Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Which Criteria to Use and When?

Current diagnostic criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are based on expert opinion. This article reviews the rationale for and the limitations of these criteria as well as which criteria to use and when. The insights provided into PCOS pathogenesis by modern genetic analyses and the promise of objective data mining approaches for biologically relevant disease classification are discussed.

New insights into human prolactin pathophysiology: genomics and beyond.

Purpose Of Review: To briefly summarize what is known regarding hyperprolactinemia and prolactin-secreting tumors, and review recent findings.

Recent Findings: Prolactin was previously thought to inhibit secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) by directly inhibiting the firing of GnRH neurons, resulting in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and infertility. However, kisspeptin has recently been implicated as the mediator of hyperprolactinemia-induced infertility, by acting upstream of the GnRH neurons as an integrator of endocrine signals.

Understanding the Reproductive Experience and Pregnancy Outcomes of Lesbian Women Undergoing Donor Intrauterine Insemination.

Purpose: The study purpose was to evaluate the reproductive experience, specifically cycle characteristics and treatment outcomes, of lesbian women. In addition, we aimed to determine whether there are differences in pregnancy outcomes when comparing lesbian women undergoing ovulation induction (OI) versus natural cycles with donor intrauterine insemination (IUI), as well as lesbian and heterosexual women undergoing the same assisted reproductive technology treatment.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study including women who underwent an IUI with cryopreserved sperm between 2006 and 2018.

A-Kinase Anchoring Protein 13 (AKAP13) Augments Progesterone Signaling in Uterine Fibroid Cells.

Context: Uterine leiomyomata (fibroids) are prevalent sex hormone‒dependent tumors with an altered response to mechanical stress. Ulipristal acetate, a selective progesterone receptor (PR) modulator, significantly reduces fibroid size in patients. However, PR signaling in fibroids and its relationship to mechanical signaling are incompletely understood.

Nutritional composition and heavy metal content of the human placenta.

Despite the vital and diverse roles of the placenta, remarkably little is known about its actual composition. Moreover, as placentophagy becomes increasingly popular, understanding the nutritional and heavy metal composition of the human placenta has practical implications. Here we evaluated the carbohydrate, sugar, protein, fat, cholesterol, vitamin, and heavy metal composition of the human placenta from uncomplicated singleton pregnancies and found that it contains a significant amount of cholesterol, protein, iron, and selenium, but no detectable levels of cadmium, arsenic, or mercury.

Dynamic reciprocity between cells and their microenvironment in reproduction.

Dynamic reciprocity (DR) refers to the ongoing, bidirectional interaction between cells and their microenvironment, specifically the extracellular matrix (ECM). The continuous remodeling of the ECM exerts mechanical force on cells and modifies biochemical mediators near the cell membrane, thereby initiating cell-signaling cascades that produce changes in gene expression and cell behavior. Cellular changes, in turn, affect the composition and organization of ECM components.

Mechanical signaling in reproductive tissues: mechanisms and importance.

The organs of the female reproductive system are among the most dynamic tissues in the human body, undergoing repeated cycles of growth and involution from puberty through menopause. To achieve such impressive plasticity, reproductive tissues must respond not only to soluble signals (hormones, growth factors, and cytokines) but also to physical cues (mechanical forces and osmotic stress) as well. Here, we review the mechanisms underlying the process of mechanotransduction-how signals are conveyed from the extracellular matrix that surrounds the cells of reproductive tissues to the downstream molecules and signaling pathways that coordinate the cellular adaptive response to external forces.

Derivation of injury-responsive dendritic cells for acute brain targeting and therapeutic protein delivery in the stroke-injured rat.

Research with experimental stroke models has identified a wide range of therapeutic proteins that can prevent the brain damage caused by this form of acute neurological injury. Despite this, we do not yet have safe and effective ways to deliver therapeutic proteins to the injured brain, and this remains a major obstacle for clinical translation. Current targeted strategies typically involve invasive neurosurgery, whereas systemic approaches produce the undesirable outcome of non-specific protein delivery to the entire brain, rather than solely to the injury site.