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OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the incidence the premalignant and malignant cervical lesions at the 12-month follow-up investigation between cryotherapy and non-cryotherapy groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed in women with CIN 1 and PCB, who were referred to the gynecology clinic at Imam Hospital affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (MAZUMS), Sari, Iran, from February 2015 to November 2019. Of 232 patients, 131 consented to cryotherapy and underwent the treatment, while 101 were unwilling to undergo the treatment. After 12 months, we performed a Pap smear, a colposcopy, and a histopathological investigation of the cervix in both groups. Primary and secondary outcomes were compared between groups. The primary outcome was the comparison of incidence premalignant and malignant cervical lesions in cryotherapy and non-cryotherapy groups. The secondary outcome was a comparison of the accuracy of the Pap smear test versus colposcopy for the detection of premalignant and malignant cervical lesions in women with or without a history of cryotherapy. PATIENTS: Totally, abnormal cytological, positive colposcopic, and positive histopathological findings were reported in 41.56%, 20.26%, and 13.79 %, respectively. By histology biopsy, premalignant and malignant cervical lesions were reported in 28.24% (37/131) and 36.63% (32/101) of women in the cryotherapy and the non-cryotherapy group, respectively. This statistic did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.78). Pap smears were abnormal in 39.7% and 44.5% of women in the cryotherapy and the non-cryotherapy group, respectively. A positive colposcopy was obtained in 27 (20.6%) and 19 (18.8%) women in the cryotherapy and the non-cryotherapy group, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the Pap smear test and colposcopy in detecting cervical neoplasia did not differ in women who had undergone cryotherapy and those who had not (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study showed that cryotherapy is no appropriate treatment for patients with CIN1 and PCB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Polycystic ovary syndrome ( PCOS) is the most common endocrine disease in reproductive age women. The present study aimed to determine the effects of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension ( DASH) diet on reproductive hormones, plasma total antioxidant status and anthropometric indices in overweight and obese PCOS women. Methods In this randomised controlled clinical trial, 60 women with PCOS were randomly assigned to one of two diets with energy restriction: the DASH diet and a control diet. The DASH and control diets consisted of 50-55% carbohydrate, 15-20% protein and 25-30% total fat. The DASH diet was designed to be rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, as well as low in saturated fats, cholesterol, refined grains and sweets. In the present study, the anthropometric indices, body composition, total testosterone, androstenedione, sex hormone binding globulin ( SHBG), free androgen index and 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picryylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity were measured before and after 3 months. Results The consumption of DASH diet compared to the control diet was associated with a significant reduction in weight [−5.78 (1.91) kg versus −4.34 (2.87) kg, P = 0.032], body mass index ( BMI) [−2.29 (0.15) kg m-2 versus −1.69 (0.20) kg m-2, P = 0.02], fat mass [−3.23(1.66) kg versus −2.13 (1.26) kg, P = 0.008] and serum androstenedione [−1.75 (1.39) ng mL-1 versus −1.02 (0.72) ng mL-1, P-value = 0.019]. Increased concentrations of SHBG [28.80 (21.71) versus 11.66(18.82) nmol L-1, P = 0.003) and DPPH scavenging activity [30.23% (19.09) versus 12.97% (25.12) were also found in the DASH group. Conclusions The DASH diet could improve weight loss, BMI and fat mass. Furthermore, it could result in a significant reduction in serum androstenedione and a significant increase in antioxidant status and SHBG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the levels of tumour marker CA 125 antigen and pelvic tumour size, histopathological type, stage, bilateral status, ascites, type of surgery, and postoperative complications. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 203 patients with a pelvic mass who were visited in the Shahid Sadoughi hospital in Yazd, Iran from 2007 to 2010. Data were analyzed by software SPSS v.14. Results: Statistical analysis, based on Fisher's exact test, showed that patients with pelvic mass who presented with either of bilateral involvement/ ascites (p = 0.000), higher stage (p = 0.001), inability for complete resection (p = 0.000), or postoperative complications (p = 0.001) had significantly higher serum concentrations of CA 125 antigen. There was no relationship between serum level of CA 125 and such variables as tumor size (p = 0.883) and abdominal ultrasound findings (p = 0.297). Conclusion: Using CA 125 as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in patients with newly-discovered pelvic mass can be helpful in some aspects, but cannot estimate size of the tumor and its solid/cystic status. It also cannot predict post-surgical complications of malignant pelvic masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of paclitaxel and cisplatin as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with