Clinical and molecular spectrum of patients with 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 (17-β-HSD3) deficiency.

The enzyme 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 (17-β-HSD3) catalyzes the conversion of androstenedione to testosterone in the testes, and its deficiency is a rare disorder of sex development in 46,XY individuals. It can lead to a wide range of phenotypic features, with variable hormonal profiles. We report four patients with the 46,XY karyotype and 17-β-HSD3 deficiency, showing different degrees of genital ambiguity, increased androstenedione and decreased testosterone levels, and testosterone to androstenedione ratio < 0.

Perinatal morbidity and mortality associated with chlamydial infection: a meta-analysis study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Chlamydia trachomatis infection during pregnancy on perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis in an electronic database and manual, combining high sensitivity specific descriptors seeking to answer the research objective. The articles considered to be of high methodological quality (score above 6 on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale) were assessed by meta-analysis.

[Comparative study of transvaginal sonography and outpatient hysteroscopy for detection of pathologic endometrial lesions in postmenopausal women].

Objective: To compare the efficiency of transvaginal sonography and outpatient hysteroscopy in the diagnosis of intrauterine pathology in postmenopausal women.

Methods: Two-hundred and forty-three postmenopausal women were selected. All women had undergone outpatient hysteroscopy in the year 2006.

Prevalence of uterine synechia after abortion evacuation curettage.

Context And Objective: Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) is a possible complication of uterine curettage following abortion. Because IUA is an important cause of infertility, some investigators have been advocating its inclusion in the routine investigational workup after every abortion curettage procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the uterine cavity of patients subjected to abortion curettage, in order to ascertain the prevalence of IUA and its association with social and clinical factors.