The Center's activities are supported by two program projects and other research grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health, as well as by grants from the private sector. Studies to explore the psychophysiological, metabolic, and cellular mechanisms by which estrogens and progestins affect coronary artery atherogenesis. Studies to better understand the effects of postmenopausal estrogen deficiency on osteoporosis and to assess estrogen replacement therapy's effectiveness in preventing osteoporosis. Studies to investigate the effect of estrogens on coronary artery atherosclerosis and the role of estrogen in affecting lipoprotein metabolism and smooth muscle cells. A key area of research concerns the nature of endothelium-derived vascular responsi veness and how it is affected by estrogens.
Studies are ongoing to determine how estrogens and progestin affect insulin resistance.
The effects of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia are also being studied in relation to increased atherosclerosis. Another new area of emphasis, osteoarthritis, combines the expertise of researchers in aging, women's health, nutrition, and rheumatology. A group of scientists at the Center are examining the possibility of a link between dietary cholesterol levels and increased violent or aggressive behavior. Such studies would be impossible to carry out in a human population for many reasons, making t he nonhuman primate model especially appealing. An exciting new area of research is a nutritional approach to estrogen replacement.