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BACKGROUND: Borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) represent a type of epithelial tumors having a biologic intermediate behavior between clearly malignant and straight benign tumors. Most of BOTs interest women during fertile age, for which it is necessary to consider a fertility sparing surgery. AIM: To evaluate the clinical aspects and pregnancy rate of women affected by borderline ovarian tumors who have undergone fertility sparing surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A study of 22 patients affected by BOTs who have been treated with a fertility sparing surgery was conducted between January 2005 and October 2011 at Sant'Andrea Hospital, "Sapienza" University of Rome. The patients' characteristics analyzed were: age, histological type, tumor size, adnexal surgery, pre-operative serum CA-125, diagnostic circumstances, number of patients who became pregnant and number of overall pregnancies. RESULTS: Among the 22 patients treated with a fertility sparing surgery, only sixteen wanted to get pregnant. Eleven patents out of 16 accomplished it. The pregnancy rate was 68.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Fertility sparing surgery can be considered a safe procedure for young women affected by borderline ovarian tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Heavy metals (HMs) are environmental contaminants with toxic properties for wildlife and humans. The placenta is a privileged organ that, along with the fetal membranes and amniotic fluid, enables growth and development of the fetus during the physiological pregnancy. It also acts as a filter reducing the passage of harmful substances, protecting the embryo and then the fetus from exposure to pollutants. The placental barrier is not completely impermeable to the passage of harmful substances; indeed, HMs were detected not only in placental tissues, but also in amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood. The amniotic fluid can be considered as a valuable marker of prenatal exposure to exogenous factors, and as an indicator of the integrity of placental barrier. The effect of an intrauterine exposure to heavy metals has been amply evaluated during the last decades. Several studies investigated the exposure to HMs in order to evaluate the mechanism of placental transfer and the impact on fetuses and later children's health. In particular, the early exposure to Pb, Hg, and Cd was correlated to infant health effects, such as neurological, developmental, and endocrine disorders. The aim of this mini-review is to summarise the current state of knowledge about the interaction between HMs and placental barrier, considering possible implications on fetal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current Controlled Ovarian Stimulation (COH) for Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) pursues three main objectives: hypophyseal activity suppression, multiple follicle growth stimulation, and ovulation induction. By suppressing hypophyseal activity, it is possible to prevent untimely LH surge and allow the appropriate development of the leading follicle. The classical GnRH agonist long protocol is the most widely used in COH for ART. However, an alternative regimen based on GnRH antagonist has been recently introduced in clinical practice. As competitive antagonists, these drugs display an immediate and quickly reversible effect and they avoid hormonal withdrawal side effects. Moreover, this protocol shows undeniable advantages, including the shorter duration of the treatment, the lower amount of gonadotropin required, the shorter hormonal and ultrasound monitoring of patients, milder physical and emotional stress, and a lower risk of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). The use of GnRH antagonists was traditionally restricted to selected patients, as "poor responders" and women at high-risk of developing OHSS such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and patients who had previously experienced OHSS. These findings could prompt a trend to change from the standard agonist protocol to the antagonist protocol in all categories of patients.This review provides a comprehensive overview of the use of GnRH antagonist protocols applied both to IVF techniques and to IUI procedures in the Italian experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) is a premalingnant condition. For long time, surgery was considered the first-line therapy in the treatment of high grade VIN. Imiquimod was recently introduced as an alternative to surgery. AIM: To compare the overall complete response, the recurrence rate and the risk factors for relapse among patients with VIN 2/3 treated with Imiquimod or surgical excision. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty women who had histological diagnosis of VIN 2 and VIN 3 were enrolled in this prospective study. Patients immunocompromised, with recurrent VIN, with well differentiated type VIN or VIN 1 and women treated more than once were excluded from the study. Patients were divided into two groups: group A was treated with Imiquimod, group B underwent surgical excision. Patients' characteristics analyzed were: age, smoking, degree of the primary lesion, state of margins, multifocal disease. We have evaluated the recurrence rate, the relapse rate, and the overall complete response, considering as recurrence the onset of a lesion after an initial complete response to Imiquimod and/or after the surgical treatment and as relapse all patients who had a recurrence plus those with medical treatment failure. RESULTS: Multifocal lesions (p = 0.03) and VIN 3 (p = 0.002) were associated with a higher risk of relapse. The recurrence rate was higher in the group B (p = 0.009), but the relapse rate was higher in the group A (p = 0.04). The overall complete response was better in the group B (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Although the advent of new medical options can decrease the morbidity associated with invasive surgical procedures, surgical treatments remain the best treatment modality for VIN with regard to relapse and overall complete response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of 37-year-old obese woman suffering with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and she also underwent surgical staging. She was referred to a hospital for the treatment of menorrhagia and her past medical and surgical histories revealed that she was nulliparous and used an oral contraceptive pill for last two years to treat oligomenorrhea. Her medical reports revealed that she was hersute and obese and was prescribed for hysteroscopy.

