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Biomedical subjects

Paola Anserini

Publications and source records attributed to Paola Anserini.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Images of children born following infertility treatment.

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional survey investigates patients' attitudes towards the use of photos of children born following infertility treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Each partner of 270 infertile couples independently completed a standardized questionnaire investigating patients' attitudes towards the presence of photos of children born following infertility treatment in fertility clinics, Internet websites, brochure, and videos. RESULTS: Subjects (77.4%) were pleased to provide a photo of their child to hang on the walls of the fertility centre, a lower percentage of subjects desired to exhibit the photo in the fertility centre website, brochure, and video. Among subjects wishing to hang the photo of their child in the infertility centre, 60.3% wanted the name of the child on the photo and 15.3% wanted both the name and surname of the child on the photo. If a photo is explicitly requested by a member of the fertility team, 30.9% of the subjects feel to have the duty to give it. No significant difference was observed in the desire to provide a photo of the child to hang on the walls of the fertility centre according to sex of the patient. CONCLUSION: The majority of infertile patients are pleased to exhibit a photo of their babies in the fertility centre. Members of the fertility team should avoid asking explicitly the photo because parents may feel to have the duty to give it.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Atherosclerosis in women with endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine whether women with endometriosis have greater subclinical atherosclerosis than the general population. STUDY DESIGN: This case-control study included 66 women with endometriosis and 66 controls matched for age and body mass index. All subjects were >or=35 years old. Exclusion criteria were obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, renal or metabolic diseases. Before laparoscopy, all patients underwent a measurement of intima-media thickness (IMT) and distensibility coefficient (DC) on the common carotid artery. In addition, blood samples were taken to determine the levels of lipids, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, homocysteine, fasting glycemia, antithrombin III, plasminogen, protein C, protein S, and activated protein C resistance. RESULTS: All the biochemical parameters evaluated had similar levels in the two study groups. IMT was similar in women with endometriosis and in controls both on left (p=0.330) and right (p=0.648) carotid artery. Similarly, no significant difference was observed in the DC between women with endometriosis and controls both on left (p=0.539) and right (p=0.178) carotid artery. No significant difference was observed in IMT and DC between women with mild and severe endometriosis. CONCLUSION: Women with endometriosis do not have more subclinical atherosclerosis than the general population.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

What is the desired menstrual frequency of women without menstruation-related symptoms?

