Types of human papillomavirus observed in hospital-based population.

Background And Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent of cervical cancer, a major cause of cancer mortality in Indian women. The current study was undertaken to add information to the existing data on HPV type distribution in Indians, in an attempt to document HPV types for future vaccination programme, if any.

Materials And Methods: HPV infection was screened in 223 cervical cancer cases and 2408 healthy women without cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (control).

Variations in immunogenetics, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection & predisposition to cervical cancer in Indian women.

Background & Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main causative agent for cervical cancer. Variability in host immunogenetic factors is important in determining the overall cellular immune response to the HPV infection. This study was carried out to confirm the association between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II alleles and cervical cancer in HPV infected women.

Cervical cancer in Indian women reveals contrasting association among common sub-family of HLA class I alleles.

We studied the relationship between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles and cervical cancer among Indian women. Seventy-five cervical cancer cases were compared with 175 noncancer controls. Cervical biopsy tissue specimen from cancer cases and cervical swab specimen from controls were collected for HPV detection and typing.

Current Chlamydia trachomatis Infection, A Major Cause of Infertility.

Background: In India, the impact of current Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) in reproductive health remains a neglected area of investigation. The present study evaluates if current Chlamydia infection is associated with any clinical complication that needs the attention of clinical investigators.

CTLA-4 gene polymorphism at position +49 A>G in exon 1: a risk factor for cervical cancer in Indian women.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CTLA-4 gene exert differential effects on T-cell response to viral infection. We aimed to evaluate the association of two SNPs of the CTLA-4 gene with cervical cancer in Indian women. The two polymorphic loci, one in the promoter region -318 C>T, rs5742909 (100 cervical cancer cases and 101 controls) and the other in exon 1 +49 A>G, rs231775 (104 cervical cancer cases and 162 controls) were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism methods.

Methylation status of imprinted genes DLK1-GTL2, MEST (PEG1), ZAC (PLAGL1), and LINE-1 elements in spermatozoa of normozoospermic men, unlike H19 imprinting control regions, is not associated with idiopathic recurrent spontaneous miscarriages.

Objective: To study methylation aberrations in spermatozoa at developmentally important imprinted regions to ascertain their role in early embryo loss in idiopathic recurrent spontaneous miscarriages (RSM).

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: Academic research setting at National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Parel, Mumbai.

Methylation analysis of idiopathic recurrent spontaneous miscarriage cases reveals aberrant imprinting at H19 ICR in normozoospermic individuals.

Objective: To study H19 ICR methylation levels in association with sperm parameters routinely analyzed in idiopathic recurrent spontaneous miscarriage cases.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: Academic research setting.

Detection, characterization, and spontaneous differentiation in vitro of very small embryonic-like putative stem cells in adult mammalian ovary.

The present study was undertaken to detect, characterize, and study differentiation potential of stem cells in adult rabbit, sheep, monkey, and menopausal human ovarian surface epithelium (OSE). Two distinct populations of putative stem cells (PSCs) of variable size were detected in scraped OSE, one being smaller and other similar in size to the surrounding red blood cells in the scraped OSE. The smaller 1-3 μm very small embryonic-like PSCs were pluripotent in nature with nuclear Oct-4 and cell surface SSEA-4, whereas the bigger 4-7 μm cells with cytoplasmic localization of Oct-4 and minimal expression of SSEA-4 were possibly the tissue committed progenitor stem cells.

Human Papillomavirus infection in asymptomatic population.

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate type specific Human Papillomavirus (HPV) strains in women with different clinical manifestations but with normal cervical cytology, attending a gynecology out patient clinic and HPV infection in males attending a private pathology laboratory for routine check up in Mumbai.

Methods: Cervical swab specimens from 470 women with normal cervical cytology as detected by Pap were used for detection and typing of HPV by PCR, southern blotting and sequencing. In 104 males, 30 ml of first void/random urine specimens were used for HPV screening.

Thrombophilia and unexplained pregnancy loss in Indian patients.

Background: The role of acquired and congenital thrombophilias in the aetiology of unexplained pregnancy loss in the Indian population has not been studied in detail. We studied the association of acquired and inherited markers of thrombophilia in a large group of patients with unexplained pregnancy loss.

Methods: A total of 602 women with pregnancy loss were referred to us for evaluation of thrombophilia between April 2000 and June 2005.

Successful pregnancy outcome in women with bad obstetric history and recurrent fetal loss due to thrombophilia: effect of unfractionated heparin and low-molecular weight heparin.

Acquired and inherited thrombophilias are known to be associated with unfavorable pregnancy outcome including recurrent fetal loss. There are differences of opinion whether these patients need to be treated with aspirin, unfractionated heparin, low-molecular weight heparin, corticosteroids, or intravenous immunoglobulins. In all, 25 consecutive patients with a history of fetal loss and 7 patients who presented in early pregnancy with deep-vein thrombosis were treated, and their pregnancy outcome was noted.

A comprehensive screening analysis of antiphospholipid antibodies in Indian women with fetal loss.

Objective: The present study was aimed at a comprehensive analysis of acquired thrombophilia in a large series of Indian women with fetal loss.

Study Design: Four hundred and thirty women (median age 26 years, range 18-39 years) with unexplained fetal loss (median number of abortions 3, range 1-13) were screened for the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA), i.e.

Deep venous thrombosis in the antenatal period in a large cohort of pregnancies from western India.

Background: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is an important complication in the peripartal and postpartal period.

Methods: We followed up prospectively the prevalence of DVT in 34720 prenatal mothers between June 2002 and July 2006 attending the antenatal clinics of two major hospitals in Mumbai, India. Thirty two women (0.

Successful embolization of an ovarian artery pseudoaneurysm complicating obstetric hysterectomy.

Transcatheter arterial embolization is becoming the therapy of choice for controlling obstetric hemorrhage, affording the ability to control persistent bleeding from pelvic vessels while avoiding the morbidity of surgical exploration. The clinicians are left with little choice if pelvic hemorrhage continues after hysterectomy and ligation of anterior division of both internal iliac arteries. We present one such case of intractable post-obstetric hysterectomy hemorrhage in which an ovarian artery pseudoaneurysm was diagnosed angiographically and successfully embolized, highlighting the role of transcatheter embolization.

The spectrum of bleeding disorders in women with menorrhagia: a report from Western India.

In order to evaluate the incidence of hereditary bleeding disorders in patients presenting with menorrhagia, where the usual gynecological and endocrinal causes of bleeding were ruled out by various local ultrasonography (USG) and relevant endocrine investigations, 120 women aged between 18 and 35 years presenting with menorrhagia without any discernable cause were studied using an open design, where the investigators knew that these patients had menorrhagia. These patients were investigated for inherited coagulation defects. Of the 120 women investigated, 19.

Prognostic factors in obstetric patients admitted to an Indian intensive care unit.

Objectives: Obstetric patients form a significant proportion of intensive care unit admissions in countries like India, where maternal mortality is high (440 per 100,000 deliveries). We studied the diseases requiring intensive care and prognostic factors in obstetric patients.

Design: Retrospective chart review.