Diagnostic and prognostic role of TFF3, Romo-1, NF-кB and SFRP4 as biomarkers for endometrial and ovarian cancers: a prospective observational translational study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate trefoil factor 3 (TFF3), secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (sFRP4), reactive oxygen species modulator 1 (Romo1) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) as diagnostic and prognostic markers of endometrial cancer (EC) and ovarian cancer (OC). METHODS: Thirty-one patients with EC and 30 patients with OC undergone surgical treatment were enrolled together with 30 healthy controls in a prospective study. Commercial ELISA kits determined serum TFF-3, Romo-1, NF-кB and sFRP-4 concentrations. RESULTS: Serum TFF-3, Romo-1 and NF-кB levels were significantly higher in patients with EC and OC than those without cancer. Regarding EC, none of the serum biomarkers differs significantly between endometrial and non-endometrioid endometrial carcinomas. Mean serum TFF-3 and NF-кB levels were significantly higher in advanced stages. Increased serum levels of TFF-3 and NF-кB were found in those with a higher grade of the disease. Regarding OC, none of the serum biomarkers differed significantly among histological subtypes. Significantly increased serum levels of NF-кB were observed in patients with advanced-stage OC than those with stage I and II diseases. No difference in serum biomarker levels was found between those who had a recurrence and those who had not. The sensibility and specificity of these four biomarkers in discriminating EC and OC from the control group showed encouraging values, although no one reached 70%. CONCLUSIONS: TFF-3, Romo-1, NF-кB and SFRP4 could represent new diagnostic and prognostic markers for OC and EC. Further studies are needed to validate our results.

Risk factors for sexual dysfunction in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the level of sexual function during the COVID-19 pandemic in pregnant women followed up in Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey, using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). METHODS: An observational analysis was performed on pregnant women who were not infected with COVID-19. A total of 135 pregnant women (group 1), 45 of whom were in the first trimester, 45 in the second trimester, and 45 in the third trimester, and 45 healthy women who were not pregnant (group 2), were included in the study. The FSFI was used to assess sexual dysfunction status. RESULTS: A total of 118 (87.4%) pregnant participants and 31 (68.9%) non-pregnant participants were diagnosed as having sexual dysfunction according to the FSFI. When comparing groups 1 and 2, FSFI scores were significantly lower in group 1 (p = 0.002). It was also found that women who had university degrees, were multiparous, and in the third trimester were more likely to develop sexual dysfunction (p = 0.030, p = 0.029, and p = 0.001, respectively). FSFI scores were found to be significantly higher in planned pregnancies than in unplanned pregnancies (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The sexual function of uninfected pregnant women decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, negatively influenced by restrictive social distancing measures.

Serum AMH levels and insulin resistance in women with PCOS.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the serum AMH levels between women with and without insulin resistance (IR) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). STUDY DESIGN: 293 women with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria were enrolled into our study. Insulin resistance was diagnosed according to the Homeostatic model assessment insulin resistant (HOMA-IR) formula and the cut-off point was set to more than 2.5. Women were grouped according to the presence of insulin resistance (IR) (HOMA-IR ≥ 2.5). Serum AMH and other hormones were compared between the IR (+) and IR (-) groups. Additionally, AMH percentiles were (<25, 25-75, >75) constructed; HOMA-IR and BMI values in women with/without IR were compared in different percentiles. Further, HOMA-IR, BMI and AMH values were measured across different PCOS phenotypes. RESULTS: The prevalence of IR was 45%. The prevalence of IR was 57% in women with BMI ≥ 25. Serum AMH levels were not significantly different among women with and without IR. Also, HOMA-IR values were not significant among different AMH percentiles. However, in each AMH percentile BMI were found to be higher in women with IR than in women without IR. The median HOMA-IR values were the highest in women with BMI ≥ 25 in both IR (+) and IR (-) groups. No significant difference was found among PCOS phenotypes in terms of HOMA-IR and BMI. Positive correlations were found between BMI, free testosterone and HOMA-IR. However, no correlation was found between AMH and HOMA-IR. CONCLUSION: The serum AMH levels between women with IR and without IR in PCOS were not significantly different. Also, we did not reveal a correlation between serum AMH levels and IR in women with PCOS. IR was not correlated with different PCOS phenotypes either. We found a positive correlation between BMI and IR. IR should be investigated in women with PCOS having a BMI ≥ 25, independent of their phenotype or AMH levels.