The HPV-DNA Test in Pregnancy: A Review of the Literature.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virtually necessary cause of cervical cancer, and HPV genotypes are categorized either as high-risk or low-risk based on their potential to cause malignancy of the cervix. HPV-DNA detection is used widely for screening women at risk. However, its clinical significance is not proven sufficiently in pregnancy. The aim of this review was to summarize published data referring to the integration of the HPV-DNA test in cervical cancer screening during pregnancy. PubMed and Scopus were searched for articles investigating the HPV-DNA test during pregnancy as a primary association; greater interest was placed on studies published after 2000. Retrieved articles reported similarities or discrepancies in the HPV-DNA test in pregnant women compared to those who are not pregnant, its accuracy, and its integration in cervical cancer screening. The HPV-DNA test may constitute a helpful tool utilized for monitoring, risk stratification, and triage of cases that require colposcopy. If combined with the HPV-mRNA test, this might improve its specificity. However, when compared to HPV-DNA detection rates in non-pregnant women, the results were ambiguous, without giving the opportunity to draw safe conclusions. Both those findings and the high cost hold it back from wide use. Hence, the Papanicolaou smear (Pap smear) is still the first-line diagnostic tool and colposcopy-guided cervical biopsy is the "gold standard" method for the management of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) treatment during pregnancy.

Ovarian Cancer and Glutamine Metabolism.

Cancer cells are known to have a distinct metabolic profile and to exhibit significant changes in a variety of metabolic mechanisms compared to normal cells, particularly glycolysis and glutaminolysis, in order to cover their increased energy requirements. There is mounting evidence that there is a link between glutamine metabolism and the proliferation of cancer cells, demonstrating that glutamine metabolism is a vital mechanism for all cellular processes, including the development of cancer. Detailed knowledge regarding its degree of engagement in numerous biological processes across distinct cancer types is still lacking, despite the fact that such knowledge is necessary for comprehending the differentiating characteristics of many forms of cancer. This review aims to examine data on glutamine metabolism and ovarian cancer and identify possible therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer treatment.

Portal Vein Thrombosis after C-Section in a Patient with Polycythemia Vera (PV) Due to Pregnancy and Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA).

Polycythemia vera (PV) is one of the three main classic disorders of Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), with the other two being essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). PV may develop (15%) in women of childbearing age (15-45 years), with an anticipated rate of roughly 0.3 per 100,000 people, although maintaining a male to female ratio predominance of about 2:1 and a peak prevalence in the sixth and seventh decades of life. Without always being presented with its actual clinical manifestations due to pregnancy itself, and most commonly due to iron deficiency, PV can be frequently missed and therefore belatedly diagnosed. We describe the case of a primipara woman in her 40s, without risk factors for thrombosis, who developed a portal vein occlusion 1.5 month postpartum after C-section and who had a delayed diagnosis of PV.

The Significance of Peritoneal Washing as a Prognostic Indicator for Ovarian Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM: During ovarian cancer (OC) debulking surgery, the surgeon can examine the peritoneal cavity for malignant cancer cells with peritoneal washing (PW) cytology. The goal of this study was to examine the significance of peritoneal washing as a prognostic indicator for ovarian cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Information considering the prognostic factors of OC and their impact in PW's result was collected, compared, and combined. RESULTS: Omental metastasis, tumor type, tumor invasion, tumor size, tumor grade/ stage, tumor's cytoreduction, and recurrence affect both the peritoneal washing result and the patient's prognosis. The correlation that most of the above factors have with a positive PW and dismal prognosis, led us to the assumption that PW has a significance as a prognostic indicator. CONCLUSION: The significance of PW as a prognostic indicator remains an assumption.