Search

Abstract The Catsper channel is a sperm-specific, Ca2+-permeable, pH-dependent, and low voltage-dependent channel that is essential for the hyperactivity of sperm flagellum, chemotaxis towards the egg, capacitation and acrosome reaction. All of these physiological events require calcium entry into sperm cells. Remarkably, Catsper genes are exclusively expressed in the testis during spermatogenesis, and are sensitive to ion channel-induced pH change, such as NHEs, Ca2+ATPase, K+ channel, Hv1 channel and HCO3 − transporters. Furthermore, the Catsper channel is regulated by some physiological stimulants, such as progesterone, cyclic nucleotides (e.g., cAMP, cGMP), zona pellucida (ZP) glycoproteins and bovine serum albumin (BSA). All of these factors normally stimulate Ca2+ entry into sperm through the Catsper channel. In addition, the Catsper channel may be a potential target for male infertility treatment or contraception. This review will focus on the structure, functions, regulation mechanisms and medicinal targets of the Catsper channel. more...

Detection of abrupt change is a key issue for understanding the facts and trends of climate change, but it is also a difficult task in practice. The Mann-Kendall (MK) test is commonly used for treating the issue, while the results are usually affected by the correlation and seasonal characters and sample size of series. This paper proposes a discrete wavelet entropy-aided approach for abrupt change detection, with the temperature analyses in the Haihe River Basin (HRB) as an example. The results show some obviously abrupt temperature changes in the study area in the 1960s–1990s. The MK test results do not reflect those abrupt temperature changes after the 1980s. Comparatively, the proposed approach can detect all main abrupt temperature changes in HRB, so it is more effective than the MK test. Differing from the MK test which only considers series’ value order or the conventional entropy which mainly considers series’ statistical random characters, the proposed approach is to describe the complexity and disorderliness of series using wavelet entropy theories, and it can fairly consider series’ composition and characteristics under different scales, so the results can more accurately reflect not only the abrupt changes, but also the complexity variation of a series over time. However, since it is based on the entropy theories, the series analyzed must have big sample size enough and the sampling rates being smaller than the concerned scale for the accurate computation of entropy values. more...

Information about the spatial pattern of soil salinity is important for special site management. The authors determined the spatial variation of salinity in a gravel-sand mulched (using gravel and sand as mulch) jujube orchard by measuring salinity in 256 soil samples collected from 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, and 30-50 cm layers at four sampling scales: 32 × 32, 28 × 28, 24 × 24, and 20 × 20 m. Soil salinity tended to increase with depth in the 0-50 cm soil profile, with a soil salinity range of 0.46-1.30 g=kg. The coefficient of variation (CV) of soil salinity ranged from 5.95 to 18.59%, indicating weak to moderate variability. The spatial distributions of salinity differed in the surface layers at the four sampling scales, indicating obvious peaks and valleys in the three-dimensional map. Salinity in each layer was not completely independent due to the climate, hydrology, water resources, and parental soil material and so was spatially correlated, with bottom and surface of the correlation abatin with depth. Ordinary kriging could estimate the values of selected soil variables with inappropriate data and at unsampled locations, but estimating the salinity in deep soil using cokriging by measuring the salinity in the surface soil was more accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Objective The objective of this study was to measure the special expression pattern of lipid metabolism genes and investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition in Longissimus dorsi muscle of Laiwu pigs. Methods Thirty-six pigs (Laiwu n = 18; Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire n = 18) were used for the measurement of the backfat thickness, marbling score, IMF content, and expression of lipid metabolism genes. Results Significant correlations were found between IMF content and the mRNA expression of lipid metabolism genes. Of the 14 fat deposition genes measured, fatty acid synthase (FASN) showed the strongest correlation (r = 0.75, p = 0.001) with IMF content, and of the 6 fat removal genes, carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1B (CPT1B) exhibited the greatest negative correlation (r = −0.66, p = 0.003) with IMF content in Laiwu pig. Multiple regression analysis showed that CPT1B, FASN, solute carrier family 27 member 1 (SLC27A1), and fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) contributed 38% of the prediction value for IMF content in Laiwu pigs. Of these four variables, CPT1B had the greatest contribution to IMF content (14%) followed by FASN (11%), SLC27A1 (9%), and FABP3 (4%). Conclusion Our results indicate that the combined effects of an upregulation in fat deposition genes and downregulation in fat removal genes promotes IMF deposition in Laiwu pigs. more...

