24 year old woman presented with a three week history of weight loss, thirst, polyuria, sweating, and nausea. For three days before admission she had abdominal pains and vomiting after meals. Past medical history included acromegaly treated by trans-sphenoidal resection of a pituitary macroadenoma at the age of 19 years. Postoperatively, she did not have diabetes insipidus; however, she develop...

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of oral contraceptives (OCs) on the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in young women. A 5-year case-control study including all Danish hospitals was conducted. All women 15–44 years old, suffering a first ever deep venous thrombosis or a first pulmonary embolism (PE) during the period January 1, 1994, to December 30, 1998, were included...

In the linked study (doi:10.1136/bmj.d6423), Lidegaard and colleagues assess the effect of different types of combined oral contraceptive, according to progestogen type and oestrogen dose, on the risk of venous thromboembolism. Over the past four decades, more than 25 epidemiological studies have examined the risk of venous thromboembolism in current users of combined oral contraceptives.All bu...

Progestins are widely used as oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. Recently it has been demonstrated that many progestins are inhibitors of P-glycoprotein, possibly explaining gender differences in drug actions. In vitro evidence suggested that at least norgestimate might also inhibit other transporters like the multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2). We therefore inve...

Progestins are widely used as oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. Recently it has been demonstrated that many progestins are inhibitors of P-glycoprotein, possibly explaining gender differences in drug actions. In vitro evidence suggested that at least norgestimate might also inhibit other transporters like the multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2). We therefore inve...

Progestins are widely used as oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. Recently it has been demonstrated that many progestins are inhibitors of P-glycoprotein, possibly explaining gender differences in drug actions. In vitro evidence suggested that at least norgestimate might also inhibit other transporters like the multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2). We therefore inve...

Progestins are widely used as oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. Recently it has been demonstrated that many progestins are inhibitors of P-glycoprotein, possibly explaining gender differences in drug actions. In vitro evidence suggested that at least norgestimate might also inhibit other transporters like the multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2). We therefore inve...

Arabidopsis thaliana contains a large number of genes encoding carboxylic acid-activating enzymes, including long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase (LACS), 4-coumarate:CoA ligases (4CL), and proteins closely related to 4CLs with unknown activities. The function of these 4CL-like proteins was systematically explored by applying an extensive substrate screen, and it was uncovered that activation of...

It is well established that all non-hysterectomised women taking oestrogen replacement therapy should receive additional progestogen to reduce the incidence of endometrial hyperplasia1–3 and cancer.4 Progestogens are either added cyclically on a monthly (sequential), or 3monthly basis (tricyclic) or continuously (period-free or no bleed). Alternative combinations such as bimonthly,5 6monthly6 a...