Effects of Hemp Sanitary Pads on the Vaginal Microecology.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of hemp cotton sanitary pads on the vaginal microecology. Methods: A randomized controlled field trial was used to recruit 1002 community-based women of childbearing age. The women were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group used hemp cotton sanitary pads, while the control group used two types of cotton sanitary randomly chosen from the top five sanitary pads in terms of market share in China. The vaginal microecology was compared between the two groups after three months. Results: According to the vaginal microecologic examination results at baseline, 1002 women were included in 3 groups: normal vaginal microecologic, vaginal microecological disorders, and suspected vaginal infections. The number of patients in three groups were 39 (3.9%), 652 (65.1%), and 311 (31%), respectively. Three months later, the vaginal microecologic status and vaginal pH value of the suspected vaginal infection group were not significantly different between the experimental group and control group. The experimental group outperformed the control group with respect to vaginal cleanliness and vaginal microecology status in the women without a vaginal infection (normal vaginal microecology or microecological disorders group). The rate of abnormal cleanliness in the experimental group was lower than the control group (31.95% [108/338] vs. 43.62% [154/353]). The incidence of suspected vaginitis in the experimental group was lower than the control group (15.29% [51/338] vs. 23.51% [83/353]). Conclusion: For women without vaginal inflammation, the use of hemp cotton sanitary pads during menstruation can help maintain the balance of the vaginal microecology to prevent reproductive tract infections.

Evaluation of folate receptor-mediated tumor detection as a triage tool in cervical cancer screening.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of folate receptor-mediated tumor detection (FRD) for identifying high-grade intraepithelial squamous lesions (HSIL) in the triage of women who are positive for human papillomavirus (HPV), and those with cytology findings of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS). METHOD: A secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from 1504 women who had abnormal results during primary cervical cancer screening at 13 hospitals in Beijing, China, between November 2014 and August 2015. The detection accuracy of FRD was evaluated among HPV-positive women and women with ASCUS referred for colposcopy examination. RESULTS: Among 1338 women with HPV, the percentage coincidence with pathology findings was higher for FRD (66.7%) than for cytology of ASCUS or higher (51.5%). The rate of colposcopy referral for cytology and FRD as a triage tool was 969 (72.4%) and 736 (55.0%), respectively. Thus, 233 (17.4%) fewer women would be referred for colposcopy by FRD. Among 476 women with cytology of ASCUS, the percentage coincidence with pathology findings was higher for FRD (63.4%) than for HPV (35.9%). CONCLUSION: FRD was found to be a promising triage tool for women who are HPV-positive and those with cytology findings of ASCUS.

High serum triglyceride levels in the early first trimester of pregnancy are associated with gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective cohort study.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been reported to have higher serum triglyceride (TG) levels during the entire gestational period. However, whether TGs contribute to the incidence of GDM remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate whether higher serum TG level during early first trimester is associated with GDM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective single-center cohort study was carried out among pregnant women (n = 2,949) who received regular antenatal care in Fu Xing Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. GDM was diagnosed between 24 and 28 gestational weeks. Serum TG levels were measured during gestational weeks 6-8 (TG0) and 16-18 (TG1). TG elevation was the difference between TG1 and TG0. RESULTS: In total, 581 pregnant women developed GDM. A 13.1, 18.5 and 28.8% incidence of GDM was observed in women with low, referent and high TG0 levels, respectively. Among women with prepregnancy body mass index <24 kg/m2 and prepregnancy body mass index ≥24 kg/m2 , those with high TG0 levels had 2.4- and 2.3-fold increased odds of developing GDM, respectively, compared with pregnant women with low TG0 levels. A positive dose-response relationship was observed between continuous TG0 and TG elevation, and the odds of GDM; a positive association was observed between TG elevation and the odds of developing GDM in pregnant women with intermediate to high TG0 levels. CONCLUSION: High TG level during the early first trimester, and TG elevation from the first to early second trimester are associated with GDM development, which persists even after adjusting for confounders.

Evaluation of Folate Receptor-Mediated Cervical Dyeing as a Method for Detection of Cervical Lesions.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of a folate receptor-mediated tumor detection (FRD) assay for detection of cervical high-grade lesions. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A total of 1504 patients with abnormal cytology and/or positive human papillomavirus (HPV) testing during primary screening from November 2014 to August 2015 were enrolled. The patients were recruited from the Peking University People's Hospital and 12 other hospitals. Folate receptor-mediated tumor detection was applied in all the patients before colposcopy to compare the detection rate, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and coincidence rate with HPV and cytology tests according to the pathologic diagnosis. RESULTS: In the total of 1504 patients, 503 patients were negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy, 440 patients were cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1, 254 patients were CIN 2, 257 patients were CIN 3, 46 patients were squamous cell carcinoma, and 4 patients were adenocarcinoma in situ. The sensitivity of FRD was 77.72%, which was less than cytology (80.39%) and HPV testing (95.54%). The specificity of FRD was 60.02%, which was greater than cytology (30.12%) and HPV testing (14.95%). The coincidence rate of FRD to the pathologic diagnosis (66.62%) was also significantly greater than atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance cytology and above (48.87%) and HPV testing (45.01%, p < .0001). The detection rate of FRD for all grades of lesions increased with the severity of lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Folate receptor-mediated tumor detection has a slightly lower sensitivity and a higher specificity than cytology and HPV testing for detection of CIN 2+. Simplicity of FRD requires less professional skill. Folate receptor-mediated tumor detection could be a candidate test for cervical cancer screening especially in low- and middle-income countries. However, FRD still needs more clinical trial data to demonstrate its ability in general screening population.

