Histopathological and immunohistochemical changes induced by contraceptive pills in the cervix of female rabbits

Oral contraceptive pills [OCPs] are the most popular form of hormonal contraception in young women. The present study focused on evaluating the effects of two different contraceptive pills including combined pills [estrogen and progesterone] and mini pills [progesterone only] on the cervix of female rabbit. After three months of daily oral administration of these contraceptive pills the animals were sacrificed. The excised organs were dissected, processed and stained with H and E, PAS reaction and Masson's trichrome stain and orcein stain. This was followed by morphometric measurements and statistical study. This study revealed that contraceptive pills administration - specially the combined one - caused marked alterations in the form of hyperplastic cervical mucosal cells and hypertrophied muscular layer. Also, there was a significant increase in collagenous and elastic fibres content in the muscular layer of the cervix. There was also a statistically significant increase in PAS positive materials in the lumina of the mucosal glands of the cervix. All these changes were less marked in the case of mini pill treatment. Pills of progesterone only showed marked histopathological change, in the cervix as a contraceptive mean, but in less manner than the combined pills [estrogen and progesterone]

Prevalence of micronuclei in exfoliated uterine cervical cells from patients with risk factors for cervical cancer / Prevalência de micronúcleos em células esfoliativas do colo uterino de pacientes com fatores de risco para o câncer de colo uterino

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Pap smears are the most common and inexpensive screening method for cervical cancer. We analyzed micronucleus prevalence in exfoliated cervical mucosa cells, to investigate associations between increased numbers of micronuclei and risk factors for cervical cancer. DESIGN AND SETTING: Analytical cross-sectional study, at Instituto de Pesquisa em Oncologia (IPON). METHODS: Exfoliated cervical cells were obtained from 101 patients between September 2004 and November 2005. Patients' ages, habits (passive or active smoking, alcoholism and numbers of sexual partners), age at first sexual intercourse, contraceptive methods used, histories of sexually transmitted diseases, use of hormone replacement therapy, numbers of pregnancies and abortions, inflammatory cytology and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) were obtained. Cells were collected using Ayre spatulas, transferred to vials containing 0.9 percent saline solution for micronucleus tests and analyzed at 1000x magnification. The number of micronuclei in 1,000 epithelial cells per patient sample was counted. RESULTS: Comparisons between groups with active (7.9 ± 7.8) and passive (7.2 ± 10.6) smoking versus no smoking (3.7 ± 5.1); with/without alcoholism (7.8 ± 1.4 and 6.9 ± 10.1); with/without inflammatory cytology (10.7 ± 10.5 and 1.3 ± 1.7); and with CIN I, II and III and no CIN (respectively 4.3 ± 4.3, 10.6 ± 5.3, 22.7 ± 11.9 and 1.3 ± 1.4) found elevated micronucleus prevalence (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the prevalence of micronuclei in exfoliated uterine cervical cells was greater in patients with one or more risk factors for uterine cervical cancer than in patients without risk factors.

CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: O câncer do colo uterino é uma das mais freqüentes neoplasias na mulher. O exame de Papanicolaou é o método mais comum e econômico para rastreamento. As células esfoliativas epiteliais podem ser úteis para o monitoramento de pacientes expostas a fatores de risco para o câncer. O objetivo foi analisar a prevalência de micronúcleos em células esfoliativas da mucosa cervical uterina e associar com fatores de risco para o câncer de colo uterino. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Estudo transversal analítico, no Instituto de Pesquisa em Oncologia (IPON). MÉTODOS: Células esfoliativas do colo uterino foram obtidas de 101 pacientes ambulatoriais entre setembro/2004 e novembro/2005. As células foram coletadas usando espátula de Ayre e transferidas para um tubo de ensaio com soro fisiológico 0,9 por cento para o teste do micronúcleo. Informações obtidas das pacientes foram: idade, hábitos (fumo e número de parceiros sexuais), métodos contraceptivos, história de doença sexualmente transmissível e uso de terapia hormonal. Células foram analisadas com magnificação de 1000 X e os micronúcleos contados em 1.000 células epiteliais por paciente. RESULTADOS: A comparação do grupo de pacientes fumantes ativas (7,9 ± 7,8) e passivas (7,2 ± 10,6) versus não fumantes (3,7 ± 5,1); alcoolismo e não alcoolismo (7,8 ± 1,4 e 6,9 ± 10,1); citologia inflamatória e citologia normal (10,7 ± 10,5 e 1,3 ± 1,7); neoplasia intraepitelial cervical (NIC) I, II e III e a ausência de NIC, respectivamente, (4,3 ± 4,3; 10,6 ± 5,3; 22,7 ± 11,9 e 1.3 ± 1.4) mostrou maior prevalência de micronúcleos (P < 0,05). CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de micronúcleo nas células esfoliativas do colo uterino foi maior no grupo de pacientes com pelo menos um dos fatores de risco para câncer do colo uterino do que no grupo controle (sem fatores de risco).

Inestabilidad microsatelital en lesiones preneoplásicas y neoplásicas del cuello uterino: Correlación con el genotipo del virus papiloma humano / Microsatellite instability and human papilloma virus genotypes in preneoplastic and neoplastic uterine cervix lesions

Background: The association between some specific human papilloma virus (HPV) types and cervix cancer is well known. However, the genetic conditions that favor the development of cervical cancer are less well known. Aim: To determine the presence of satellite instability (MSI) in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the cervix and correlate these findings with HPV genotypes. Material and methods: Biopsy samples of cervical lesions were studied. Sixteen had low grade lesions, 22 had high grade lesions and 28 had an epidermoid cancer. Viral types were identified with polymerase chain reaction, dot-blot hybridization and restriction fragment length polymorphism. MSI was determined using a panel of eight highly informative microsatellites. Results: Microsatellite instability in at least one locus was observed in 91, 56 and 69 percent of low grade lesions, high grade lesions and epidermoid carcinomas, respectively. MSI-High grade, MSI-Low grade instability and microsatellite stability were observed in 5, 60 and 46 percent of samples, respectively. Two of three samples with high grade instability had HPV 52 genotype. Other viral subtypes had frequencies that ranged from 78 percent to 100 percent, with the exception of HPV16 that was present in only 53 percent of samples with low grade instability. Conclusions: Two thirds of biopsy samples from cervical lesions had MSI, mechanism that can be involved in the first stages of cervical carcinogenesis. The low frequency of high grade instability, its association with HPV52 and the low frequency of HPV16 in samples with low grade instability, suggest different coadjutant mechanisms in cervical carcinogenesis

Estudo ultraestrutural do colo uterino de ratas ooforectomizadas após aplicação de óleo de copaíba / Ultraestrutural study of the uterine cervix effects of ooforectomy rats after copaiba oil application

Em virtude da extensa utilização empírica do óleo de copaíba em tratamentos ginecológicos, este trabalho visa realizar um estudo ultraestrutural do colo uterino de ratas após aplicação deste óleo. Foram utilizadas 12 ratas adultas distribuídas em 4 grupos: Água, Milho, Padrão e Copaíba. Os animais foram submetidos a ooforectomia bilateral e após 21 dias foi iniciada a aplicação das substâncias. A eutanásia foi realizada em datas pré-detreminadas (7º, 14º e 21º dias). Os grupos Padrão, Água e Milho apresentaram epitélio com duas a três fileiras de células poliédricas e núcleos de diferentes tamanhos e formas. Já no grupo copaíba, o epitélio era constituído de várias fileiras de células (8 a 10 fileiras). Concluiu-se que o óleo de copaíba promoveu aumento de fileira de células da camada epitelial com queratinização no colo uterino de ratas ooforectomizadas.