Publications by authors named "Mastorakos George"

Purpose: Increasing levels of infertility in Western countries has drawn ever more scientific attention to the role in this trend of endocrine disruptors, such as bisphenol A, a substance now banned in some cases and some countries. Because this substance has been replaced by the structurally similar bisphenol S (BPS), this study focused on the effects of the latter on early mice embryo development.

Methods: Cultures of CD1 mice embryos with varying concentrations of BPS were compared with control blank cultures in order to examine the survival rate of embryos according to BPS concentration and culture day.

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Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are environmental and industrial agents that interfere with hormonal functions. EDC exposure is linked to various endocrine diseases, especially in reproduction, although the mechanisms remain unclear and effects vary among individuals. Neuroinflammation, particularly hypothalamic inflammation, is an emerging research area with implications for endocrine-related diseases like obesity.

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Infertility is a global phenomenon that impacts people of both the male and the female sex; it is related to multiple factors affecting an individual's overall systemic health. Recently, investigators have been using mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy for female-fertility-related disorders such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian failure (POF), endometriosis, preeclampsia, and Asherman syndrome (AS). Studies have shown promising results, indicating that MSCs can enhance ovarian function and restore fertility for affected individuals.

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Background: Evaluating longitudinal changes in gliomas is a time-intensive process with significant interrater variability. Automated segmentation could reduce interrater variability and increase workflow efficiency for assessment of treatment response. We sought to evaluate whether neural networks would be comparable to expert assessment of pre- and posttreatment diffuse gliomas tissue subregions including resection cavities.

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  • Maternal primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) during pregnancy, caused by Addison disease or congenital adrenal hyperplasia, is rare, and there's limited research on its effects on fetal and neonatal outcomes.
  • A systematic review and meta-analysis examined 31 studies, 11 of which were quantitatively analyzed, focusing on outcomes like spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, and small for gestational age (SGA) neonates.
  • Results showed higher rates of spontaneous abortions (18%), preterm births (11% overall), and SGA neonates (8% overall) in women with PAI compared to controls, although fetal birth weights remained normal across all groups studied.
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  • The study investigated the effectiveness of probiotics in improving glycemic control for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D), highlighting that human recombinant insulin is currently the only therapy available.
  • It analyzed randomized controlled trials involving probiotics and found mixed results, with five studies included in the meta-analysis showing that probiotics were correlated with worse glycemic control (higher glucose and HbA1c levels) compared to controls.
  • The authors concluded that further rigorous studies are necessary to determine the exact effects of probiotics in T1D, especially in relation to diabetes complications and overall metabolic outcomes.
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Purpose To develop and validate a deep learning (DL) method to detect and segment enhancing and nonenhancing cellular tumor on pre- and posttreatment MRI scans in patients with glioblastoma and to predict overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 1397 MRI scans in 1297 patients with glioblastoma, including an internal set of 243 MRI scans (January 2010 to June 2022) for model training and cross-validation and four external test cohorts. Cellular tumor maps were segmented by two radiologists on the basis of imaging, clinical history, and pathologic findings.

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  • Researchers looked at how synthetic glucocorticoids (sGCs) given to pregnant women at risk of pre-term labor could affect when they actually go into labor.
  • They reviewed many studies and found mixed results; some women gave birth earlier when treated with sGCs while others did not.
  • The scientists suggest that sGCs might cause some women to go into labor sooner, but they think more careful research is needed to understand this better.
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  • PCOS is a common hormonal disorder with diagnostic and management complexities, prompting a study on European endocrinologists' understanding of it.
  • An online survey of 505 endocrinologists revealed that 85% use the Rotterdam criteria for diagnosis, with most patient referrals occurring between ages 20 and 40.
  • The findings highlight the importance of metabolic profiling and lifestyle changes in managing PCOS, along with consensus on using treatments like metformin and oral contraceptives.
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  • This study looks at how AI can help doctors understand the bones in the hip and knee better for surgeries, but also checks for problems like unfairness in these AI systems.
  • The focus is on using regular X-rays instead of fancy scans because X-rays are easier to get and cheaper.
  • They found ways to fix biases related to things like gender, race, and age, and shared their work to help doctors make better decisions and promote fairness in healthcare.
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Introduction: Over the recent years, scientific community has increased its interest on solving problems of female fertility pathology. Many factors acting separately or in combination affect significantly the reproductive life of a woman. This review summarizes current evidence regarding the direct and/or indirect action of environmental factors and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs; i.

