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Aims: In overactive bladder (OAB) research, different biomarkers have been proposed as diagnostic tools and may be used to create individual patient profiles. Assessing the diagnostic performance of biomarkers would better outline their utility. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the diagnostic value of four urinary biomarkers: human brain derived neurotrophic factor (hBDNF), malondialdehyde (MDA), h nerve growth factor (hNGF) and h 8‐hydroxydeoxyguanosine in women with OAB. These are neurotrophins/oxidative stress markers that have been linked to lower urinary tract symptoms. Methods: A total of 105 women were included in the study and distributed in two groups: a group with OAB (n = 53) and a control group (n = 50). The levels of the biomarkers were determined using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay technique and they were compared between the groups. If the Mann‐Whitney test demonstrated a statistically significant difference, receiver operating curves (ROC) analysis was undertaken. Results: When normalized to urinary creatinine, hBDNF, MDA, and hNGF showed significantly increased values in women with OAB as compared to controls, whereas 8‐OHdG showed no significant difference. The diagnostic performance of these biomarkers was analyzed based on the area under the ROC curve (AUC). MDA had the highest AUC (0.75), followed by hNGF (0.69) and hBDNF (0.67). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that MDA, a relatively novel biomarker in OAB research, has a fair performance as a diagnostic tool for OAB. Moreover, urinary neurotrophins (NGF and BDNF) as biomarkers may have a role in the diagnostic pathways of women with OAB symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background/aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the serum concentration of main chemokines and interferons in patients with diagnosed endometriosis. Materials and methods: A total of 160 women were divided in two study groups (group 1 - endometriosis; group 2 - healthy women). Serum levels of IFN-α, IFN-γ, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, RANTES, eotaxin, IL-8, MIG, IP-10, and IL-17A were measured with Human Multiplex Cytokine Panels. Results. Serum levels of IFN-γ, MCP-1, and IL-8 were significantly higher (mean 14.03, 57.24, and 534.24, respectively, compared to 0.58, 20.51, and 259.82, respectively), and serum levels of IP-10 and eotaxin were significantly lower in women with endometriosis compared to the controls (mean 1.15 and 1.01, respectively, compared to 3.90 and 3.22, respectively). Conclusions. According to our results women with endometriosis have elevated levels IFN-γ, MCP-1, and IL-8, and lower serum levels of IP-10 and eotaxin, indicating unbalanced immune activity in endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The identification of biological markers that indicate an increased risk for the development or recurrence of endometrial cancer (EC) in obese women might be useful for decreasing EC mortality and morbidity. Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is a major protein of the endoplasmic reticulum expressed in all normal cells. Overexpression of GRP78 has been reported to be a tumoral biomarker. Increased detection of GRP78 is positively correlated with the tumoral stage and prognosis. This study aimed to identify a correlation between intraperitoneal fat, plasma GRP78 levels, and EC. Materials and Methods. Two groups of patients were included in the study: group I, 44 patients diagnosed with EC, and group II, 44 patients without gynecological pathology or inflammatory disorders. Visceral fat was determined by ultrasound and plasma GRP78 levels were measured. Results. Plasma GRP78 levels were significantly higher in patients with EC compared to the control group. Intraperitoneal fat was in a positive linear correlation with the plasma GRP78 level (p<0.0001). Conclusion. The measurement of the GRP78 level associated with the determination of intraperitoneal fat can be a useful predictor for EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of this study was to assess serum levels of the key anti-inflammatory cytokines in women of reproductive age and in pre and postmenopausal women. Material and Method. 175 women were enrolled and were divided into 5 groups (1 - Fertile women; 2 - Pre- and perimenopausal women; 3 - Postmenopausal women; 4 - Surgically-induced menopause; 5 - Chronic inflammation). Multiplex cytokine kits were used to evaluate serum levels of interleukin-4, -10 and -13. We determined the serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone, of luteinizing hormone, 17β-estradiol, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate using sandwich ELISA. Results. IL-4, IL-10 and IL-17 present a statistically significant decrease (p=0.00, p=0.00, respectively p=0.0053) in women with natural or surgically induced menopause (groups 3 and 4), compared with fertile women and premenopausal women (Groups 1, 2 and 5). Serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10 are significantly higher in fertile patients with associated chronic inflammatory diseases (133.5±1.314 pg/ml, respectively 6.406±13.47 pg/ml) than in fertile patients without chronic inflammatory