Hormonal Contraception and the Risk of Breast Cancer in Women of Reproductive Age: A Meta-Analysis.

This study aims to summarize evidence from observational studies about the lifetime use of HC and the risk of BC in women of reproductive age. The PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases were searched for observational studies published from 2015 to February 2022. Meta-analyses were performed using adjusted odds ratios and relative risks with a random-effects model using the I statistic to quantify the heterogeneity among studies.

Should Ultrasound-Guided High Frequency Focused Ultrasound Be Considered as an Alternative Non-Surgical Treatment of Uterine Fibroids in Non-Asiatic Countries? An Opinion Paper.

Minimally invasive interventions for myomata treatment have gained acceptance due to the possibility of preserving fertility with reduced trauma induced by laparotomy as way of entrance. There are insufficient data regarding outcomes of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in non-Asiatic women. Therefore, we revised the available evidence to present an expert opinion that could support physicians, patients and policy-makers for considering this approach in other populations.

Serum survivin is decreased in women with preeclampsia.

: To evaluate the serum survivin level in preeclampsia.: Eighty-eight pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia and 88 gestational-age (GA)-matched uncomplicated pregnancies were evaluated.: Mean serum survivin was detected to be significantly decreased in the early- (EOPE) and late-onset (LOPE) preeclampsia subgroups than the GA-matched control-groups; and were comparable in EOPE- and LOPE-groups after correction for GA.

Serum catestatin level is increased in women with preeclampsia.

Catestatin can inhibit catecholamine release from chromaffin cells and adrenergic neurons. Catestatin can also have a strong vasodilator effect. This may be useful in understanding the pathophysiology of preeclampsia and its treatment.

Non-invasive diagnosis of endometriosis and moderate-severe endometriosis with serum CA125, endocan, YKL-40, and copeptin quadruple panel.

Considering the complex pathogenesis of endometriosis, which is associated with many cellular or molecular processes, such as proliferation, angiogenesis, inflammation, we evaluated the diagnostic value of a quadruple panel of serum markers CA125, endocan, YKL-40 and copeptin, for the prediction of endometriosis and moderate - severe endometriosis. Seventy women with endometriosis and 70 women without endometriosis were evaluated. Serum CA125, endocan, copeptin and YKL-40 levels were significantly increased in women with endometriosis compared to the women without endometriosis and in the minimal - mild endometriosis group compared to the no-endometriosis group.

Serum kallistatin level is decreased in women with preeclampsia.

Objectives: To evaluate the serum levels of the serine proteinase inhibitor kallistatin in women with preeclampsia (PE).

Methods: The clinical and laboratory parameters of 55 consecutive women with early-onset PE (EOPE) and 55 consecutive women with late-onset PE (LOPE) were compared with 110 consecutive gestational age (GA)-matched (±1 week) pregnant women with an uncomplicated pregnancy and an appropriate for gestational age fetus.

Results: Mean serum kallistatin was significantly lower in women with PE compared to the GA-matched-controls (27.

Genital schistosomiasis as a cause of female sterility and acute abdomen.

Objective: To report the case of a Nigerian patient who suffered from sterility and underwent abdominal laparotomy to remove an adnexal tumor. Histologic analysis revealed Schistosoma haematobium ova.

Design: Case report.

The relationship between maternal characteristics, birth weight and pre-term delivery: evidence from Germany at the end of the 20th century.

Using data from a sample of German women, this paper analyzes the relationship between maternal characteristics and infants' birth weight and pre-term delivery. Besides typical epidemiological factors that influence the weight of infants, such as the gestational age and maternal BMI at the beginning of the pregnancy, we find a West--East gradient. Within West Germany, there is a small North-South gradient in birth weight, with larger birth weights in the north.

Alterations in height, weight, and body mass index of newborns, children, and young adults in eastern Germany after German reunification.

Objective: To examine the effects of the socioeconomic changes occurring during the German reunification on anthropometric data of newborns, children, and young adults. Study design Data were drawn from different perinatal surveys and cross-sectional studies that were conducted in the newly formed German states before and after reunification (1984-2000).

Results: The mean birth weight of newborns increased 151 g between 1984 and 1985 (n = 51,447) and 1997 (n = 83,052), whereas length increased by 0.

Tumour cell-dendritic cell fusion for cancer immunotherapy: comparison of therapeutic efficiency of polyethylen-glycol versus electro-fusion protocols.

Background: Fusion of tumour cells with dendritic cells (DC) is a powerful new technology to increase tumour vaccine immunogenicity. The aim of this study was to compare fusion protocols with syngenic DCs with respect to the efficiency of polyethylen-glycol-(PEG) and electric pulse-mediated fusions for induction of protective anti-tumour immune responses. As a model we chose a low immunogenic and metastatic murine mammary carcinoma cell line, which mimics clinically relevant tumour features.

Qualitative dermatoglyphic traits in ovarian cancer patients: a case-control study.

The authors investigated the correlation between the occurrence of certain qualitative dermatoglyphic traits and the susceptibility to ovarian cancer, using the case-control design. A sample of 168 diseased cases, treated at the University Department of Gynecologic Oncology in Zagreb, Croatia between 1996-1997 was compared to 200 healthy females, investigated at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Zagreb. The results showed significant differences between ovarian cancer cases and healthy controls regarding the frequency of arches on the fingers of both hands (10-11% vs.

Oral treatment of oligozoospermia with testosterone-undecanoate: results of a double-blind-placebo-controlled trial.

30 patients with normogonadotrophic oligozoospermia from 1-20 mill/ml (group A) and 30 men with a sperm density from 210-40,0 mill/ml (group B) from the andrologic laboratory of the University Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graz, Austria were treated with a 120 mg testosteron-undecanoate per os for 100 days. One randomized half of the patients received a placebo in a double blind manner. Conventional spermiograms were supplemented by extended morphologic analysis and motility determinations by laser-Doppler-spectroscopy.

The importance of sperm motility for the fertilization of human oocytes in vivo and in vitro.

Motility behaviour of spermatozoa in 289 ejaculates was investigated by laser-Doppler-spectroscopy in the andrology-laboratory of the University Hospital for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graz/Austria. Conventional spermiograms, performed on the same ejaculates, permitted comparisons between estimated motility and laser-measurements, comprising the following parameters: Total sperm motility, mean sperm velocity, percentages of progressive motile spermatozoa and mean progressive velocity. In order to elucidate the importance of sperm motility for the fertilization of oocytes in vivo and in vitro, ejaculates of six different groups of patients were evaluated.