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Objective: To assess musculoskeletal disorders among male cricketers in an urban centre. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted from October to November 2020 in Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised male cricket players aged 10-25 years playing in four domestic clubs. Data was collected about musculoskeletal disorders experienced during the preceding 12 months using the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 89 players with a mean age of 19.24+3.12 years, 35(39.3%) were bowlers, 26(29.2%) were batsmen, 17(19.1%) were all-rounders, and 11(12.4%) were wicketkeepers. The anatomical distribution of disorder was lower-back 68(76.4%), shoulder 40(44.9%), neck 39(43.8%), upper-back 37(41.6%), knees 31(34.8%), ankle/feet 29(32.6%), thighs 27(30.3%), wrist/hands 18(20.2%), and elbows 17(19.1%). There were 22(24.7%) players who had at any time seen a doctor or a physiotherapist, while 24(27%) players had a history of taking sick leave. Conclusion: The most affected anatomical segments were lower-back, shoulder, knee, ankle and upper-back. Key Words: Musculoskeletal disorders, MSDs, Occupational health, Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire extended version, NMQ-E.

Human skin is the most exposed part of the human body that needs constant protection and care from heat, light, dust, and direct exposure to other harmful radiation, such as UV rays. Skin cancer is one of the dangerous diseases found in humans. Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that begins in the cells (melanocytes) that control the pigment in human skin. Early detection and diagnosis of skin cancer, such as melanoma, is necessary to reduce the death rate due to skin cancer. In this paper, the classification of acral lentiginous melanoma, a type of melanoma with benign nevi, is being carried out. The proposed stacked ensemble method for melanoma classification uses different pre-trained models, such as Xception, Inceptionv3, InceptionResNet-V2, DenseNet121, and DenseNet201, by employing the concept of transfer learning and fine-tuning. The selection of pre-trained CNN architectures for transfer learning is based on models having the highest top-1 and top-5 accuracies on ImageNet. A novel stacked ensemble-based framework is presented to improve the generalizability and increase robustness by fusing fine-tuned pre-trained CNN models for acral lentiginous melanoma classification. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by experimenting on a Figshare benchmark dataset. The impact of applying different augmentation techniques has also been analyzed through extensive experimentations. The results confirm that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art techniques and achieves an accuracy of 97.93%.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with chronic oligo-anovulation and high circulating sex hormone levels. Women with PCOS have an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer. In anovulatory women with PCOS a positive relationship between endometrial thickness and endometrial hyperplasia has been observed. Uterine peristalsis, which has been suggested to be of importance for female fertility, has not previously been studied in PCOS. Purpose: To assess whether women with PCOS have altered endometrial thickness, uterine wall morphology, and peristalsis. Material and Methods: In this prospective case-control study 55 women with PCOS (mean age, 29.5 years ± 4.5 SD) and 28 controls (27.6 ± 3.2) were examined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), assessing thickness of endometrium, junctional zone (JZ), and myometrium, and evaluating the occurrence, frequency (waves/min), strength (amplitude), pattern, and direction of peristalsis. Uterine morphology was also assessed by transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS). Results: The endometrium was thinner in PCOS with oligo-amenorrhea compared to controls, also after adjustments for age and BMI (adjusted P = 0.043). There was no difference in thickness of the JZ or the myometrium in cases versus controls. Uterine peristalsis was less commonly observed in women with PCOS than in controls (adjusted P = 0.014). Conclusion: There were no differences in myometrial morphology between PCOS and controls, but the endometrium was thinner in PCOS with oligo-amenorrhea. Based on cine MRI, uterine peristalsis was less common in PCOS than in controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate postmenopausal bleeding and transvaginal sonographic measurement of endometrial thickness as predictors of endometrial cancer and atypical hyperplasia in women whose cases were followed for ≥10 years after referral for postmenopausal bleeding. STUDY DESIGN: Women (n = 394) who had postmenopausal bleeding from November 1987 to October 1990 underwent transvaginal sonographic measurement of endometrial thickness and curettage. It was possible to assess the medical records (regarding recurrence of a postmenopausal bleeding, development of endometrial cancer, and death) in 339 of the 394 women (86%) ≥10 years after referral for postmenopausal bleeding. RESULTS: Thirty-nine of the 339 women (11.5%) had endometrial cancer, and 5 women (1.5%) had atypical hyperplasia. The relative risk of endometrial cancer in women who were referred for postmenopausal bleeding was 63.9 (95% CI, 46.0-88.8); the corresponding relative risk for endometrial cancer and atypical hyperplasia together was 72.1 (95% CI, 52.8-98.5) compared with women of the same age from the general population of the same region of Sweden. No woman with an endometrial thickness of ≤4 mm was diagnosed as having endometrial cancer. The relative risk of the development of endometrial cancer in women with an endometrial thickness of >4 mm was 44.5 (95% CI, 6.5-320.1) compared with women with an endometrial thickness of ≤4 mm. The reliability of endometrial thickness (cutoff value, ≤4 mm) as a diagnostic test for endometrial cancer was assessed: sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 60%; positive predictive value, 25%; and negative predictive value, 100%. The incidence of endometrial cancer or atypical hyperplasia in women with an intact uterus whose cases had been followed for ≥10 years was 5.8% (15/257 women) compared with 22.7% (15/66 women) in women who had ≤1 episode of recurrent bleeding. No endometrial cancer was diagnosed in women with a... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate whether it was possible to abstain from performing an endometrial biopsy when endometrial thickness according to transvaginal ultrasonography was Study Design: Transvaginal ultrasonography was performed in 361 women aged >/=50 years who were referred because of postmenopausal bleeding or irregular bleeding during hormone replacement therapy. If endometrial thickness was /=5 mm underwent either curettage or endometrial biopsy.Results: One hundred sixty-three women had an endometrial thickness /=5 mm. The corresponding figure when atypical hyperplasia and endometrial metastases were included was 20. 2%.Conclusion: If the false-negative rate of endometrial biopsy techniques is taken into account, then the combination of transvaginal ultrasonography and cervical cytologic examination is an adequate form of management for women with postmenopausal bleeding or irregular bleeding during hormone replacement therapy as long as endometrial thickness is

The mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is a well-known causative agent of breast cancer in mice. Previously, we have shown that MMTV dysregulates expression of the host miR-17-92 cluster in MMTV-infected mammary glands and MMTV-induced tumors. This cluster, better known as oncomiR-1, is frequently dysregulated in cancers, particularly breast cancer. In this study, our aim was to uncover a functional interaction between MMTV and the cluster. Our results reveal that MMTV expression led to dysregulation of the cluster in both mammary epithelial HC11 and HEK293T cells with the expression of miR-92a cluster member being affected the most. Conversely, overexpression of the whole or partial cluster significantly repressed MMTV expression. Notably, overexpression of cluster member miR-92a alone repressed MMTV expression to the same extent as overexpression of the complete/partial cluster. Inhibition of miR-92a led to nearly a complete restoration of MMTV expression, while deletion/substitution of the miR-92a seed sequence rescued MMTV expression. Dual luciferase assays identified MMTV genomic RNA as the potential target of miR-92a. These results show that the miR-17-92 cluster acts as part of the cell's well-known miRNA-based anti-viral response to thwart incoming MMTV infection. Thus, this study provides the first evidence highlighting the biological significance of host miRNAs in regulating MMTV replication and potentially influencing tumorigenesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Northern blotting (NB) has been a long-standing method for RNA detection. However, its labor-intensive nature, reliance on high-quality RNA, and use of radioactivity have diminished its appeal over time. Nevertheless, the emergence of microRNAs (miRNAs) has reignited the demand for sensitive and quantitative NB techniques. We have recently developed cost-effective and rapid protocols for RNA detection using solid and liquid hybridization (LH) techniques which exhibit high sensitivity without the need for radioactive or specialized reagents like locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes. Our assays incorporate biotinylated probes and improved techniques for probe hybridization, transfer, cross-linking, and signal enhancement. We demonstrate that while NB is sensitive in detecting mRNAs and small RNAs, our LH protocol efficiently detects these as well as miRNAs at lower amounts of RNA, achieving higher sensitivity comparable to radiolabeled probes. Compared to NB, LH offers benefits of speed, sensitivity, and specificity in detecting mRNAs, small RNAs, and miRNAs., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) that infected more than 760 million people worldwide with over 6.8 million deaths to date. COVID-19 is one of the most challenging diseases of our times due to the nature of its spread, its effect on multiple organs, and an inability to predict disease prognosis, ranging from being completely asymptomatic to death. Upon infection, SARS-CoV-2 alters the host immune response by changing host-transcriptional machinery. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regarded as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that can be perturbed by invading viruses. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have reported such dysregulation of host miRNA expression upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. Some of this could occur as an anti-viral response of the host to the viral infection. Viruses themselves can counteract that response by mounting their own pro-viral response that facilitates virus infection, an aspect which may cause pathogenesis. Thus, miRNAs could serve as possible disease biomarkers in infected people. In the current review, we have summarised and analysed the existing data about miRNA dysregulation in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 to determine their concordance between studies, and identified those that could serve as potential biomarkers during infection, disease progression, and death, even in people with other co-morbidities. Having such biomarkers can be vital in not only predicting COVID-19 prognosis, but also the development of novel miRNA-based anti-virals and therapeutics which can become invaluable in case of the emergence of new viral variants with pandemic potential in the future., (© 2023 The Authors. Reviews in Medical Virology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is a betaretrovirus that causes breast cancer in mice. The mouse mammary epithelial cells are the most permissive cells for MMTV, expressing the highest levels of virus upon infection and being the ones later transformed by the virus due to repeated rounds of infection/superinfection and integration, leading eventually to mammary tumors. The aim of this study was to identify genes and molecular pathways dysregulated by MMTV expression in mammary epithelial cells. Towards this end, mRNAseq was performed on normal mouse mammary epithelial cells stably expressing MMTV, and expression of host genes was analyzed compared with cells in its absence. The identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were grouped on the basis of gene ontology and relevant molecular pathways. Bioinformatics analysis identified 12 hub genes, of which 4 were up-regulated (Angp2, Ccl2, Icam, and Myc) and 8 were down-regulated (Acta2, Cd34, Col1a1, Col1a2, Cxcl12, Eln, Igf1, and Itgam) upon MMTV expression. Further screening of these DEGs showed their involvement in many diseases, especially in breast cancer progression when compared with available data. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) identified 31 molecular pathways dysregulated upon MMTV expression, amongst which the PI3-AKT-mTOR was observed to be the central pathway down-regulated by MMTV. Many of the DEGs and 6 of the 12 hub genes identified in this study showed expression profile similar to that observed in the PyMT mouse model of breast cancer, especially during tumor progression. Interestingly, a global down-regulation of gene expression was observed, where nearly 74% of the DEGs in HC11 cells were repressed by MMTV expression, an observation similar to what was observed in the PyMT mouse model during tumor progression, from hyperplasia to adenoma to early and late carcinomas. Comparison of our results with the Wnt1 mouse model revealed further insights into how MMTV expression could lead to activation of the Wnt1 pathway independent of insertional mutagenesis. Thus, the key pathways, DEGs, and hub genes identified in this study can provide important clues to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in MMTV replication, escape from cellular anti-viral response, and potential to cause cell transformation. These data also validate the use of the MMTV-infected HC11 cells as an important model to study early transcriptional changes that could lead to mammary cell transformation.