Stage IB2 to IIB cervical cancer and determine factors accountable for response. Materials and Methods: From November 2009 to January 2011, a total of 19 patients with Stage IB2 to IIB cervical cancer were treated with three ten-day courses of paclitaxel 60 mg/m2 and cisplatin 80 mg/m2 followed by type III radical hysterectomy and adjuvant therapy if indicated, or chemoradiation in non-resectable patients. Results. Clinical response occurred in 79% (15/19) of patients, including 10.5% (2/19) with complete response, and 68.5% (13/19) with partial response. Four (21%) patients were nonresponders including 16% (3/19) with stable and 5.2% (1/19) with progressive disease. Resectability rate was 68.5% (13/19). Pathological optimal response rate was 46% (6/13) including, 15% (2/13) with complete and 31% (4/13) with residual disease < three mm stromal invasion response (PRI). Suboptimal response (PR2) (residual disease with > three mm stromal invasion) was 54% (7/13). It appears that both clinical and pathological response were correlated with tumor stage and size. Clinical response was seen in 87.5% of tumors sized = < eight cm vs 33.3% of tumors sized > eight cm (p = 0.166) and optimal pathological response was seen in 66.7% of tumors sized < four cm vs 28.6% of tumors sized four to eight cm, (p = 0.286), although because of small number of patients, the difference was not statistically significant. Adjuvant therapy was necessary for 38.5% (5/13) patients. Toxicities were not life-threatening and all manageable. Conclusions: The present results suggest that neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with paclitaxel and cispaltin is a highly active and well-tolerated regimen. Best candidates are patients with stages IB2/IIA bulky and IIB non-bulky than IIB bulky groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents case studies of three young women with atypical complex hyperplasia or endometrial carcinoma which were treated with conservative hormonal therapy. The said women have either mutation genes or hormonal disorders as well as experienced infertility for 3, 10 and 1.5 years respectively. The article also discusses the standard treatment of the said disease which involves laparotomy, total abdominal hysterectomy and peritoneum cytology evaluation.

The article presents a retrospective study on the effect of ovarian cancer surgery performed by general gynecologists (GGs) and gynecologist-oncologists (GOs) on the overall survival of cancer patients. The study involves patients who were diagnosed with primary ovarian cancer in Tehran, Iran. The results of the study suggest that patients can have greater disease-free survival chances if they will be referred to the gynecologist-oncologists for optimal treatment.

Objective. Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is an extraordinary rare tumor and it has an offensive clinical course. HS of the uterine cervix is a far uncommon tumor with just a few cases described so far. Here we presented a case of primary HS of the uterine cervix in a 62-year-old female initially misdiagnosed as large cell non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of HS of the uterine cervix from Iran.

Twenty-five percent of breast cancer cases are detected during premenopausal period and the number of young women suffering from breast cancer is increasing in the world, especially in Iran. Preservation of fertility and ovarian function leads to improved quality of life of these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist on menstrual reverse in breast cancer cases treated with cyclophosphamide regimen. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial (RCT) was conducted on 42 adenocarcinoma cases. Mean age of patients was 37 ± 5 years (range 25 to 45). Primary stages to Stage II (T2N1MO) whose histology reports were negative ER/PR were enrolled in this study. All the enrolled patients were candidates for cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m²), adriamycin (60 mg/m²), and taxoter (75 mg/m²) chemotherapy regimens. Results: Spontaneous menstrual reverse occurred in 90.5% of patients receiving diphereline at three to six months after treatment which occurred in 33.3% of control cases. In control group, 14.3% (three cases) had oligomenorrhea and hypomenorrhea during chemotherapy and 19%(four cases) had spontaneous menstrual reverse at three to six months. It should be noted that there was a significant difference between controls and cases (p <0.001). This difference was insignificant in cases younger than 35 years (p < 0.594). In 100% of patients older than 35 years who received diphereline, spontaneous menstrual reverse occurred during six months after chemotherapy, but this occurred in only 20% of controls (p < 0.001). Mean serum level of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) during and at three months after therapy was significantly lower in cases in comparison with controls, but serum level of estradiol was significantly more in cases three months after chemotherapy (p < 0.001). Conclusion: GnRH agonists significantly improve ovarian function and fertility. They also lead to spontaneous menstrual reverse in negative ER/PR breast cancer cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although endometrial cancer is primarily a postmenopausal disease, 25% of patients are in premenopausal age with 3-5% being 40 years old or younger who have infertility or desire to preserve their fertility. The