Unusually High Serum Levels of CA 19-9 in an Ovarian Tumour: Malignant or Benign?

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) is a tumour marker found to be elevated in some ovarian tumours. We share our experience with a 55-year-old postmenopausal lady with unusually high CA19-9 levels arising from a benign mucinous cystadenoma of the ovary. The levels returned to normal eight weeks following staging laparotomy and a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy.

Augmented Activity of Cyclooxygenase-2 in Tissue and Serum of Patients With Cervical Cancer.

Background: Cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) is frequently overexpressed in cervical carcinoma, but little is known about its altered serum concentration. Hence, this study evaluates clinical utility of cellular and serum level of Cox-2 enzyme in cervical cancer.

Methods: The expression of Cox-2 was evaluated in cervical tissues and serum samples collected from normal controls (n = 100; n = 68), cervical intraepithelial neoplasia patients (CIN, n = 67; n = 12), and invasive squamous cell carcinoma patients (SCCs; n = 153; n = 127) by immunohistochemical and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analyses.

Birth prevalence of congenital heart disease: A cross-sectional observational study from North India.

Objective: To assess the birth prevalence and pattern of congenital heart disease (CHD) using echocardiography in babies born in a community hospital of North India.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study conducted over a period of 3 years. Newborns born over a specific 8-h period of the day were recruited in the study.

Catamenial Pain in Umbilical Hernia with Spontaneous Reduction: An Unusual Presentation of a Rare Entity.

Spontaneous umbilical endometriosis occurring in absence of any previous abdominal or uterine surgery is extremely atypical. Its association with umbilical hernia is very rare and hernia getting spontaneously resolved has not been reported in literature so far. Here we report a case of a patient with spontaneous umbilical endometriosis associated with umbilical hernia which led to spontaneous hernia reduction.

Pulse oximetry as a screening tool for detecting major congenital heart defects in Indian newborns.

Objective: To evaluate the use of pulse oximetry as a screening tool for detecting major congenital heart defects (CHDs) in Indian newborns.

Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Patients: In a community hospital of north India, babies born during a specific 8 h period of the day were recruited over a period of 3 years.

Clinical significance of inactivated glycogen synthase kinase 3β in HPV-associated cervical cancer: Relationship with Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation.

Problem: To determine the role of inactivated GSK3β with respect to Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation in HPV-16/18-associated cervical cancer.

Method Of Study: The expression of active (pGSK3β-Try(216)), inactive (pGSK3β-Ser(9)), and c-Myc as well as HPV-16/18 infection was analyzed in cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN), squamous cell carcinoma (SCCs) and normal by immunohistochemistry and multiplex PCR. The proteins level was also compared with β-catenin and APC expression.

Peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1-mediated abrogation of APC-β-catenin interaction in squamous cell carcinoma of cervix.

Objective: The present study was aimed to investigate the importance of Pin1 expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) of cervix and to assess its level with β-catenin and APC to understand the possible involvement of Pin1 in the regulation of these proteins and subsequent activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Materials And Methods: Expression of Pin1, β-catenin and APC was examined in 153 SCC patients by immunohistochemistry and revalidated by western blotting.

Results: Of the 153 SCC analyzed, Pin1 was overexpressed in 73 (47.

Minimal effective dose of mifepristone for medical abortion.

The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of 100 mg versus 200 mg mifepristone along with misoprostol for medical abortion in gestation upto 56 days. This is a prospective controlled study. Eighty women seeking medical abortion with a gestation up to 56 days were included in the study.

Phaeochromocytoma in pregnancy: safe vaginal delivery, is it possible?

Pheochromocytoma in pregnancy is rare (1 in 50,000 full term pregnancies). Recognition of the condition is central to improving outcome (maternal and foetal mortality is reduced from 58% and 56%, respectively to 2% and 11-15%, respectively). An antenatal patient in third trimester diagnosed as pheochromocytoma has been described.

Association of MDM2 and p53 polymorphisms with the advancement of cervical carcinoma.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignancies that causes a serious health problem worldwide. The aim of the present study was to analyze the association of p53 codon72 (arginine/proline) polymorphism (rs1042522) and Murine Double Minute 2 (MDM2) SNP309 T/G (rs2279744) with the advancement of cervical cancer by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method followed by direct sequencing. The frequencies of GG genotype at 309 position in the second promoter (P2) of MDM2 and Arginine in codon72 of p53 were found to be 3.

Evaluation of hematological parameters in partial exchange and packed cell transfusion in treatment of severe anemia in pregnancy.

Objectives. Anemia is a major public health problem throughout the world which assumes prominence in pregnant mothers. Patients with severe anemia continue to present themselves at term or in labor.

Expression of TLR 2, TLR 4 and iNOS in cervical monocytes of Chlamydia trachomatis-infected women and their role in host immune response.

Problem: To study the innate immune response -TLR2 TLR 4 and iNOS expression in female genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

Method: TLR 2, TLR 4, and iNOS expression was evaluated by real-time PCR in C. trachomatis-infected asymptomatic, mucopurulent cervicitis (MPC), and fertility disorders (FD) women.

Differing effects of azithromycin and doxycycline on cytokines in cells from Chlamydia trachomatis-infected women.