Background: There are different types of computed tomography (CT) contrast enhancement patterns of the uterus. It is not known whether these are hormonally dependent., Purpose: To assess the relationship between these patterns and the menstrual cycle in non-users of hormonal contraception, and the possible impact of hormonal contraception., Material and Methods: Prospective observational study of abdominal CT scans of 53 premenopausal women of whom 28 were non-users and 25 users of hormonal contraception. The non-users were divided according to menstrual cycle phase: follicular (n = 12); ovulatory (n = 1); and luteal (n = 12). The pattern and intensity of contrast enhancement of the uterine myometrium were assessed., Results: The dominant pattern of contrast enhancement of the myometrium was the diffuse homogeneous type in both non-users and users. The intensity of the enhancement measured in Hounsfield units (HU) was higher in the follicular phase (median 102, range 73-130) compared to the luteal phase in non-users (median 92, range 57-130); however this was not statistically significant ( P  = 0.2). The HU values observed in users (median 95, range 45-160) were at the same levels compared to those of the luteal phase in non-users., Conclusion: The dominant pattern of contrast enhancement in the portal venous phase of the myometrium in fertile ages is the diffuse homogeneous type and is independent of menstrual cycle phase or the use of hormonal contraception. However, these factors seem to play a role in the intensity of contrast enhancement, with a tendency of higher HU values in the follicular phase of non-users.

