Peritoneal lavage cytology in the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess the sensibility, specificity, and predictive values of cytology of the fluid sediment in patients with pelvic endometriosis diagnosed based on laparoscopic-guided biopsy. METHODS: Between January 2017 and September 2018, 71 specimens of peritoneal fluid collected by laparoscopy were evaluated. Fifty-three patients were diagnosed laparoscopically and histologically with endometriosis, and 18 were considered controls (without suspicious endometriosis lesions). We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, the positive and negative predictive value, and the accuracy of endometrial-like cells (ELC) and hemosiderin-laden macrophages (HLM) in the fluid sediment. RESULTS: Of the 50 patients with endometriosis, 32 (64%) had HLM, 9 (18%) had ELC, and 7 (14%) had both elements. Of the 18 patients without endometriosis, 3 (16%) had HLM, 2 (11%) had ELC, and 1 (5%) had both ELC and HLM. The sensitivity of the cytology of peritoneal fluid sediment for the diagnosis of endometriosis, based on the presence of ELC, was 18%, the specificity was 83%, the positive predictive value was 82%, the negative predictive value was 28.7%, and the accuracy was 36.8%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy based on the presence of HLM were 64%, 83%, 91%, 45.5%, and 69.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The study of peritoneal fluids obtained laparoscopically from women undergoing evaluation for endometriosis may identify patients with the disease.

Peritoneal endometriosis induces time-related depressive- and anxiety-like alterations in female rats: involvement of hippocampal pro-oxidative and BDNF alterations.

Endometriosis is a gynecological condition affecting 10% of women in reproductive age. High rates of depression and anxiety are observed in these patients. The mechanisms underlying endometriosis-induced behavioral alterations are still elusive. Animal models provide a useful tool to study the temporal sequence and biological pathways involved in this disease and comorbid states. Here, we sought to characterize time-related behavioral alterations in rats submitted to endometriosis model (EM) induced by peritoneal auto-transplantation of uterine tissues weekly for three weeks. Corticosterone stress reactivity, oxidative stress markers - reduced glutathione (GSH), lipid peroxidation, activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) - and brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the hippocampus were also evaluated. We observed a progressive increase in anxiety-like behavior from 14th to 21st days post-EM. Despair-like behavior was observed from the 14th day post-EM on, while anhedonia and apathetic-like behaviors accompanied by increased corticosterone stress response were detected on 21 days post-EM. Increased pain sensitivity was observed from the 7th day post-EM and was accompanied by increased endometrioma weight. The pro-oxidative alterations, decreased GSH and increased SOD activity were observed on 21 days post-EM, except for lipid peroxidation that was altered from the 14th day. Decreased BDNF also occurred on the 21st day. Therefore, this study demonstrates that EM is related to several features of clinical depression and proposes the contribution of hippocampal oxidative state and neurotrophic support for the emergence of these changes. Our results support the use of this model as a useful tool to test new strategies for endometriosis-related neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Sleep Quality Among Psychiatry Residents.

OBJECTIVE: Medical residency programs are traditionally known for long working hours, which can be associated with a poor quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness. However, few studies have focused on this theme. Our objective was to investigate sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and their relation with anxiety, social phobia, and depressive symptoms. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study involved 59 psychiatry residents. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were used to measure the quality of sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness ([EDS] and ESS > 10), respectively. RESULTS: Among the 59 psychiatry residents, 59.3% had poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5) and 28.8% had EDS. Poor sleep quality was associated with higher EDS (P = 0.03) and the year of residency program (P = 0.03). Only 20% of residents with poor sleep had consulted at least once for sleep problems; 54.2% had used medications for sleep; and 16.9% were using medications at the time of interview. Only 30% obtained medication during medical consultations. Poor sleep was associated with irregular sleep hours (P = 0.001) and long periods lying down without sleep (P = 0.03). Poor sleep quality was also associated with high scores of anxiety symptoms (P < 0.001) and social phobia symptoms (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Psychiatry residents frequently have poor sleep quality and EDS. Considering that sleep disorders can affect quality of life, predispose to metabolic syndrome, and be associated with worse performance at work, attention to this clinical problem is needed.

