Glutathione-S-transferase P1 gene polymorphism and susceptibility to endometriosis

BACKGROUND: Glutathione-S-tranferase (GST) is the part of the key phase II detoxifying enzyme system. Many studies have investigated the role of GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms in endometriosis. Although GSTP1 was found to be one of the most abundant types of GST in genital system, there are insufficient data about the importance of the role of GSTP1 gene polymorphism in endometriosis. METHODS: This case-control study involved 150 patients with endometriosis and 150 controls. The frequency of GSTP1 single nucleotide polymorphisms was evaluated using PCR and melting curve analysis. RESULTS: The proportion of GSTP1 ile/ile tended to be higher in patients with endometriosis than control group, although the difference was not significant [odds ratio (OR)=1.53; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.95-2.46]. In contrast, GSTP1 val/val was significantly higher in control patients and seems protective for endometriosis (OR=0.10; 95% CI=0.02-0.42). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that GSTP1 polymorphism might modulate the risk of endometriosis with significantly decreased risk for GSTP1 val/val and marginally increased risk for GSTP1 ile/ile. Further studies on not only the disease processes but also normal distribution of the enzyme in female genital tract may provide better understanding about the role of GST types and their polymorphs in endometriosis.     

The improvement in pelvic floor symptoms with weight loss in obese women does not correlate with the changes in pelvic anatomy

Introduction and hypothesis

It has been suggested that weight reduction decreases the frequency of urinary incontinence (UI) episodes. However, it is not known if this improvement is associated with anatomical changes in the pelvis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of weight loss on UI episodes and pelvic floor anatomy.

Methods

Three hundred seventy-eight overweight/obese women were randomly allocated either to behavioral weight loss or to structured education programs. The patients were evaluated by voiding diary, Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI), and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) system at baseline and after 6 months.

Results

The women in the intervention group had a mean weight loss of 9.4 %, whereas the weight in the control group remained almost the same (P?P?Conclusions Weight reduction provides improvement in episodes of UI, decreases the incidence of drops of urine leakage, and increases quality of life related to pelvic floor symptoms. However, there are little to no changes in the parameters of the POP-Q system with weight reduction.     

The prevalence of stress urinary incontinence among women operated on for abdominal wall hernias

The high co-occurrence of an abdominal wall hernia (AWH) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) suggests that there is a common factor in the etiopathogenesis of these disorders in these patients.     

Simvastatin induces proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in C6 glioma cells via c-jun N-terminal kinase

The lipid-lowering drugs, statins, induce apoptosis in a variety of tumor cells. Here we investigated the apoptotic effect of the lipophilic statin, simvastatin, in C6 glioma cells and the underlying effects on intracellular signal transduction. Simvastatin inhibited cell proliferation totally after 20 h of treatment as shown by the decrease in proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in the nucleus. Subsequently, simvastatin caused apoptotic cell death by shrinkage of cytoplasm and condensation of chromatin, and DNA fragmentation. The features of apoptosis were visible only after 48 h of treatment, possibly reflecting a requirement for cell commitment to growth arrest. In immunocytochemical and immunoblotting experiments we have shown that simvastatin markedly increased the phosphorylation of ATF-2 and c-jun in the nucleus of the C6 glioma cells at early time points which was preserved even 24 h after treatment. In contrast, activities of protein kinases Erk1/2 and AKT in the cell survival pathway remained unchanged throughout the treatment. Selective inhibitor of JNK, but not p38 kinase, reduced simvastatin-induced cell death and ATF-2 and c-jun phosphorylation suggesting that JNK-dependent activation of ATF-2 and c-jun may play an important role in simvastatin-induced proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in C6 glioma cells. These observations suggest that statins may have clinical significance in the prevention of glial tumors beyond their cholesterol-lowering effect and JNK may be a rational target for sensitizing glioma cells to chemotherapeutic agents.     

Regional fasciocutaneous flap closure for clubfoot surgery

Skin closure after a comprehensive posteromediallateral release of clubfeet through a Cincinnati incision may be difficult. This is especially true for cases of severe deformity either primary or recurrent. To deal with this, certain techniques have been developed. These consist of casting the foot in an undercorrected position with subsequent serial cast changes, leaving the incision completely or partially open for closure by secondary intention, using tissue expanders, and using different flap techniques. Five patients with nine clubfoot deformities who were treated with a comprehensive posteromedial-lateral release through a Cincinnati incision and underwent fasciocutaneous flap closure since June 1998 were included in this study. These flaps allowed correction and complete wound closure at the end of surgery without any skin tension. These flaps were constructed either in a rotational or V-Y advancement manner. None of the patients had any major complications. In summary, this new fasciocutaneous flap is a simple and reliable method in cases with primary skin-closure difficulties. It does not require special equipment or a plastic surgeon.     

Molecular markers in cervical cytology

It is expected that in the near future, the high sensitivity of array-based technologies and identification of panels of molecular fingerprints that are specific for each disease process will allow the pathologist to analyze cytologic samples and tissue biopsies by these technologies in conjunction with morphologic evaluation. This approach could lead to a new era in diagnosis and patient management, where each patient may receive individualized treatment according to the molecular characteristics of the disease that are obtained from a minute amount of tissue. Therefore, it is important for pathologists and other clinical specialists to have an understanding of these molecular technologies. It is hoped that this article will allow practitioners to incorporate these concepts into their training, and, eventually, into their daily practice.     

Myocardial rotation but not circumferential strain is transducer angle dependent: a speckle tracking echocardiography study

Background: Doppler derived strain analysis has been shown to be angle dependent. Speckle tracking analysis using 2D echocardiographic images is thought to provide angle independent parameters of regional and global myocardial function. This study sought to evaluate whether myocardial circumferential strain and rotation derived from automatic frame‐by‐frame tracking of natural acoustic markers is dependent on angulation of the transducer. Methods: In 48 healthy volunteers (mean age 36 ± 3 years, 20 male) parasternal short‐axis views at apical level were obtained as follows: at the standard parasternal position (5th intercostal space) with a most possible circular short‐axis image of the left ventricle (angulation 1), at an angulation of the transducer by 20° from this standard position to the apex (angulation 2) and at an angulation of the transducer by 20° to the base of the left ventricle (angulation 3). Using an automatic frame‐by‐frame tracking system of natural acoustic echocardiographic markers (EchoPAC, GE Ultrasound, Horton, Norway) circumferential strain and rotation were calculated for six segments within a short‐axis circumference. Results: Image quality was sufficient for acquisition and analysis of images at all three‐transducer angulation in 90% of the analyzed segments. Rotation was measured to be 7.7 ± 1.2° at angulation 1, 2.7 ± 0.9° at angulation 2 and 4.3 ± 1.1° at angulation 3 (p < 0.05). Average circumferential strain data was found to be ?27.2 ± 5.1% at angulation 1, ?26.5 ± 3.8% at angulation 2 and 28.9 ± 4.4% at angulation 3 (p = 0.287). Conclusion: Circumferential strain analysis is not dependent on transducer angulation. In contrast, determination of myocardial rotation is dependent on transducer angulation. Therefore, accurate transducer angulation has to be taken care of if rotation measurements are performed. (Echocardiography 2010;27:809‐814)     

The association of mast cell density with myometrial invasion in endometrial carcinoma: A preliminary report

It is known that cancer is not a single transformational event. It is rather a multistage process involving complex interactions with the surrounding cellular microenvironment. Mast cells accumulate at sites of tumor growth in response to numerous chemoattractants. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between mast cell density (MCD) and myometrial invasion in endometrial carcinomas.