Northern blotting (NB), a gold standard for RNA detection, has lost its charm due to its hands-on nature, need for good quality RNA, and radioactivity. With the emergence of the field of microRNAs (miRNAs), the necessity for sensitive and quantitative NBs has again emerged. Here, we developed highly sensitive yet non-radiolabeled, fast, economical NB, and liquid hybridization (LH) assays without radioactivity or specialized reagents like locked nucleic acid (LNA)- or digoxigenin-labeled probes for mRNAs/small RNAs, especially miRNAs using biotinylated probes. An improvised means of hybridizing oligo probes along with efficient transfer, cross-linking, and signal enhancement techniques was employed. Important caveats of each assay were elaborated upon, especially issues related to probe biotinylation, use of exonuclease, and bioimagers not reported earlier. We demonstrate that, while the NBs were sensitive for mRNAs and small RNAs, our LH protocol could efficiently detect these and miRNAs using less than 10-100 times the total amount of RNA, a sensitivity comparable to radiolabeled probes. Compared to NBs, LH was a faster, more sensitive, and specific approach for mRNA/small RNA/miRNA detection. A comparison of present work with six seminal studies is presented along with detailed protocols for easy reproducibility. Overall, our study provides effective platforms to study large and small RNAs in a sensitive, efficient, and cost-effective manner.

Estimating kinship is fundamental for studies of evolution, conservation, and breeding. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and other restriction based genotyping methods have become widely applied in these applications in non-model organisms. However, sequencing errors, depth, and reproducibility between library preps could potentially hinder accurate genetic inferences. In this study, we tested different sets of parameters in data filtering, different reference populations and eight estimation methods to obtain a robust procedure for relatedness estimation in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). We used a seed orchard as our study system, where candidate parents are known and pedigree reconstruction can be compared with theoretical expectations. We found that relatedness estimates were lower than expected for all categories of kinship estimated if the proportion of shared SNPs was low. However, estimates reached expected values if loci showing an excess of heterozygotes were removed and genotyping error rates were considered. The genetic variance-covariance matrix (G-matrix) estimation, however, performed poorly in kinship estimation. The reduced relatedness estimates are likely due to false heterozygosity calls. We analyzed the mating structure in the seed orchard and identified a selfing rate of 3% (including crosses between clone mates) and external pollen contamination of 33.6%. Little genetic structure was observed in the sampled Scots pine natural populations, and the degree of inbreeding in the orchard seed crop is comparable to natural stands. We illustrate that under our optimized data processing procedure, relatedness, and genetic composition, including level of pollen contamination within a seed orchard crop, can be established consistently by different estimators.

Introduction: Biofilms, an assemblage of microbial cells irreversibly associated with a surface and enclosed in a matrix of polysaccharide material pose serious health challenges, resulting in high economic losses. The emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections and ability to form biofilms in dairy animals is of emerging concern for livestock and public health owing to their association with serious infections. The present study was undertaken to examine the presence of methicillin resistance genes among the biofilm forming Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from cases of acute and subacute bovine mastitis. A total of 150 mastitic milk samples referred to Veterinary Clinical Complex, Shuhama (Aulesteng) SKUAST-K were screened in present study. The methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates were also screened for in vitro biofilm forming ability., Results: A total of 80 (53.33%) S. aureus isolates were recovered from cases of bovine mastitis of which 20 (25%) were methicillin (mecA) gene positive. Of the 20 mecA positive isolates, 20% were positive for SCCmec I, 35% for SCCmec IV and 45% for SCCmec V subtypes. In vitro antibiotic sensitivity testing of MRSA revealed complete resistance towards methicillin and other pencillin group of antibiotics., Conclusion: A significant correlation was observed between in vitro biofilm formation and presence of methicillin resistance gene in S aureus isolates recovered from acute and subacute mastitis. The Staphylococcus aureus isolates positive for methicillin resistance gene (mecA) were either strong or moderate biofilm formers., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Smoking is a significant public health issue in Bangladesh. The purpose of this study was to examine peer smoking and smoking-related beliefs among college students in Bangladesh., Methods: College students at two universities in Dhaka, Bangladesh participated in a self-administered survey in May and June 2017., Results: First, being a current or former smoker is associated with lower levels of beliefs among respondents that they would not smoke even with smoker friends or nervousness, and lower levels of intentions that they would not smoke, while current smokers and former smokers have different smoking-related beliefs. Second, having smoker friends is associated with lower levels of intentions that they would not smoke. Third, higher levels of normative beliefs that it is important not to smoke are associated with higher levels of beliefs that they would not smoke even with smoker friends or nervousness, higher levels of intentions that they would not smoke, and higher levels of avoidance of smoking., Conclusions: Smoking-related beliefs and perceived norms in individuals' social networks are important components in promoting tobacco cessation in Bangladesh. But it is challenging to prevent or intervene in smoking because of the high rates of smoking in this country and the high prevalence of smokers in individuals' social networks. Future studies should examine the most effective interventions to combat smoking in high-smoking social networks, such as using mobile apps or social media, and evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions.

