The relationship between early symptom severity, improvement and remission in first episode psychosis with jumping to conclusions.

It is suggested that Jumping To Conclusions (JTC) reasoning bias might contribute to the distortion of external reality. However, the association between psychotic manifestations and JTC is obscure, especially if general intelligence is considered as a mediator. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between severity, early clinical improvement and remission of symptoms in First Episode Psychosis (FEP) with JTC as an explanatory factor.

Cardiometabolic and Thrombotic Risk Profile in Women Undergoing Oocyte Donation for Assisted Reproduction.

The last two decades have seen a growing number of pregnancies in women who needed the donation of oocytes. With oocyte donation pregnancies, studies on obstetric outcomes among these women revealed an increased incidence of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Furthermore, several studies have found a higher incidence of low birth weight, preterm birth, and delivery by cesarean section in oocyte donation rather than in women subjected to assisted reproduction techniques (ART) with autologous oocytes.

Severe recurrent endometriomas in a young woman with congenital von Willebrand disease.

The pathophysiology of severe endometriosis in young women remains unknown. Menorrhagia, or heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding, is the most common symptom experienced by women with von Willebrand disease (vWD) and represents a possible risk factor for developing endometriosis. A 17-year-old woman affected by vWD presented with severe dysmenorrhea and heavy menstrual bleeding.

NMR Spectroscopy Protocols for Food Metabolomics Applications.

NMR spectroscopy has become an indispensable tool for the metabolic profiling of foods and food products. In the present protocol, we report an analytical approach based on liquid-state NMR for the determination of polar and nonpolar metabolites in some common liquid (wine, spirits, juice) and solid (cheese, coffee, honey) foods. Although the diversity of foods precludes the use of a single protocol, with small modifications, the proposed methodologies can be adapted to a broader range of foodstuffs.

Complication and recurrence rate in laser CO2 versus traditional surgery in the treatment of Bartholin's gland cyst.

Purpose: The treatment of Bartholin's gland cysts by traditional surgery is characterized by some disadvantages and complications such as hemorrhage, postoperative dyspareunia, infections, necessity for a general anesthesia. Contrarily, CO2 laser surgery might be less invasive and more effective as it solves many problems of traditional surgery. The aim of our study is to describe CO2 laser technique evaluating its feasibility, complication rate and results vs traditional surgery.

Attitudes towards abortion in Italian women: socio-economic trends and epidemiological features.

Purpose Of Investigation: The aim of this study was to analyze trends and attitudes towards abortion in Italian women in the last decades.

Materials And Methods: The authors analyzed number, socio-economic trends, and major clinical-epidemiological features of induced abortion in Italy (1980-2009).

Results: Up to 1996 abortion rates were higher among married women, but from 1996 to 2009 they were higher among single women.

Feasibility of office CO2 laser surgery in patients affected by benign pathologies and congenital malformations of female lower genital tract.

Objective: Traditional surgery presents some disadvantages, such as the necessity for general anesthesia, hemorrhage, recurrence of pathology, and the possible onset of dyspareunia due to an excessive scarring. CO2 laser surgery might resolve these problems and might be employed in a wider range of clinical indications than usual. We examined the results of CO2 laser surgery in patients affected by benign pathologies and congenital malformations of the female lower genital tract.

Poor responders in IVF: an update in therapy.

Introduction: Assisted reproduction techniques are the frequent treatment of infertility. Despite the advances in science and technology, the management of poor responder patients is still considered as one of the most urgent problems. The lack of unified definition makes the management of the poor responder patients very difficult.

Pregnancy and venous thromboembolism.

Purpose Of Review: This review provides a concise and complete overview of diagnostic work-up and treatment of venous thromboembolism in pregnancy, with attention to recent research developments and recent applicable guidelines. This may be useful for all the players of the multidisciplinary interaction needed in this disease management, namely cardiologists and gynecological/obstetric teams.

Recent Findings: Venous thromboembolism is, in the developed world, a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality during pregnancy or early after delivery, with a reported incidence ranging from 0.

Combined oral contraceptives: health benefits beyond contraception.

It has been recognized for over 50 years that combined oral contraceptives (COCs) are also capable of offering health benefits beyond contraception through the treatment and prevention of several gynaecological and medical disorders. During the last years a constant attention was given to the adverse effects of COCs, whereas their non-contraceptive benefits were underestimated. To date, most women are still unaware of the therapeutic uses of hormonal contraceptives, while on the contrary there is an extensive and constantly increasing of these non-contraceptive health benefits.

Celiac disease and endometriosis: an insidious and worrisome association hard to diagnose: a case report.

