1,720,972 research outputs found
Serum Biomarker for Diagnosis of Endometriosis
No full textEndometriosis is estimated to affect 10% of women during the reproductive years. The lack of a non-invasive diagnostic test significantly contributes to the long delay between onset of the symptoms and definitive diagnosis of endometriosis. This case-control study was conducted to identify specific endometriosis antigens using 2D gel analysis in women with endometriosis (n=5) and without endometriosis (n=5). Differentially expresses spots were analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS) with MASCOT analysis, in order to identify the corresponding proteins. ELISAs were performed on a different cohort of endometriosis (n=120) and healthy patients (n=20) in order to confirm the differential expression of the identified proteins. ROC analysis of ELISA results confirmed the statistical significance of the differential expression for one of these proteins: Zn-alpha2-glycoprotein (P=0.019). We propose the analysis of the expression level of this protein in the serum as a new non-invasive diagnostic test for endometriosis. J. Cell. Physiol. 229: 1731-1735, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
New evidence in endometriosis
No full textEndometriosis is a recurrent and benign gynecological disorder characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the cavity of the uterus. It is one of the most common diseases in the gynecological field, affecting about 10% of the female population in reproductive age. Despite this, its pathogenesis is still unacknowledged, there is a lack of early diagnostic markers and current therapies are only symptomatic. Considering the relevant health problems caused by endometriosis, all new information on this disease may have important clinical implications. The aim of this article is to summarize the latest advances in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy of endometriosis that have recently been proposed by our research group. The possible clinical implications of these findings will be discussed
Endometriosis: New concepts in the pathogenesis
No full textEndometriosis is a gynaecological disease defined by the histological presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Though there are several theories, research scientists remain unsure as to the definitive cause(s) of endometriosis. Considering the relevant health problems caused by endometriosis, all new information on the pathogenesis of this disease, may have important clinical implications. Goal of this article is to summarize the latest advances in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, with particular emphasis on the embryological theory, that has been recently re-proposed. The possible clinical implications of these findings will be discussed. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd
Endometriosis: Pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy and association with cancer (Review)
No full textEndometriosis is a painful reproductive and immunological disease afflicting about 7-10% of women worldwide. It is one of the most frequent benign gynaecological diseases; however, little is known about the pathogenetic processes leading to the development and maintenance of this disease and the currently available therapeutic strategies are unsatisfactory. The goal of this article is to review the most recent advancements in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy of this disease. The risk for cancer among women with endometriosis will be analyzed in light of the most recent epidemiological and functional studies focused on this disease
A Tissue Specific Magnetic Resonance Contrast Agent, Gd-AMH, for Diagnosis of Stromal Endometriosis Lesions: A Phase I Study
No full textThe anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) is a homodimeric glycoprotein member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily, is secreted by Sertoli cells in the embryonic testes and is responsible of the regression of the mullerian duct. The physiological functions of this protein remain largely unknown, and its expression in human tissues has yet to be completely determined. Firstly, we analyzed AMH expression in human tissues by immunohistochemistry. AMH was distributed in many organs, although with different tissue and cell localization and various expression levels; we also demonstrated strong AMH expression in endometriosis tissues. Secondly, we demonstrated the ability of an anti-AMH antibody, labeled with gadiolinium, to be directly detected by magnetic resonance in small endometriosis lesions (5mm in diameter) in vivo in a mouse model. In conclusion, our data suggest that based on its expression pattern, AMH may serve to maintain physiological cellular homeostasis in different human tissues and organs. Moreover, it is strongly expressed in endometriosis lesions as a selective tissue specific contrast agent for in vivo detection of stromal endometriosis lesions. The potential significance of these findings could be further validated in a clinical setting. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 1270-1275, 2015
Anti-mullerian hormone is expressed by endometriosis tissues and induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in endometriosis cells
Full text linkBackground: The anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) is a member of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily, which is responsible of the regression of the mullerian duct. AMH is expressed in the normal endometrium, where, acting in a paracrine fashion, negatively regulates cellular viability. Our objective was to evaluate the in vitro effects of the treatment with AMH of endometriosic cells. Methods. AMH expression in human endometriosis glands was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. RT-PCR has been used to quantify the expression levels of AMH and AMH RII isoforms, as well as of cytochrome P450 in both endometriosis epithelial and stromal cells Effects of AMH and AMH-cleaved treatment in endometriosis cells were evaluated by flow-cytometry analysis. Finally, it has been evaluated the effect of plasmin-digested AMH on cytochrome P450 activity. Results: AMH and AMH RII isoforms, as well as cytochrome P450, were expressed in both endometriosis epithelial and stromal cells. Treatment of endometriosis stromal and epithelial cell growth with AMH was able to induce a decrease in the percentage of cells in S phase and increase percentage of cells in G1 and G2 phase; coherently, decreased cell viability and increased percentage of cells death fraction was observed. The plasmin-digested AMH was able to suppress most of the cytochrome P450 activity, causing an increase of pre-G1 phase and of apoptosis induction treating with plasmin-digested AMH in both cell lines, most marked in the epithelial cells. Conclusions: The data produced suggest a possible use of AMH as therapeutic agents in endometriosis. © 2014 Signorile et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd
Embryologic origin of endometriosis: analysis of 101 human female fetuses..Fondazione Italiana Endometriosi, Rome, Italy.
