Myths, reality and future of mesenchymal stem cell therapy.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy represents an alternative approach for tissue regeneration and inflammation control. In spite of a huge amount of preclinical data that has been accumulated on the therapeutic properties of MSCs, there are many conflicting results, possibly due to differences in the properties of MSCs obtained from different sources or underestimated mechanisms of MSC in vivo behavior. This review consolidates the in vivo effects of MSC therapy, discusses the fate of MSCs after intravascular and local delivery and proposes possible trends in MSC therapy.

Oncological management and obstetric and neonatal outcomes for women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy: a 20-year international cohort study of 1170 patients.

Background: Awareness is growing that cancer can be treated during pregnancy, but the effect of this change on maternal and neonatal outcomes is unknown. The International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy (INCIP) registers the incidence and maternal, obstetric, oncological, and neonatal outcomes of cancer occurring during pregnancy. We aimed to describe the oncological management and obstetric and neonatal outcomes of patients registered in INCIP and treated in the past 20 years, and assess associations between cancer type or treatment modality and obstetric and neonatal outcomes.

Identification of potential early biomarkers of preeclampsia.

Introduction: It is thought that poor placental perfusion caused by inadequate remodelling of the maternal spiral arteries leads to preeclampsia (PE). To identify novel signalling pathways that contribute to PE pathogenesis and to create prerequisites for the non-invasive diagnosis of PE before clinical manifestations of the disease, this study aimed to evaluate miRNA expression levels in the placenta and blood plasma of pregnant women.

Methods: miRNA deep sequencing followed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR was applied to compare miRNA expression profiles in the placenta and blood plasma from women with early- and late-onset PE relative to the control group.

Transcription profile analysis of the endometrium revealed molecular markers of the personalized 'window of implantation' during in vitro fertilization.

To determine the most informative markers for assessing the functional state of endometrium during the 'window of implantation' and creating a model for assessment of the readiness of endometrium for embryo implantation. Forty-seven women with tubal infertility and a successful IVF pregnancy participated in the study. Pipelle endometrial sample was performed during the supposed 'window of implantation' in natural cycle with subsequent histological study, and transcriptional profile of genes GPX3, PAEP, DPP4, TAGLN, HABP2, IMPA2, AQP3, HLA-DOB, MSX1, POSTN determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Deciphering the chemical origin of the semen-like floral scents in three angiosperm plants.

The chemical origin and biological role of distinct semen-like odor occasionally found in some flowers are very curious but remain scarcely studied. Here, we used direct ambient corona discharge ionization mass spectrometry (MS) to study the volatile chemical composition behind the semen-like odor emitted by the fresh flowers of Photinia serrulata, Castanopsis sclerophylla and Stemona japonica without any chemical pretreatment. Chemical identification was performed using high-resolution MS analysis in combination with tandem MS analysis and whenever possible was confirmed by the analysis of standard reference compounds.

Cumulus cell mitochondrial activity in relation to body mass index in women undergoing assisted reproductive therapy.

Most studies have considered the negative influence of obesity on fertility in both genders. In the present study, we assessed mitochondrial activity expressed as the mitochondrial potential index (MPI) in cumulus cells from obese women and women with a normal body mass index (BMI) during assisted reproductive therapy. The results revealed a significant reduction of MPI with increased body mass.

Phagocyte activity in the peripheral blood of pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus and in the cord blood of their newborns.

Aim: To detect faults in phagocytosis in peripheral blood cells of pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and in cord blood of their newborns.

Methods: Pregnant women fulfilled ≥ 4 American College of Rheumatology criteria for SLE and their newborns were recruited. Pregnant women without SLE and their newborns constituted controls.

Hyaluronic Acid in Vascular and Immune Homeostasis during Normal Pregnancy and Preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystem pathologic state that clinically manifests itself after the 20th week of pregnancy. It is characterized by high maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. According to modern concepts, the impairment of trophoblast invasion into maternal spiral arteries, leading to the development of ischemia in placenta, is considered to be the major pathogenetic factor of PE development.

Comparison of the results of preimplantation genetic screening obtained by a-CGH and NGS methods from the same embryos.

