86,577 research outputs found
Introduzione [a Relazioni e scambi internazionali (secc. XVI-XVII)]
No full textFocus su relazioni e scambi commerciali tra l'Italia e l'Europa, in relazione alle operazioni finanziarie ma anche alla cultura materiale, ai beni artistici e al commercio librari
Ancoraggio lastre in vetro
No full textDomanda di Brevetto FI2005A000066 depositata il 11.4.2005 alla Camera di Commercio di Firenze, primo assegnatario Università degli Studi di Firenze, acquistato da Logli Massimo srl
Efficacy of vaginal danazol treatment in women with recurrent deeply infiltrating endometriosis
No full textOBJECTIVE:
To describe a safe long-term medical treatment for deeply infiltrating endometriosis, a critical condition characterized by multiple painful symptoms and a high recurrence rate after surgical treatment.
DESIGN:
Prospective study.
SETTING:
University of Siena.
PATIENT(S):
Twenty-one women with deeply infiltrating endometriosis.
INTERVENTION(S):
In a nonrandomized prospective study a low dose of vaginal danazol (200 mg/d) was self-administered for 12 months. After a previous laparoscopic surgery, these patients had reported recurrent severe dyspareunia, dysmenorrhea, and pelvic pain (in five cases also painful defecation).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):
Before and every 3 months during the treatment a visual analogue pain scale was used. Transvaginal and transrectal ultrasound examinations were performed before and after 6 and 12 months of treatment. Adverse effects were registered, and serum concentration of cholesterol, triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, glycemia, protein S, protein C, antithrombin III, and homocysteine was evaluated before and after 12 months.
RESULT(S):
Dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and pelvic pain significantly decreased within 3 months and disappeared after 6 months of treatment, with a persistent effect during the 12 months of treatment. A relief of painful defecation was also shown. Ultrasound examination showed a reduction of the nodularity in the rectovaginal septum within 6 months. The medical treatment did not affect metabolic or thrombophilic parameters; few local vaginal adverse effects were reported.
CONCLUSION(S):
Vaginal danazol resulted in effective medical treatment for the various painful symptoms in women with recurrent deeply infiltrating endometriosis, and because of the lack of significant adverse effects it may be proposed as an alternative to repeated surger
Identification of activin A and follistatin in human milk
No full textActivin A is a dimeric protein member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) family: it is synthesized by a variety of organs and follistatin is an activin-binding protein. A sensitive and specific assays for bioactive dimeric activin A and follistatin have recently allowed to measure these proteins in blood and other biological fluids, giving a new insights into their possible physiological role. Since human breast is able to produce activin A, the aim of the present study was to evaluate whether it and follistatin are measurable in breast milk of women during lactation. Concentrations of activin A and follistatin were measured in milk samples collected at 3, 5 and 30 days after delivery by using specific and sensitive two-site ELISAs. For the first time the presence of immunoreactive activin A and follistatin in human milk has been shown; no significant different concentration between the third and the fifth day after delivery was found. Furthermore, no difference of activin A and follistatin concentration between the whole and the skim milk or between spontaneous delivery and cesarean section was found. Milk activin A and follistatin concentrations after 1 month of lactation were significantly decreased (P < 0.01). Activin A and follistatin are present in human milk in high concentrations in the first week of lactation, while decrease after a month suggesting a possible role as growth factors in human milk
Endometrial expression and secretion of activin A, but not follistatin, increase in the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle
No full textOBJECTIVE:
Activin A is a growth factor expressed by human endometrium, and its biologic effects are counteracted by follistatin. We evaluate whether activin A and follistatin mRNA and peptide expression as well as protein secretion from human endometrium change throughout the menstrual cycle.
METHODS:
In 25 healthy fertile patients, uterine washing fluid was retrieved by hydrosonography. In a subgroup (n = 13), endometrial tissue samples were collected by hysteroscopy during the proliferative (n = 6) or secretory (n = 7) phase of the menstrual cycle. Activin and follistatin mRNA and peptide expression were evaluated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and by immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. Activin A and follistatin levels were assayed in uterine washing fluids by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and evaluated according to the endometrial thickness and menstrual cycle days.