younger groups of women with endometrial carcinoma are frequently null gravid with a history of infertility and strong desire to preserve fertility, which may pose a therapeutic dilemma for both patients and physicians. Materials and Methods: The study has been done within 2008-2014 in Gynecological Oncology Department and Research and Clinical Center for Infertility of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Science, Yazd, Iran. All of young women who were in reproductive age (15-45 years) and desired to preserve their fertility entered to the study. All of patients were diagnosed endometrial carcinoma or complex atypical hyperplasia. All of patients underwent pelvic MRI with and without contrast for evaluation of uterine involvement. If they had early stage endometrial carcinoma without myometrial invasion, we suggested hormonal therapy (megestrol 40-160 mg oral or Diphereline 3.75 mg 1M every 28 days for 3 months) after getting informs consent. All of them underwent dilatation and curettage after 3 months hormone therapy. We evaluated 12 young women with atypical complex hyperplasia or early-stage endometrial cancer that were treated with conservative hormone therapy. Results: The mean of age was 29.7 years (15-45). Two patients were virgin. Five patients had endometrial adenocarcinoma and seven had complex atypical endometrial hyperplasia. All of patients treated by megestrol (2-3 tablet in day) for 3 months firstly. One patient did not answer to one period of Megestrol and we followed treatment by 3 months Megestrol high dose (160 mg) and then Diphereline 3.75 IM for 3 months. These patients had normal pathology after 3 periods of 3 months treatment. All of patients had normal menstruation one of them who needed 4 times curettage. Unfortunately she had atrophic endometrial and for childbearing she was suggested to get uterine surrogacy. But the other patients did not have any problem in menstruation and one of them except had one baby after fertility preservation. Conclusion: Hormone therapy has been proposed for young women with endometrial cancer (grade 1) who wish to preserve their fertility. However, detailed evaluation including physical examination, history taking, performing D & C, examining the specimen by a skilled pathologist, using imaging techniques, especially contrast enhanced MR1 and for some patients explorative laparoscopy with sampling of peritoneal and lymph nodes, and evaluation of adnexa is necessary. Also for patients in stage 1/ grade 1, advisory sessions on the benefits and side-effects of high-dose progesterone with evaluation of the endometrium every three months until total regression is recommended. After childbearing we suggest TAH+BSO for prevention of endometrial, ovarian and breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although occurrence of cancer during pregnancy is rare, it leads to high morbidity and mortality in both mother and fetus. Recent trends in prolongation of child-bearing age have made cancer-associated pregnancies more frequent than past. As yet there are few documents concerning cancer and its related treatment outcomes during pregnancy. This study aimed at describing clinical characteristics of pregnant women with cancer in the Shahid Sadoughi hospital in Yazd, Iran. Materials and Methods: Case series were reviewed retrospectively, which included 19 pregnant women diagnosed with cancer in Shahid Sadoughi hospital from 2002-2012. Data collected comprised demographics, pregnancy characteristics and outcomes, type of cancer, clinical stage, treatment and oncological outcome. Results: From 17 pregnant women with cancer, 4 women had gynecologic cancers and 13 had non-gynecologic cancers. The Following tumors were observed: breast (6) acute myeloblastic leukemia (3), uterine cervix carcinoma (3), ovary (1), chronic myelogenous leukemia (1), lymphoma (1), papillary carcinoma of thyroid (1), and pseudopapillary carcinoma of pancreas (1). The mean age of patients was 30.6 years, and the mean gestational age at diagnosis was 21.1 weeks. Surgical treatment was performed in 3 patients, 6 patients were treated by chemotherapy, and in 3 by both. Conclusion: Although cancer during pregnancy is uncommon, it is considered an important problem due to unsuitable maternal and fetal outcomes and lack of standard management guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of levonorgestrel IUD with oral medroxy progesterone acetate and Letrozole on abnormal uterine bleeding with simple endometrial hyperplasia. Materials and Methods: Forty five patients referred to Shahid Sadoughi gynecology clinics from 2009 until 2011 who suffered fromabnormal vaginal bleeding or endometrial thickness were enrolled. The patients were divided into3 groupsrandomly.First group (n=20) received 2.5 mg Letrozol daily for 3 months, the second group (n=42) received 10 mg MPA for 10 days a month for 3 months and the third groupincluding 20 patients with IUD levonorgestrel (Mirena) which releases 20 meg levonorgestrel per day. At end of 3rd month, the endometrium thickness was measured by sonography was measured and the pathology of endometrial sampling were compared. Results: Age range of patients was between 22-47 years. The endometrial thicknesses decreased in allthree groups. The mean endometrial thicknesses after teartment in MPA, Letrozole and Mirena groups were (16.09±7.37), (9.97±4.03) and (7.4±2.41) retrospectively. Pathology results in all three groups showed