Chromosomal aneuploidies are known for being the main cause of abnormal development of embryos with normal morphology, their implantation failure and early reproductive losses in IVF treatments. Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) allows selecting embryos with normal chromosomal content and increases IVF treatment efficiency due to higher implantation rates and less frequent early pregnancy losses. New technologies used for PGS allow making genome-wide analysis of the presence of all chromosomes in embryos.

Peculiarities of data interpretation upon direct tissue analysis by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

The importance of high-resolution mass spectrometry for the correct data interpretation of a direct tissue analysis is demonstrated with an example of its clinical application for an endometriosis study. Multivariate analysis of the data discovers lipid species differentially expressed in different tissues under investigation. High-resolution mass spectrometry allows unambiguous separation of peaks with close masses that correspond to proton and sodium adducts of phosphatidylcholines and to phosphatidylcholines differing in double bond number.

DNA barcodes unite two problematic taxa: the meiobenthic Boreohydra simplex is a life-cycle stage of Plotocnide borealis (Hydrozoa: Aplanulata).

Genetic barcodes of arctic medusae and meiobenthic cnidarians have uncovered a fortuitous connection between the medusa Plotocnide borealis Wagner, 1885 and the minute, mud-dwelling polyp Boreohydra simplex Westblad, 1937. Little to no sequence differences exist among independently collected samples identified as Boreohydra simplex and Plotocnide borealis, showing that the two different forms represent a single species that is henceforth known by the older name Plotocnide borealis Wagner, 1885. The polyp form has been observed to produce bulges previously hypothesized to be gonophores, and the results here are consistent with that view.

The relationship of seminal transforming growth factor-β1 and interleukin-18 with reproductive success in women exposed to seminal plasma during IVF/ICSI treatment.

It has been proposed that the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 present in seminal plasma (SP) triggers a female immune response favorable for implantation. We hypothesize that seminal interleukin (IL)-18, a cytokine that can potentially cause implantation failure, interferes with the beneficial effect of TGF-β1. This study aims to determine whether the levels of seminal TGF-β1 and IL-18 are associated with reproductive outcomes in patients exposed to SP during in vitro fertilization (IVF) or IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Differences of glycocalyx composition in the structural elements of placenta in preeclampsia.

Introduction: Glycans expressed in the fetal-maternal interface were shown to exert immunomodulating effects and to mediate interactions between the cells. The aim of this study was to investigate alterations in the structure of carbohydrate chains of glycocalyx in placental tissue in pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia (PE).

Methods: A histochemical analysis of placental tissues was performed with a panel of biotinylated lectins.

Letter: Comparison of pyridine and pyrazine derivatives distributions in exhaled breath and exhaled breath condensate after smoking.

Molecular mass distributions of series of compounds found in exhaled breath after smoking are compared between the direct-breath analysis by extractive electrospray ionization and the analysis of exhaled breath condensate by direct-infusion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Although all the analyzed series of compounds are detected by both methods, their relative abundances are different. A number-average mass is used as a quantitative characteristic of the series.

Analysis of nosocomial Staphylococcus haemolyticus by MLST and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are a major component of normal human skin and mucosae flora. However, some species of CoNS can lead to infections in immunocompromised patients and premature newborns. The choice of a rapid and reliable typing method is one of the major problems in the epidemiological monitoring of CoNS, especially Staphylococcushaemolyticus isolates.

Double-blind randomized placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial (phase IIa) on diindolylmethane's efficacy and safety in the treatment of CIN: implications for cervical cancer prevention.

Background: The article presents the results of a clinical trial on the efficacy and safety of a novel pharmaceutical composition in the form of vaginal suppositories containing diindolylmethane in the course of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I-II conservative treatment. It offers an attractive drug therapy for more personalized prevention of cervical cancer.

Methods: A total of 78 women of reproductive age were included.

Clinical and pathogenetic features of early- and late-onset pre-eclampsia.

Background: PE is present in ∼2-8% of all pregnant women worldwide. Placental bed disorders at early and late PE have been not carried out yet. However, these studies help to explore details of the pathogenesis of PE, and to optimize the prognosis and obstetric management.

Functional deficit of sperm and fertility impairment in men with antisperm antibodies.

Autoimmune reactions against the sperm cells play an ambiguous role in fertility impairment. The objective of this study was to characterize functional deficit of sperm conditioned by antisperm immune response in normozoospermic men. This was a multi-centric, cross-sectional, сase-control study.