Contraception after in vitro fertilisation (IVF): a qualitative study of the views of women who have had spontaneous pregnancies after successful IVF.

Background: The use of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has increased rapidly since its inception in 1978. Women seeking IVF have a wide range of subfertility causes including unexplained subfertility. A growing subgroup of women seek treatment for other reasons than fertility problems, for example, women in same sex relationships and single women.

Audit of transvaginal sonography of normal postmenopausal ovaries by sonographers from the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS).

We report on a unique audit of seven sonographers self-reporting high visualization rates of normal postmenopausal ovaries in the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS). This audit was ordered by the trial's Ultrasound Management Subcommittee after an initiative taken in 2008 to improve the quality of scanning and the subsequent increase in the number of sonographers claiming very high ovary visualisation rates. Seven sonographers reporting high rates (>89%) of visualizing normal postmenopausal ovaries in examinations performed between 1 January and 31 December 2008 were identified.

Robotic and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgical Training in European Gynecological Oncology Trainees.

Introduction: Advanced minimal access surgical training is an important component of training in gynecological oncology (GO). Europe-wide data on this topic are lacking. We present data on availability and trainee experience of advanced laparoscopic surgical (ALS) and robotic surgical (RS) training in GO across Europe.

Aberrant regulation of RANKL/OPG in women at high risk of developing breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common female cancer, affecting approximately one in eight women during their lifetime in North America and Europe. Receptor Activator of NF-kB Ligand (RANKL), its receptor RANK and the natural antagonist osteoprotegerin (OPG) are essential regulators of bone resorption. We have initially shown that RANKL/RANK are essential for hormone-driven mammary epithelial proliferation in pregnancy and RANKL/RANK have been implicated in mammary stem cell biology.

Androgen-dependent measurements of female genitalia in women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome.

Measurements of clitoral length and clitoral to urethral distance were made and analysed for a relationship in a group of 19 women with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS)attending a specialist clinic for adult women with disorders of sexual development. These were compared with a control group of 50 women attending hospital for a gynaecological procedure.There was a positive correlation between clitoral length and clitoral to urethral distance for women with CAIS.

Activation and deactivation of periventricular white matter phagocytes during postnatal mouse development.

Brain microglia are related to peripheral macrophages but undergo a highly specific process of regional maturation and differentiation inside the brain. Here, we examined this deactivation and morphological differentiation in cerebral cortex and periventricular subcortical white matter, the main "fountain of microglia" site, during postnatal mouse development, 0-28 days after birth (P0-P28). Only macrophages in subcortical white matter but not cortical microglia exhibited strong expression of typical activation markers alpha5, alpha6, alphaM, alphaX, and beta2 integrin subunits and B7.

Regulation and function of neuronal GTP-Ras in facial motor nerve regeneration.

Activation of Ras into the GTP-binding, 'ON' state is a key switch in the neurotrophin-mediated neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth, in vitro as well as in vivo. In the current study we explored changes in GTP-Ras levels following facial nerve injury and the ensuing regeneration and the effects of perturbing these changes in vivo using synapsin-promoter mediated neuronal expression of constitutively active Val12H-Ras (synRas). Quantification of GTP-Ras and total Ras revealed a precipitous drop in the relative GTP-Ras levels in the axotomized facial motor nucleus, to 40% of normal levels at 2 days after cut, followed by a partial recovery to 50-65% at 4-28 days.

c-Jun expression, activation and function in neural cell death, inflammation and repair.

Up-regulation of c-Jun is a common event in the developing, adult as well as in injured nervous system that serves as a model of transcriptional control of brain function. Functional studies employing in vivo strategies using gene deletion, targeted expression of dominant negative isoforms and pharmacological inhibitors all suggest a three pronged role of c-Jun action, exercising control over neural cell death and degeneration, in gliosis and inflammation as well as in plasticity and repair. In vitro, structural and molecular studies reveal several non-overlapping activation cascades via N-terminal c-Jun phosphorylation at serine 63 and 73 (Ser63, Ser73), and threonine 91 and 93 (Thr91, Thr93) residues, the dephosphorylation at Thr239, the p300-mediated lysine acetylation of the near C-terminal region (Lys268, Lys271, Lys 273), as well as the Jun-independent activities of the Jun N-terminal family of serine/threonine kinases, that regulate the different and disparate cellular responses.