diseases or premenopausal women (84.67±1.22 pg/ml, respectively 0.627±0.714). Conclusions. IL-4 and IL-10, together with IL-17, show significantly lower serum values in patients with natural or surgically induced menopause compared with patients of childbearing age or in premenopause. IL-4 and IL-10 show significantly higher serum values for patients of childbearing age presenting chronic inflammatory pathology compared with patients of childbearing age without chronic inflammatory pathology or premenopausal patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holoprosencephaly (HPE), a major congenital abnormality in brain development is characterized by the absence or incomplete cleavage of prosencephalon into separate hemispheres, with cyclopia as the extreme manifestation of HPE, presenting as a failure of embryonic prosencephalon to properly divide the orbits of the eye in two cavities. We report the case of a 15-year-old pregnant patient, who delivered a 34-week living fetus with alobar HPE, cyclopia and proboscis. The patient did not have any routine scans during pregnancy; her first obstetrical exam was performed at 29 weeks of gestation (WG), when a prenatal ultrasound found a fetus with alobar HPE, cyclopia, proboscis, polydactyly and single umbilical artery. Despite adequate medical and genetic counseling, the patient and her legal representative refused further investigations - magnetic resonance imaging and genetic testing. She was admitted to the hospital at 34 WG for premature rupture of membranes, with clear amniotic fluid. Twenty-four hours later, she delivered vaginally a living male fetus, weighing 1995 g. Macroscopic examination revealed umbilical cord with two vessels, fetal proboscis, cyclopia, low implanted ears, bilateral polydactyly of the upper limbs, spina bifida occulta in the sacral region. The newborn lived for 40 minutes. Microscopy of the eyeball revealed choroid, ciliary body and conjunctiva structures, with no identification of the retina, and no evidence of the optic nerve in the fragments obtained from the optic chiasm region. This case underlines the importance of early obstetrical examinations during pregnancy and raises concerns about the ethics of allowing therapeutic termination of pregnancy after 24 WG in selected cases.

Introduction. The identification of biological markers that indicate an increased risk for the development or recurrence of endometrial cancer (EC) in obese women might be useful for decreasing EC mortality and morbidity. Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is a major protein of the endoplasmic reticulum expressed in all normal cells. Overexpression of GRP78 has been reported to be a tumoral biomarker. Increased detection of GRP78 is positively correlated with the tumoral stage and prognosis. This study aimed to identify a correlation between intraperitoneal fat, plasma GRP78 levels, and EC. Materials and Methods. Two groups of patients were included in the study: group I, 44 patients diagnosed with EC, and group II, 44 patients without gynecological pathology or inflammatory disorders. Visceral fat was determined by ultrasound and plasma GRP78 levels were measured. Results . Plasma GRP78 levels were significantly higher in patients with EC compared to the control group. Intraperitoneal fat was in a positive linear correlation with the plasma GRP78 level ( p < 0.0001). Conclusion. The measurement of the GRP78 level associated with the determination of intraperitoneal fat can be a useful predictor for EC.

Background: Endometriosis is a frequent gynecologic disease with a severe impact on the quality of life in the affected women; its pathogenesis is yet to be fully understood, with an altered immunity as a possible key factor. The present study aimed to investigate the serum anti-inflammatory cytokine profile in the patients with endometriosis compared with the healthy controls., Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty women were included, divided into two study groups (Group I - endometriosis; Group 2 - healthy women). We evaluated the serum levels of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), IL-2, IL-2R, IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, and IL-15 with the use of Human multiplex cytokine panels. Statistical analyses (normality distribution analysis, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test) were performed using IBM SPSS software (version 22.0) and GraphPad Prism (version 5.00); receiver operating characteristic curve were used to demonstrate the diagnostic performance of the studied markers., Results: The mean serum level of IL-1Ra, IL-4, and IL-10 were significantly higher in women with endometriosis compared to women free of disease from the control group (30.155, 138.459, and 1.489, respectively, compared to 14.109, 84.710, and 0.688, respectively; P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.002, respectively.). No significant differences in the mean serum levels of IL-2, IL-13, and IL-15 were observed between the studied groups and IL-2R had a very low detection rate., Conclusion: Endometriosis is associated with elevated levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1Ra, IL-4, and IL-10, markers that have a potential role as a prognostic factor for endometriosis.