Physiological and psychological stress responses to labor and delivery during COVID-19 pandemic: a cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate objective (saliva cortisol) and subjective (questionnaire) stress levels during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic compared to before the pandemic and their effects on obstetric and neonatal outcomes.

Methods: This cohort study included 36 women with low-risk, singleton, term deliveries at a tertiary academic center during the COVID-19 pandemic and 49 who delivered before. Physiological stress was evaluated with salivary cortisol measurements, and emotional stress with stress scale questionnaires (0-10) during active and full dilation stages of labor, and 2-min postpartum.

Premature ovarian aging in carriers: a prototype of systemic precocious aging?

Purpose: Though former evidence implies a correlation of breast cancer susceptibility gene () mutation with reduced ovarian reserve, the data is yet inconsistent. Our aim was to investigate biomarkers of ovarian aging in a cohort of young healthy carriers of the mutation. We hypothesized that the role played by genes in aging pathways is not exclusive to the ovary.

Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor Alleviates Tamoxifen-Induced Endometrial Hyperplasia.

Tamoxifen is a cornerstone component of adjuvant endocrine therapy for patients with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Its significant adverse effects include uterine hyperplasia, polyps, and increased risk of endometrial cancer. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear.

Anti-Müllerian Hormone Is a Marker for Chemotherapy-Induced Testicular Toxicity.

Due to increased numbers of young cancer patients and improved survival, the impact of anticancer treatments on fertility has become a major health concern. Despite mounting research on ovarian toxicity, there is paucity of data regarding reliable biomarkers of testicular toxicity. Our aim was to evaluate anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) as a marker for chemotherapy-induced testicular toxicity.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Chemotherapy-Induced Ovarian Failure in Young Breast Cancer Patients: The Role of Vascular Toxicity.

Background: We previously reported that chemotherapy-induced ovarian toxicity may result from acute vascular insult, demonstrated by decreased ovarian blood flow and diminished post-treatment anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels. In the present study, we report the continuous prospective evaluation of ovarian function in that cohort.

Methods: Patients (aged <43 years) with localized breast cancer were evaluated by transvaginal ultrasound prior to initiation of chemotherapy, immediately at treatment completion, and at 6 and 12 months after treatment cessation.

A novel regulatory pathway in granulosa cells, the LH/human chorionic gonadotropin-microRNA-125a-3p-Fyn pathway, is required for ovulation.

Granulosa cells support the developing oocytes and serve as transducers of the ovulatory stimulus induced by LH surge. Fyn kinase is expressed in granulosa cells, though its role in these cells has not been studied. In human embryonic kidney 293T cells, microRNA (miR)-125a-3p down-regulates Fyn expression, causing a decrease in cells' migratory ability.

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists for fertility preservation: unraveling the enigma?

Study Question: Can gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) preserve long-term fertility when administered prior to and concomitantly with chemotherapy?

Summary Answer: GnRH-a display a differential protective effect on fertility, depending upon the specific chemotherapy-induced mechanism of ovarian injury.

What Is Known Already: The role of GnRH-a in fertility preservation has been constantly debated and their use is considered experimental due to conflicting clinical evidence and paucity of data regarding their mechanism for ovarian protection.

Study Design, Size, Duration: In vivo model: 7-8 weeks old imprinting control region (ICR) mice were injected with GnRH-a (Leuprolide-acetate) or saline prior to and concomitantly with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin or saline and sacrificed at various time-points on a longitudinal follow-up; 24 h (n = 36), 1 week (n = 40), 1 month (n = 36) and 9 months (n = 66) post chemotherapy treatment.

Interleukin-1 deficiency prolongs ovarian lifespan in mice.

Oocyte endowment dwindles away during prepubertal and adult life until menopause occurs, and apoptosis has been identified as a central mechanism responsible for oocyte elimination. A few recent reports suggest that uncontrolled inflammation may adversely affect ovarian reserve. We tested the possible role of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1 in the age-related exhaustion of ovarian reserve using IL-1α and IL-1β-KO mice.

Hormonal regulation of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) expression in the endometrium.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is highly expressed in the female reproductive system and is subjected to regulation by steroid hormones in the ovary. As the uterine endometrium exhibits morphological and functional changes in response to estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4), we aimed at characterizing the expression of PEDF in this component of the female reproductive tract and further at exploring the hormonal regulation of its expression. We found that PEDF is expressed in human and mouse endometrium.

A physiological approach for treating endometriosis by recombinant pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF).

Study Question: Is pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) expressed in the rodent endometrium and can it be utilized to treat endometriosis without negatively affecting reproductive parameters?

Summary Answer: PEDF is dynamically expressed in rat endometrium throughout the estrous cycle in a reciprocal manner to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); it possesses potent therapeutic properties for endometriosis that do not compromise the reproductive parameters.

What Is Known Already: Endometriosis pathogenesis depends mainly on neovascularization, with a high local level of VEGF. PEDF, a 50 kDa secreted glycoprotein with a potent anti-angiogenic activity, negates several strong pro-angiogenic factors, such as VEGF.

Chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure as a prototype for acute vascular toxicity.

Background: Chemotherapy-related amenorrhea is a frequent side effect observed in young breast cancer patients. Studies in mice revealed that chemotherapy-induced gonadal toxicity may result from vascular damage. We prospectively evaluated ovarian blood flow and function in young breast cancer patients following chemotherapy.