Expression and significance of aquaporin-2 and serum hormones in placenta of patients with preeclampsia.

To evaluate the relationship between serum hormone or aquaporin-2 (AQP-2) and preeclampsia, patients with severe preeclampsia (A group), mild preeclampsia (B group), chronic hypertension (C group) and normal pregnant women (D group) were recruited and analysed. The AQP-2 level in placenta tissues was detected and the correlations of AQP-2 with serum hormone levels were analysed using linear correlation regression analysis. The differences of alpha foetal protein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) levels during mid-pregnancy, as well as the levels of AFP, HCG, unconjugated oestriol and progesterone during late pregnancy were significant among A, B, C and D groups (p < .05). The AQP-2 level in placenta tissues was higher in A group than that in other groups (p < .05). The AQP-2 was correlated with HCG (p < .05). In conclusion, AQP-2 may be involved in the development of severe preeclampsia, which may be related to serum HCG.

Expression and significance of aquaporin-2 in human ectocervical-vaginal epithelial cells.

AIM: To observe the expression of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) in human ectocervical-vaginal epithelial cells (hECEs). METHODS: The study included 75 females who underwent hysterectomy for benign pelvic lesions. They were divided into three groups according to menstrual states: 28 cases in the normal menstrual group, 24 cases in the perimenopausal group, and 23 cases in the postmenopausal group. Specimens were obtained from the posterior vaginal wall. AQP2 mRNA and protein expression were detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Estrogen (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and plasma osmolality were assayed by blood routine test. Linear regression analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS: AQP2 mRNA and protein expression were detected in all hECE tissues. AQP2 mRNA and protein expression in the normal menstrual group were significantly higher than those in the peri- and menopausal groups (p < 0.05). AQP2 mRNA was negatively correlated with FSH level (R = -0.537, p < 0.05), age (R = -0.508, p < 0.05) and plasma osmolality (R = -0.214, p < 0.05), but positively correlated with E2 (R = 0.511, p < 0.05). AQP2 protein expression was negatively correlated with FSH (R = -0.419, p < 0.05) and age (R = -0.034, p < 0.05), but positively correlated with E2 (R = 0.367, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The downregulation of AQP2 might be a causative factor for decreased vaginal secretions during the menopausal period.

[Comparison of different antidepression therapy in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with depression].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of antidepression drugs and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with depression. METHODS: Eighty six perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with depression were divided into two groups, and treated for 12 weeks, respectively. Forty three received antidepression drugs as control group. Among them, mild to moderate depression were treated with deanxid (1 - 2 pills/d), and severe depression with fluoxetine (20 mg/d). Another 43 took Tibolone (livial) as HRT group (1.25 mg/d). All patients were assessed with the Hamilton depression rating scale for depression (HRSD) and self rating depression scale (SDS) before and at weeks 4, 8, 12 after treatment. RESULTS: (1) Total effective rate of control and HRT groups was 96% and 93%, respectively, in mild-moderate depression (chi(2)=0.012, P>0.05), while there was a significant difference between two groups in severe depression. The overall effective rates were 93% (control group) and 42% (HRT group), respectively (chi(2) = 5.72, P < 0.01). (2) HRSD of mild-moderate depression was 26.8 +/- 5.7, 10.7 +/- 3.6, 6.4 +/- 3.6, 3.5 +/- 2.5, respectively in control group, and were 25.3 +/- 4.7, 15.2 +/- 5.3, 11.4 +/- 4.4, 4.4 +/- 3.8 in HRT group before and at weeks 4, 8, and 12 after treatment. There was no difference between two groups at weeks 0, and 12 after treatment (P>0.05). HRSD scores of severe depression were 37.6 +/- 5.6, 21.4 +/- 5.2, 14.2 +/- 4.2, 7.3 +/- 2.3, respectively, in control group, and were 38.2 +/- 4.8, 32.6 +/- 5.4, 28.2 +/- 4.6, 24.3 +/- 4.5, respectively, in HRT group before and at weeks 4, 8, and 12 after treatment. There was no difference in HRSD before treatment (P>0.05), but a significant difference at weeks 4, 8, and 12 between two groups (P<0.01). (3) SDS of mild and moderate as well as severe depression was significantly different at weeks 0, 4.8, and 12 in control group (P<0.01), while there was a difference in SDS of severe depression before treatment and at weeks 12 in HRT group (P<0.05). A significant reduction in HRSD and SDS of severe depression was demonstrated in control group than in HRT group (P<0.01) CONCLUSION: Antidepression drugs and HRT can improve symptoms of depression in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, but the effect of antidepression drugs is much better than HRT, especially in severe depression.