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Background: Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) has an intermediate prognosis between indolent well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (TC) and anaplastic carcinoma. Herein, we present a case report with a PDTC component, along with a systematic review of the literature.

Case Report: We report a case of a 45-year-old man diagnosed with a PDTC component, along with hobnail and tall-cell variant features positive for BRAFV600E mutation, after a total thyroidectomy and neck dissection.

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Despite recent advances, neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) remain a challenging topic, due to their diversity and the lack of suitable biomarkers. Multianalyte assays and the shift to an omics-based approach improve on the conventional single-analyte strategy, albeit with their own drawbacks. We explored the potential of serum β-hCG as a biomarker for NETs and discussed its role in disease monitoring.

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The onset of puberty, which is under the control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, is influenced by various factors, including obesity, which has been associated with the earlier onset of puberty. Obesity-induced hypothalamic inflammation may cause premature activation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, resulting in the development of precocious or early puberty. Mechanisms involving phoenixin action and hypothalamic microglial cells are implicated.

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common and presents in a large proportion-up to 30%-of the global adult female population. Several factors have been linked with NAFLD in women, such as age, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. To extract appropriate details about the topic, we conducted an extensive search using various medical subject headings and entry terms including 'Menopause', 'Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease', 'Insulin resistance', and 'BMI'.

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  • Progesterone is a natural hormone important for regulating the female reproductive system, affecting hormone secretion and menstrual cycles, while progestins are synthetic versions of this hormone.
  • Micronized progesterone (MP) enhances the bioavailability of natural progesterone and is explored for both diagnostic and therapeutic uses in endocrinology, particularly for various menstrual and reproductive issues.
  • MP can help diagnose amenorrhea and induce withdrawal bleeding, and it has therapeutic applications for conditions like premenstrual syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, and can also have positive effects on mental health, reducing anxiety and depression symptoms.
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Background: The first phase of the GAIL study ("Girls treated with an Aromatase Inhibitor and Leuprorelin," ISRCTN11469487) has shown that the combination of anastrozole and leuprorelin for 24 months is safe and effective in improving the predicted adult height (PAH) in girls with early puberty and compromised growth prediction by +1.21 standard deviation score (SDS; +7.51 cm) compared to inhibition of puberty alone, +0.

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  • Von-Hippel-Lindau (VHL) is a genetic disorder that leads to tumors and cysts in various organs, and this case discusses a 23-year-old woman with VHL who developed rare gastric neuroendocrine tumors (gNENs) while also suffering from chronic autoimmune gastritis (CAG).
  • The gNENs observed in this patient showed characteristics similar to those typically seen in VHL-related tumors, despite gNENs not being commonly associated with VHL.
  • The findings suggest that the formation of clear-cell gNENs might be influenced more by CAG rather than just VHL, highlighting the importance of careful monitoring of such tumors in patients before ruling out VHL disease
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Background: Despite the considerable progress made in recent years in fetal assessment, the etiology of fetal growth disturbances is not as yet well understood. In an effort to enhance our knowledge in this area, we investigated the associations of the amniotic fluid angiotensinogen of the renin-angiotensin system with fetal growth abnormalities.

Methods: We collected amniotic fluid samples from 70 pregnant women who underwent amniocentesis during their early second trimester.

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The aim of this systematic review was to examine if chronic or acute stress, measured by questionnaires or physiological biomarkers, has a separate impact on each different stage in the IVF process. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature was performed in three databases with keywords. Preselection included 46 articles, and in all, 36 articles were included.

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  • Chronic stress during pregnancy can negatively impact both mothers and infants, leading to health risks and hormonal disruptions.
  • A meta-analysis of 107 studies found a significant association between maternal chronic stress and low birth weight babies, with a notable risk factor identified (OR = 1.50).
  • The study suggests that using stress questionnaires for mothers could help predict and assess the risk of having a low-birth-weight infant.
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  • Acrylamide is an organic compound used primarily for making polyacrylamides in products like plastics and cosmetics, and it can also form in certain foods when cooked at high temperatures.
  • A reliable method using multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS) was developed to detect acrylamide in amniotic fluid, seeking to identify any links between maternal dietary exposure and fetal growth.
  • Out of 40 amniotic fluid samples tested, acrylamide was found in six, with concentrations ranging from 7.1 to 1468 ng/mL, and the technique showed good sensitivity and repeatability for measurement.
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