RESULTS:
Both activin A and follistatin mRNAs were expressed by human endometrium, and their peptides immunolocalized both in proliferative and secretory endometrial epithelial and stromal cells. A significant increase in immunoreactive activin betaA but not in follistatin was observed in glandular epithelium during the secretory phase. Activin A but not follistatin was significantly (P <.0001) higher in the washing fluids collected during the secretory than proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle. In addition, a significant correlation was found between activin A, but not follistatin, and menstrual cycle days (P <.0001) or endometrial thickness (P <.0001).
CONCLUSIONS:
Both activin A and follistatin mRNAs are expressed by human endometrium; however, activin A but not follistatin peptide expression and secretion were increased in the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle, suggesting an important role in human endometriu
Use of a progestogen only preparation containing desogestrel in the treatment of recurrent pelvic pain after conservative surgery for endometriosis
No full textObjective: To assess the effect of a new progestin progestogen only pill (desogestrel) versus an oral contraceptive in the treatment of recurrent endometriosis.
Study design: A randomized prospective clinical study. A group of women with endometriosis (n = 40) who showed recurrent dysmenorrhea and/or pelvic pain after conservative surgery, and did not desire a pregnancy. Continuous treatment for 6 months with desogestrel (75 mu g/d) (n = 20) versus a combined oral contraceptive (ethinyl estradiol 20 mu g plus desogestrel 150 mu g) (n = 20) was performed.
Results: A significant improvement of both pelvic pain and dysmenorrhea was observed following each type of treatment (P < 0.001). The use of desogestrel progestogen only pill was associated with a breakthrough bleeding in 20% patients, while a significant body weight increase was observed in 15% after oral contraceptive.
Conclusions: Both desogestrel and an oral estro-progestinic were effective, safe and low cost therapy of pain symptoms after endoscopic surgery for endometriosis, the former showing an impact on breakthrough bleeding, the later an incidence on body weight increas
Surgical scar endometriosis after Cesarean section: a case report
No full textBackground. Cutaneous endometriosis is a rare condition. Case report. A 37-year-old woman came to our observation 3 years after Cesarean section for a nodule under the scar that became spontaneously painful during menstrual bleeding. Transabdominal ultrasound examination, serum CA125 determination and histopathological analysis of the nodule were performed. Ultrasound revealed the presence of an oval-shaped hypoechogenic neoformation, while the serum CA125 level was slightly increased, and a diagnosis of endometriosis was confirmed by the histopathological analysis of a surgical specimen. Conclusion. This is an interesting case of surgical scar endometriosis, and the etiopathogenetic mechanism of this location may be explained by a dissemination of endometrial tissue during the Cesarean section. © 2006 Taylor & Francis
Abnormal umbilical artery Doppler waveforms and cord blood inhibin a and inhibin B levels
No full textInhibin A and inhibin B are glycoprotein hormones produced by human placenta and by several fetal organs during pregnancy. They are secreted in maternal circulation in increasing amounts from early until term pregnancy, and in umbilical cord blood levels are significantly lower than in maternal serum and do not differ from mid-pregnancy to term gestation. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether secretion of inhibin A and inhibin B into the fetal circulation is increased in pregnancies complicated by umbilical-placental vascular insufficiency. A group of women (n = 13) with abnormal Doppler umbilical artery flow velocimetry and a group of control women (n = 11) with uncomplicated term pregnancies and normal umbilical artery flow velocity waveforms were studied. In each woman, inhibin A and inhibin B concentrations were estimated in umbilical cord artery and vein. In the two groups of women, mean inhibin A levels did not differ between umbilical cord artery and vein. In addition, no difference was retrieved both in umbilical cord artery and vein values between healthy controls and patients with abnormal Doppler umbilical artery flow velocimetry. On the contrary, inhibin B levels were significantly higher in samples from umbilical cord vein than artery, in both groups of pregnant women (both p < 0.001). However, women with abnormal Doppler umbilical artery flow velocimetry had inhibin B levels significantly higher than healthy controls (p = 0.005) only in the umbilical cord artery, but not in the vein. In the presence of abnormal Doppler umbilical artery flow velocity, the concentrations of inhibin B are increased in the arterial umbilical circulation, suggesting that inhibin B is released from multiple fetal sources as a response to hypoxemic stress. As inhibins may affect the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis which plays an important role in the mechanisms of adaptations to the post-natal life, inhibin B in fetal circulation might then be beneficial to a fetus whose intrauterine survival is threatened by impaired umbilical-placental blood flo
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