no significant differences (p=0.06). Conclusion: Levonorgestrel IUD (Mirena) in comparison with Medroxyprogesterone and Letrozole is more effective in treatment of AUB and simple endometrial hyperplasia. It also had significantly less completions for patients. Although response to treatment. Although response to treatment was shown in all these three methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Infertility is being as an important and common problem in couples that needs to assist reproductive technology (ART) or the other drug therapy. Infertility has been known as a risk factor for ovarian cancer, breast cancer and endometrial cancer but there is a question about the relationship of these cancers to infertility itself or drugs and methods of infertility treatment. Materials and Methods: We evaluated all of risk factors in patients with breast cancer, ovarian cancer and endometrial cancers who referred to Gynecological Oncology Clinic in Shahid Sadoughi Hospital within 2002-2012 .In a retrograde study, we investigated the history of primary infertility and ART before diagnosis of cancers in patients . Results: We registered 92 patients with endometrial cancer, 84 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer and 113 patients with breast cancer. There was infertility history in 39.1% of endometrial cancer who were obese (BMI>30) and 18.8% of patients with normal body mass index (BMI=25-29). ART was founded in 7.3% of all patients with endometrial cancer. Also in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, female infertility has been diagnosed in 28.4% and ART in 14.1%.Clomiphen therapy with or without HCG and HMG was the most common drugs which were used for patients with ovarian cancer. In all patients with breast cancer, there was infertility in 16.5% and ART was diagnosed in 7.3%. Conclusion: Although infertility was diagnosed as an important and fairly common risk factor in endometrial, ovarian and breast cancer, but some other factors are more important. Age, body mass index and cause of infertility are also important. Finding the association of ART to gynecological cancers need some other long cohort studies which follow the infertile women who get the ART or drug therapy for over 15-20 years. The other studies in this field cannot answer to our question about increasing gynecological cancer due to ART. We think BMI and age are co-factors to cancers which should added to infertility or ART. We had better discus this relationship to the partners and have a multidisciplinary management for obese infertile women who had had polycystic ovarian syndrome or age more than 35 years. Breast cancer screening should be investigate in infertile women after 35 years because breast is the most common site of primary cancers which send metastasis to ovaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze and describe cases of ovarian cancer in pregnant women treated at our center and to review the literature concerned, and to discuss the rationale for therapy.Methods: Twenty-Three patients of ovarian malignancies during pregnancy were treated at Vali- Asr Hospital between 1991 and 2002. Data on treatment and follow-up were evaluated.Results: The incidence of ovarian carcinoma associated with pregnancy in our series was 0.083/1000 deliveries. Eleven (47.8%) were found with ovarian malignant germ cell tumors, five (21.7%) with low malignant potential tumors, four (17.4%) with invasive epithelial tumors, and three (13%) with sex cord stromal tumors. Seventeen (73.9%) of the patients were diagnosed in stage I and had complete remission. Five of the six in advanced stage died. The mean follow-up was 36.3 months. The prognosis was significantly related with stage and histological type (P < 0.05). Sixteen healthy live babies were recorded in this group, and two premature newborn died of respiratory distress syndrome. Chemotherapy was administered to 44% of the patients, in two cases during pregnancy. Overall survival at 5 years was 61%. In most of case conservative surgical treatment could be performed with adequate staging and debulking.Conclusion: Early finding of ascitis by ultrasound and persistent large ovarian mass during pregnancy may be related to malignancy and advanced stage. Pregnant women in advanced stage of ovarian cancer seem to have poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Advances in the treatment of cancerous women in reproductive age have markedly been increased recently. Also, in vitro maturation (IVM) of immature oocytes collected from ovary has been proposed for fertility preservation. In addition, the morphology of oocytes post IVM is one of the factors determining its developmental competence. By using the non-invasive PolScope system, the meiotic spindle and zona pellucida (ZP) can be assessed in living oocytes. Materials and Methods: The ovarian cortex from 26 cancer patients (21-45 years old), were obtained directly from collaborating hospitals, and transported to the 1VF center on ice. 61 immature oocytes were aspirated, of which 18 (29.5%) were degenerated and discarded. The remaining 43 (70.5%) healthy oocytes were cultured for 48 hr IVM culture media. The rate of maturity was assessed and the ZP birefringence and meiosis spindle (MS) were imaged with Polscope technology. Results: 43 immature oocytes underwent IVM technology, of which 30.2% reached viable metaphase II (Mil) oocytes. The ovarian tissues of 9 (34.6%) women were lacking oocytes at any