Gene expression of aromatase, SF-1, and HSD17B2 in menstrual blood as noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers for endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: Endometriosis diagnostic delays are still encountered due to the lack of a reliable, noninvasive diagnostic test. Besides, menstrual blood is a relatively untapped field for diagnostics, yet it provides a readily accessible source for investigating common gynecological conditions. In the present study, we aim to evaluate the expression levels of menstrual blood aromatase, SF-1, and HSD17B2 from women with and without endometriosis and their diagnostic performance. METHODS: A total of 40 subjects participated in this study, including 20 patients from each endometriosis and non-endometriosis group. The endometriosis group comprised patients with proven endometriosis confirmed by pathological diagnosis and pelvic ultrasound examination, then requiring endometrial biopsy determined by the clinicians. The non-endometriosis group consisted of women who had primary and secondary infertility and underwent endometrial examination without any visible endometriosis lesion. The menstrual blood and eutopic endometrial tissue of enrolled subjects were collected, and the relative expression of the genes was performed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of aromatase, SF-1, and HSD17B2. RESULTS: We found significantly higher expressions of aromatase, SF-1, and HSD17B2 in the menstrual blood of the endometriosis group compared to non-endometriosis (P < 0.05). In contrast, examination of eutopic endometrial tissue of both groups only found significant in HSD17B2 (P < 0.05), while aromatase and SF-1 showed no statistically significant variance. The Area Under Curve (AUC) of aromatase, SF-1, and HSD17B2 in the menstrual blood was 0.977, 0.862, and 0.807, respectively. The optimal cutoff value was determined to be >1.63 (sensitivity = 95 % and specificity = 90 %) for aromatase, >1.71 (sensitivity = 90 % and specificity = 80 %) for SF-1, and >1.83 (sensitivity = 80 % and specificity = 75 %) for HSD17B2. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that aromatase, SF-1, and HSD17B2 in the menstrual blood solidly discriminate between endometriosis and non-endometriosis patients with high diagnostic accuracy. However, further confirmation in larger cohorts is required to validate the reliability of these biomarkers to endometriosis.

Diagnosis and Management of Pelvic Congestion Syndrome: Comprehensive Review.

BACKGROUND: Pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) is a poorly understood condition that can be associated with chronic pelvic pain and could impact quality of life. The diagnosis is often made by exclusion of other causes of pelvic pain. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our review was to provide an update on the etiology, anatomy, physiology, identification, and the therapeutic management of PCS. METHOD: We conducted a literature review involving publications from 2003 to 2024 in PubMed, Elsevier, MEDLINE, as well as manual searches of primary and review articles using keywords such as "pelvic veins", "embolization", "venography", "pelvic congestion syndrome", and "chronic pelvic pain". CONCLUSION: PCS remains poorly understood. Symptoms can be non-specific and difficult to distinguish from other diseases; yet it is an important cause of chronic pelvic pain in women. To date, there have been only a small number of randomized trials and high-level evidence is still lacking. OUTLOOK: We call for an increased awareness of PCS and additional clinical studies in a large number of patients.

Growing evidence that endometriosis is a systemic disease.

The pathophysiology of endometriosis remains unclear. Retrograde menstruation could be a phenomenon that initiates the process, but it may not explain the entire pathophysiology of endometriosis. Current evidence suggests that endometriosis is a type of chronic inflammatory disease. Many conditions that affect the vascular endothelium, including atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and pre-eclampsia, have been shown to be associated with endometriosis. Evidence to date suggests a complex interaction in endometriosis between angiogenesis, hormones and immunological changes stemming from chronic inflammation, with the inflammatory cells releasing cytokines and chemokines including tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Indeed, TNF-α is considered to be one of the possible markers of endometriosis in the blood, endometrium or menstrual blood. We emphasize the importance of pursuing research for novel and safer anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory drugs that can be used by patients with endometriosis on a long-term basis.

Prevalence and Quality of Life among Overweight and Obese Women with Different Severity and Types of Urinary Incontinence.

OBJECTIVE: Urinary incontinence (UI) is an involuntary leakage of urine and affects the social, physical, and psychological aspects of many individuals worldwide. The purpose of our study was to examine the prevalence, quality of life (QoL), severity, and different types of UI in overweight and obese women. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,351 consecutive patients, who were recruited between June 2021 and May 2022. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 39.7 ± 14.2 years with less than a half in the 19-35-year age group (46.9%); 65% of the subjects were overweight or obese. The overall prevalence of UI was 61.2%. Overweight and obesity accounted to 70.2% of patients with mild to very severe UI. The risk estimates to have UI were 1.84 in overweight and 5.4 in obese group. The risk estimate for severe and very severe UI was 2.33 in overweight and 10.34 in obese group. When considering all subtypes, 67.9% of women with overweight and obesity had any of the subtypes, urge UI, stress UI, and mixed UI. Overweight and obesity were significantly associated with poor QoL in women with UI (p < 0.0001). Among 36.1% of all patients with poor QoL, 79.9% were overweight and obese. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity are important risk factors of UI affecting daily activity and QOL considerably. As the number of people with obesity is increasing, the prevalence of UI with increased severity is likely to increase in young to mid-aged women. Weight loss should be considered as first-line treatment for this patient population.

