Protocol for a longitudinal, prospective cohort study investigating the biology of uterine fibroids and endometriosis, and patients' quality of life: the FENOX study.

Introduction: Millions of women suffer from the consequences of endometriosis and uterine fibroids, with fibroids the cause for over 50% of hysterectomies in the USA, and direct costs for their treatment estimated at between US$4 and US$9 billion. Endometriosis commonly affects millions of women worldwide predominantly during reproductive age, with severe menstrual and non-menstrual pain and subfertility the main symptoms. Due to the 'unhappy triad' of endometriosis-lack of awareness, lack of clinically relevant biomarkers and the unspecific nature of symptoms-women wait on average for 8-12 years before the definitive endometriosis diagnosis is made.

Annonacin Exerts Antitumor Activity through Induction of Apoptosis and Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase Inhibition.

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy in developed countries. Annonacin, a natural pure compound extracted from the seeds of , is a potential alternative therapeutic agent to treat EC.

Objective: To study the antitumor activity of annonacin and its mechanism of action in EC cells (ECCs).

Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote endometrial cancer growth via activation of interleukin-6/STAT-3/c-Myc pathway.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) secrete various pro-tumorigenic cytokines, yet the role of these cytokines in the progression of endometrial cancer remains unclear. We found that CAFs isolated from human endometrial cancer (EC) tissues secreted high levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), which promotes EC cell proliferation in vitro. Neutralizing IL-6 in CAF-conditioned media reduced (47% inhibition) while IL-6 recombinant protein increased cell proliferation (~2.

Soluble factors from stellate cells induce pancreatic cancer cell proliferation via Nrf2-activated metabolic reprogramming and ROS detoxification.

Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC), a prominent stromal cell, contribute to the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We aim to investigate the mechanisms by which PSC promote cell proliferation in PDAC cell lines, BxPC-3 and AsPC-1. PSC-conditioned media (PSC-CM) induced proliferation of these cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote proliferation of endometrial cancer cells.

Endometrial cancer is the most commonly diagnosed gynecologic malignancy worldwide; yet the tumor microenvironment, especially the fibroblast cells surrounding the cancer cells, is poorly understood. We established four primary cultures of fibroblasts from human endometrial cancer tissues (cancer-associated fibroblasts, CAFs) using antibody-conjugated magnetic bead isolation. These relatively homogenous fibroblast cultures expressed fibroblast markers (CD90, vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin) and hormonal (estrogen and progesterone) receptors.