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Topic Review
Maternal Cytomegalovirus Infection
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an enveloped DNA virus that, like other members of the herpes virus family, establishes a lifelong latency period after primary infection and becomes resident in monocytes and granulocytes. For this reason, vertical transmission can occur through primary infection, reactivation of the disease, or even contamination with another strain. CMV infection is spread through contact with contaminated bodily secretions (such as urine, saliva, genital secretions, and breast milk) and generally causes few symptoms in immunocompetent individuals, but can cause serious damage in immunosuppressed individuals, including fetuses. CMV infection is the most common congenital infection worldwide, affecting between 0.7% and 1% of all live births. Approximately 11% of infected newborns are symptomatic at birth, and between 30% and 40% of these are at risk of developing long-term neurological sequelae.
  • 701
  • 07 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Serum Human Epididymis Protein 4 and Endometrial Cancer
Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), also known as epididymal secretory protein 4, is a glycoprotein encoded by the Whey-Acidic Four-Disulfide Core domain protein 2 (WFDC2) gene.  There may be a correlation between the tissue expression of HE4 and the molecular classification of endometrial cancer.
  • 701
  • 24 Nov 2022
Topic Review
The Duration of Menstrual Blood Loss
The duration of bleeding is not necessarily linked to the amount of loss but may be influenced by age, ethnicity, habitus, region and altitude of residence, dieting and stress. The onset of bleeding has been linked to declining steroid production by the corpus luteum. There remains considerable controversy around the extent of endometrial shedding at menstruation. This is likely to vary within and between women. The significance of a change from previous patterns, very short or prolonged bleeding, days of light loss or spotting before or after days of bleeding, or of bleed-free days that punctuate flow, remain poorly understood.
  • 698
  • 02 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Treatment of Peripartum Depression with Antidepressants
Peripartum or perinatal depression, which is depression arising in the period between the start of a pregnancy and the end of the first postpartum year. Multiple CPGs recommend antidepressant initiation or continuation based on maternal disease severity, non-response to first-line non-pharmacological interventions, and after risk-benefit assessment. Advice on treatment of comorbid anxiety is largely missing or unspecific. Antidepressant dispensing data suggest general prescribers’ compliance with the preferred substances of the CPG, although country-specific differences were noted. To conclude, there is an urgent need for harmonized, up-to-date CPGs for pharmacological management of peripartum depression and comorbid anxiety in Europe. The recommendations need to be informed by the latest available evidence so that healthcare providers and women can make informed, evidence-based decisions about treatment choices. 
  • 696
  • 28 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Aberrations in Eutopic Endometrium
The “endometrial determinism” theory was proposed to account for the apparent gap between the relatively low prevalence of endometriosis and nearly universal retrograde menstruation. The theory was advanced to justify “root treatment”, intended to nip endometriosis in the bud. The theory has significant weaknesses. Critically, identified aberrations in the ectopic endometrium in endometriosis may be the consequence rather than the cause of endometriosis.
  • 695
  • 20 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Cervicovaginal Microbiome
The cervicovaginal microbiome (CVM) denotes the microbial community that inhabits the lower female reproductive tract, principally the vaginal lumen and ectocervix, and the array of host–microbe interactions that occur there. The CVM includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, and eukaryotic microbes, plus metabolites and host immune factors present in cervicovaginal fluid. The composition and activity of this ecosystem influence local physiology, susceptibility to infections, reproductive outcomes, and long-term gynecologic health.
  • 694
  • 25 Sep 2025
Topic Review
Endocrine Pathogenic Mediators and Molecular Mechanisms
Adenomyosis (ADM) is a multifaceted uterine pathology characterized by the ectopic infiltration of endometrial tissue into the myometrium, affecting approximately 20% of women in the reproductive age group seeking gynecological care. This condition manifests as a range of debilitating symptoms, including dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, impaired fertility, and heightened susceptibility to miscarriage and obstetric complications. The essential dependence of ADM on estrogen and the impact of endocrine disruptors in its pathogenesis warrant further investigation, and present therapeutic opportunities.
  • 691
  • 08 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Gynecologic Tract
Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are particularly rare in all sites of the gynecological tract and include a variety of neoplasms with variable prognosis, dependent on histologic subtype and site of origin. Following the expert consensus proposal of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the approach in the latest World Health Organization (WHO) Classification System of the Female Genital Tumours is to use the same terminology for NENs at all body sites. The main concept of this novel classification framework is to align it to all other body sites and make a clear distinction between well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs). The previous WHO Classification System of the Female Genital Tumours featured more or less the same principle, but used the terms ‘low-grade neuroendocrine tumor’ and ‘high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma’. Regardless of the terminology used, each of these two main categories include two distinct morphological subtypes: NETs are represented by typical and atypical carcinoid and NEC are represented by small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC) and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC). High-grade NECs, especially small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma tends to be more frequent in the uterine cervix, followed by the endometrium, while low-grade NETs usually occur in the ovary. NENs of the vulva, vagina and fallopian tube are exceptionally rare, with scattered case reports in the scientific literature.