Background: Primary infertility is an unusual presentation of celiac disease (CD). When non-classical symptoms are present, the diagnosis is not easy and it becomes even more difficult when CD is associated with endometriosis, representing a diagnostic challenge for medical practitioners and gynecologists.

Case Report: A 34-year-old patient presented to the authors' observation with primary infertility.

A 29-year-old woman with complex atypical hyperplasia and polycystic ovary syndrome: a challenging issue.

Background: The standard treatment for complex atypical hyperplasia is hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Although radical surgery offers high survival prospects, it also eliminates any chance of further fertility, thus in young nulliparous women who wish to preserve their childbearing potential, a conservative progestin therapy is preferable.

Case Report: The authors report a case of complex atypical hyperplasia in a 29-year-old nulliparous woman with polycystic ovary syndrome treated with norethisterone acetate in order to preserve her childbearing potential.

Fertility preservation in female cancer patients: an emerging challenge for physicians.

Fertility preservation has become an issue of great importance in female cancer patients due to increasing survival rates and delayed childbearing. It is an emerging challenge for physicians, cause of several related issues (multidisciplinary approach, doctor-patient communication, ethical, religious and legal problems) and many unresolved questions. This review aims to update the latest literature data, summarizing the effects of cancer treatments on female fertility and the various options currently available to offer cancer patients the opportunity of future pregnancies.

The influence of socio-demographic factors on miscarriage incidence among Italian and immigrant women: a critical analysis from Italy.

Miscarriage is one of the most relevant adverse events in women's reproductive life. The purpose of the study was to describe miscarriage trend in Italy during the last years among Italian and immigrant women, to compare miscarriage rates of the two groups and to evaluate the effect of age, nationality and educational level on the incidence of having a miscarriage. Then, a brief critical review of other miscarriage risk factors was performed.

Hypertension in pregnancy: the most recent findings in pathophysiology, diagnosis and therapy.

Hypertension in pregnancy is a major cause of maternal, fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, both in developing and developed countries. That is because it is the most common pathological condition during pregnancy and its development is associated with high risk of severe complications: mother could be affected by placental abruption, cerebrovascular events, organ dysfunction and could develop disseminated intravascular coagulation, instead the foetus could be affected by intrauterine growth retardation, premature birth and intrauterine death. Aware that preeclampsia still remains an enigma for different aspects, this review aims to provide a comprehensive update of all the current literature regarding this disease.

Metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome: an intriguing overlapping.

Metabolic syndrome is an increasing pathology in adults and in children, due to a parallel rise of obesity. Sedentary lifestyle, food habits, cultural influences and also a genetic predisposition can cause dyslipidemia, hypertension, abdominal obesity and insulin resistance which are the two main features of metabolic syndrome. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition directly associated with obesity, insulin resistance (HOMA index) and metabolic syndrome, and it is very interesting for its relationship and overlap with the metabolic syndrome.

[Venous thromboembolism in pregnancy: current state of the art].

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality during pregnancy or early after delivery and it remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The latest Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths (2006-2008) showed that VTE is now the third leading cause of direct maternal mortality, beside sepsis and hypertension. In particular the prevalence of VTE has been estimated to be 1 per 1000-2000 pregnancies.

Growth factors in preeclampsia: a vascular disease model. A failed vasodilation and angiogenic challenge from pregnancy onwards?

Preeclampsia is the major cause of maternofetal and neonatal morbi-mortality including intrauterine growth retardation, miscarriages and stillbirths. Inadequate vascular dilation and angiogenesis represent the crucial underlying defect of gravidic hypertension, denoting a failed response to the vasodilatory and pro-angiogenic challenge imposed by pregnancy, especially if multifetal. A similar pathogenesis appears involved in gestational diabetes.

Pulmonary embolism in pregnancy.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality during pregnancy or early after delivery, remaining a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in both states. The absolute incidence of pregnancy-associated VTE has been reported as 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 2,000 deliveries. With 5-6 million new births computed in Europe in 2010, the potential clinical relevance of diagnosing and treating gravidic VTE is immediately evident.

An unusual clinical presentation of a pure yolk sac tumor of the ovary: case report.

Introduction: Yolk sac tumor (YST) of the ovary is a rare neoplasm, which belongs to the group of ovarian germ cell tumors. It most commonly occurs in children and young women and it is characterized by high malignancy given its premature metastasis. An early diagnosis is important but not easy.

The impact of a successful anti-myxosporean treatment on the phagocyte functions of juvenile and adult Sparus aurata L.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of a successful anti-myxosporean medication on the innate immune system of fish intensively cultured in the Mediterranean basin. For this purpose, juvenile and adult gilthead seabream (S. aurata L.