A prospective randomized study on limits of colposcopy and histology: the skill of colposcopist and colposcopy-guided biopsy in diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial lesions.

Background: The main objective of our study was to evaluate the colposcopist ability to correctly identify the worst area of a cervical lesion where biopsy should be performed; the secondary objective was to investigate the influence of the colposcopist skill in grading cervical preneoplastic lesions.

Methods: 296 patients referred for colposcopy were enrolled in a prospective study. All patients were randomized in two groups: in the first group, "senior group", the colposcopy was performed by an experienced colposcopist; in the second group, "junior group", the colposcopy was performed by a less experienced colposcopist.

High prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in Eastern European and West African women immigrants in South Italy.

Surveillance of human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and genotype distribution in migrant women from middle and low-income countries to developed countries is limited. The aim of this study was to analyze the spectrum of HPV genotypes and prevalence of cervical abnormalities in women emigrated mainly from Eastern Europe and West Africa and living in Southern Italy. The study included 233 migrant and 98 Italian-born women who self-referred to two gynecological outpatient clinics in the Campania region.

Early invasive vulvar squamous cell carcinoma arising in a woman with vulvar pemphigus vulgaris and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes. Genital involvement occurs when most other common sites are concurrently affected or are in remission. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that may affect many parts of the body and the skin with occasional bullous lesions.

Endocervicoscopy: a new technique for the diagnostic work-up of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia allowing a tailored excisional therapy in young fertile women.

Objective: To propose and validate endocervicoscopy, a new technique for patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and unsatisfactory or negative colposcopy.

Design: Prospective trial.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Pathophysiology of Human Reproduction University of Naples Federico II.

Small cell neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma with 1-year follow-up: case report and review.

Background: Small cell neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma (SCNCC) is a rare tumor that comprises 1-3% of cervical tumors. SCNCC exhibits clinical and biological characteristics of both cervical neoplasm (such as local aggressiveness and involvement of papillomavirus) and neuroendocrine small cell cancer of any site (such as early dissemination of the disease and loss of heterozygozity at different loci) making it an original nosologic entity. There is no unanimous opinion regarding the optimal management strategy.

Multiple bowel stenosis and perforation as long-term complications of chemoradiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer in a young woman: case report.

Background: Although combined treatment (chemoradiotherapy) appears to improve the overall and progression-free survival of patients wih locally advanced cervical cancer, some acute toxicity is increased (hematological toxicity, nausea, vomiting) while the long-term side effects are unclear.

Case: A 35-year-old Caucasian woman with a diagnosis of advanced cervical cancer (FIGO stage IIIB) was treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy not followed by radical surgery. She underwent whole pelvic radiation therapy for a total of 40 Gy in fractions of 2.

Atypical squamous cells and low squamous intraepithelial lesions in postmenopausal women: implications for management.

Objectives: To determine whether the use of local Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) affects the adequacy of colposcopic examination; to distinguish abnormal cervical smears secondary to hypoestrogenism from abnormal cervical smears due to true preneoplastic changes; and to suggest an effective management of atypical squamous cells of undeterminated significance (ASCUS) and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (L-SIL) in menopausal women.

Study Design: Two-hundred fifty-four postmenopausal women with abnormal pap smears (L-SIL or ASCUS) underwent colposcopy and HPV DNA testing. All patients with positive colposcopy underwent punch biopsy, and all patients with positive histological findings underwent surgical treatment.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes and HPV16 variants in human immunodeficiency virus-positive Italian women.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive women have high rates of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) and concurrent human papillomavirus (HPV) infections with a variety of genotypes whose oncogenic risk is poorly documented. The prevalence and persistence of HPV genotypes and HPV16 variants were analysed in 112 HIV-positive and 115 HIV-negative Italian women. HIV-positive women were more likely than HIV-negative women to be infected by HPV at the initial examination (39.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus genotypes and their variants in high risk West Africa women immigrants in South Italy.

Background: The distribution of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) varies greatly across populations and HPV surveys have been performed in different geographical regions in order to apply appropriate vaccine strategies. Little information, however, exists regarding HPV genotypes distribution in immigrant women from countries at high incidence for cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the spectrum of HPVs and their variants among HIV-positive and HIV-negative women immigrants in South Italy mainly from West Africa and with a history of prostitution.

Prevalence of alpha-papillomavirus genotypes in cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions and invasive cervical carcinoma in the Italian population.

The aim of the present investigation was to define the spectrum of mucosotropic human papillomaviruses among 414 Italian women with normal cervices (n = 183), low- and high-grade cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (n = 101 and 65, respectively), and invasive squamous cervical carcinomas (n = 65). Human papillomaviruses were detected by broad spectrum consensus-primer-pairs MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+-based polymerase chain reaction using three amplification methods and were characterized by nucleotide sequence analysis. The prevalence rates of HPV infections was 19.

Endocervical metaplasia of the endometrium in a patient with cystic fibrosis: a case report.

Objective: To report the case of an infertile female patient with cystic fibrosis who was diagnosed with endocervical metaplasia of the endometrium at diagnostic hysteroscopy and successfully treated with an oral estroprogestinic formulation.

Design: Case report.

Setting: University hospital.

Analysis of human papillomavirus type-16 variants in Italian women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer.

Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) classes (E, AA, As, Af1, Af2) and their variants have different geographic distribution and different degrees of association with cervical lesions. This study was designed to examine HPV-16 variants among Italian women and their prevalence in case patients (affected by invasive cervical carcinoma or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2-3 and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1), versus control subjects with normal cervical epithelium (controls). A total of 90 HPV-16 positive cervical samples from women of Italian Caucasian descent have been tested, including 36 invasive cervical carcinomas, 21 with cervical intraepithelial neoplasias grade 2-3, 17 with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 and 16 controls.

Effectiveness of auto-crosslinked hyaluronic acid gel in the prevention of intrauterine adhesions after hysteroscopic surgery: a prospective, randomized, controlled study.

Background: A prospective, randomized, controlled study was performed to assess the efficacy of auto-crosslinked hyaluronic acid (ACP) gel to prevent the development of de-novo intrauterine adhesions following hysteroscopic surgery.

Methods: One hundred and thirty-two patients with a single surgically remediable intrauterine lesion (myomas, polyps and uterine septa, subgroups I-III) completed the study. Patients were randomized to two different groups: group A underwent hysteroscopic surgery plus intrauterine application of ACP gel (10 ml) while group B underwent hysteroscopic surgery alone (control group).

Fluconazole 150 mg single dose versus itraconazole 200 mg per day for 3 days in the treatment of acute vaginal candidiasis: a double-blind randomized study.

Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of fluconazole 150mg single dose and itraconazole 200mg per day for 3 days in the treatment of the acute episode of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC).

Methods: Double-blind randomized study conducted in three University centers. Patients with acute clinically and mycologically confirmed VVC were enrolled.