Introduction: The collaborations between dental care providers and other health care providers are especially needed for underserved populations. There is a deficit of research focused on underserved populations who utilize a safety net facility such as a free clinic in the United States. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between health-related beliefs and oral health behaviors among uninsured adults utilizing a primary care free clinic providing oral health care., Methods: Uninsured primary care patients utilizing a free clinic (N = 585) participated in a self-administered paper survey in May and June, 2016., Results: More than 60% of free clinic patients reported a perceived need for dental treatment. Free clinic patients who brush their teeth more than once a day reported better perceived general health compared with those who do not brush their teeth more than once a day. Free clinic patients who had perceived a need for dental treatment reported worse perceived general health compared to those who did not report dental needs., Conclusions: The results of this study indicate a pressing need for the further development of dental care services at safety-net clinics. By including dental care in health promotion programs, it will have positive impacts not only on oral health but also on a healthy lifestyle and the general health of underserved populations utilizing a safety-net clinic. The implementation and evaluation of the integrated health programs, which include primary care and oral health care together, would be beneficial to reduce oral health disparities.

Objectives: Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is an important health indicator not only for individuals but also for oral health care providers to treat a person holistically. Previous studies focused on OHRQoL do not provide comprehensive knowledge regarding low-income patients in the United States, many of whom have chronic health conditions that can affect their oral health. The purpose of this study is to examine factors associated with OHRQoL among low-income, uninsured patients of safety-net providers, which provide free or reduced fee medical and/or dental care to underserved populations., Methods: Uninsured patients (N = 584) participated in a self-administered survey in May and June 2016 at a safety-net clinic in the United States serving a low-income uninsured population, which provides limited oral health care services. This study used cross-sectional design and a nonprobability sample. The dependent variable was OHRQoL measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14. Chi square tests, Analysis of Variance tests, and multiple regression were used for statistical analysis., Results: Higher levels of dental care neglect and lower frequency of oral hygiene practice were associated with lower levels of OHRQoL (P < 0.01). Participants utilizing a diabetes clinic reported better OHRQoL than those who were not patients of a diabetes clinic (P < 0.05). US born English speakers had worse general health and OHRQoL compared to non-US born English speakers and Spanish speakers (P < 0.01)., Conclusions: An intervention to remedy dental neglect is recommended to improve OHRQoL among uninsured safety-net patients., (© 2016 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.)