stage. There was a positive correlation between the recovered number of oocytes and the ovarian volume. During polarized light microscopy examination, MS could be visualized only in one of the Mil oocytes, but high ZP birefringences were observed in most of the oocytes post IVM (61.5%). Conclusion: Oocytes maturation post IVM from unstimulated ovaries showed a good developmental competence in cancerous patients. Further studies should be performed to advance the oocyte maturation program, such as co-culture system, for fertility preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There are many reasons why some couples do not become parents. This study was designed to determine barriers of child adoption in infertile couples in Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out at Shahid Sadougi University of Medical Sciences. The research program comprised consecutively in 240 infertile couples. Results: Although 230 (96%) of the respondents had heard of child adoption, only 89 (37.3%) knew its correct meaning. Fifty-four (24%) women knew how to adopt a baby while the rest did not; 196 (82%) respondents expressed their unwillingness to adopt a baby while the remaining 44 (18%) were willing. Hope for childbearing (78%) was the main barrier to adopting a child. Conclusion: The barriers mentioned were cultural practices, stigmatization, financial implications, and technical problems. Most of the infertile Iranian couples will prefer to stay even so without children or to think about new treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The genetic aspect of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is influenced by multiple causal genetic variants, each with different effect sizes. The KCNJ11 gene is particularly noteworthy as a potential contributor to the risk of GDM due to its role in regulating glucose-induced insulin secretion. To evaluate the association between KCNJ11 polymorphisms and GDM, a comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted to review the existing literature and quantitatively assess the correlation., Methods: A thorough search was performed on the PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and CNKI databases until December 25, 2023, using precise terms and keywords related to Gestational Diabetes, KCNJ11 gene, and polymorphism. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were used to evaluate the relationships. The statistical analysis was conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software, and the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used to determine bias presence., Results: The meta-analysis comprised 9 studies with 3108 GDM cases and 5374 controls for the rs5219 polymorphism, and 3 studies with 1209 GDM cases and 1438 controls for the rs5210 polymorphism. The pooled data indicated a noteworthy link between the rs5219 polymorphism and GDM globally and among various ethnic groups, notably in Caucasian and Asian populations. However, no substantial association was observed between the rs5210 polymorphism and GDM., Conclusions: Pooled data showed a correlation between the KCNJ11 rs5219 polymorphism and GDM susceptibility, but no association was found for the rs5210 polymorphism. Future research with larger sample sizes and more diverse populations is needed to improve result generalizability., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-024-01428-0., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Background: Cervical cancer, globally, ranks as the runner-up among the most prevalent forms of cancer affecting women. The role of the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) polymorphism in the susceptibility to cervical cancer has been a subject of interest. However, the current evidence regarding this association remains inconclusive., Methods: To address this uncertainty, eligible studies were systematically searched and retrieved from various databases including Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang database. The search was conducted until September 01, 2023. The collected literature was then subjected to independent analysis by two authors. The pooled odds ratio along with the corresponding 95% confidence interval was calculated using different genetic models. Additionally, sensitivity and cumulative analyses were performed to assess the stability of the obtained results., Results: A total of 29 case-control studies involving 8850 cases and 9286 controls were included in the present analysis. The findings revealed that the TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism increased the risk of cervical cancer under the allele genetic model (A vs. G: OR = 1.277, 95% CI = 1.104-1.477, P = 0.001) in the general population. Subgroup analysis based on ethnicity demonstrated that this polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer in Caucasian and African women, but not in Asians. Furthermore, subgroup analysis based on country of origin indicated a significant correlation between the TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism and an increased risk of cervical cancer in American and Chinese women, but not in Iranian women., Conclusions: The findings from this meta-analysis suggest that the TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism is a risk factor for cervical cancer in the general population, particularly in Caucasian and African women. However, further well-designed studies are warranted to validate these findings.