Chlamydial infection of the lower genital tract usually spreads to the upper genital tract and is then responsible for more serious consequences, such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, pelvic pain, and pelvic inflammatory disease. Genital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis and the resulting cytokine response largely determines the outcome of infection and disease. To date, studies showing comparative effects of azithromycin and doxycycline treatment for C.

Study of methyl transferase (G9aMT) and methylated histone (H3-K9) expressions in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) and normal early pregnancy.

We investigated the expression of methyl transferase G9a and methylated histone H3-K9 in fresh human decidual/endometrial tissue of 12 normal early pregnancies and 15 unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortions (URSA). The samples were obtained through dilatation and curettage and collected as per strict inclusion-exclusion criteria. The tissue was subjected to immunohistochemical analysis (IHC), western blotting (WB) and RT-PCR analysis.

Azithromycin treatment modulates the extracellular signal-regulated kinase mediated pathway and inhibits inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in epithelial cells from infertile women with recurrent Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

Epidemiological and animal model studies suggest that sequelae of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection are more often associated with second or subsequent infections than with initial infection. Further, in order to establish an acute or long-term persistent infection, C. trachomatis develops several strategies to circumvent host immune responses.

Prognostic significance of soluble fas and soluble fas ligand in serum of patients with complete hydatidiform moles.

Problem: Despite of advances in diagnosis and staging, the prognosis of hydatidiform mole (HM) remains intricate. HM possesses the substantial risk of developing persistent trophoblastic disease (PTD), which is considerably high for complete hydatidiform moles (CHMs). Significance of serum soluble Fas (sFas) and soluble FasL (sFasL) has been observed in various malignancies; however, there is no report till date on HM.

Fas-FasL system in molar pregnancy.

Problem: Hydatidiform mole (molar pregnancy) is the commonest form of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease, with the risk of undergoing malignant transformation. The molecular pathway leading to pathogenesis and progression of molar pregnancy is barely understood. The study focuses on Fas/FasL system which represents one of the main apoptotic pathways controlling placental morphogenesis.

Spontaneous secretion of interleukin-17 and -22 by human cervical cells in Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

To investigate whether IL-17A (IL-17) and IL-22 are produced in response to Chlamydia trachomatis infection, the cervical washes of 27 women with C. trachomatis infection and 17 C. trachomatis negative controls were collected.

Decreased susceptibility to azithromycin and doxycycline in clinical isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis obtained from recurrently infected female patients in India.

Background: Recurrent genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection often results in serious sequelae and has a major impact on reproductive health.

Materials And Methods: Recurrent infections were determined in symptomatic female patients. In vitro susceptibility assay was performed for azithromycin and doxycycline using the cell culture technique against 21 clinical isolates obtained from C.

Characterization of apoptotic activities during chlamydia trachomatis infection in primary cervical epithelial cells.

Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria that infect human epithelial cells. It has been reported that Chlamydia trachomatis, induces apoptosis in epithelial cells, however, the molecular mechanisms responsible for host cell death especially in primary epithelial cells remained largely unknown as most of the studies are in cell line like HeLa. In this study we demonstrated that C.

Chlamydia trachomatis heat shock proteins 60 and 10 induce apoptosis in endocervical epithelial cells.

Aim And Objective: The potential role of chlamydial heat shock proteins (cHSP) 60 and cHSP10 in apoptosis of primary cervical epithelial cells was investigated.

Methods: Primary cervical epithelial cells were stimulated with cHSP60 and cHSP10 for 4 h. Quantitative measurements of apoptosis were made using cytofluorometry, and apoptosis-related genes were analyzed by microarray, real-time PCR and western blotting.

The mucosal immune response to Chlamydia trachomatis infection of the reproductive tract in women.

Sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis infection is an important public health concern with major adverse effects on female reproductive tract health and function. The magnitude of reproductive morbidity associated with sexually transmitted C. trachomatis infection is enormous, however to date no prophylactic vaccine is available.

Soluble and membranous vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 in pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia.

Purpose: There is a paucity of information on the serum soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (sVEGFR-2) concentrations, membranous VEGFR-2 expression and the mechanism involved in their modulations during the clinical onset of pre-eclampsia. This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the concentration of sVEGFR-2 in serum and to investigate the expression of membranous VEGFR-2 in placentae of pre-eclampsia group.

Materials And Methods: The serum levels of sVEGFR-2 (n = 120) and the expression of membranous VEGFR-2 in placentae (n = 100) were analysed at third trimester of pregnancy by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry respectively.

A phase II randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Praneem polyherbal vaginal tablets compared with betadine vaginal pessary in women with symptoms of abnormal vaginal discharge.

Abnormal vaginal discharge (AVD) caused by a variety of reproductive tract infections is a widespread syndrome among women in India and in other developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a polyherbal formulation, Praneem, can be used for the regression of the syndrome. A phase IotaIota randomized controlled study was carried out with Praneem polyherbal tablets and Betadine vaginal pessary in 99 women with AVD.

Seroprevalence of antibodies against Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane proteins B and C in infected symptomatic women.

Background: Proteins in the inclusion membrane of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) have been anticipated to play pivotal roles in the molecular and cellular interactions between the pathogen and host. However, there is lack of data on host immunity with respect to antibody responses against chlamydial inclusion proteins.

Methodology: We used full-length fusion proteins for CT inclusion membrane proteins B and C (IncB and IncC respectively), two early-infection phase proteins, to study their role in antibody generation during human infection.