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We present a study of the scanning electron microscopy images of the TiO2 nanotube array. The initial and modified samples were examined before and after annealing. It has been found that the annealing of the modified and unmodified samples results in different degrees of the local ordering. The nanotubular coverings were modified by Pt nanoparticles formed by the H2PtCl6 solutions infiltration for change of their electro- and photo catalytic properties estimated by measuring the photoelectric currents. The influence of the morphology and ordering degree of the nanotubular coverings on the manifestation of their functional properties has been studied. A two-dimensional Fourier transform was applied for obtaining information on the occurrence of periodicities in the ordering of nanotubes. Correlation analysis was performed to find out the invisible regularities and periodicities in the structure of the nanotube arrays. The analysis of the photoactivity of the samples was also carried out.

Uterine adenosarcoma is an uncommon biphasic tumor with benign epithelial and malignant mesenchymal components, often presenting difficulties for morphological diagnosis. We describe 5 cases of adenosarcoma of the uterine corpus and cervix, and vaginal stump in patients aged 46-76 years. Clinical data, ultrasound results, morphological data, including immunohistochemical studies with antibodies to CD10, estrogen and progesterone receptors, desmin, smooth muscle actin, and Ki-67 are presented. Large polypoid mass of the epithelial-mesenchymal structure within the uterine cavity in women of peri - and postmenopausal age require the exclusion of malignancy of the mesenchymal component with searchig for diagnostic criteria - periglandular cuffing of the stromal cells and mitoses.

Objective: To reveal the morphological characteristics of simultaneously diagnosed leiomyoma of the corpus uteri and vulva., Subject and Methods: The paper describes a case of multiple uterine leiomyomas concurrent with vulvar leiomyoma in a 39-year-old patient with progressive tumor nodule growth over 2 years. Vulvar tumor was biopsied simultaneously with extirpation of the uterus; vulvar leiomyoma was removed six months later. Histological and immunohistochemical studies: such as hematoxylin and eosin staining, the expression of smooth muscle actin, desmin, and progesterone and estrogen receptors, S100, CD10, and determination of Ki-67 proliferation index, were conducted., Results: The largest (14-cm) multiple tumor nodule in the corpus uteri had the structure of leiomyoma of uncertain malignant potential; the large (8-cm) vulvar tumor was a leiomyoma with hyalinosis. The immunohistochemical profile of uterine and vulvar leiomyoma (smooth muscle actin+, desmin+, progesterone+, estrogen+ receptors, CD117-, and Ki-67) was the same (1-3%). The vulvar leiomyoma was assumed to be a tumor of metastatic origin., Conclusion: Vulvar leiomyoma is rare; it can arise from smooth muscle tissue of various anatomical structures of the skin and soft tissues. The pathogenesis of the so-called metastatic leiomyoma is unclear; there are concepts of a metaplastic transformation of subcelomic mesenchyme and multifocal smooth muscle proliferation. The presented case demonstrates the synchronous development of uterine and vulvar leiomyoma.

Objective: to investigate the structural and pathogenetic features of pathological placental attachment in the scar after cesarean section., Material and Methods: The investigators explored 12 uteri; 11 of which were removed with placentas at 9 to 38 weeks' gestation (one in the first trimester, three at 18-22 weeks, two at 32-35 weeks, and five at 37-38 weeks); one uterus was removed after an artificial abortion at 12 weeks' gestation in the scar, as well as the scars excised in the first trimester in non-developing (n=4) and progressive (n=2) pregnancies. For histological examination, fragments of the full-thickness uterine wall were taken from the placental bed in different areas. The sections were stained for fibrin with hematoxylin and eosin, van Gieson stain, and the Martius scarlet/blue (MSB) technique. Decidual tissue, trophoblast, vascular component, and smooth muscle tissue were identified by an immunohistochemical assay using antibodies to vimentin, pan-cytokeratin, vascular endothelium (СD31), and smooth muscle actin., Results: In most cases, placental localization in the scar after cesarean section was accompanied by abnormal placental attachment: almost always placenta accreta, less frequently in combination with its ingrowth (placenta accreta/increta). The morphological substrate of placenta increta was a change in the content and ratio of normal histological components in the uterine wall, such as the mucosa, smooth muscle tissue, and vessels (the absence or thinning of decidual tissue and the myometrium, as well as its cicatricial changes). The structural criterion for placenta increta was necrosis of the walls of the large veins in the myometrium due to the replacement of their intermediate trophoblast and fibrin and to the destruction of vessel walls, leading to prolapse of the chorionic villi into the veins., Conclusion: In most cases, placental localization in the scar after cesarean section is accompanied by abnormal placental attachment: placenta accreta, less frequently in combination with its ingrowth (placenta accreta/increta).