Detection of abrupt change is a key issue for understanding the facts and trends of climate change, but it is also a difficult task in practice. The Mann-Kendall (MK) test is commonly used for treating the issue, while the results are usually affected by the correlation and seasonal characters and sample size of series. This paper proposes a discrete wavelet entropy-aided approach for abrupt change detection, with the temperature analyses in the Haihe River Basin (HRB) as an example. The results show some obviously abrupt temperature changes in the study area in the 1960s-1990s. The MK test results do not reflect those abrupt temperature changes after the 1980s. Comparatively, the proposed approach can detect all main abrupt temperature changes in HRB, so it is more effective than the MK test. Differing from the MK test which only considers series' value order or the conventional entropy which mainly considers series' statistical random characters, the proposed approach is to describe the complexity and disorderliness of series using wavelet entropy theories, and it can fairly consider series' composition and characteristics under different scales, so the results can more accurately reflect not only the abrupt changes, but also the complexity variation of a series over time. However, since it is based on the entropy theories, the series analyzed must have big sample size enough and the sampling rates being smaller than the concerned scale for the accurate computation of entropy values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Objective: To investigate the association of polymorphisms of arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-1661G/A with glutathione S-transferase pi (GSTP1) -313A/G and the susceptibility to endometriosis in southern Han Chinese., Methods: Total of 432 endometriosis patients undergoing laparoscopic or laparotomy surgery matched with 493 patients with fallopian tube ligation, tubal recanalization, laparoscopic hydrotubation, benign ovarian tumor and teratoma surgeries without endometriosis as control group were enrolled in this study. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of AhR -1661G/A and GSTP1 -313A/G were detected by using a fluorescent quantitative PCR-based high resolution melting (HRM)., Results: The numbers of combined genotypes AhR -1661G/A and GSTP1 -313A/G were 120 patients with AG + AA, 64 patients with AG + AG, 8 patients with AG + GG, 109 patients with GG + AA, 84 patients with GG + AG, 4 patients with GG + GG, 31 patients with AA + AA, 10 patients with AA + AG, 1 patient with AA + GG at endometriosis group and 131 patients with AG + AA, 68 patients with AG + AG, 6 patients with AG + GG, 157 patients with GG + AA, 66 patients with GG + AG, 4 patients with GG + GG, 35 patients with AA + AA, 20 patients with AA + AG, 3 patients with AA + GG at endometriosis group. There was no statistically different frequencies of genotypes between endometriosis group and control group (χ(2) = 12.558, P = 0.128). Compared with genotype GG + AA, the risk of endometriosis with genotype GG + AG was increased 1.833 time (95%CI: 1.233 - 2.274)., Conclusion: The combined genotype GG + AG [from AhR -1661G/A (GG) and GSTP1 -313A/G (AG)] might be related with susceptibility to endometriosis. more...

Objective: To investigate the association of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) gene promoter region -1031T/C and its combination with interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene promoter region -634C/G single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) with the genetic susceptibility to endometriosis., Methods: Total of 432 endometriosis patients and 499 non-endometriosis women who had received an operation due to tubal ligation, tubal recanalization, laparoscopic hydrotubation, ovarian simple cyst and teratoma were collected and separated into endometriosis group and control group, that all cases were confirmed by operation and pathology. A case-control study was performed in endometriosis and control group to evaluate the association of these SNP with the susceptibility to endometriosis by using a fluorescent quantitative PCR-based high resolution melting (HRM) method., Results: (1) TNF-α -1031T/C genotype:the T and C of TNF-α -1031T/C allele frequencies in the endometriosis group and control group were 79.2% (684/864), 20.8% (180/864) and 81.8% (816/998), 18.2% (182/998), respectively. The TT, TC and CC of TNF-α -1031T/C genotype frequencies in the two groups were 63.7% (275/432), 31.0% (134/432), 5.3% (23/432) and 66.5% (332/499), 30.5% (152/499), 3.0% (15/499), respectively. There were no statistical significances in the TNF-α -1031T/C alleles and genotypes distributions between the two groups (P = 0.158, P = 0.186). (2) TNF-α -1031T/C and IL-6 -634C/G conjoint genotypes: to research on the TNF-α -1031T/C and IL-6 -634C/G genotypes for conjoint analysis, the TT+CC, TC+CC, CC+CC, TT+CG, TC+CG, CC+CG, TT+GG, TC+GG and CC+GG combination genotype frequencies in the two groups were 39.4% (170/432), 19.4% (84/432), 4.6% (20/432), 20.6% (89/432), 8.8% (38/432), 0.9% (4/432), 3.5% (15/432), 2.3% (10/432), 0.5% (2/432) and 36.7% (183/499), 17.4% (87/499), 1.4% (7/499), 26.1% (130/499), 10.4% (52/499), 1.2% (6/499), 3.8% (19/499), 2.6% (13/499), 0.4% (2/499), respectively. There were no statistical significances in the combination genotypes distributions between the two groups (P = 0.107). As compared with carriers of TT+CC combination genotype, the endometriosis risk of carriers of CC+CC combination genotype enhanced 3.076 times (95%CI: 1.268 - 7.457, P = 0.009), and the endometriosis risk of carriers of other combination genotypes were no statistical significances (all P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The study demonstrates that there are no significant association between the SNP of TNF-α -1031T/C and genetic susceptibility to endometriosis. However the results indicate that there are significant association between genetic susceptibility to endometriosis and the combination polymorphisms of TNF-α -1031T/C and IL-6 -634C/G. more...

