Hormonal and surgical treatments for endometriosis and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Objective: Whether hormonal or surgical treatment of endometriosis is associated with risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Design: Nested case-control study.

Setting: Sweden.

Cryopreservation of follicles in human ovarian cortical tissue. Comparison of serum and human serum albumin in the cryoprotectant solutions.

Background: Cryopreservation of follicles in ovarian cortical tissue has been suggested as a method for preserving fertility for young women who need to undergo cytotoxic therapy. Varying compositions of cryoprotectant solutions have been used to prevent tissue damage during cryopreservation and thawing. We compared human serum [20% (v/v)] and human serum albumin (HSA) (25 mg/ml) in cryoprotectant solutions containing propanediol and sucrose to evaluate whether serum-free medium could be used for this purpose.

Maternal and fetal outcomes if gestational impaired glucose tolerance is not treated.

Objective: To evaluate whether there is increased maternal or neonatal morbidity in connection with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) during pregnancy when the condition is not treated.

Research Design And Methods: During the study period of 1997-2001, in a defined geographical area in Sweden, the diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were limited to the criteria for diabetes. Prospectively, 213 women who were identified with IGT during pregnancy were undiagnosed and untreated.

Growth differentiation factor-9 promotes the growth, development, and survival of human ovarian follicles in organ culture.

Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9) is a growth factor and a member of the TGFbeta superfamily that is secreted by oocytes in growing ovarian follicles. In the current study we cultured human ovarian follicles within slices of ovarian cortical tissue in the presence and absence of recombinant rat GDF-9. Ovarian tissue was obtained by biopsy during cesarean section (31 women) or gynecological laparoscopy (3 women).