Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Cross Section of Public Health.

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can be caused by a number of microorganisms that vary greatly in size, life cycle, clinical manifestations, and sensitivity to available treatments. Transmission of STIs can occur during unprotected (or condomless) sexual contact and through the exchange of body fluids during any type of activity. The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases remains high in the world, despite diagnostic and therapeutic improvements for these infectious diseases that rapidly eliminate the contagiousness of patients.

Metastatic melanoma: An unusual cause of gastrointestinal bleeding and intussusception-A case report.

Introduction: Malignant melanoma is responsible for 1-3% of all malignancies being the gastrointestinal tract one of the most common metastatic locations.

Presentation Of Case: We present the case of a 71-year old male with previous history of cutaneous melanoma. Seven years later, while being studied due to suspected small bowel bleeding, he developed small bowel obstruction after being submitted to double balloon enteroscopy.

Is operative laparoscopy safe in ovarian endometriosis?

This short communication describes the delayed onset of premature ovarian failure (POF) in some young patients, between 5 to 24 months after operative laparoscopy for ovarian endometriosis. This complication apparently does not have a link with traditional risk factors for POF. In view of this observation, further and consistent clinical investigations are necessary to seek an explanation for this possible iatrogenic effect, which is of particular concern to young patients who are referred for video laparoscopy as a treatment for ovarian endometriosis.

Cigarette smoking damages women's reproductive life.

Female smokers experienced menopause significantly (P View Article and Find Full Text PDF

[An unusual case of regular menstrual cycles and endocrine pattern typical for the reproductive age in a patient of advanced age].

The Authors report the persistence of regular menses in a very old woman. Although in the absence of a pulsatile gonadotropin pattern the patient showed estradiol levels typical of the reproductive age.

Integrated neuropsychopathological approach in patients affected by amenorrhea.

A compared study of neurovegetative modifications (following stress stimula) and of psychopathological aspects in patients affected by amenorrhea was carried out. Such an integrated approach is useful for a better definition of clinical characteristic and for a selection of a suitable therapeutic approach.

Lymphocytes subset in hyperandrogenic women with polycystic ovarian disease.

The correlation between the sex steroids and the immune system is already known but the relationships between testosterone, progesterone, estradiol, cortisol and the immune system are still controversial. The Authors have studied lymphocytes subset in ten women with polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD); it was observed: 1) a decrease of T8 in 64% and of natural killer activity (NK) in 60% of patients, and an increase of T4/T8 ratio in 55%; 2) a significant negative correlation between androstenedione and testosterone (P less than 0.05); 3) a significant positive correlation between the decreased T8 lymphocytes and NK cells and the increase of testosterone and androstenedione serum values.

Significance of free testosterone assay in comparison with traditional R.I.A. androgens in diagnosis of androgens excess.

In 35 women, 16-32 years old (average age 24) affected by hirsutism associated to menstrual disorders as oligomenorrhea or secondary amenorrhea, the real utility of testosterone's free fraction assay (FT) in comparison with conventional hormonal assays has been valued. The free testosterone (FT) resulted the most frequently elevated hormone (69%). The analysis of the different groups shows a good sensitivity and specificity of FT assay in some conditions as PCOD, but it is not so sensitive and specific in other conditions as secondary amenorrhea.

Pineal gland hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis relationships.

The authors refer the results of their study in 15 healthy women in whom 24-hours serum melatonin (MT) and cortisol (F) were assayed by RIA method. Both hormones showed a clear circadian rhythm: Melatonin reached the highest values between 24.00 and 04.