Studies on the CXCL12 rs1801157 polymorphism show that this polymorphism is involved in development of breast cancer, but its specific relationships or effects are not consistent. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the association between CXCL12 rs1801157 polymorphism and susceptibility to breast cancer. PubMed, Scopus, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and CNKI were searched for eligible studies through February 01, 2023. A total of ten studies with 2093 cases and 2302 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, there is a significant association between CXCL12 rs1801157 polymorphism and risk of breast cancer under the homozygote genetic model (AA vs. GG, OR= 1.350, 95% CI: 1.050-1.734, p= 0.019). Stratified by ethnicity showed a significant association in Caucasian women, but not among Asian and mixed populations. This meta-analysis confirms that CXCL12 rs1801157 polymorphism is related to breast cancer risk, especially among Caucasian women. However, well-designed large-scale studies are required to further evaluate the results.

Background: Growing studies revealed the association between polymorphisms in Tumor Protein TP73 (TP73) and susceptibility to cancer, especially with gynecological cancers. but, the results remained inconsistent. This meta-analysis was carried out to examine the relationship of the TP73 G4C14-to-A4T14 polymorphism (hereafter, G4C14-to-A4T14) with susceptibility to cervical cancer globally and by ethnicity., Methods: Eligible studies were collected by retrieving PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Wan Fang, and CNKI published before 25 October, 2023. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of such association., Results: A total of 10 case-control studies with 1804 cervical cancer cases and 2433 healthy controls were included to this study. The pooled results showed that TP73 G4C14-to-A4T14 polymorphism was not associated with cervical cancer risk in overall. in terms of stratified analyses by ethnicity, this polymorphism was not associated with risk of cervical cancer among East-Asian women. however,  there was a significant association based source of control among hospital-based studies., Conclusions: Inconsistent with previous meta-analyses, our pooled results revealed that TP73 G4C14-to-A4T14 polymorphism might not be a risk factor for development of cervical cancer globally and among East-Asian women. Moreover, further studies examining the effect of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions may eventually provide a better knowledge.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and leading cause of cancer-related death among women. Several studies indicated that Arg188His (rs3218536) polymorphism of X-ray repair cross-complementing 2 (XRCC2) may be associated with breast cancer risk. However, this association remains ambiguous. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to provide more precise conclusion on this issue. A comprehensive search in PubMed, Google Scholar and ISI Web of Science was performed to select all relevant studies. Odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were applied to assess the strength of the relationships. A total of 17 studies with 5694 breast cancer cases and 6450 healthy subjects were identified. The pooled data revealed that XRCC2 Arg188His polymorphism was marginally with susceptibility to breast cancer globally under the heterozygote contrast (OR = 0.929, 95% CI = 0.873-0.987, p=0.018). Moreover, subgroup analysis by ethnicity revealed that this polymorphism was associated with breast cancer risk among Caucasians. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that the XRCC2 Arg188His polymorphism may contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Recently, more attention has been raised towards fertility preservation in women with cancer. One option is in vitro maturation (IVM) of the immature oocytes as there is not enough time for induction of an ovarian stimulation protocol. The aim was to compare the IVM laboratory outcomes between stimulated and unstimulated (natural) in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. In total, 234 immature oocytes collected from 15 cancer patients who underwent an IVM programme (natural IVM) and 23 IVF cycles with a controlled ovarian hyperstimulation protocol (stimulated IVM) were analyzed. The oocyte morphology, zona pellucida (ZP), and meiotic spindle presence were measured using PolScope technology. Also, the rates of oocyte maturation and fertilization were assessed in both groups. The IVM rate was higher in the stimulated cycle ( P < 0.05), but the fertilization rate was insignificant in comparison with unstimulated cycles. There were no significant differences in the spindle visualization and ZP birefringence scoring between the groups ( P > 0.05). The oocyte normal morphology was better in the stimulated cycle compared with the natural cycle ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, IVM can be recommended for cancer patients as an alternative treatment when there is insufficient time for conventional IVF before chemotherapy initiation.

