A group of researchers led by gynecopathologist Professor Joseph Rabban has published their findings in the International Journal of Gynecological Pathology, evaluating the diagnostic utility of deeper tissue sections in biopsies from patients with suspected endometriosis.
The definitive diagnosis of endometriosis relies on histopathologic examination of biopsied tissue. Interestingly, the diagnostic yield of histopathologic confirmation in clinically suspected peritoneal biopsies ranges from 51% to 89.5%.
In some cases, small ectopic endometrial tissue foci in peritoneal biopsies may go undetected, resulting…
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Academicians Zhang and Yan from Ningbo University, Zhejiang, China, have recently published a pivotal study in Scientific Reports examining the cancer risk associated with endometriosis.
Endometriosis, a chronic condition affecting approximately 6–10% of women worldwide, significantly diminishes quality of life through a range of debilitating symptoms. Alarmingly, individuals with endometriosis also appear to face an elevated risk of developing cancer. While several observational studies have addressed the potential malignancy risk linked to endometriosis, the precise impact of this condition on…
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Fibrosis is a crucial aspect of endometriosis, present in and around endometriosis lesions. It mainly arises from myofibroblasts—cells that transform through specific processes. Fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and, to a lesser extent, endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition are sources of myofibroblasts in endometriosis.
The growth factor TGF-β is key in this transformation. Myofibroblasts not only create a stiff environment by depositing a matrix but may also contribute to the pain, so many patients experience. Interestingly, the fibrosis seen in endometriosis resembles that of…
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Academicians from Kashihara and Nara, Japan led by Dr. Kobayashi have published their review on the cellular mechanisms of endometriotic tissues in a recent issue of Reproductive Medicine and Biology.
Endometriosis is a common global gynecologic ailment affecting millions of women. Endometrial cells that regurgitate into the peritoneal cavity face low oxygen levels and lack of nutrients. To survive these harsh conditions, endometriotic cells have developed several adaptive homeostatic strategies in their microenvironments, including evading programmed cell death (apoptosis). Autophagy,…
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Academicians led by Dr. Yong from Vancouver, Canada, have published a timely review on the utility of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in endometriosis. This review appeared in a recent issue of the BMJ Woman’s Health.
As a well-known issue, endometriosis poses important obstacles in terms of diagnosis and treatment so that diagnosis could be delayed an average of 8–12 years, and many patients suffer from pain and other nasty symptoms without proper management.
AI is currently being applied to drug development,…
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Dr.Talukdar from Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, and colleagues have published a timely review of nanoparticle applications in endometriosis. This review appeared in the June 2024 issue of the journal “Nanomaterials”.
As envisioned by Professor Ehrlich in the 19th century, nanoparticles could dissolve insoluble drugs, protect therapeutics from degradation, extend drug circulation times, and target drugs directly to disease sites, thereby reducing systemic toxicity. Recent studies suggest that nanoparticles have the potential to enhance medical procedures such as chemotherapy,…
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Academicians from the Queen’s University, Ontario Canada led by Dr. Velez published their population-based cohort study related to pregnancy complications in a recent issue of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. This population-based cohort study analyzed the association between endometriosis and severe maternal morbidity, and possible effects of infertility and fertility treatment in this regard. Severe maternal morbidity consists of life-threatening conditions occurring during the first 42 days (or within 6 weeks) of gestation. As it is well accepted, endometriosis has pathogenetic pillars of…
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Professors Tulandi from McGill University, Canada, and Vercellini from Milano University, Italy, have recently published their expert opinion on endometriosis as a systemic disorder in Reproductive Biomedicine Online (RBMO).
The contemporary view on endometriosis is suggestive of a type of chronic inflammatory disease with long-term adverse consequences such as cardiovascular disease or cancer.
Recent research has yielded links between endometriosis and vascular diseases namely; atherosclerosis, migraine, and Raynaud syndrome.
The proposed detrimental effect on endothelia may even result in pre-eclampsia…
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Academicians led by Dorota Suszczyk from Lublin, Poland have published their recent comprehensive narrative review on immunity and endometriosis in International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Recent evidence points to the importance of co-inhibitory immune checkpoints which could be related to endometriosis mechanisms that we were unaware of.
The authors have made a comprehensive literature overview conducting search via the PubMed/Medline/Scopus database, with a combination of medical subject headings terms, and keywords related to immunity and endometriosis.
Endometriosis seems to be associated with…
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The staff of the Department of Ultrasonography, Third Xiangya Hospital Central South University, Hunan, China have published their case series of the rare Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome (HWWS) in a recent issue of Reproductive Sciences.