Objective: To investigate the association of interleukin 6 gene (IL-6) promoter region 634C/G (rs1800796) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with the genetic susceptibility to endometriosis (Ems) in south Han Chinese women., Methods: A case-control study was performed in 432 Ems patients and 499 control women to evaluate the SNP of IL-6 634C/G by using a fluorescent quantitative PCR-based high resolution melting (HRM) method., Results: There were statistical significances in the IL-6 634C/G alleles, whether or not to carry allele G and genotype distributions between Ems patients and control women (P=0.032, 0.014 and 0.045, respectively). Allele C enhanced the risk of Ems 1.057 times while allele G reduced the risk of Ems 0.835 time. Carrying allele G reduced the risk of Ems 0.822 time, whereas not carrying allele G enhanced the risk of Ems 1.143 times. Compared with genotype CC, the risk of Ems with genotype CG reduced 0.704 time (95% CI: 0.533-0.931). There was no significant difference in whether or not carrying allele G distribution between Ems patients and control women (P=0.729)., Conclusion: The present study demonstrated significant association between the SNP of IL-6 634C/G and genetic susceptibility to Ems in south Han Chinese women. more...

Objective: To investigate the distribution of pathogenic C.albican genotype and Candida species in association with the severity of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC)., Methods: Polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) of the internal transcribed spacer analysis was employed to identify the Candida species isolated from the vaginal secretions of 198 patients with acute VVC. SSCP and GeneScan analyses of microsatellite locus I polymorphism were used to determine the genotypes of the clinical isolates of C. albican associated with VVC. All the patients were scored for clinical signs and symptoms to evaluate the severity of VVC., Results: A total of 198 Candida strains were isolated from VVC patients, including 140 (70.7%) C. albicans strains and 58 (29.3%) non-albicans strains. In the 95 patients with severe VVC and 103 with mild-moderate VVC, C.albican was detected in 62.1% and 76.6% of the patients, respectively (P=0.011). Thirty-eight microsatellite locus I genotypes were detected in 140 unrelated C. albican strains, among which the dominant genotypes 30-45 (44 strians, 31.43%) and 32-46 (23 strains, 16.43%) were the most common, followed by genotypes 30-46 (4 strains, 2.86%) and 32-47 (9 strains, 6.42%). The overall frequencies of the 4 genotypes were significantly higher in severe VVC than in mild-moderate VVC cases (77.9% vs 42.0%, P<0.001)., Conclusion: C. albicans remains the most common pathogenic Candia species in patients with VVC, but the non-alibcans species seem more likely to cause severe VVC. The dominant genotypes of C. albicans with a tropism for the vagina are correlated to the severity of VVC. more...

Objective: To investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in cytochrome P450 17 (CYP17) and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα ) genes with the risk of endometriosis among southern Chinese women., Methods: Two SNPs rs743572 (CYP17 gene 34T/C) and rs9322331 (ERα gene -397T/C) were genotyped by high resolution melting curve in 432 endometriosis patients and 499 matched controls., Results: There was no significant difference in the genotype frequencies of the two loci between endometriosis patients and the control subjects (P> 0.05). And there was no significant interaction effect of these two genes on the disease either., Conclusion: CYP17 gene and ERα gene may not be genetic risk factors for endometriosis among southern women in China. more...