Background: Cervical cancer has been recognized as a preventable type of cancer. As the assessment of all the risk factors of a disease is challenging for physicians, information technology and risk assessment models have been used to estimate the degree of risk., Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a clinical decision support system to assess the risk of cervical cancer., Methods: This study was conducted in 2 phases in 2021. In the first phase of the study, 20 gynecologists completed a questionnaire to determine the essential parameters for assessing the risk of cervical cancer, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. In the second phase of the study, the prototype of the clinical decision support system was developed and evaluated., Results: The findings revealed that the most important parameters for assessing the risk of cervical cancer consisted of general and specific parameters. In total, the 8 parameters that had the greatest impact on the risk of cervical cancer were selected. After developing the clinical decision support system, it was evaluated and the mean values of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 85.81%, 93.82%, and 91.39%, respectively., Conclusions: The clinical decision support system developed in this study can facilitate the process of identifying people who are at risk of developing cervical cancer. In addition, it can help to increase the quality of health care and reduce the costs associated with the treatment of cervical cancer., (©Nasrin Chekin, Haleh Ayatollahi, Mojgan Karimi Zarchi. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (https://medinform.jmir.org), 22.06.2022.)

Background MTHFR gene may be a key epigenetic regulation-related factor crucial during embryogenesis. We performed a meta-analysis to determine the association of fetal MTHFR C677T polymorphism with neural tube defects (NTDs). Methods A comprehensive literature search of the PubMed, Embase, and CNKI database was performed up to April 10, 2020. Results A total of 19 case-control studies with 2,228 NTDs cases and 4,220 controls were identified. Pooled data revealed that the fetal MTHFR C677T polymorphism was significantly highly correlated with development of NTDs in the overall population. Stratified analysis showed a significant association among Caucasians and Asians, but not in mixed populations. There was a significant association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and spina bifida risk. No publication bias was found under any genetic model. Conclusions Our pooled data support the fetal MTHFR C677T polymorphism association with risk of NTDs, especially among Caucasians and Asians.

Background: Previous studies have evaluated the association of IL-8 -251T&gt;A and IL-18 -607C&gt;A polymorphisms with a risk of breast cancer in different populations, but the results remain inconsistent and inconclusive. Thus, we performed this meta-analysis to explore the associations., Methods: A comprehensive literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO, SID, and CNKI for all eligible studies published up to October 1, 2020. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the intensity of associations., Results: A total of 12 case-control studies including seven studies with 2,370 cases and 2,314 controls on IL-8 -251T&gt;A, and five studies with 900 cases and 882 con-trols on IL-18 -607C&gt;A polymorphism were selected. Pooled data showed that IL-8 -251T&gt;A (AT vs. TT: OR= 1.187; 95% CI 1.038-1.356; P = 0.012) and IL-18 -607C&gt;A polymorphisms (A vs. T: OR = 1.205; 95% CI 1.055-1.377; P = 0.006; AA vs. TT: OR = 1.379; 95% CI 1.056-1.802; P = 018; and AA vs. AT+TT: OR = 1.329; 95% CI 1.053-1.678; P = 0.017) were associated with increased risk of breast cancer in overall. Moreover, when the studies were stratified by ethnicity, the IL-8 -251T&gt;A was significantly associated with breast cancer risk in Africans. Publication bias tests provide no evidence of presence of publication bias in a meta-analysis., Conclusion: This meta-analysis results revealed that the IL-8 -251T&gt;A and IL-18 -607C&gt;A polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to breast cancer. However, further multicenter studies with larger sample sizes in different ethnicities are required to make a better assessment of these associations.

Background: The association of the fetal MTHFR A1298C (rs1801131) polymorphism and neural tube defects (NTDs) susceptibility has been widely demonstrated, but the results remain inconclusive. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between fetal MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and NTDs risk., Methods: An electronic search of PubMed, web of science, SciELO, CNKI database for studies on the fetal MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and NTDs risk was performed up to March 30, 2020., Results: A total of 22 case-control studies with 3,224 fetuses with NTDs and 3,295 controls were selected. Overall, pooled data showed that the fetal MTHFR A1298C polymorphism was not significantly associated with risk an increased risk of NTDs in the global population. When stratified analysis by ethnicity, country of origin and NTDs type, still no statistically significant association was found., Conclusions: Our pooled data emerged no evidence for significant association between fetal MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and NTDs risk.