The paper describes a case of twin pregnancy with complete hydatidiform mole (CHM). According to the data available in the literature, the concurrence of CHM with a normal placenta and a viable fetus occurs in 1 per 20,000-100,000 pregnancies, requires a differential diagnosis with partial hydatidiform mole and placental mesenchymal dysplasia, and is characterized by a high rate of complications. In this concurrence, the frequency of persistent trophoblastic disease is as high as 50%. In this case, the pregnancy ended in a spontaneous abortion at 16-17 weeks of pregnancy. A morphological examination determined the fetus without congenital malformations with normal placental weight and structure and the adjacent intact placental tissue with the macro- and microscopic signs of CHM. The diagnosis was confirmed by the lack of р57 expression in the villous trophoblast and stroma in the tissue of the hydatidiform mole. The patient was diagnosed with persistent trophoblastic disease at 2 months after the abortion.

The paper gives the results of a morphological study of 13 placentas from patients with rare autoimmune polyglandular syndrome and adrenal insufficiency, a disease history of 2 to 14 years, receiving corticosteroid replacement therapy. All pregnancies were full-term; labors were term surgical. The clinical and morphological associations suggest the placental alterations characteristic of diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases, uteroplacental and placentofetal ischemia.

Massive subchorial thrombosis (MSCT) is a placental abnormality, the etiology and pathogenesis of which remain inadequately studied. MSCT is characterized by a clinical symptom complex comprising marked intrauterine growth retardation, oligohydramnios, and fetal distress due to placental circulatory problems. Perinatal outcomes are appreciably determined by the term of pregnancy, the degree of placental insufficiency, and neonatal status. Prolonged MSCT makes it possible to diagnose this pathology by echographic and magnetic resonance imaging studies and to attempt to treat placental dysfunction through tocolytic therapy and correction of oligohydramnios, to prolong pregnancy, and to have a viable newborn infant. The clinical and morphological diagnosis of MSCT calls for its differential diagnosis with other focal placental lesions, such as subamniotic, intraplacental, and retroplacental hematomas, cytotrophoblastic cyst, umbilical cord cysts, and chorangioma.

The paper presents the data available in the literature on the debated aspects of the terminology and classification of endometrial hyperplastic lesions, precancerous conditions of the corpus uteri. Particular emphasis is laid on the low reproducibility of the histological diagnosis of endometrial changes in accordance with the WHO criteria. Focus is on the disadvantages of a morphometric study for diagnosing endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia. The authors show it expedient to simplify the WHO classification and to adopt the uniform criteria for and terms of endometrial hyperplastic changes and precancerous conditions.

