CERVICAL CYTOLOGY TRENDS IN A SAMPLE OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE PATIENTS IN PUERTO RICO: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY AND RESEARCH OF CURRENT LITERATURE.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: To describe cervical cytology trends in a sample of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and to provide an overview of aspects such as contraception and menstrual patterns. STUDY DESIGN: We identified women with diagnosis of IBD of ages between 21-49 years followed at the IBD clinics of the Medical Sciences Campus from June 2012 to April 2014. A 15-minute questionnaire was administered. Data was entered and analyzed calculating frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: Sixty-three subjects were recruited. After reviewing the questionnaires, 52 subjects remained for analysis. All women were between 21 and 49 years of age. Thirty (58%) patients had a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC), while 22 (42%) patients had Crohn's Disease (CD). Twenty-seven IBD patients (52%) were in remission. Use of immunomodulators was reported in ten (33%) and seventeen (61%) of patients for UC and CD respectively. Sixty six percent (67%) of participants specified having their cervical cytology for cervical cancer screening done a nually. Twenty patients (38%) reported abnormal cytology including 13 patients (43%) with UC and 7 patients (23%) with CD. No significant relation was found between the two conditions and the self-reported history of abnormal cervical cytology. Almost one-half of IBD patients reported a menstrual cycle of 25-30 days (45%). Duration of menses was described as normal (lasting between 4-6 days) in 45% of IBD patients (95% CI 31.13-59.66). Patients with UC were more likely to report regular menses than patients with CD. Eighty-six percent of participants reported no use of contraception. CONCLUSION: This is the first descriptive report of gynecologic conditions in which Puerto Rican patients with IBD have been studied. It is imperative to continue with similar larger studies to gain a broader idea of what are the gynecological needs of this population.

Multiplicity of expression of FXYD proteins in mammalian cells: dynamic exchange of phospholemman and gamma-subunit in response to stress.

Functional properties of Na-K-ATPase can be modified by association with FXYD proteins, expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Here we show that expression of FXYDs in cell lines does not necessarily parallel the expression pattern of FXYDs in the tissue(s) from which the cells originate. While being expressed only in lacis cells in the juxtaglomerular apparatus and in blood vessels in kidney, FXYD1 was abundant in renal cell lines of proximal tubule origin (NRK-52E, LLC-PK1, and OK cells). Authenticity of FXYD1 as a part of Na-K-ATPase in NRK-52E cells was demonstrated by co-purification, co-immunoprecipitation, and co-localization. Induction of FXYD2 by hypertonicity (500 mosmol/kgH(2)O with NaCl for 48 h or adaptation to 700 mosmol/kgH(2)O) correlated with downregulation of FXYD1 at mRNA and protein levels. The response to hypertonicity was influenced by serum factors and entailed, first, dephosphorylation of FXYD1 at Ser(68) (1-5 h) and, second, induction of FXYD2a and a decrease in FXYD1 with longer exposure. FXYD1 was completely replaced with FXYD2a in cells adapted to 700 mosmol/kgH(2)O and showed a significantly decreased sodium affinity. Thus dephosphorylation of FXYD1 followed by exchange of regulatory subunits is utilized to make a smooth transition of properties of Na-K-ATPase. We also observed expression of mRNA for multiple FXYDs in various cell lines. The expression was dynamic and responsive to physiological stimuli. Moreover, we demonstrated expression of FXYD5 protein in HEK-293 and HeLa cells. The data imply that FXYDs are obligatory rather than auxiliary components of Na-K-ATPase, and their interchangeability underlies responses of Na-K-ATPase to cellular stress.