Objective: To explore the association between the arylhydrocarbon receptor gene (AhR) 1661G/A or arylhydrocarbon nuclear translocatorgene (ARNT) 567G/C polymorphism and endometriosis in southern Han Chinese women., Methods: The polymorphisms of AhR gene 1661G/Aand ARNT gene 567G/C in 431 cases of endometriosis and 499 healthy women were genotyped by fluorescence quantitative PCR-based high resolution melting., Results: The frequencies of genotypes AA, AG, GG and alleles A and G in controls were 12.0%, 41.9%, 46.1%, 33.0% and 67.0%, respectively, which were not significantly different from those in patients with endometriosis (9.7%, 44.6%, 45.7%, 32.0% and 68.0%, respectively). The genotype frequencies of GG, GC, CC and alleles C and G in controls (15.6 %, 51.7%, 32.7%, 58.5%, 41.5%) were not significantly different from those in patients with endometriosis (13.5%, 47.8%, 38.7%, 62.6%, 37.4%), either. And no interaction of AhR 1661G/A and ARNT 567G/C on endometriosis was found., Conclusion: No association between AhR 1661G/A and ARNT 567G/C genetic polymorphisms and endometriosis was found in the southern Han Chinese women in this study. more...

Objective: To evaluate the effect of comprehensive prevention programs on HIV, HBV and syphilis transmission from mother to child and between premarital couples., Methods: HIV, HBV and syphilis were screened among pregnant women with interventional measure for infected women; HIV, HBV and syphilis (TP) were screened among premarital couples with medical advice., Results: The HIV, HBsAg and TP positive rates were 8.4‰ (111/13 280), 54‰ (711/13 186) and 12.8‰ (159/12 401) respectively among pregnant women and the total positive rate of the three diseases was 73.8‰ which was significantly higher than HIV positive rate (P < 0.001). The positive rates of HIV, HBsAg and TP were 17.6‰ (464/26 324), 95.3‰ (1826/19 152) and 18.6‰ (355/19 099) respectively among premarital couples and the total positive rate of the three diseases was 131.5‰ which was significantly higher than HIV positive rate alone (P < 0.001). Comprehensive prevention was more economical than prevention for HIV alone., Conclusion: The comprehensive strategies for prevention of HIV, HBV and syphilis was feasible, effective and economical that could help to actively conduct the preventive measures. more...

Objective: To determine the polymorphism in +252 site of tumor necrosis factor-beta(TNF-beta) gene in patients with or without endometriosis, to evaluate the levels of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta in the serum with or without endometriosis, to explore the relation between polymorphism of TNF-beta gene and the genetic susceptibility of endometriosis, and to explore the pathogenic mechanism of endometriosis at gene level., Methods: By polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method, polymorphism on +252 site of TNF-beta gene was measured in 82 patients with endometriosis (the endometriosis group) and 80 patients without endometriosis (the control group). With the sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the levels of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta in the serum of the two groups were determined., Results: The TNF-beta level in the serum in the endometriosis group with TNF-beta gene +252 site AA genotype significantly increased, compared with GG genotype (t=2.029, P<0.05); while TNF-alpha and TNF-beta level in the serum had no statistical significance in patients with other genotypes in TNF-beta gene +252 site in the endometriosis group and the control group., Conclusion: TNF-beta gene +252 site AA genotype might be enhance TNF-beta level in the serum of patients with endometriosis. more...

Objective: To study the polymorphism of +252 site in intron 1 of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-beta gene in relation to genetic susceptibility of endometriosis., Methods: Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was employed to detect the polymorphism of +252 site in intron 1 of TNF-beta gene in 82 Chinese Han patients with endometriosis in Guangdong Province and 80 Han patients without endometriosis (control group), and the relation between TNF gene polymorphism and the risk of endometriosis was analyzed., Results: The +252 site of TNF-beta allele and genotype distribution showed significant difference between endometriosis and control groups (Chi2=6.562, P<0.05; chi2=6.562, P<0.05), and relative risk of endometriosis in relation to allele A was increased by 1.793 fold. The risk of endometriosis was 3.33-fold higher in women of AA genotype than those of GG genotype (Chi2=6.562, P<0.05)., Conclusions: Allele A in TNF-beta gene +252 site can significantly increase the relative risk of endometriosis in women in Guangdong, among which TNF-beta AA genotype might be one of the genetic susceptible factors for endometriosis. more...