No full textThe etiology of endometriosis, a gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity, is still unknown. Our research group has recently demonstrated the presence of ectopic
endometrium in human female fetuses at different gestational ages. In this manuscript we describe four new cases of fetal endometriosis found among a series of 52 female fetuses analyzed at autopsy. The anatomical localization of this
ectopic endometrium, and its histological and immunohistochemical characteristics
are depicted. We suggest that endometriosis is caused by dislocation of primitive endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity during organogenesis. The clinical
and pathological implications of these findings are discussed
Rectovaginal septum endometriosis:an immunohistochemical analysis of 62 cases
No full textDeep infiltrating endometriosis of rectovaginal septum is a particular form of endometriosis located under the peritoneal surface. This kind of lesions are very active and strongly associated with pelvic pain symptoms. A study on 62 cases of rectovaginal septum endometriosis by means of immunohistochemistry was conducted in order to evaluate the oestrogen and progesterone receptor levels in these cases and to correlate them to the level of vascularization (CD34 expression) and the amount of nerve fibres (S100 expression). Data showed great heterogeneity in the expression of all the parameters analyzed. Nevertheless, by using Spearman correlation test to assess relationship among oestrogen and progesterone receptors, S100 and CD34 staining, a significant direct correlation was found between all the parameters analyzed. These observations sustain the hypothesis that oestrogen and progesterone play an important role in the genesis of endometriotic glands, in the vascularization and in the proliferation of nerves.Endometriosis is a gynaecological disease defined by the histological presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity, most commonly implanted over visceral and peritoneal surfaces within the female pelvis, but rarely also in the pericardium, pleura and even brain (1,2). Although the exact prevalence of endometriosis in the population is not clear, the prevalence in the general female population is 6-10%; in women with pain, infertility or both, the frequency increases to 35-60% (3). Endometriosis is usually associated with infertility and pelvic pain such aschronic dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual abdominal and pelvic pain, back pain, dysuria, dyschezia and dyspareunia (1). Deep infiltrating endometriosis of rectovaginal septum is a particular form of endometriosis located under the peritoneal surface (4). These kind of lesions are very active and are strongly associated with pelvic pain symptoms (5).The mechanisms by which deep infiltrating endometriosis lesions cause pain and hyperalgesia are poorly understood. A multifactorial pathogenetic mechanism could be hypothesized, where cyclical bleeding, anatomical structure and locations of the lesions, production of prostaglandins and inflammatory mediators by the endometriosic lesions themselves and local response of the damaged tissues with production of mast cells could be outlined (6,7). Despite this, deep infiltrating endometriosis is rather poorly reflected in the R-AFS classification (8). Moreover, previous immunohistochemical analyses have demonstrated marked heterogeneity in the expression of oestrogen and progesterone receptors in endometriosis lesions from different patients with non-homogeneous results (9,10). Indeed, studies addressed to the exhaustive morphological and molecular characterization of this peculiar type of endometriosis are needed to better define the impact of rectovaginal endometriosis on the pathogenesis and clinical course of this very common disease. To further analyse this topic, a study on 62 cases of rectovaginal septum endometriosis has been conducted. The aim of the study was to determine, by means of immunohistochemistry, the oestrogen and progesterone receptor levels in these cases and to correlate them to the level of vascularization and the amount of nerve fibres
Methylation analysis of HOXA10 regulatory elements in patients with endometriosis
No full textObjective: The pathogenesis of endometriosis is still mysterious, being retrograde menstruation and coelomic metaplasia the most accepted hypotheses. Recently, it has been proposed that endometriosis is caused by fine-tuning alterations of the female genital system development during the foetal life and that in utero exposition to endocrine disruptors can be one of the factors causing the disease, possibly acting on the methylation status of the genome. In this study, we have evaluated the methylation status of HOXA10 gene regulation regions in a cohort of 22 endometriosis patients respect to a control group of 6 healthy women. Results: The methylation study was carried out on three CpG islands, previously described hypermethylated in the endometrium of endometriosis patients and include 22 CpG sites, 21 CpG sites and 10 CpG sites, respectively identified through the online platform MethPrimer. The analysis did not find significant differences between patients with endometriosis and healthy control individuals. These results confirm previous studies on genome wide methylation analysis in endometriosis patients. Therefore, other epigenetically altered genes should be considered more related to the pathogenesis of endometriosis
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