Carbon nanostructures are important nanomaterial with interesting physical and chemical properties. These nanostructures have been assessed for application in different fields of medicine, such as cancer detection and treatment, Parkinson disease, reproductive medicine, etc. This nanomaterial can be used in reproductive medicine as a drug delivery system, antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial agent, condom-coating agent, enhancer of sperm fertilizing ability, ectopic pregnancy treatment, trophoblastic diseases, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART) improvement. The other side of this coin involves various side effects of carbon nanostructures, especially negative effects on reproductive systems. All carbon nanostructures showed toxicity on the reproductive system by producing reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress. Less attention has been given to the unique properties of carbon nanostructures, except for their practical attractiveness, the other side of this coin, namely the risks and side effects of these compounds - especially in the case of a reproductive system that supports the survival and health of future generations. Therefore, we suggest paying particular attention to the negative aspects of the increasing use of carbon nanostructures.

Aim: One of the most important ways to understand the ovarian biology is studding the initiation of primordial follicle development and subsequent folliculogenesis control. In this study, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) presentation was used as a marker of follicular development in the thawed ovarian tissue (OT) following transplantation onto chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) using two methods of freezing of slow freezing and vitrification., Methods: Samples of OT from 10 patients were subjected to slow freezing and vitrification. After warming, CAM transplantation was done and PCNA proliferation index (PI; percent of PCNA-positive granulosa cells) was calculated for each follicle stage. Image J software was used to determine the mean staining intensity., Results: PCNA was positive for granulosa cells and oocytes nuclei, but negative for ooplasm. There were no remarkable PCNA staining in the granulosa cells of primordial follicles, but increased significantly as follicle progression (p < 0.05). Proliferation rate was also insignificantly higher in the vitrified than slow freezing group, before and after transplantation (p < 0.05). Lower PCNA presentation index was observed after CAM transplantation (p < 0.05). The earliest stage of follicular recruitment took place in the transitional follicles, before squamous cells transform to cuboidal cells., Conclusion: PCNA showed that follicles had proliferation power after cryopreservation. Higher presentation after vitrification may indicate accelerated folliculogenesis in the thawed OT., (© 2021 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Background Insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) has a prominent role in fetal growth and development. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of IGF-II Apa1 and MspI polymorphisms with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) risk. Methods: A total of 45 infants with IUGR and 45 infants appropriate for gestational (AGA) were enrolled. Genotyping of Apa1 and MspI polymorphisms was assayed by PCR-RFLP approach. Results: The heterozygote genotype (AG) of IGF-II Apa1 CT was associated with an increased risk of IUGR. Genotypes and alleles of IGF-II MspI polymorphism had no significant association with IUGR susceptibility (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The current study suggests that IGF-II Apa1 polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of IUGR, while IGF-II MspI showed no association with IUGR. Thus, IGF-II Apa1 polymorphism could be used as a relevant molecular marker to identify the fetus at risk of developing IUGR.

Background: The association of polymorphisms at nitric oxide synthases (eNOS) gene with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) susceptibility has been the focus of attention in several studies. However, the conclusions have been divergent and controversial. Therefore, we performed this study to precisely evaluate the association of eNOS polymorphisms with the risk of RPL., Methods: A universal search in PubMed, Web of Knowledge, SciELO, MedRxiv, Scopus and web of Science was performed to identify relevant studies up to January 25, 2020., Results: A total of 39 eligible studies including 15 studies with 2274 cases and 1933 controls on VNTR 4b/a, nine studies with 1640 cases and 1268 controls on -786C > T, and 15 studies with 2660 cases and 2557 controls on + 894G > T polymorphism were selected. Pooled data revealed that eNOS VNTR 4b/a (dominant model: OR = 1.174, 95% CI 1.021-1.350, p = 0.025) and + 894G > T (allele model: OR = 1.278, 95% CI 1.024-1.595, p = 0.030; homozygote model: OR = 1.442, 95% CI 1.084-1.917, p = 0.012; dominant model: OR = 1.305, 95% CI 1.006-1.693, p = 0.045; and recessive model: OR = 1.378, 95% CI 1.045-1.817, p = 0.023) polymorphisms were significantly associated with an increased risk of RPL, but not  - 786 T > C. Stratified analysis by ethnicity revealed that the eNOS + 894G > T was associated with RPL risk in Asians., Conclusions: To sum up, our results indicated that the eNOS VNTR 4b/a and + 894G > T polymorphisms might be contributing to RPL development, but not the  - 786C > T polymorphism., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)