The burden of endometriosis on women’s lifespan: A narrative overview on quality of life and psychosocial wellbeing

Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory disease affecting more than 170 million women worldwide and up to 10% of women of reproductive age. As a consequence of inflammatory reaction and infiltration of anatomic structures, endometriosis can cause “pain symptoms” including dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia, dysuria, and chronic pelvic pain. In this review, we summarized the impact of endometriosis on quality of life in all its aspects including sexual life, work, and social relationships. The data research was conducted using web‐based search engines and/or various electronic research databases querying for all articles related to endometriosis and quality of life from the inception of the database up to February 2020. Endometriosis has not only physical but also psychological effects, causing depression, anxiety, and compromising social relationships. Furthermore, endometriosis negatively impacts sexual life and social relationships. At last, the economic burden of endometriosis should not be underestimated, both individually and for the community, as this pathology leads to a loss of productivity at work and large use of health resources. Thus, endometriosis‐related symptoms control women’s lives compromising the quality of life in all aspects. In this review, we summarized the impact of endometriosis on various aspects of women’s lives

Oil-based vitamin E oral spray for oral health in pregnancy

Aim: To assess the efficacy of vitamin E oral spray in pregnancy. Materials & methods: This was a retrospective study aimed to evaluate efficacy of vitamin E oral spray (vitamin E acetate in a medium chain tryglicerides vehicle - patented formulation) starting from the first trimester of pregnancy, with a control group. Results: A total of 100 women were included in the study and were compared with a matched control group. Only 25/200 women reported to have at least one teeth cleaning during pregnancy. Women who received the oral spray had a significantly lower risk of preterm birth compared with the control group, and lower risk of periodontal diseases Conclusion: Use of oil-based vitamin E oral spray in pregnancy is associated with a decreased risk of periodontal diseases and therefore preterm birth

Prognostic significance of CTNNB1 mutation in early stage endometrial carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: In the last years, mutations in the exon 3 of CTNNB1 have emerged as a possible prognostic factor for recurrence in early stage endometrioid endometrial carcinoma, especially in cases with no specific molecular profile (NSMP). Objective: To define the prognostic value of CTNNB1 mutations in early stage endometrioid endometrial carcinoma, through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Electronic databases were searched from their inception to November 2020 for all studies assessing the prognostic value of CTNNB1 mutation in early stage (FIGO I–II) endometrioid endometrial carcinoma. Odds ratio (OR) for tumor recurrence and hazard ratio (HR) for disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated with a significant p value < 0.05. Results: Seven studies with 1031 patients were included. Four studies were suitable for meta-analysis of OR and showed significant association between CTNNB1 mutation and the absolute number of recurrence (OR = 3.000; p = 0.019); the association became stronger after excluding patients with known molecular status other than NSMP (HR = 5.953; p = 0.012). Three studies were suitable for meta-analysis of HR and showed no significant association between CTNNB1 mutation and decreased DFS (HR = 1.847; p = 0.303); the association became significant after excluding patients with known molecular status other than NSMP (HR = 2.831; p = 0.026). Conclusion: CTNNB1 mutation is significantly associated with recurrence in early stage endometrioid endometrial carcinomas, especially in the NSMP, appearing potentially useful in directing adjuvant treatment

Cimicifuga racemosa isopropanolic extract for menopausal symptoms: an observational prospective case–control study

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of isopropanolic extract of Cimicifuga Racemosa (iCR) on reducing menopausal symptoms. Materials and Methods: A single-center observational prospective case–control study was performed to assess the improvement of menopausal symptoms in menopausal women undergone iCR administration (cases) or no treatment (controls). Menopausal symptoms were assessed through a modified version of the Menopause Rating Scale questionnaire (mMRS) at T0 (baseline), T1 (1-month follow-up), and T2 (3 months follow-up). Univariate comparisons between cases and controls were performed by using the unpaired T test for two-tailed P value with α = 0.05 significance level. Results: A total of 163 women (83 cases and 80 controls) were enrolled in the study. The difference in menopausal symptoms between cases and controls from T0 to T2, and from T0 to T1, was found significant for all analyses. In particular, the difference in all menopausal symptoms was 20.56 ± 0.90 points (95%CI: 18.77–22.33, p <.001) from T0 to T2, and 10.69 ± 0.6 (95%CI: 9.49–11.88, p <.001) from T0 to T1. Conclusion: iCR may be effective in reducing menopausal symptoms, both after 1 month and after 3 months of treatment. The improvement was higher in vasomotor symptoms, sleep problems, and irritability