  • 690
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Novel Biomolecules in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus 2.0 Pathogenesis
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has become a major public health problem and one of the most discussed issues in modern obstetrics. GDM is associated with serious adverse perinatal outcomes and long-term health consequences for both the mother and child. Currently, the importance and purposefulness of finding a biopredictor that will enable the identification of women with an increased risk of developing GDM as early as the beginning of pregnancy are highly emphasized. Both “older” molecules, such as adiponectin and leptin, and “newer” adipokines, including fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), have proven to be of pathophysiological importance in GDM.
  • 690
  • 20 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Neuropsychiatry and Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition, which is distinguished by the presence of the endometrial-like glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Women with endometriosis, especially those with pelvic pain, also have a greater vulnerability to several psychiatric disorders. There is, in particular, a tendency to contract affective or anxiety disorders as well as panic-agoraphobic and substance use disorders. A multidisciplinary approach consisting of a medical team composed of gynecologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, expert in Dual Disorder, algologists and sexologists, would guarantee the setting of a target and taking the best decision on a personalized treatment plan. 
  • 683
  • 10 May 2021
Topic Review
Barriers to Adolescent Oncofertility Care
Adolescent cancer patients experience parent, patient, and health care system barriers to developmentally appropriate oncofertility care.
  • 681
  • 24 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Molecular Pathology for Sex Cord–Stromal Tumors of Ovary
Ovarian sex cord–stromal tumors (SCSTs) account for 8% of all primary ovarian neo-plasms. Accurate diagnosis is crucial since each subtype has a specific prognostic and treatment. Apart from fibrosarcomas, stromal tumors are benign while sex cord tumors may recur, sometimes with a significant time to relapse. Although the diagnosis based on morphology is straightforward, in some cases the distinction between stromal tumors and sex cord tumors may be tricky. Indeed, the immunophenotype is usually nonspecific between stromal tumors and sex cord tumors.
  • 681
  • 25 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Transkingdom Analysis of the Female Reproductive Tract
The female reproductive tract (FRT) microbiome plays a vital role in maintaining vaginal health. Viruses are key regulators of other microbial ecosystems, but little is known about how the FRT viruses (virome), particularly bacteriophages that comprise the phageome, impact FRT health and dysbiosis. 
  • 680
  • 30 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Intravenous Immunoglobulins Treatment for Autoimmune Diseases
Intravenous administration of immunoglobulins has been routinely used for many years in clinical practice, developed initially as replacement therapy in immunodeficiency disorders. The use of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs) is embedded in the modern algorithms for the management of a few diseases, while in most cases, their application is off-label and thus different from their registered therapeutic indications according to the summary of product characteristics. 
  • 680
  • 21 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Pro-Inflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines in Pathophysiology
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, which explains the pain that such patients report. Currently, we are faced with ineffective, non-invasive diagnostic methods and treatments that come with multiple side effects and high recurrence rates for both the disease and pain. These are the reasons why researchers are exploring the possibility of the involvement of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules in the process of the appearance of endometriosis.
  • 674
  • 20 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Bevacizumab Actions
Most ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage (III or IV), in which a primary debulking surgery combined with adjuvant systemic chemotherapy is the standard management. Since targeted therapy is less toxic to human cells than systemic chemotherapy, it has drawn much attention and become more popular. Angiogenesis is a critical process during the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells. Currently, many studies have put emphases on anti-angiogenetic medication, such as bevacizumab, the first and most investigated angiogenesis inhibitor that can exert anti-neoplastic effects. Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that has been approved for first-line maintenance treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.
  • 672
  • 18 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Endometriosis during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Patients with endometriosis had limited possibilities for contemporary diagnosis and treatment during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. Surgeries that may have eliminated pain or restored fertility were postponed. Endometriosis may affect the vagina, peritoneum, bladder, or other organs outside the pelvis and impact women’s sexual health, especially during pandemics.
  • 668
  • 01 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Management of Endometrial Cancer
The incidence of endometrial cancer (EC) is rising and healthcare professionals need to be informed about the latest data on the constant developments in the field of its management.
  • 665
  • 18 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pelvic organ prolapse is a chronic disease resulting from a weakening of the musculoskeletal apparatus of the pelvic organs.
  • 664
  • 25 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Hyperandrogenism
Hyperandrogenism encompasses a wide range of clinical manifestations, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), idiopathic hirsutism, hirsutism and hyperandrogaenemia, non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, acanthosis nigricans (HAIR-AN), ovarian or adrenal androgen-secreting neoplasms, Cushing’s syndrome, and hyperprolactinaemia.
  • 663
  • 20 Oct 2023
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