Objective: To explore the potential use of integrin av beta3 (Lm609) monoclonal antibody against ectopic lesion and microvessel angiogenesis of human endometriosis xenografts in SCID mice., Methods: The endometrial tissues from endometriosis patients were inoculated subcutaneously into SCID mouse, which were treated with Lm609, an inhibitor of angiogenesis, twice a week, for 3 weeks. The mice were sacrificed and immunohistochemical staining was employed to determine the microvessel density (MVD) and expression of integrin av beta3 in the lesion tissues., Results: Lm609 inhibited the growth of the ectopic lesion. The lesion weighted 0.82+/-0.09 g in the treated group versus 0.51+/-0.93 g in the control group (P<0.05). The MVDs of the treated and control groups were 31.2+/-4.4 and 14.4+/-1.8 respectively (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Lm609 can inhibit the growth of ectopic lesion by reducing angiogenesis in SCID mouse. more...

Objective: To procure biologically active human endostatin., Methods: Human endostatin gene was acquired by means of reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR and cloned into PGEM-T vector with subsequent sequence identification. The gene fragment was inserted into the prokaryotic expression vector pBV220 and transformed into E.coli DH5alpha strain. Endostatin expression in the E.coli was identified and the inclusion body isolated, purified and its activity analyzed., Results: The obtained gene fragment 552 bp in length was identified as the functional section of human endostatin gene by sequence analysis, and SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the expressed product was the target protein with biological activity., Conclusion: Human endostatin gene was expressed in E.coli and the protein obtained can inhibit the proliferation of ECV 304 cells. more...

Objective: To study the role of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor (c-Met) in the pathogenesis of endometriosis., Methods: In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry method was used to examine HGF mRNA and protein expression in eutopic and ectopic endometrium obtained from 54 women in reproductive age with endometriosis confirmed by laparoscopy and histological examination (including 28 cases of stages I/II and 26 of stages III/IV) and from the endometrium of 24 healthy fertile women., Results: In patients with endometriosis, the positivity rate of HGF/c-Met expression was similar in the eutopic and ectopic endometria, but the number of positive cells and expression intensity were much higher in ectopic endometrium. The positive expression rate varied little between the proliferative and secretory stages of the endometrium. Compare with the healthy controls, patients with endometriosis of stages I/II and III/IV had significantly elevated positivity rate of HGF and c-Met expressions in either eutopic and ectopic endometrium, but without significant difference between the two patient groups (P<0.01). The rate of strong c-Met protein expression was significantly higher in III/IV endometriosis than in the controls, without statistical difference between other groups., Conclusion: The expressions of HGF and c-met gene are correlated with the pathogenesis of endometriosis, which is preceded by eventful changes in the biological behavior of the eutopic endometrium. more...

Objective: To review our experience with hysteroscopic electroresection in the treatment of uterine benign lesions., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 775 cases of hysteroscopic surgery in view of the operation time, blood loss, complications and prognosis., Results: The average operation time was 26.5+/-12.3 min and average blood loss 40.1+/-10.5 ml. The outpatients (n=539) were discharged 2 h after operation while the inpatients stayed for 2 or 3 d. Hyponatremia occurred in 1 case, and no death, uterine perforation or electric injury was recorded. During the follow-up for 3 months to 6 years, bleeding relapsed in 17 cases after transcervical resection of the endometrium, and the amenorrhea rate was 88.9%. The recurrence rate of endometrial polyp was 5.5% after electroresection of polyps. Menstruation as normal in all the cases after transcervical resection of the myoma. The uterine cavity became morphologically normal after transcervical resection of the septum without adhesions in the cavities. Improvement of menstruation was achieved in 55 cases (96.5%) after transcervical resection of the adhesion. A patient undergoing transcervical resection of the cervical lesion developed uterine and cervical adhesion 4 months later., Conclusions: For the patients with intrauterine benign diseases, hysteroscopic electroresection provides effective therapeutic options for lessening the invasive injury and decreasing the complications and blood loss. more...