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The aim of this prospective observational study is to determine the different outcomes of IVF/ICSI treatments after using antagonists or agonists of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) in normal responder patients. Two hundred forty-seven patients undergoing IVF treatment at the Centre of Reproductive Medicine, Rome (CERMER), from January 2005 to December 2008, were included in the study. Patients were stimulated either with a standard long protocol with GnRH agonists ( n = 156) or with GnRH antagonists ( n = 91). The use of GnRH antagonists resulted in a significant reduction in the duration of the stimulation (Agonist Group 14.10 ± 2.25 vs Antagonist Group 11.34 ± 2.11; p < 0.001) and in the amount of gonadotrophin (IU of r-FSH) needed (Agonist Group 1878 ± 1109 vs Antagonist Group 1331 ± 1049; p = 0.0014). Moreover a lower number of cycles were cancelled with the antagonist protocol (4.39 vs 6.41%). The GnRH antagonist protocol, when compared to the GnRH agonist one, is associated with a similar clinical pregnancy rate, similar implantation rate, significantly lower gonadotrophin requirement and shorter duration of stimulation. For this reason, GnRH antagonists might be a good treatment even for normal responder patients undergoing IVF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Early-stage endometrial cancer and complex atypical hyperplasia are treated with hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo- oophorectomy. An emerging issue among younger women affected is the possibility of a fertility- sparing treatment with progestative therapy and close follow-up. AIM: To assess the possibility of conceiving after a diagnosis of atypical endometrial hyperplasia among women younger than 40 years old, in term of delaying definitive treatment and achieving pregnancy MATERIALS AND METHODS: 15 women younger than 40 years old with complex CAH or early carcinoma of the endometrium and a wish to preserve fertility. Progestins were administered orally for at least a 12 weeks period. Endometrial biopsies were used at follow-up. RESULTS: In 11 women, a complete pathological remission of the disease was observed. 4 pregnancies were attained in 4 women. 3 showed progression and underwent definitive surgery at 18 months. 1 showed no response at 24 months and 3 cycles and was counseled to receive a hysterectomy. CONCLUSIONS: A conservative approach in patients younger than 40 years appears a valid option, and a progestative therapy trial should be attempted whether a valid consensus is attained. Considering the risk to find AEH at biopsies and eventually a carcinoma at hysterectomy (25% of cases) a careful management is strictly required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Follicle development is controlled amongst other factors by pituitary gonadotropins follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) that act in synergy in completing follicle maturation. Exogenous gonadotropins, combined with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, have been successfully used in patients with ovulatory disorders undergoing assisted reproduction. There is some evidence of a beneficial role of androgens or LH administration before FSH stimulation. This study was designed to verify whether the addition of LH in the early follicular phase, in downregulated patients undergoing follicular stimulation for assisted reproduction, would add benefits in terms of general outcomes and pregnancy rates. We compared two groups of patients one of which was treated with recombinant FSH (rFSH) alone and the other with rFSH plus recombinant LH (rLH), in the early follicular phase only. The number of eggs recovered was higher in the group treated with FSH only; however, the number of embryos available at transfer was similar in the two groups and, more importantly, the number of Grades I and II embryos was higher in the group pretreated with LH. Similarly, although biochemical pregnancy rate and clinical pregnancy rates were similar in both groups, a beneficial role of LH priming was demonstrated by the higher implantation rate achieved in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which evaluates the E7 and E6 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression on human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA positive breast cancer. Study used INNO Lipa HPV detection method to evaluate E6/E7 mRNA expression in the breast cancer tissues of HPV DNA positive patients, and to investigate the possible occurrence of cervical HPV co-infection. Study fails to demonstrate viral E6 and E7 expression in the tissues. Findings also reveal unclear role of the virus in breast oncogenesis.

