Long-term metformin treatment is able to reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its hepatic involvement in young hyperinsulinaemic overweight patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the ability of metformin treatment in reducing the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its hepatic involvement in young hyperinsulinaemic overweight patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Design: Clinical Trial.

Patients: We recruited 140 hyperinsulinaemic overweight women with PCOS in their reproductive age.

CD4+CD28 null T lymphocytes are expanded in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Women affected by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We demonstrated that women with PCOS showed an expansion of CD4(+)CD28(null) T cells, an aggressive population of T lymphocytes that has been recently associated with recurrent coronary instability and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This sheds new light on possible mechanisms responsible for the higher rate of cardiovascular disease among women with PCOS.

A prospective randomized noninferiority study comparing recombinant FSH and highly purified menotropin in intrauterine insemination cycles in couples with unexplained infertility and/or mild-moderate male factor.

Objective: To demonstrate the noninferiority of highly purified menotropin (HP-hMG) compared with recombinant FSH (rFSH) regarding clinical pregnancy rate (PR) in intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles.

Design: Prospective randomized noninferiority trial.

Setting: Unit of physiopathology of human reproduction, university hospital.

Endometriosis and human infertility: a new investigation into the role of eutopic endometrium.

Background: Endometriosis is related to infertility even in the absence of mechanical alterations of the reproductive tract. Even though the pathogenesis of this phenomenon is still unclear, an impaired endometrial receptivity has been recently suggested. The aim of the present study was to investigate if endometriotic peritoneal fluids (EPF) could interfere with endometrial stromal cell (ESC) decidualization and if tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha could be involved in the EPF effect.

Paracrine regulation of endometriotic tissue.

Endometriosis is a chronic estrogen-dependent gynecological disease, characterized by pelvic pain and infertility, defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma within the pelvic peritoneum and other extrauterine sites. In the peritoneal cavity endometrial cells adhere, proliferate and induce an inflammatory response. Despite a long history of clinical and experimental research, the pathogenesis of endometriosis is still controversial.

Ghrelin affects the release of luteolytic and luteotropic factors in human luteal cells.

Context: Ghrelin, well-known modulator of food intake and energy balance, is a rather ubiquitous peptide involved in several endocrine and nonendocrine actions. A possible as-yet-unknown role for ghrelin in modulating luteal function has been suggested because both ghrelin and its receptor (GRLN-R) have been immunohistochemically detected in human corpus luteum.

Objective: We first investigated GRLN-R mRNA expression in midluteal phase human luteal cells.

Ghrelin in vitro modulates vasoactive factors in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Objective: To determine whether Ghrelin could affect prostaglandins (PGs) and nitric oxide synthesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The effect of Ghrelin on endothelial cell proliferation was also evaluated.

Design: In vitro research report.

Regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor synthesis and release by human luteal cells in vitro.

Context: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is essential for normal luteal development and function, but little is still known about the regulation of its production by human midluteal phase luteal cells.

Objective: We investigated whether human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or local factors, including chemical hypoxia, IGF-I and IGF-II, prostaglandin (PG)E(2), and PGF(2alpha) prevail in modulating VEGF mRNA and protein production in human midluteal phase luteal cells. The effect of progesterone (P) on luteal VEGF mRNA expression and protein secretion was also evaluated.

Effects of insulin-like growth factor I and II on prostaglandin synthesis and plasminogen activator activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

IGFs seem to contribute to the endothelial dysfunction observed in some vascular diseases. Because locally increased IGFs levels were detected in the preeclamptic fetoplacental unit, we hypothesized their involvement in the dysregulation of fibrinolysis and vascular tone typically observed in the fetoplacental compartment in this pregnancy disease. Therefore, in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), the potential effect of IGFs on the synthesis of plasminogen activators (PAs), PA inibitor-1 (PAI-1), and vasodilator and vasoconstrictor prostaglandins (PGs) was investigated.