title: Ageing/Menopausal Status in Healthy Women and Ageing in Healthy Men Differently Affect Cardiometabolic Parameters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gender medicine requires a global analysis of an individual's life. Menopause and ageing induce variations of some cardiometabolic parameters, but, it is unknown if this occurs in a sex-specific manner. Here, some markers of oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction are analysed in men younger and older than 45 years and in pre- and postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum and plasma sample were assayed for TNF-α and IL-6, malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls and for methylated arginines using ELISA kits, colorimetric methods and capillary electrophoresis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before body weight correction, men overall had higher creatinine, red blood cells and haemoglobin and lower triglycerides than women. Men younger than 45 years had lower levels of TNF-α and malondialdehyde and higher levels of arginine than age-matched women, while postmenopausal women had higher IL-6 concentrations than men, and higher total cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine and IL-6 levels than younger women. Men younger than 45 years had lower total cholesterol and malondialdehyde than older men. After correction, some differences remained, others were amplified, others disappeared and some new differences emerged. Moreover, some parameters showed a correlation with age, and some of them correlated with each other as functions of ageing and ageing/menopausal status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ageing/menopausal status increased many more cardiovascular risk factors in women than ageing in men, confirming that postmenopausal women had increased vascular vulnerability and indicating the need of early cardiovascular prevention in women. Sex-gender differences are also influenced by body weight, indicating as a matter of debate whether body weight should be seen as a true confounder or as part of the causal pathway.
authors.affiliation: 1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy;; 2. National Laboratory of Gender Medicine of the National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, Osilo, Italy;
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Campesi
authors.affiliation: 1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy;
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Occhioni
authors.affiliation: 3. SC Diabetologia Aziendale ASL 2 Olbia, San Giovanni di Dio Hospital, Olbia, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tonolo
authors.affiliation: 1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy;; 3. SC Diabetologia Aziendale ASL 2 Olbia, San Giovanni di Dio Hospital, Olbia, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cherchi
authors.affiliation: 4. Department of internal medicine and medical specialties, Sapienza University of Rome.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basili
authors.affiliation: 1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy;; 5. Quality Control Unit, Hospital University of Sassari (AOU), Sassari, Italy;
authors.forename: Ciriaco
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carru
authors.affiliation: 1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy;
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zinellu
authors.affiliation: 1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy;; 6. Assessorato alle Politiche per la Persona of Basilicata Region, Italy.
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Franconi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D001769:Blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology; D017697:Premenopause / Q000502:physiology; D050050:Protein Carbonylation; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014280:Triglycerides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008315:Malondialdehyde; C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine
keywords: Ageing; Ageing/menopausal status; endothelial function.; gender; inflammation; oxidative stress