An abstract convexity space on a connected hypergraph H with vertex set V (H) is a family C of subsets of V (H) (to be called the convex sets of H) such that: (i) C contains the empty set and V (H), (ii) C is closed under intersection, and (iii) every set in C is connected in H. A convex set X of H is a minimal vertex convex separator of H if there exist two vertices of H that are separated by X and are not separated by any convex set that is a proper subset of X. A nonempty subset X of V (H) is a cluster of H if in H every two vertices in X are not separated by any convex set. The cluster hypergraph of H is the hypergraph with vertex set V (H) whose edges are the maximal clusters of H. A convexity space on H is called decomposable if it satisfies the following three properties:

Abstract Background Intraoperative injury of the obturator nerve has rarely been reported in patients with gynecological malignancies undergoing extensive radical surgeries. Irreversible damage of this nerve causes thigh paresthesia and claudication. Intraoperative repair may be done by end-to-end anastomosis or grafting when achieving tension-free anastomosis is not possible. Case presentation A 28-year-old woman with stage IB cervical cancer underwent fertility–sparing surgery, including conization and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy. The left obturator nerve was damaged intraoperatively during pelvic dissection. Conclusion Immediate laparoscopic repair was successful and there was no functional deficit in the left thigh for six months postoperatively.

Abstract Late rupture of external iliac artery pseudo-aneurysm is an uncommon complication in patients who undergo extensive gynecologic radical surgeries. A 28-year-old woman with stage IB cervical cancer underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy and extrafascial trachelectomy. Two months after surgery, massive bleeding from ruptured pseudo-aneurysm of the external iliac artery occurred. Endovascular management with covered stent placement was feasible and safe to stop bleeding.

Abstract Background Aim of this pilot study is to examine the effects of myo-inositol administration on ovarian response and oocytes and embryos quality in non PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) patients undergoing multiple follicular stimulation and in vitro insemination by conventional in vitro fertilization or by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Methods One hundred non-PCOS women aged Results Total length of the stimulation was similar between the two groups. Nevertheless, total amount of gonadotropins used to reach follicular maturation was found significantly lower in group B. In addition, the number of oocytes retrieved was significantly reduced in the group pretreated with myo-inositol. Clinical pregnancy and implantation rate were not significantly different in the two groups. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the addition of myo-inositol to folic acid in non PCOS-patients undergoing multiple follicular stimulation for in-vitro fertilization may reduce the numbers of mature oocytes and the dosage of rFSH whilst maintaining clinical pregnancy rate. Further, a trend in favor of increased incidence of implantation in the group pretreated with myo-inositol was apparent in this study. Further investigations are warranted to clarify this pharmacological approach, and the benefit it may hold for patients.

Abstract Background To compare abdominal hysterectomy, the most currently used for treating cancer of the endometrium, to the vaginal hysterectomy in term of survival, morbidity and failure rates. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 68 cases divided into two sub-groups. A study group of 31 cases received vaginal surgery; a control group of 37 cases was treated with a laparotomy. Mean operative time, median hospital stay, intra- and post-operative complications, DFS and OS time as well as occurrence of local or distant recurrences have been evaluated and reported. Cases included patients with a higher rate of medical morbidities (p = 0.01) than controls. Results Mean age was 76.2 and 70.4 years in the vaginal (V) group and abdominal (A) group respectively. Mean operative time was longer for the group A. Group V patients had a lower mean post-operative hospital stay (p < 0.05). Differences in the two groups regarding intra- and post-operative complications, occurrence of local or distant recurrences and DFS time were not statistically significant. Disease specific survival time at 5 years scored 97% for group V, and 97% for group A. Conclusions Results show how vaginal approach had a similar outcome in selected patients. Vaginal surgery could therefore be the proper choice in patients with early stages and lower surgical risk, in addition to elderly patients exposed to a higher surgical risk.