HWWS, is a rare genital tract anomaly first noticed in 1922, with uterine didelphys, blind hemivagina, and ipsilateral renal agenesis. Although Obstructed Hemivagina and Ipsilateral Renal Anomaly, (OHVIRA) was also suggested for this compilation in 2007, HWWS has gained wide acceptance.
The authors have revealed 85 cases having…
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Academicians from Japan led by Associate Professor Makoto Orisaka published their update related to the role of inflammation in polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, and aging in the medical journal Frontiers in Endocrionology.
Inflammation is the response of tissues to noxious stimuli that may be acute, longstanding, i.e. chronic, and may have adverse outcomes on the body even though being a defensive action involving vessels and white blood cells. In this regard, chronic low-grade inflammation may have adverse effects on many ovarian reproductive…
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Academicians from Japan and China have recently published their comprehensive updated immunological review for endometriosis in the Journal of Reproductive Immunology.
Endometriosis is a multifactorial condition with multiple theories of pathogenesis. The role of innate and adaptive immunology in this regard has not been unveiled yet. However, scientific research related to immunity in endometriosis has been restricted to observational papers. Innate immunity seems to play an important role in the pelvic environmental milieu, especially in retrograde menstruation of endometrial cells.
In unilateral…
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Romanian academicians led by Dr. Mihai-Daniel Dinu have published their review of the published scientific data related to postmenopausal endometriosis in a recent special issue of the medical periodical Life.
Even though endometriosis is accepted as a hormone-dependent disorder of reproductive years, endometriosis in postmenopausal patients may occur in a similar way to endometriosis in premenopausal patients. Some researchers have claimed the potential involvement of the immune system in the development of endometriosis,
Complaints of pelvic pain commonly underestimate the…
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Following June 2022, the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound composed of a panel of 16 experts in imaging and management of endometriosis, the recommendations have been published in a recent issue of Radiology.
Transvaginal sonography is accepted as a first-line clinical step for pelvic pain and infertility besides being a second-line modality for preoperative visualization of endometriomas and deep endometriosis management. There is immense published literature describing the techniques on endometriosis, the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound had a multidisciplinary…
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French academicians from Lyon and Marseilles led by Dr. Chene have published recently an electronic database search on the effectiveness of progestin subdermal implants in adenomyosis patients. This review appeared in the March 2024 issue of “The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care”
The long-acting reversible contraception progestin subdermal implant seems to be effective in ameliorating symptoms of endometriosis. Since adenomyosis is regarded as a histopathological form of endometriosis there is a question on the effectiveness of progestin subdermal…
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Academicians led by members of the International School of Surgical Anatomy from Italy have published their paper on parametrial involvement of deep endometriosis in the medical periodical named “Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology”.
Deep endometriosis is troublesome when compared to the other endometriosis types due to the invasive properties beneath the peritoneum and also through the muscular layer of visceral organs. Few studies emphasize parametrial involvement is not a rare finding in patients with deep endometriosis who undergo surgery. This…
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Dr. Farr R. Nezhat and his world-renowned team have published their narrative review on ovarian endometrioma in a recent issue of the Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Endometriotic cysts (endometriomas) of the ovaries range from small (1–3 cm) to large (20 cm or greater) masses that affect 6% of patients with ovaries.
Endometriomas have potential risks of chronic pain, infertility, pregnancy complications, and also cancer transformation.
Two favored pathogenetic views for endometriomas are; endometriotic invasion or metaplasia of preexisting functional ovarian cysts and…
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Academicians from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Japan, conducted a clinical and experimental study on the role of SMAD (Suppressor of Mothers Against Decapentaplegic) molecules in endometriosis, and have published their results in a recent issue of Endocrine Journal.
Activin is known to enhance the development of endometriotic lesions in laboratory mice. Also, a suppressor of mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2/3 (pSAMA2/3) molecule in endometriotic lesions by immunostaining has been reported. Activin may therefore be involved in…
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In-Sun Hong, PhD, a researcher in regenerative medicine at Korean Gachon University has published a comprehensive review on the role of stem cells in gynecological disorders in a recent issue of the International Journal of Biological Sciences.
Endometrium changes the menstrual cycle and the extraordinary regenerative capacity depends on tissue-resident stem cells within the uterine mucosa. Despite variations in specific characteristics among endometrial stem cells, the common denominator is strong self-renewal capacity and the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types.
The…
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A team of academic institutions from Australia has published their cross-sectional study on cannabis usage in endometriosis patients which has appeared in the recent issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
As victims of a chronic inflammatory ailment, endometriosis patients have been using cannabinoid-based medicinal products as well as illicit preparations for symptomatic relief worldwide.
Though legal medicinal cannabis products are being used by endometriosis patients commonly, there is a high cost of prescription necessitating…
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