Identification of miR-30c-5p microRNA in Serum as a Candidate Biomarker to Diagnose Endometriosis.

The diagnosis of endometriosis by laparoscopy is delayed until advanced stages. In recent years, microRNAs have emerged as novel biomarkers for different diseases. These molecules are small non-coding RNA sequences involved in the regulation of gene expression and can be detected in peripheral blood. Our aim was to identify candidate serum microRNAs associated with endometriosis and their role as minimally invasive biomarkers. Serum samples were obtained from 159 women, of whom 77 were diagnosed with endometriosis by laparoscopy and 82 were healthy women. First, a preliminary study identified 29 differentially expressed microRNAs between the two study groups. Next, nine of the differentially expressed microRNAs in the preliminary analysis were evaluated in a new cohort of 67 women with endometriosis and 72 healthy women. Upon validation by quantitative real-time PCR technique, the circulating level of miR-30c-5p was significantly higher in the endometriosis group compared with the healthy women group. The area under the curve value of miR-30c-5p was 0.8437, demonstrating its diagnostic potential even when serum samples registered an acceptable limit of hemolysis. Dysregulation of this microRNA was associated with molecular pathways related to cancer and neuronal processes. We concluded that miR-30c-5p is a potential minimally invasive biomarker of endometriosis, with higher expression in the group of women with endometriosis diagnosed by laparoscopy.

Ausencia de lesión intraepitelial en piezas de conización / Related factors to absence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in the conization specimen

Resumen OBJETIVO: Investigar las posibles causas de los conos blancos, establecer estrategias para disminuir su incidencia y desarrollar protocolos de seguimiento. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Estudio observacional, retrospectivo, de casos y controles. Se incluyeron las pacientes a quienes se efectuó una conización en el Hospital Universitario La Paz. Las variables analizadas más importantes fueron: anatomía patológica de la pieza y su relación con la biopsia y citologías previas, longitud del cono, presencia o no de artefacto y de cervicitis. Para el análisis estadístico se utilizaron: χ2, prueba exacta de Fisher, t de Student, U de Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis y Kolmogorov-Smirnov. RESULTADOS: Se integraron dos grupos: 371 conos positivos (85.9%) y 61 negativos (14.1%), con diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la citología, colposcopia y biopsia. Hubo mayor porcentaje de lesiones de menor grado en las pacientes con conización blanca. La longitud del cono fue menor en el grupo de análisis y en éste también se observó mayor porcentaje de cervicitis y artefactos. CONCLUSIONES: Las causas de lesión residual luego de una conización son variadas y difíciles de demostrar. Las pacientes con citología anómala e inflamación o atrofia deben recibir tratamiento para evitar falsos positivos y mejorar la técnica quirúrgica para impedir artefactos.

Abstract OBJECTIVES: to investigate the possible causes of the negative cones, to establish strategies to reduce their incidence and to develop monitoring protocols. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective observational cases and controls study of 432 conizations made in the Hospital Universitario La Paz (HULP) between 2013 and 2015. The most important analysed variables were the pathological anatomy of the piece and its relationship with the biopsy and previous cytology, the cone length, as well as the presence and artefact and cervicitis. The analysis it was used Chi - Square and Fisher´s test, T-Student, Mann Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis and Kolmogorov- Smirnov. RESULTS: There are two groups: 371 positive (85,9%) and 61 negative cones (14,1%). We find statistically significant differences in the cytology, colposcopy and biopsy pre-conization, finding a major percentage of injuries of lesser degree in the patients with negative cone. The length of the cone was lower in the analysis group and in this we also observed a greater percentage of cervicitis and artefacts. CONCLUSIONS: The causes that make the remaining injury not appear after a diagnosed and/or therapeutic conization are a wide variety and difficult to prove. We should try to treat the patients with inflammation or atrophy to avoid false positives in the cytology and biopsy, improve the surgical technique to avoid artefacts and perform conservative management of low-risk injuries.