjugated Estrogen (0.625 mg per day) was given orally for 3 months to case group. Placebo (1 tablet per day) was given to control group. The 2 groups evaluated again after 3 months. A questionnaire with 7 questions was given to the members of 2 groups before and after treatment. Treatment with Estrogen reduce number of sleep awakening, daily drawsiness, morning tiredness and improve the sleeping and resleeping (P<0.05) and with confidence interval of (95%). In our study, there was not significant correlation between weight, age, duration of menopause, cause of menopause with sleep disorders. According to this study, we conclude that Estrogen replacement therapy reduce sleep disorders in post menopausal women. These findings confirm HRT benefits.

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Background&Objective: The breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. The normal and malignant breast tissue are under the regulatory effects of esteroid hormones and growth factors including HER-2/neu. The purpose of this study, is to determine the expression of estrogene receptor (ER) progesterone receptor(PR) and HER-2/neu among Iranian women with invasive breast cancer. Materials&Methods: The study is descriptive and cross-sectional that was performed on 50 samples of patients with invasive breast cancer in Imam-Khomeini Hospital-Sari (2005-06). After preparing the samples four tissue sections from each sample was obtained then H&E and IHC staining were performed. Results: In our study, the patients were between 28-88 yrs, (mean:52/6). ER and PR and HER-2/neu were positive in 80%, 72% and 57.1% of cases, respectively. Concurrent positive ER and PR was 70%, meanwhile 62.9% of these patient were also positive for HER-2/neu. 20% of the cases showed negativity for both ER and PR and of these 83.4% were also negative for HER-2/neu. Conclusion: In our study ER expression by itself is equal to previous studies in textbooks but PR expression, HER-2/neu and concurrent expression of ER&PR are higher in our study. Interestingly HER-2/neu expression is near to what was previously proposed by Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization and Kerman University of Medical science. It seems that racial and geographic factors are contributed for these diffrences.

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Background and Objective: Menopausal symptoms influence mental, physical and emotional health, as well as social performance and family relationships. Due to the undesirable side effects of alternated hormone-therapy, tendency toward alternative treatments in relieving these symptoms have been increased, and the use of herbs like phytoestrogens seem preferable. This study was conducted to determine the effect of red clover Isoflavones extract on menopausal symptoms. Materials and Methods: This clinical randomized, triple-blind trial was conducted on 72 menopausal women who referred to Navab Safavi health care center, Isfahan, Iran during Oct-Apr 2011. After two weeks of monitoring and determination of the baseline symptoms score including hot flushes and sweating, paresthesia, insomnia, nervousness, depression, vertigo, weakness and fatigue, arthralgia and myalgia, headache, palpitation and formication, the women were randomly divided into two groups of 36 subjects: placebo and intervention (taking 45 mg of red clover Isoflavones extract capsules). The subjects were given one capsule daily for eight weeks and menopausal symptoms were recorded weekly. Data were analyzed using SPSS-18, independent t-test, ANOVA, chi-square and Mann–Whitney tests. Results: 55 women completed the study: 27 subjects in the placebo and 28 in the intervention group. The mean age of subjects in placebo and intervention group was 53.923.21 and 52.963.07 years, respectively. The mean age of menopause in the placebo and intervention groups was 51.382.63 and 50.051.17 years, respectively. The mean elapsed time since menopause was determined as 2.691.47 years in placebo and 2.661.65 years in intervention group. The average score of menopausal symptoms at the end of the 10th week was 13.877.22 and 16.4411.59 in intervention and placebo groups, this reduction was significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that consumption of capsules containing red clover Isoflavones extract for 8 weeks, reduces menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women.

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Background and Objective: Sodium meta-bisulphite is used as a preservative in food and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of vitamin E on the improvement of sodium-meta bisulphite-induced complications on ovarian tissue and sex hormones in rats.
Methods: In this experimental study, 70 adult Wistar rats were randomly allocated into 7 groups including control, sham and interventional groups were received vitamin E (200 mg/kg/bw), sodium metabisulfite (520 mg/kg/bw), and sodium meta-bisulphite (520 mg/kg/bw) was combined with vitamin E in 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/bw doses. Prescriptions were taken as gavage for 30 days. Blood samples were taken from animals to measure LH, FSH, estrogen and progesterone hormones. Ovaries were removed and follicles were counted after tissue sections.
Results: The concentration of estrogen hormones, progesterone, LH, FSH and number of ovarian follicles in the groups receiving sodium meta-bisulphite and vitamin E alone was significantly lower than control group (P<0.05). In animals treated with sodium meta-bisulphite and vitamin E at 100 and 200 mg/kg/bw, no significant difference was observed. However, in animals which were simultaneously treated with meta-bi-sulfite sodium and vitamin E at dose 100 and 200 mg/kg, in compared with the control group, significant improvement was not observed.
Conclusion: Sodium meta-bisulphite consumption with 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight of vitamin E can reduce the effect of sodium meta-bisulphite on ovarian follicles and sex hormones.