Endometriosis, chronic pain, anxiety, and depression: A retrospective study among 12 million women.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of information regarding the impact of the physical symptoms associated with endometriosis and chronic pain on the mental health and well-being of affected women. Thus, our study aimed to evaluate the relationship between endometriosis, chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to evaluate the relationship between endometriosis, chronic pain, and mental health disorders among women registered in a large database until 2014. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective population-based study involving 12,904,324 hospitalized women from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) database between 2007 and 2014. We calculated the prevalence of chronic pain, endometriosis, anxiety, and depression during the study period. We used multivariate logistic regression to examine the relationship between these variables. RESULTS: An upward pattern was noted in the prevalence of chronic pain, while an opposite trend was seen for endometriosis during the study period. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities, including depression, the highest odds ratio of experiencing anxiety appeared in the group with both chronic pain and endometriosis (OR = 2.719, 95 % CI 2.481-2.979). LIMITATIONS: HCUP is a cross-sectional administrative database that does not link patients' records over the years. Thus, we could not establish any temporal association between endometriosis, chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. CONCLUSION: Potential associations were identified between endometriosis, with and without chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. We recommended that clinicians provide proper medical management of endometriosis-related pain through symptom management and adequate counseling for those suffering from anxiety and depression.

FIGO statement: Fertility preservation.

Fertility preservation is a growing field in reproductive medicine that may raise ethical questions. Preservation of fertility must be discussed with the patient if gonadotoxic treatment is required, whether in the case of benign or malignant pathology, or in the management of transgender identity. As a result, surgery or chemotherapy that has fewer adverse impacts on fertility should be proposed if this does not alter the prognosis of the disease. If the risk of infertility persists, then fertility cryopreservation should be proposed for children and adults of reproductive age. Sperm, oocytes, and gonadal tissue can be cryopreserved for many years. FIGO wishes to emphasize the importance of fertility preservation in the medical and surgical management of patients, and the importance of a specialized, multidisciplinary approach.

Complications Associated with Cervical Cerclage: A Systematic Review.

Cervical cerclages are associated with improved live birth rates and have low short- and long-term risks. However, there have been reports of fistula formation or erosion of cerclage into the surrounding tissue. Those complications are uncommon and yet are serious. The risk factors associated with its development are still unclear. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the incidence of fistula formation or erosion following transvaginal cervical cerclage and the associated clinical and sociodemographic factors. We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Medline, and Embase databases to retrieve articles related to transvaginal or transabdominal cervical cerclage. Databases were searched up to July 2021. The study protocol was registered (PROSPERO ID 243542). A total of 82 articles were identified describing cervical cerclage and erosion or fistula formation. A total of 9 full-text articles were included. There were seven case reports and series that described 11 patients who experienced late complications following cervical cerclage. Many of the cerclage procedures were done electively (66.7%). The most common type of cerclage was McDonald (80%). While all cases reported fistula formation, the main location was vesicovaginal fistulas (63.6%). One patient (9.1%) had erosion of their cerclage and another (9.1%) had bladder calculi. Of 75 patients who underwent cerclage in two retrospective case reviews, the overall incidence of fistula was 1.3% and abscess was also 1.3%. Although rare, the most common long-term complication of cervical cerclage placement is fistula formation, particularly vesicovaginal fistulas.

A randomized double-blind controlled proof-of-concept study of alanyl-glutamine for reduction of post-myomectomy adhesions.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that intraperitoneal instillation of a single bolus dose of l-alanyl-l-glutamine (AG) will reduce the incidence, extent and/or severity of adhesions following myomectomy and establish preliminary safety and tolerability of AG in humans. DESIGN: Phase 1,2 Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (DBRCT). SETTING: Tertiary care gynecology surgical centre. PATIENTS: Thirty-eight women who underwent myomectomies by laparoscopy (N = 38; AG-19 vs Placebo-19) or laparotomy (N = 10; AG-5 vs Placebo-5) with a scheduled second-look laparoscopy (SLL) 6-8 weeks later. Thirty-two patients in the laparoscopy arm completed SLL. INTERVENTIONS: Bolus dose of AG or normal saline solution control (0.9% NaCl) administered intraperitoneally immediately prior to suture closure of the laparoscopic ports. The average dose was 170 mL of AG or control based on a dosing scheme of 1 g/kg bodyweight. MEASUREMENTS: Digital recordings obtained for all procedures. The primary endpoint was reduction in the incidence, severity and extent of post-operative adhesions analyzed by intention-to-treat (ITT) approach. Three independent, blinded reviewers evaluated all operative video recordings to assess presence of adhesions. Post-hoc analysis assessed presence or absence of adhesions in the peritoneal cavity. Secondary endpoints assessed safety and tolerability of AG. MAIN RESULTS: Administration of AG reduced the incidence, severity and/or extent of post-operative adhesions (p = 0.046). The presence of adhesions in the AG group was lower than in the Control group (p = 0.041). Adhesion improvement was achieved in 15 of 15 (100%) in the AG group versus 5 of 17 (29.6%) in the placebo group. No serious adverse events were reported. No differences in safety parameters were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Intraperitoneal l-alanyl-l-glutamine reduced adhesion formation in all patients following laparoscopic myomectomy. Complete absence of adhesions was achieved at all abdominal sites in 93% of patients. Results confirm AG's known effects on cellular mechanisms of adhesiogenesis and lay the foundation for new adhesion prophylaxis research and treatment.