Endometrial carcinoma is the most incident cancer of human reproductive system. There are unequivocal evidences of relationship between complex and atypical hyperplasia and development of cancer. Apoptosis plays a significant role in the maintenance of equilibrium between cell death and proliferation and contributes to prevention of tumorigenesis. Internucleosomal DNA fragmentation known as one of the most important criteria of apoptosis cannot be used for evaluating the risk of cancer development because it reflects the current level of apoptosis but is useless for evaluating the real limits of apoptosis intensity in certain types of tissue. For estimating the possibility of apoptosis development in endometrial tissues, a new method of quantitation of nuclear Ca(2+)/Mg(2+)-dependent endonuclease (NCME) activity has been developed. Fifteen samples of normal endometrial tissues at middle proliferative, secretory, premenstrual, and menstrual phases, 43 samples of hyperplastic endometrial tissues, 13 samples of endometrial polyps, and 17 samples of endometrial adenocarcinoma were collected by diagnostic curettage of the uterine cavity and by hysterectomy (carcinomas). The material was examined by 1) TUNEL method and 2) agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA cleaved by nuclear CME in isolated cell nuclei in the presence of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) ions, followed by quantitation of CME activity. The activity of NCME was found to decrease from normal endometrium (1.1 +/- 0.12 U, without significant changes throughout the menstrual cycle) through polyps (0.9 +/- 0.15 U), cystic hyperplasia (0.45 +/- 0.06 U, p < 0.01), and adenomatous hyperplasia (0.32 +/- 0.08 U, p < 0.01) to adenocarcinoma (0.37 +/- 0.11 U, p < 0.01 for well differentiated, 0.16 +/- 0.08 U, p < 0.01 for moderately differentiated, and 0.03 +/- 0.02 U, p < 0.01 for poorly differentiated samples). The TUNEL-specific staining pattern in normal endometrium varied in a wide range during the menstrual cycle (from poorly stained individual cells in the proliferative phase to intensely stained cell clusters in the premenstrual phase). At the same time the difference between the normal endometrium in the proliferative phase and pathologically changed endometrium (hyperplasia or cancer) could not be detected by the TUNEL technique. Hence, TUNEL is useless for predicting cancer development in hyperplasia and precancer. By contrast, evaluation of NCME activity helps detect the early disorders in the proliferative processes coursing in endometrial tissues and thus prevent tumor development.

Dopplerometric investigation of pelvic arteries was carried out in 30 women without gynecologic diseases, in 51 patients with internal endometriosis, and 48 ones with uterine myomas. Internal endometriosis of the uterus was found to be characterized by specific qualitative changes in spectral curves of bloodstream velocity in the internal iliac and uterine arteries. Moreover, progressive changes in spectral curves related to dissemination of endometrioid heterotopias were revealed. In patients with uterine myomas combined with internal endometriosis disorders of peripheral circulation typical of endometriosis predominated.

A new pathogenetically based non-medicamentous method for correction of uteroplacental bloodflow disturbances has been developed on the model of chronic placental insufficiency in rats. A single 5 min laser-magnetic exposure on day 21 of normal pregnancy resulted in a vasodilating effect with reduction of the peripheral resistance in the uterine horn vessels and with improvement of their blood supply. A new LAMA laser magneto-therapeutic device was employed. Daily 5 min sessions of laser magnetic therapy administered to rats with chronic placental insufficiency from pregnancy days 15-16 to 21 normalized uterine horn contractility and resulted in positive morphofunctional changes in the components of the uterine horns and placenta, being associated with a noticeable improvement of fetal functions. Hence, laser magnetic therapy may be regarded as an effective non-drug method for therapy of chronic placental insufficiency.

The ovaries and endometrium were examined in 66 patients with internal uterine endometriosis with various degrees of the process dissemination. A high incidence of combinations of uterine endometriosis with hyperplastic processes in the ovaries was revealed (72.7%) and a relatively low incidence of uterine body mucosa involvement (31.7%). The degree of endometriosis dissemination in the myometrium and the incidence of ovarian hyperplasia were in direct proportion. The authors emphasize the usefulness of morphologic studies of the ovaries in patients with internal uterine endometriosis.

Morphologic examination of the placenta from 41 puerperants living near the Aral sea revealed an increase of its mass and changes in other parameters. The detected pathologic processes: hemodynamic disorders and dystrophic changes--are not specific and contribute to the development of placental insufficiency. The majority (85.6%) of newborns were born in asphyxia. Morphofunctional features of the placentas of multiparous women and the status of their children permit regarding this population as the best adapted to pregnancy and delivery of viable children under the said extreme conditions.

