Potential novel role of the human amniotic membrane as a sustainable hemostat.

Objectives: Acute hemorrhage can cause significant morbidity and mortality arising from trauma, bleeding disorders, surgical procedures, or obstetric complications. Surgical hemostasis methods may fail to stop acute bleeding due to the complex bleeding dynamics of each bleeding type. Therefore, developing safe and effective topical hemostatic agents remains crucial.

Are embryonic stem cell markers and ALDH1A1 relevant in the context of breast cancer estrogen positivity?

Background: Embryonic pluripotency markers are recognized for their role in ER- BC aggressiveness, but their significance in ER+ BC remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of expression of pluripotency markers in ER+ BC and their effect on survival and prognostic indicators.

Methods: We analyzed data of ER+ BC patients from three large cancer datasets to assess the expression of three pluripotency markers (NANOG, SOX-2, and OCT4), and the stem cell marker ALDH1A1.

The Role of Three-dimensional Printed Models in Women's Health.

Three-dimensional printing is an innovative technology that has gained prominence in recent years due to its attractive features such as affordability, efficiency, and quick production. The technology is used to produce a three-dimensional model by depositing materials in layers using specific printers. In the medical field, it has been increasingly used in various specialties, including neurosurgery, cardiology, and orthopedics, most commonly for the pre-planning of complex surgeries.

The potential role of the gingival crevicular fluid biomarkers in the prediction of pregnancy complications.

Early and minimally invasive methods are required to predict the risk of multiple adverse pregnancy outcomes. A potential technique with growing interest utilizes the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), a physiological serum exudate found in the healthy gingival sulcus and in the periodontal pocket in inflammatory conditions. Analysis of biomarkers in the GCF is a minimally invasive method that can be feasible and cost-effective.

Balancing Benefits and Risks of Indomethacin in the Management of Antenatal Bartter Syndrome: A Case Report.

Background: Bartter syndrome, a very rare inherited renal tubular disorder, characterized by urinary salt wastage, hypokalemia, polyuria, and metabolic alkalosis, may manifest antenatally as severe isolated polyhydramnios. Indomethacin is known to reduce salt wastage and subsequent polyhydramnios during pregnancy; however, it reduces the Ductus Arteriosus diameter among other potential complications, such as inhibition of gastrointestinal perfusion and increasing the risk of renal toxicity.

Case: A 36-year-old multigravida presented with severe isolated polyhydramnios at 30 weeks of gestation.

Breast Cancer Risk with Progestin Subdermal Implants: A Challenge in Patients Counseling.

There is a steady global rise in the use of progestin subdermal implants, where use has increased by more than 20 times in the past two decades. BC risk has been reported with the older progestin only methods such as oral pills, injectables, and intrauterine devices, however, little is known about the risk with subdermal implants. In this review, we aim to update clinicians and researchers on the current evidence to support patient counseling and to inform future research directions.

The impact of an online intervention on the medical, dental and health sciences students about interprofessional education; a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) encompasses integration, communication, mutual trust and shared decision-making with a common goal of improved patient care and safety. Despite its crucial role, IPE has not gained its anticipated popularity. This study aims to determine the impact of an online educational intervention about IPE on medical, dental and health sciences students in the University of Sharjah (UoS).

A microfluidic platform for dissociating clinical scale tissue samples into single cells.

The advancement of sample preparation techniques is essential for the field of cell-based therapeutics. To obtain cells suited for clinical applications, the entire process starting from acquiring donor tissue biopsy, all through cell transplantation into the recipient, should occur in an integrated, safe, and efficient system. The current laboratory approach for solid tissue-to-cell isolation is invasive and involves multiple incoherent manual procedures running in an open operator-dependent system.

Monogenic leptin deficiency in early childhood obesity.

Background: Early childhood obesity is a public health problem worldwide. It affects different aspects of physical and mental child's health. Identifying the etiologies, especially treatable and preventable causes, can direct health professionals toward proper management.

Resistance of primary breast cancer cells with enhanced pluripotency and stem cell activity to sex hormonal stimulation and suppression.

Unlabelled: Female sex steroid hormones have a fundamental role in breast cancer. Meanwhile, current evidence supports the contribution of breast cancer stem cells in carcinogenesis, metastasis, and resistance to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Nevertheless, the interaction between breast cancer stem cells with sex hormones or key hormonal antagonists remains elusive.

A Cost-Effective Method to Assemble Biomimetic 3D Cell Culture Platforms.

Methods: We utilized the hAM to provide the biological and the three dimensional (3D) topographic components of the prototype. The 3D nano-roughness of the hAM was characterized using surface electron microscopy and surface image analysis (ImageJ and SurfaceJ). We developed additional macro-scale and micro-scale versions of the platform which provided additional shear stress factors to simulate the fluid dynamics of the in vivo extracellular fluids.

