Significance and Prognostic Value of The Coagulation Profile in Patients with Glioblastoma: Implications for Personalized Therapy.

Background: Coagulation is an important aspect of the vascular microenvironment in which brain tumors evolve. Patients with tumor often show aberrant coagulation and fibrinolysis activation. In particular, glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive primary brain tumor, is associated with a state of hypercoagulability, and venous thromboembolism is a common complication of this cancer and its treatment.

Homocysteine pathway and in vitro fertilization outcome.

A prospective study investigating whether levels of the homocysteine pathway are associated with pregnancy rate in in vitro fertilization (IVF). Prior to initiate treatments, women gave a blood sample to test serum and red blood cell (RBC) folates, homocysteine and vitamin B12. The main outcome was cumulative clinical pregnancy rate according to basal levels of serum and RBC folates, homocysteine and vitamin B12.

Folate, homocysteine and selected vitamins and minerals status in infertile women.

Objectives: Diet has been recognised as a crucial factor influencing fetal and maternal health. Adequate levels of substances such as homocysteine, folate and vitamin B have been associated with a higher rate of success in infertility treatments. Few data, however, are available on the average levels of micronutrients in the blood of reproductive-aged women, and specific values for adequate levels are not available.

Intrafollicular iron and ferritin in women with ovarian endometriomas.

Objective: To evaluate whether iron contained in ovarian endometriomas can diffuse through the cyst wall and negatively affect ovarian function.

Design: Prospective case series.

Setting: Infertility unit in an academic setting.

Carbohydrate 19-9 antigen is not a marker of liver disease in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Serum concentration of carbohydrate 19-9 antigen (CA 19-9), a sensitive marker of pancreatic cancer and cholangiocarcinoma, increases in a variety of liver diseases due to higher production and release by bile duct cells. Biliary epithelial cells are primarily affected in liver disease associated with cystic fibrosis (CF), which develops in up to 30% of CF patients. Our aim was to evaluate the usefulness of serum CA 19-9 concentration as a test of liver involvement in CF.