The paper outlines the issues of improving and systematizing clinical instrumental diagnostic and therapeutical techniques for internal endometriosis. The results of examining 220 patients with internal endometriosis, out of whom 116 were further operated on, have been prospectively and retrospectively studies. Based on the histological findings of the gross specimens intraoperatively removed, the authors analyzed the predictive value of clinical and instrumental diagnostic criteria, including those of transvaginal echography, Doppler echometry of the arteries supplying the uterus, those of hysteroscopy and the computer hysterosalping graphic technique developed by them. The ovarian morphological and receptor apparatuses were studied in internal endometriosis. The examination and treatment system for patients with internal endometriosis is presented in the paper.

Histologic, histochemical, electron-microscopic and ultracytochemical studies of cellular populations of the endometrial stroma and the vascular component, carried out in 33 women of a productive age in various phases of the cycle (on days 5-28) showed interactions of the cellular elements (fibroblast-like cells, predecidual cells, endometrial granulocytes, endotheliocytes, cells of a hematogenic origin) within and between the populations over the course of the cycle; all the cells were found functionally heterogenic, this underlying the endometrial homeostasis maintenance. Disturbances in any of the components of these interactions may result in a pathologic process in the uterine body mucosa.

Cervix uteri status was examined in 55 young nulliparous women in the course of triphasic oral contraception. The status of the cervix uteri was assessed on the basis of clinical, colposcopic, cytologic, and morphofunctional examinations. Triphase oral contraception with triregol was found conducive to the formation of squamous-cell metaplasia in ectopic sites, this promoting epithelialization of the cervix uteri.

The study included 96 women with combined benign hyperplastic uterine conditions. Half of them underwent a radical uterine resection and were examined at 3.1 +/- 0.2 years following the operation. The rest were randomly selected as matched pairs and were evaluated at 4.3 +/- 0.13 years following multicomponent treatment including hormones (n-26) and cryohormonal treatment (n-22). Analysis of results revealed a complex pathogenesis of this disease of the reproductive tract, presenting as severe postoperative vegetoneurotic disorders. Potential of an adequate conservative treatment in preserving specific female functions was determined.

Patients with ovarian endometriosis have been examined during the follicular and luteal phase of the ovulatory and the second phase of the anovulatory cycles. Estradiol and progesterone blood concentrations measured on operation days and during the respective ovulatory phases were in a normal range. Ovulation and endometrial hyperplasia reduced basal progesterone concentrations. Comparison of findings on steroid receptor systems in the endometrium and endometrioid ovarian cysts indicated that they were identical. The findings were different in ovulation and endometrial hyperplasia. These patterns provided criteria for endometrial response to female sex hormones by assaying endometrial intracellular steroid receptor systems in normally ovulating patients with ovarian endometriosis.

Clinico-morphologic parameters are described in 18 patients of reproductive age before and after hormonal treatment. There was no clear-cut correlation between morphofunctional endometrial state and endometrioid heterotopies. It did not seem possible to identify the phase of the cycle on the basis of the structural pattern of retrocervical endometriosis. Electron microscopic findings in endometriosis sites were suggestive of considerable variability of epithelial cell activity in different glands as well as within the same gland. Post-treatment structural pattern of retrocervical endometriosis does not exclude the possibility that steroids only block cyclic changes in the functional glandular epithelium, having no effect on nonactive cell elements. In spite of dystrophic changes, present in many retrocervical endometriosis sites, hormonal treatment did not eliminate endometrioid heterotopies, but only relieved pain.

Ultrastructural and ultracytochemical characteristics of glandular epithelium of endometrium in 10 women with two-phase cycle were studied. Secretory transformation of glandular epithelium at ultrastructural level is manifested by deposits of glycogen in cytoplasm, giant mitochondria, hypertrophic Golgi complex and nuclear channel system. In organ endometrial cultures formation of the nuclear channel system at the stage of proliferation is induced by progesterone. Localization of ribonucleoproteins and activity of nucleoside phosphatases (ATPase and 5'-nucleotidase) in the nuclei and the channel system is described. Ultrastructural and ultracytochemical data permit to exclude nucleolar origin of the nucleolar channel system.