Low temperature balloon battery, phase 2 Final report, 22 Apr. - 22 Nov. 1969

Low temperature rechargeable balloon batter

Vitamin D: Mechanism of action and biological effects in uterine fibroids

Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most common benign gynecological tumors. It was esti-mated that fifty percent of women presenting with UFs has symptomatology that negatively in-fluences their quality of life. Pharmacological and/or surgical treatments are frequently required, depending on the woman’s desire to preserve fertility, with a high impact on healthcare costs. Generally, the use of currently available pharmacological treatments may lead to side effects. Therefore, there is a growing interest in a natural and safe approach for UFs. In recent years, epi-demiological studies reported a vitamin D deficiency in patients with UFs raised interest in the potential biological effects of vitamin D supplementation. In vitro studies proved vitamin D efficacy in inhibiting UFs growth by targeting pathways involved in the regulation of various biological processes, including proliferation, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, DNA repair, signaling and apoptosis. However, clinical studies supported only in part the beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation in reducing UFs growth and tumor volume. Randomized controlled trials and large population studies are mandatory as the potential clinical benefits are likely to be substantial

Clinical perspectives on the menstrual pictogram for the assessment of heavy menstrual bleeding

Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) has an estimated prevalence of 18-32% but is known to be under-reported due to poor recognition and estimation of menstrual blood loss (MBL). HMB can negatively impact quality of life, affecting social interactions, work productivity and sexual life. Abnormal menstrual bleeding may have an underlying structural or systemic cause, such as endometrial and myometrial disorders; however, for some, there is no identified pathological cause. Several methods are available for assessing MBL, including the alkaline hematin (AH) method and the menstrual pictogram (MP). The AH method is considered to be the most accurate way to monitor MBL; however, it is associated with inconvenience and expense, therefore limiting its value outside of research. The MP requires the user to select an icon from a chart that reflects the appearance of a used sanitary product; the icon is associated with a blood volume that can be used to determine MBL. Validation studies have demonstrated that the results of the MP and AH method are well correlated, showing that the MP can measure MBL with sufficient accuracy. Additionally, the MP is more convenient for users, less expensive than the AH method, may be used in regions where the AH method is unavailable and may also be used as part of a digital application. Overall, the MP offers a convenient approach to monitor MBL both in research and clinical practice settings

Breast silicone explant: a multicenter longitudinal study

Introduction: Following silicone breast implant placement, some patients present symptoms described as breast implant illness and seek explant surgery. This study aims to analyze the historical symptoms and ascertain breast explant patients’ impressions at three different times: before breast implant placement while having the implants, and after the explant surgery. Methods: This survey was designed as a multicenter longitudinal observational study using an online voluntary participation questionnaire sent by e-mail. Results: 156 patients were analyzed, 84% had three or more symptoms, and 66.1% improved their symptoms after the explant (p<0.001). Before the placement of silicone, the median self-body satisfaction was 7, while with the implants, the median became 9, and after the explant surgery, the median remained up to 9 (p<0.001). Support groups on social networks helped in the decision to explant in 87.2% of the patients. Conclusion: Patients presenting symptoms after silicone placement show improvement with breast implant removal. Body self-satisfaction increases with the placement of breast implants and remains increased after their removal. Patients who undergo the explant surgery usually regret having implanted silicone; they are very satisfied with the decision to remove them and equally satisfied with the result of the breast explant surgery. Support groups on social networks were important in the decision-making of these patients

Estrogenic Activities of Fatty Acids and a Sterol Isolated from Royal Jelly

We have previously reported that royal jelly (RJ) from honeybees (Apis mellifera) has weak estrogenic activity mediated by interaction with estrogen receptors that leads to changes in gene expression and cell proliferation. In this study, we isolated four compounds from RJ that exhibit estrogenic activity as evaluated by a ligand-binding assay for the estrogen receptor (ER) β. These compounds were identified as 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid, 10-hydroxydecanoic acid, trans-2-decenoic acid and 24-methylenecholesterol. All these compounds inhibited binding of 17β-estradiol to ERβ, although more weakly than diethylstilbestrol or phytoestrogens. However, these compounds had little or no effect on the binding of 17β-estradiol to ERα. Expression assays suggested that these compounds activated ER, as evidenced by enhanced transcription of a reporter gene containing an estrogen-responsive element. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with these compounds enhanced their proliferation, but concomitant treatment with tamoxifen blocked this effect. Exposure of immature rats to these compounds by subcutaneous injection induced mild hypertrophy of the luminal epithelium of the uterus, but was not associated with an increase in uterine weight. These findings provide evidence that these compounds contribute to the estrogenic effect of RJ

Sample size calculation for microarray experiments with blocked one-way design

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One of the main objectives of microarray analysis is to identify differentially expressed genes for different types of cells or treatments. Many statistical methods have been proposed to assess the treatment effects in microarray experiments.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this paper, we consider discovery of the genes that are differentially expressed among <it>K </it>(> 2) treatments when each set of <it>K </it>arrays consists of a block. In this case, the array data among <it>K </it>treatments tend to be correlated because of block effect. We propose to use the blocked one-way ANOVA <it>F</it>-statistic to test if each gene is differentially expressed among <it>K </it>treatments. The marginal p-values are calculated using a permutation method accounting for the block effect, adjusting for the multiplicity of the testing procedure by controlling the false discovery rate (FDR). We propose a sample size calculation method for microarray experiments with a blocked one-way design. With FDR level and effect sizes of genes specified, our formula provides a sample size for a given number of true discoveries.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The calculated sample size is shown via simulations to provide an accurate number of true discoveries while controlling the FDR at the desired level.</p

TGF beta family members function in uterine healthy and fibrotic smooth muscle cells

Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign tumors of fertile women and the most common indication for hysterectomy. Despite the high prevalence, significant health problems, and huge economical impact on the healthcare system, relatively little is understood about the etiology and pathophysiology of uterine leiomyoma (1). Consequently, medical treatments are still limited (2). The role of the growth factors as ultimate mediators of the steroids hormone is evident in the modulation of the cell proliferation and the morphological cells appearance (3). Activin-A and myostatin are growth factors belonging to TGF-β super family expressed and acting in myometrial (4,5) and leiomyoma cells (6) We aimed to explore the functions of activin and myostatin in human myometrial and leiomyoma cells. First we tested both Smad and non-Smad signaling pathways by western blot. We found that activin-A and myostatin can activate only Smad signaling pathway in both myometrial and leiomyoma cells. Next we explored the effect on cell proliferation and on fibrotic phenotype. We found that activin-A and myostatin are able to suppress primary myometrial cell proliferation but they cannot alter the proliferation of leiomyoma cells. In the next step, we found that activin-A can significantly increase fibronectin expression in leiomyoma cells. Those above results suggest that activin-A and myostatin may express antiproliferative and/or fibrotic effects depending on the cell types by activating Smad signaling pathway