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Caruana A, Savona-Ventura C, Calleja-Agius J. COX Isozymes and Non-Uniform Neoangiogenesis: What is their role in Endometriosis? Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat 2023; 167:106734. [PMID: 37028470 DOI: 10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2023.106734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
This literature review compared the efficacy in of NSAIDs with a placebo in pain relief and disease regression of endometriosis. Despite the poor evidence found, the results showed that NSAIDs were more effective in pain relief with regressive effects on the endometriotic lesions compared to placebo. We postulate herein that COX-2 is chiefly responsible for pain whilst COX-1 is responsible mainly for the establishment of endometriotic lesions. Hence, there must be a temporal difference in the activation of the two isozymes. We differentiated between two pathways in the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins by the COX isozymes referred to as 'direct' and indirect', supporting our initial theory. Finally, we postulate that there are two stages of neoangiogenesis in the formation of endometriotic lesions; 'founding' that first establishes blood supply and 'maintenance' that upkeeps it This is fertile ground for further research in a niche that needs more literature. Its aspects may be diversely explored. The theories we propose offer information for a more targeted treatment of endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Caruana
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta.
| | - Charles Savona-Ventura
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta
| | - Jean Calleja-Agius
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta
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Ghasemi F, Alemzadeh E, Allahqoli L, Alemzadeh E, Mazidimoradi A, Salehiniya H, Alkatout I. MicroRNAs Dysregulation as Potential Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Endometriosis. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10102558. [PMID: 36289820 PMCID: PMC9599310 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is a benign chronic disease in women that is characterized by the presence of active foci of the endometrium or endometrial tissue occurring outside of the uterus. The disease causes disabling symptoms such as pelvic pain and infertility, which negatively affect a patient's quality of life. In addition, endometriosis imposes an immense financial burden on the healthcare system. At present, laparoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosing the disease because other non-invasive diagnostic tests have less accuracy. In addition, other diagnostic tests have low accuracy. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of a highly sensitive, more specific, and non-invasive test for the early diagnosis of endometriosis. Numerous researchers have suggested miRNAs as potential biomarkers for endometriosis diagnosis due to their specificity and stability. However, the greatest prognostic force is the determination of several miRNAs, the expression of which varies in a given disease. Despite the identification of several miRNAs, the studies are investigatory in nature, and there is no consensus on them. In the present review, we first provide an introduction to the dysregulation of miRNAs in patients with endometriosis and the potential use of miRNAs as biomarkers in the detection of endometriosis. Then we will describe the role of the mir-200 family in endometriosis. Several studies have shown that the expression of the mir-200 family changes in endometriosis patients, suggesting that they could be used as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahimeh Ghasemi
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand 9717853577, Iran
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand 9717853577, Iran
| | - Effat Alemzadeh
- Infectious Diseases Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand 9717853577, Iran
| | - Leila Allahqoli
- Midwifery Department, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran 1467664961, Iran
| | - Esmat Alemzadeh
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand 9717853577, Iran
- Infectious Diseases Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand 9717853577, Iran
| | - Afrooz Mazidimoradi
- Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 7134814336, Iran
| | - Hamid Salehiniya
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand 9717853577, Iran
| | - Ibrahim Alkatout
- Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Campus Kiel, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Ar-nold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus 24, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Correspondence:
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Szymańska J, Dąbrowska-Galas M. An assessment of Polish women’s level of knowledge about endometriosis: a pilot study. BMC Womens Health 2021; 21:404. [PMID: 34876118 PMCID: PMC8650458 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-021-01556-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
Insufficient knowledge about endometriosis among women is one of the causes of its delayed diagnoses. Due to the elusiveness of symptoms, the most important component of early detection is proper and exhaustive knowledge. The objective of the study was to assess Polish women's awareness of endometriosis.
Methods
The pilot studies were performed with the participation of 200 women, in an average age of 33.65 years (SD = 11.45), who completed the authors’ questionnaire related to self-assessment of the level of knowledge about the disease, its symptoms, late effects and directions of a remediation procedure. The statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 25 suite. It included a frequency analysis, a one-way analysis of variance ANOVA, a single variable regression analysis and Student’s t-test for independent samples.
Results
Almost 84% of women had heard about endometriosis, while only 1/3 of them considered their knowledge sufficient or good. Very good knowledge was declared by 4.5% of women, while 16.1% of participants had never heard about it. The level of knowledge was significantly higher (p = 0.001) among women with medical education. Polish women acquired their knowledge mainly from the Internet and the experience of other women. The reasons identified by women were the still existing ‘taboo’ related to menstruation, the absence of information in the media and education in schools, which is critical according to 92.4% of women.
Conclusions
Polish women’s level of knowledge about endometriosis is insufficient, which we should strive to improve. Higher awareness is presented by women with medical education, and the higher the level of knowledge, the larger a woman’s interest in healthy behaviour.
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Osuchowska-Grochowska I, Blicharska E, Gogacz M, Nogalska A, Winkler I, Szopa A, Ekiert H, Tymczyna-Borowicz B, Rahnama-Hezavah M, Grochowski C. Brief Review of Endometriosis and the Role of Trace Elements. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11098. [PMID: 34681755 PMCID: PMC8540211 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is a chronic, estrogen-dependent, inflammatory condition that is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Despite the progress in research into the mechanisms leading to the development of endometriosis, its cause has not yet been established. It seems to be possible that the formation of oxidative stress may be one of the main causes of the development of endometriosis. There is much research that studies the potential role of trace elements in the appearance of endometrial-like lesions. Most studies focus on assessing the content of selected trace elements in the blood, urine, or peritoneal fluid in women with endometriosis. Meanwhile, little is known about the content of these elements in endometrial-like implants, which may be helpful in developing the theory of endometriosis. Investigations that are more comprehensive are needed to confirm a hypothesis that some trace elements play a role in the pathomechanism of endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eliza Blicharska
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki 4a, 20-093 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Marek Gogacz
- 2nd Department of Gynecology, Lublin Medical University, 20-954 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Agata Nogalska
- Department of Anatomy, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 4, 20-090 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Izabela Winkler
- 2nd Department of Gynecology, St John’s Center Oncology, 20-090 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Agnieszka Szopa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Jagielonian University, Collegium Medicum, 30-688 Kraków, Poland; (A.S.); (H.E.)
| | - Halina Ekiert
- Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Jagielonian University, Collegium Medicum, 30-688 Kraków, Poland; (A.S.); (H.E.)
| | - Barbara Tymczyna-Borowicz
- Department of Conservative Dentistry with Endodontics, Medical University of Lublin, 20-439 Lublin, Poland;
| | | | - Cezary Grochowski
- Laboratory of Virtual Man, Medical University of Lublin, 20-439 Lublin, Poland;
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