Objective: To study the function of heparanase gene in the pathogenesis of endometriosis., Methods: In situ hybridization method was used to examine the heparanase mRNA expression in the eutopic and ectopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis (EM group, 23) and the eutopic endometrium of women without endometriosis (control group, 25)., Results: (1) In EM group: The frequency of heparanase gene expression in eutopic was similar to that in ectopic endometrium. However the number of positive cells and the intensity of heparanase gene expression in ectopic endometrium was more than that in eutopic endometrium. The frequency of heparanase gene expression in proliferative phase was 83.3% (10/12), while in secretory phase it was 72.7% (8/11), the difference is not significant; (2) In control group: The frequency of heparanase gene expression in proliferative phase was 41.7% (5/12), while in secretory phase it was 7.7% (1/13), the difference is significant; (3) The frequency of heparanase gene expression in endometrium of patients with endometriosis and women without endometriosis were 78.3% (18/23) and 24.0% (6/25) respectively, the difference is significant., Conclusions: Heparanase gene may play some roles in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, and it may participate the regulation of menstrual cycle, and that it may participate the regulation of menstrual cycle. It may be an important target of the trentment for endometriosis. more...

Objective: To establish animal models of endometriosis in rhesus monkeys and study the invasion mechanism of endometriosis., Methods: Five female healthy rhesus monkeys with regular menstrual cycles were selected, of whom 4 were used for endometriosis model establishment and 1 for control. During the period of days 8-15 of menstruation, or 3-5 days after the midcycle estrogen peak, the endometrium was implanted into the pelvic cavity other than the uterus in the experimental group, and in the control group, the greater omentum was implanted instead. Exploratory laparotomy or laparoscopy was performed during the period between days 8 and 15 of menstruation in the second and the fourth month respectively after the implantation for observing the occurrence of endometriosis., Results: In the experimental group, the implanted endometrium survived in the receptor site in 3 monkeys, 2 of whom were found to have chocolate cyst after the operation. Laparoscopy was again performed in the 2 monkeys with endometriosis 4 months after the operation, showing pelvic adhesion and growth of ectopic endometrium similar to the changes as observed two months after the operation. In comparison with the control, deteriorated mental states and dietary changes, along with body weight losses, occurred in the 3 models of endometriosis, and 2 of them later died of intussusception., Conclusions: Animal models of endometriosis can be established successfully in rhesus monkeys on the basis of the implantation theory, which, however, is influenced by individual differences between the animals. Heredity is an important factor in pathogenesis of endometriosis, and ectopic growth of the endometrium may severely impact the body function. more...

Scatter factor (hepatocyte growth factor, SF/HGF) is a multifunctional polypeptide growth factor that plays an important role in tumor proliferation, angiogenesis and invasiveness. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of HGF in endometriosis and their relationship. Peritoneal fluid and serum samples of 126 women of reproductive age receiving laparoscopy (72 with endometriosis and 54 without endometriosis) were obtained and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to measure HGF concentrations. The results revealed that the concentrations of HGF were significantly elevated in women with endometriosis stages I/II and III/IV as compared with HGF level in the control group (peritoneal fluid levels of 0.337+/-0.065, 0.458+/-0.160, 0.915+/-0.113, P<0.001; serum level of 0.335+/-0.663, 0.456+/-0.151, 0.907+/-0.170, P<0.001 respectively). A positive correlation was found between peritoneal fluid and serum levels of HGF, which varied little with phases of the menstrual cycle. Comparisons of the women in the same menstrual cycle between the three groups revealed that increased levels of HGF in patients with advanced endometriosis were not attributed to the cycle phase. Our results indicated that the degree of endometriosis was positively correlated with HGF concentration in peritoneal fluid and serum. Therefore, the detection of serum HGF concentration may be useful in classifying endometriosis, and may also help in selecting the optimal treatment methods. more...

Objective: To analyze the hereditary susceptibility in patients with endometriosis by way of genotyping of HLA-DPB1 alleles., Methods: The allelic types of HLA-DPB1 were detected by sequence-based typing (SBT) in 38 patients with endometriosis and 36 healthy women as the control., Result: Significant differences in the frequency of HLA-DRB1 allele was not observed between endometriotic patients and normal subjects., Conclusion: HLA-DPB1 allele may not be related to endometriosis. more...