Health of Psychiatry Residents: Nutritional Status, Physical Activity, and Mental Health.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze mental health, nutritional status, and physical activity in psychiatry residents. METHODS: Sixty-two residents were invited and 59 participated (95.2% response). Depressive, anxious, and social phobic symptoms; alcohol use; and nicotine dependence were measured. Body mass index and lifestyle were also evaluated. RESULTS: Almost half of psychiatry residents were overweight or obese, and 61% reported a sedentary lifestyle. Furthermore, 33.9% of residents had high scores for anxiety; 30.5% for social phobia; and 19% for depression. In addition, 81.4% reported alcohol use, and 22% had harmful alcohol use. High scores for anxiety were associated with lower attention and worse relationship with preceptors, and high scores of depressive symptoms were related to a worse relationship with patients and preceptors. Anxiety was associated with depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) and social phobia (p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study highlight high rates of overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, and depressive and anxiety symptoms in psychiatric residents.

Uterine cavity calcifications: a report of 7 cases and a systematic literature review.

We report 7 uterine cavity calcification cases and systematically review the literature on cases presenting this finding. In our series of cases, the mean age of patients was 31.6 ± 5.4 years, with an infertility period ranging from 2 to 8 years. None of our patients had a history of intrauterine contraceptive device use, and 3 had undergone operative termination of pregnancy. Diagnostic and therapeutic hysteroscopy with complete removal of the calcifications was performed in all patients with fertility restoration in 5 of them. Our review included 35 articles published from 1989 to 2013 reporting endometrial calcification cases, with a total of 85 cases. Analyzed variables included patient age, abortion antecedents, clinical presentation, diagnostic method, treatment, and outcome. The mean age of the analyzed cases was 34.3 years, ranging from 19 to 62 years. Abortion antecedents were present in most patients (76.5%). The most frequently used diagnostic methods were ultrasound (88.5% of articles) and hysteroscopy (85.7%). Regarding the clinical presentation, infertility was the most common feature (72.9% of cases) followed by menstrual abnormalities (30.3%). Hysteroscopic removal, whether alone or combined with other techniques, was the most used method for the removal of osseous tissue (70.6% of cases) followed by curettage (27.1%). After removal of the bony fragments, 55.6% of the infertile patients achieved a pregnancy. A total of 14 cases reported relief of symptoms other than infertility. All of the data concerning outcome were stratified according to the treatment modality used. We conclude that endometrial calcifications in the uterine cavity are a relevant cause of secondary infertility, which can generally be properly diagnosed and treated through hysteroscopy, with successful restoration of fertility in most cases.

Elevated diastolic blood pressure in insulin-resistant polycystic ovarian syndrome patients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to further understand interrelationships between insulin resistance in PCOS and elevated diastolic blood pressure. DESIGN: A prospective case control study. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty normal women and 43 PCOS patients, 16 of them with insulin resistance. SETTING: Academic Institution. INTERVENTIONS: Clinical, anthropometric and ultrasonographic features of PCOS were assessed, as were blood levels for luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, androstenedione, DHEAS, and basal insulin. A lipid profile and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were also performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To demonstrate the effect of insulin resistance on blood pressure in patients with PCOS. RESULTS: Patients with PCOS and those with PCOS plus insulin resistance (IR) had significantly elevated levels of plasma androgen but only those with IR showed greater body mass index and waist: hip ratios than PCOS or control. PCOS plus IR differed significantly in their response to OGTT when compared to PCOS or control. Alterations in lipid profile were shown to be atherogenic. Patients with PCOS plus IR demonstrated a significant elevation of diastolic blood pressure when compared to PCOS alone or controls. CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesize that hyperlipidemia and IR may be involved in the pathophysiologic features of the elevated diastolic blood pressure in PCOS patients.