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate the desired menstrual frequency of subjects without menstruation-related symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 270 women of reproductive age. Women with menstrual headache, dysmenorrhea, hypermenorrhea and/or premenstrual syndrome were excluded. The study subjects completed a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the women, 75.6% declared that menstrual periods interfere with their sexual life, 28.8% preferred not having their menstrual period when at work and 48.4% reported that menstrual periods interfere with practicing sports. Given the choice, 28.5% of the women would desire amenorrhea and 27.8% would prefer a reduction in the frequency of menstrual periods. Of the 152 women desiring to reduce menstrual frequency, 73.0% declared that they would accept to use a drug to reduce menstrual frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Over 50% of women without menstruation-related symptoms would like to lessen the frequency of menstrual periods and about 50% of them would desire amenorrhea.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Body mass index in endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies did not establish a clear correlation between the presence of endometriosis and the values of body mass index (BMI). STUDY DESIGN: The BMI of 366 women with endometriosis was compared to that of 248 controls undergoing laparoscopy because of benign gynaecological conditions. Significant differences at univariate analyses were confirmed by using Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to control for potential confounding variables. RESULTS: BMI was significantly lower in women with endometriosis than in controls (p < 0.001); this difference was confirmed when the analysis was restricted to subjects with normal BMI (18.50-24.99 kg/m(2)) (p = 0.002). 4.8% of control subjects and no woman with endometriosis were obese. No significant difference was observed in the BMI of women with mild (revised classification of the American Fertility Society, rAFS I-II) and severe endometriosis (rAFS III-IV). CONCLUSION: Women with endometriosis have lower BMI and are less frequently obese than control subjects. Further studies should investigate the physiopathological basis of decreased BMI in women with endometriosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Quality of sex life in women with endometriosis and deep dyspareunia.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize sexual function among women with endometriosis and deep dyspareunia (DD). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: University teaching hospital. PATIENT(S): Three-hundred nine women undergoing surgery because of infertility, pelvic pain, or adnexal masses. Three groups of patients with DD were created: women with deep infiltrating endometriosis of the uterosacral ligament (group U), women with endometriosis without uterosacral ligament lesions (group E), and controls (group C). INTERVENTION(S): Laparoscopy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Sexual function questionnaire. RESULT(S): The prevalence of DD since the first intercourse was significantly higher among women with endometriosis than in controls (P=.029). When group U was compared with group E and C, the pain score was higher, the number of intercourses per week was reduced, the orgasm was less satisfying, and the patients felt less relaxed and fulfilled after sex. No significant difference was observed in pain score and coital frequency between subjects with monolateral and bilateral lesions of the uterosacral ligament. CONCLUSION(S): Among subjects with DD, those with deep infiltrating endometriosis of the uterosacral ligament have the most severe impairment of sexual function; the presence of bilateral lesions does not influence the severity of the symptoms. Women with endometriosis have frequently suffered DD during their entire sex lives.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Haptoglobin beta chain isoforms in the plasma and peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the expression of haptoglobin (Hp) beta chain isoforms in the peritoneal fluid (PF) and plasma (PL) of women with and without endometriosis. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): Seventy-two patients with endometriosis and 35 controls. INTERVENTION(S): Peritoneal fluid and PL samples were subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, silver stained, digitally captured, and compared by semiquantitative computerized analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Expression of Hp beta chain isoforms. RESULT(S): No significant difference was observed in the frequency of expression of the Hp beta chain isoforms between the two groups. One beta chain isoform (HpbetaE; molecular weight, 38.40 +/- 0.94 kD; and isoelectric point, 5.63 +/- 0.17) had significantly higher expression in both the PF and PL of women with endometriosis than in the PF and PL of controls. No significant difference was observed in HpbetaE expression between women with mild (revised American Fertility Society [rAFS], stage I-II) and severe (rAFS, stage III-IV) endometriosis. In the control group, HpbetaE expression was correlated with the phase of the menstrual cycle. CONCLUSION(S): Women with endometriosis have higher PF and PL levels of HpbetaE. Further investigation should be aimed at producing antibodies against the HpbetaE-specific epitopes to determine whether its measurement may improve the clinical diagnosis of endometriosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Vitamin D binding protein in endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis is a powerful method for identifying post-translationally modified molecules in biological fluids. We examined the presence and expression of vitamin D binding protein (DBP) in the peritoneal fluid (PF) and plasma (PL) of women with endometriosis. METHODS: PL and PF samples were obtained from 36 women with untreated mild endometriosis (revised classification of the American Fertility Society [rAFS] stage I-II), 52 women with untreated severe endometriosis (rAFS stage III-IV), 17 women with endometriosis treated with the oral contraceptive (OC), and 40 controls (infertility, n = 23; tubal sterilization, n = 12; pelvic pain, n = 5). PF and PL samples were analyzed by quantitative, high-resolution 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: The expression of one DBP isoform (DBPE) in the PF of patients with untreated endometriosis was significantly lower than in the control group (P <.05). The levels of PF DBPE in patients with endometriosis using OC were significantly higher than in women with untreated endometriosis (P <.05). No significant difference was observed in PL DBPE expression between women with and without endometriosis, while it was significantly increased in patients with endometriosis using OC (P <.05). DBP expression was not correlated with the stage of endometriosis (rAFS classification) or the phase of the menstrual cycle. CONCLUSION: The decreased level of DBPE in the PF but not in PL of women with untreated endometriosis suggests that this molecule may be relevant in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Future perspectives in the medical treatment of endometriosis.

UNLABELLED: In the last few years, our understanding of the pathogenesis of endometriosis at the cellular and molecular levels has improved significantly. This may give us the opportunity to use new, specific agents for the treatment of this disorder. Despite the effectiveness of the available treatments, novel therapeutic strategies may improve our ability to eliminate endometriotic lesions when present and to prevent the recurrence of endometriosis after surgical treatment. This review focuses on the new, experimental approaches to the medical treatment of endometriosis and its symptoms. The blockage of aromatase activity in endometriotic lesions with an aromatase inhibitor may represent a new step in the medical treatment of endometriosis. Preliminary clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of third-generation nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors (ie, anastrozole and letrozole) in reducing the intensity of pain symptoms associated with the presence of endometriosis. The new selective progesterone receptor modulators may represent a valid hormonal treatment option. Therapeutic manipulation of the immune system through TNFalpha inhibitors may be beneficial in women with endometriosis. New pharmaceutical agents affecting inflammation, angiogenesis, and matrix metalloproteinase activity may prevent or inhibit the development of endometriosis. Further clinical trials may determine if these new therapies are superior to current medical treatment strategies for endometriosis. TARGET AUDIENCE: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning. OBJECTIVES: After completion of this article, the reader should be able to describe the new experimental medical treatments of endometriosis, state that the clinical use of nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors for endometriosis appears to be efficacious but is based on preliminary clinical data, and recall that the drugs used for endometriosis in the future may include manipulation of the immune system.

Drugs, Investigational↗
PubMed2004

Hysterosalpingography with gadolinium.

We report a case of diagnostic hysterosalpingography performed using gadoteric acid (1,350 mOsm) in a patient with a prior severe generalized adverse reaction to iodinated contrast media.

Adult↗