Prognostic significance of apoptotic index and bcl-2 and p53 expression in epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To determine if bcl-2 and p53 expression, and apoptotic index (AI) were associated with patient outcome in epithelial carcinomas of the ovary (EOC) and therefore useful as prognostic factors to predict survival. METHODS: A total of 50 women with epithelial carcinomas of the ovary were retrospectively analyzed. The archival paraffin-embedded material of of these cases were evaluated for expression of p53 and bcl-2 by immunohistochemical techniques. Apoptotic cells were detected with an in situ hybridisation method. RESULTS: A total of 33 (66%) of 50 cases showed positive immunoreactivity for the p53 antibody. Twenty-four of the 50 cases showed positive bcl-2 protein expression. Median value for AI was found to be 2.48. No statistically significant association was found between bcl-2 and p53 expression and clinicopathologic features. Univariate survival analysis of AI failed to reveal any effect on prognosis in the study population. CONCLUSION: We found neither p53 nor bcl-2 immunoreactivity to be of prognostic significance in patients with EOC. In addition, AI was not found to be an independent prognostic factor.

Comparison of the effects of atorvastatin and simvastatin in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A prospective, randomized study.

UNLABELLED: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance (IR), and chronic inflammation. Simvastatin improves endocrine/clinical aspects of PCOS and decreases systemic inflammation in PCOS. There have been no comparative studies carried out regarding the effects of different statin treatment in PCOS. We aimed to assess the effects of two different statin treatments on various metabolic, endocrine, oxidative and inflammatory factors in PCOS. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized clinical trial METHODS: Sixty-four (64) women with PCOS were included in the study. Group 1 had (atorvastatin, 20lmg daily; n=32) or group 2 had (simvastatin, 20l mg daily n=32). The metabolic, endocrine, inflammatory and oxidative profiles were evaluated. RESULTS: Group 1 resulted in a significant reduction in the HOMA index and fasting insulin (-26.9+/-9.6%, -26.2+/-10.8%, P<0.01, respectively).CRP levels decreased by 63.6+/-15.9% in group 1 (P<0.01), whereas in the group 2 it decreased by 34.6+/-10.7% (P<0.05). Serum levels of LH declined by 19.1+/-4.5% (P<0.05) in the group 1 and by 39.3+/-11.9% (P<0.01) in the group 2. FAI decreased by -20+/-9.9% in group 1 (P<0.05) and it decreased by -38.7+/-13.8% in the group 2 (P<0.01). MDA levels decreased by 32.6+/-9.6% in group 1 (P<0.05), whereas in the group 2 it decreased by 30.3+/-10.9% (P<0.01). HOMA index and fasting insulin showed a reduction but not reached statistically significance in the group 2 (8.3+/-1.9%, 3.0+/-0.8%, P>0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Both the statins are effective in reducing inflammation, hyperandrogenemia, oxidative stress and metabolic parameters. While atorvastatin has more noticeable effects on fasting insulin and insulin sensitivity, simvastatin has a dominant effect on total T in PCOS women.

Depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate in anticoagulated patients with previous hemorrhagic corpus luteum.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety of depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) in women of reproductive age with prosthetic heart valves, as well as the impact of DMPA on the prevention of hemorrhagic corpus luteum in these patients with previous bleeding events. METHODS: In this prospective study we enrolled 13 patients who were receiving chronic anticoagulation for prosthetic heart valves, and who suffered from ovarian bleeding. After the initial bleeding episode(s), DMPA was initiated with the intent of preventing recurrent bleeding events by means of ovulation suppression. Follow-up included close monitoring of anticoagulation intensity, lipid profile, measurement of systolic and diastolic blood pressures and weight, and a general physical and gynecological examination. RESULTS: Of the participating 13 patients, one stopped DMPA after the third injection because she wanted to have a child. Among the remaining 12 women, over a mean follow-up of 39.9 months all patients were well and no hemorrhagic corpus luteum was observed. During the follow-up, anticoagulation intensity, assessed by the international normalized ratio (INR), was in the optimum therapeutic ranges at all times (range 2.5-3.5), except for values of 4.6, 5.8 and 5.9 in three patients at 9, 12 and 24 months, respectively. With regard to lipid profile, we observed a significant decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels at 12 months, and significant increases in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels after 30 months compared to baseline serum levels. No significant changes were observed in serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Mean body weight was higher at months 12 and 30, compared with baseline values (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: DMPA, which is an effective contraceptive agent, can be used to prevent bleeding from the corpus luteum by means of ovulation suppression in anticoagulated patients with prosthetic heart valves. However, meticulous surveillance should be provided during the follow-up, including close monitoring of anticoagulation intensity and lipid profile.

Prognostic value of p53 accumulation in epithelial ovarian carcinomas.

AIM: To evaluate the prognostic significance of p53 expression in epithelial ovarian carcinomas (EOC), and to look for correlations between p53 and other disease parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical techniques were used to evaluate p53 expression in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of 50 EOC cases. RESULTS: p53 immunoreactivity was present in 33 of the 50 cases (66%). The expression of the p53 did not show any association with the tumor histologic type, grade or with the disease stage. However, p53 accumulation was significantly more prevalent among tumors with high mitotic index ( p<0.01). Although median survival was low in the p53 negative cases, this biologic marker did not reveal as an independent prognostic factor in Cox's regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Abnormalities of p53 expression which is an inducer of apoptosis occur commonly in EOC. Although we could not find it as an independent prognostic factor, p53 expression should be studied in larger series to reveal its accurate prognostic significance.