Stem cell applications for pathologies of the urinary bladder.

New stem cell based therapies are undergoing intense research and are widely investigated in clinical fields including the urinary system. The urinary bladder performs critical complex functions that rely on its highly coordinated anatomical composition and multiplex of regulatory mechanisms. Bladder pathologies resulting in severe dysfunction are common clinical encounter and often cause significant impairment of patient's quality of life.

The effect of acute aromatase inhibition on breast parenchymal enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging: a prospective pilot clinical trial.

Objective: The breast is highly hormonally sensitive especially to the sex steroid hormone estrogen. Both physiological and iatrogenic steroid hormone modifications could affect how the breast tissue may appear in breast imaging techniques. We hypothesized that estrogen deprivation therapy could reduce breast nonspecific enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Hormonal, follicular and endometrial dynamics in letrozole-treated versus natural cycles in patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation.

The objective of this study was to compare letrozole-stimulated cycles to natural cycles in 208 patients undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI) between July of 2004 and January of 2007. Group I (n = 47) received cycle monitoring only (natural group), Group II (n = 125) received letrozole 2.5 mg/day on cycle days three to seven, and Group III (n = 36) received letrozole 5 mg/day on cycle days three to seven.

Droplet-scale estrogen assays in breast tissue, blood, and serum.

Estrogen is a key hormone in human reproductive physiology, controlling ovulation and secondary sexual characteristics. In addition, it plays an important role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Indeed, estrogen receptor antagonists and aromatase inhibitors (which block estrogen biosynthesis) are primary drugs used for treatment and prevention in at-risk populations.

Aromatase inhibitors: potential reproductive implications.

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases literature search from inception to March 2009 was performed to identify published clinical trials and cohort, observational, and in vitro studies that evaluated the use of aromatase inhibitors in reproductive medicine for indications other than ovulation induction. Aromatase inhibitors are currently being investigated for breast cancer prevention in women at high risk. Aromatase inhibitors may be used for treatment of symptomatic myomas and endometriosis as an alternative to surgical intervention.

Aromatase inhibitors prevent the estrogen rise associated with the flare effect of gonadotropins in patients treated with GnRH agonists.

This was a preliminary study to determine the effect of aromatase inhibitors in preventing the flare induced by GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) in women with endometriosis (n = 9) or leiomyomata (n = 4) who were given letrozole on the first 5 days of the GnRH-a therapy. Serum LH and FSH levels showed the typical flare 1 day after the injection of the GnRH-a; however, E(2) declined immediately after letrozole administration and was notably suppressed at 1, 2, and 4 days after GnRH-a. No patients complained of clinical symptoms typical of the GnRH-a flare phenomenon.

Letrozole co-treatment in infertile women 40 years old and older receiving controlled ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination.

Objective: To investigate the effect of a combination of letrozole and gonadotropins in advanced reproductive age infertile women who were treated with IUI.

Design: A retrospective case control study.

Setting: A private practice affiliated with an academic institute.

Aromatase inhibitors and mammographic breast density in postmenopausal women receiving hormone therapy.

Objective: One of the main concerns regarding long-term use of hormone therapy (HT) in symptomatic menopausal women is the perceived increased risk of breast cancer. A method to reduce breast cancer risk in this population of women is urgently needed. We hypothesized that adding aromatase inhibitors (AIs) to HT would reduce local breast estrogen exposure and breast cancer risk without altering the beneficial systemic effects of HT on menopausal symptoms or bone density.

Aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of severe endometriosis.

Background: Endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain unresponsive to surgical menopause is a difficult clinical problem.

Case: A middle-aged woman presented with endometriosis and severe pelvic pain after hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy. She was first treated with exemestane without improvement of symptoms.

Follicular phase dynamics with combined aromatase inhibitor and follicle stimulating hormone treatment.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate follicular phase parameters during ovarian stimulation with FSH alone or with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole.

Methods: Two groups of women undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI): group I (389 patients; mean age 35 +/- 4.3 yr) underwent 630 IUI cycles stimulated with letrozole and FSH; and group II (134 patients; mean age 36.

Cost-effectiveness of aromatase inhibitor co-treatment for controlled ovarian stimulation.

Background: To compare the clinical results and the cost-effectiveness of using the aromatase inhibitor, letrozole, in conjunction with FSH and FSH alone for controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) in patients undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI) for a variety of indications.

Methods: Four hundred and thirty-two consecutive patients who underwent 872 IUI cycles were included. The study population was composed of two groups.