Objective: To investigate whether electro-acupuncture or physical exercise influence serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), antral follicle count (AFC) or ovarian volume in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)., Design: Secondary analyses of a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial., Setting: University Hospital, Sweden., Patients: Seventy-four women with PCOS recruited from the general population., Interventions: Women with PCOS were randomized to 16 weeks of electro-acupuncture (14 treatments), exercise (at least three times/week), or no intervention., Main Outcome Measures: Serum AMH recorded at baseline, after 16 weeks of intervention, and at follow up at 32 weeks. AFC, and ovarian volume assessed by magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and at follow up at 32 weeks., Results: After 16 weeks of intervention, serum levels of AMH were significantly decreased in the electro-acupuncture group by 17.5% (p < 0.001), and differed from the change in the exercise group. AMH remained decreased by 15% (p = 0.004) also at follow up at 32 weeks, but did not differ from the exercise or the no intervention groups. There was a decrease by 8.5% (p = 0.015) in ovarian volume between baseline and follow up in the electro-acupuncture group, and by 11.7% (p = 0.01) in AFC in the physical exercise group. No other variables were affected., Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate that acupuncture reduces serum AMH levels and ovarian volume. Physical exercise did not influence circulating AMH or ovarian volume. Despite a within-group decrease in AFC, exercise did not lead to a between-group difference., (© 2014 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Objective: To characterize ovarian morphology and perfusion by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to investigate associations with antimüllerian hormone (AMH), free T, and glucose disposal rate (GDR)., Design: Explorative cross-sectional study., Setting: University hospital., Patient(s): Fifty-eight women with PCOS and 31 controls from the general population., Intervention(s): None., Main Outcome Measure(s): Antral follicle count (AFC), ovarian/stromal volume, perfusion, AMH, free T, and GDR., Result(s): Antral follicles of 1-3 and 4-6 mm, but not 7-9 mm, were more numerous, and total AFC (1-9 mm) was higher in women with PCOS. Ovarian volume was larger in women with PCOS. AMH and free T were higher and GDR was lower in women with PCOS. All values were more deranged in classic compared with nonclassic PCOS. There was a positive correlation between AMH and AFC, 1-3 mm (r = 0.81), and between AMH and total AFC (r = 0.87). In receiver operating characteristic analyses, the area under the curve was 0.89 for total AFC, 0.86 for AMH, and 0.90 for free T. PCOS was independently associated with AFC and free T but not with AMH or GDR when adjusted for age and body mass index., Conclusion(s): Counting antral follicles down to 1 mm in size by MRI yielded higher AFCs than previously reported. AFC, AMH, and free T discriminated with high accuracy between women with PCOS and controls, but AMH was not independently associated with PCOS., Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT00484705., (Copyright © 2014 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Ultrasonographic measurements of ovarian volume and antral follicle count are of clinical importance as diagnostic features of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and as a parameter in estimation of ovarian follicular reserve in infertility care., Purpose: To compare two-dimensional (2D)/three-dimensional (3D) transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for estimation of ovarian volume and antral follicle count, and to assess reproducibility and inter-observer agreement of MRI measurements., Material and Methods: Volumes of 172 ovaries in 99 women aged 21-37 years were calculated (length x width x height x 0.523) with conventional 2D TVUS and 2D MRI. Semi-automatic estimates of ovarian volumes were obtained by 3D MRI. Antral follicles were counted manually on 2D MRI and automatically by 3D TVUS (SonoAVC), and stratified according to follicle size., Results: Mean ovarian volume assessed by 2D TVUS (13.1 ± 6.4 mL) was larger than assessed by 2D MRI (9.6 ± 4.1) and 3D MRI (11.4 ± 4.5) (P < 0.001). Total follicle count was higher by 2D MRI than by 3D TVUS, mean difference 14.3 ± 16.2 follicles (P < 0.001). In the smallest size interval of 1-3 mm the mean difference was 22.2 ± 17.6 (P < 0.001). Intra- and inter-observer absolute agreement assessment for MRI measurements of ovarian volume and total follicle count showed ICC coefficients >0.77., Conclusion: 2D MRI reveals more antral follicles, especially of small size, than 3D TVUS. Ovarian volume estimation by MRI provides smaller volumes than by the reference standard 2D TVUS. Ovarian volume estimation by 3D MRI, allowing independence of non-ellipsoid ovarian shape measurement errors, provides volumes closer to 2D TVUS values than does 2D MRI. Reproducibility and inter-observer agreement of 2D MRI measurements of ovarian volume and total follicle count are good.

Sertoli-Leydig cell tumours are rare sex stromal tumours with an incidence of < 0.5% of all ovarian tumours. Most frequently this tumour occurs in young women with a history of amenorrhoea, hirsutism and lowered pitch. Here, we report on a woman with IRS, postmenopausal virilization and increased testosterone levels due to a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumour. This is the first case to suggest an association between IRS and Sertoli-Leydig cell tumours. Furthermore, we highlight the difficulties in detecting this ovarian tumour with sonography.

Aims: To assess possible endometrial pathology and other factors influencing the presence of uterine cavity fluid in postmenopausal women., Study Design: A random sample of 559 asymptomatic postmenopausal women, recruited from the total population, were examined by transvaginal sonography (TVS) for the presence of uterine cavity fluid. Women with uterine cavity fluid who had an endometrial thickness of > or = 8 mm (including fluid) were admitted for hysteroscopy and a dilatation and curettage (D & C), and those with <8 mm underwent a new TVS examination one year later. A medical history, including details regarding previous minor gynecological surgery, was taken from the women and from an age-matched control-group of women from the same population., Results: Uterine cavity fluid was found in 8.9% (50/559) of the women. In four women with an endometrium measuring > or = 8 mm, curettage revealed polyps in three women and atrophy with a pyometra in one woman. At the one-year follow-up, 22 women who originally had an endometrial thickness<8 mm had an endometrial thickness of<5 mm; 11 women had no cavity fluid and in the remaining 11 the cavity fluid had decreased. In 17 women, endometrial thickness measured > or = 5 mm and subsequent histology showed 11 endometrial biopsies with atrophy, four endometrial polyps and two cervical polyps. The prevalence of uterine cavity fluid increased with increasing age (p<0.0001) and was increased in smokers (p<0.013) but was unaltered by the presence or absence of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)., Conclusion: There were no indications that uterine cavity fluid was associated with malignancy. The prevalence of uterine cavity fluid increased with increasing age and was higher in smokers. We could not demonstrate an increased prevalence of fluid in HRT-users.