Abstract Mesenchymal tumors represent a small number of bladder cancer cases. Leiomyosarcoma is the most common histology with over 100 cases reported in the whole literature. This tumor is been historically considered as highly aggressive and showing a poor prognosis. Despite very low survival rates showed in older reports, some authors indicate that some patients could have a better outcome. We report a review of the literature and a case of high-grade LMS of the bladder in a 68 years old woman. Diagnosis was delayed and disease was locally advanced. Symptoms and imaging of our case first oriented to a gynecologic condition with an adnexal or uterine origin of the mass, and, a genitourinary origin could be unveiled only intra-operatively.

Abstract Background Routine cytogenetic investigations for ovarian cancers are limited by culture failure and poor growth of cancer cells compared to normal cells. Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) application or classical comparative genome hybridization techniques are also have their own limitations in detecting genome imbalance especially for small changes that are not known ahead of time and for which FISH probes could not be thus designed. Methods We applied microarray comparative genomic hybridization (A-CGH) using one mega base BAC arrays to investigate chromosomal disorders in ovarian adenocarcinoma in patients with familial history. Results Our data on 10 cases of ovarian cancer revealed losses of 6q (4 cases mainly mosaic loss), 9p (4 cases), 10q (3 cases), 21q (3 cases), 22q (4 cases) with association to a monosomy X and gains of 8q and 9q (occurring together in 8 cases) and gain of 12p. There were other abnormalities such as loss of 17p that were noted in two profiles of the studied cases. Total or mosaic segmental gain of 2p, 3q, 4q, 7q and 13q were also observed. Seven of 10 patients were investigated by FISH to control array CGH results. The FISH data showed a concordance between the 2 methods. Conclusion The data suggest that A-CGH detects unique and common abnormalities with certain exceptions such as tetraploidy and balanced translocation, which may lead to understanding progression of genetic changes as well as aid in early diagnosis and have an impact on therapy and prognosis.

Abstract: Objective: To compare maternal and perinatal outcomes in twin pregnancies conceived via assisted reproductive techniques (ART) compared with spontaneous twin pregnancies. Study design: This retrospective study examined 345 dichorionic, di-amniotic twin pregnancies (207 conceived spontaneously and 138 conceived via ART), delivered between January 2007 and June 2011 at the San Pietro Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, a tertiary medical centre. Maternal and perinatal outcomes were compared. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate risk estimates as odds ratios (OR) adjusted for maternal age, parity and systemic diseases. Patient data were obtained from a computerized database and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 17. Results: Gestational age and birth weight were lower in the ART group, and preterm delivery, gestational diabetes and placental abruption were higher in the ART group compared with the spontaneous conception group. The incidence rates of respiratory complications, patent ductus arteriosus and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit were higher among ART newborns. Length of hospital stay for mothers and newborns was longer in the ART group. No differences in mode of delivery, Apgar score at 5min, congenital anomalies, perinatal mortality, and other considered pregnancy and neonatal complications were found between the two groups. Multivariate analysis adjusted for maternal age, parity and systemic diseases revealed that only the rates of placental abruption [OR 7.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.05–26.98] and patent ductus arteriosus (OR 3.39, 95% CI 1.01–11.46) were significantly higher for the ART group. Conclusions: Twin pregnancies conceived via ART are at greater risk of poorer outcomes than spontaneous twin pregnancies. This may be related to the type of conception and specific negative features of subfertile patients undergoing infertility treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Anti-neoplastic treatments have significantly increased the survival of cancer patients, but female patients risk premature menopause. Oocyte cryopreservation has been proposed as a fertility-saving option. This report describes the first live birth achieved with autologous cryopreserved oocytes in an ovariectomized borderline cancer patient. A patient with a borderline ovarian turnout asked for oocyte cryopreservation after a right adnexectomy. Ovulation induction resulted in the retrieval and cryopreservation of seven mature oocytes. Thirty-nine months after a left ovariectomy, the patient asked for oocyte thawing and embryo transfer. Endometrial growth was induced using hormone replacement treatment. Three of the seven cryopreserved oocytes were thawed: they survived and, after insemination, normal fertilization took place. Three embryos were transferred into the patient's uterus. A twin pregnancy was achieved with the birth of two healthy females. Oocyte cryopreservation may be a reliable option for preserving fertility in young cancer patients who risk premature menopause due to surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]