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Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2023Female infertility and pregnancy maintenance are associate with various factors, including quantity and quality of oocytes, genital inflammation, endometriosis, and... (Review)
Review
Female infertility and pregnancy maintenance are associate with various factors, including quantity and quality of oocytes, genital inflammation, endometriosis, and other diseases. Women are even diagnosed as unexplained infertility or unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion when failed to achieve pregnancy with current treatment, which are urgent clinical issues need to be addressed. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a lipid-soluble electron carrier in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. It is not only essential for the mitochondria to produce energy, but also function as an antioxidant to maintain redox homeostasis in the body. Recently, the capacity of CoQ10 to reduce oxidative stress (OS), enhance mitochondrial activity, regulate gene expression and inhibit inflammatory responses, has been discovered as a novel adjuvant in male reproductive performance enhancing in both animal and human studies. Furthermore, CoQ10 is also proved to regulate immune balance, antioxidant, promote glucose and lipid metabolism. These properties will bring highlight for ovarian dysfunction reversing, ovulation ameliorating, oocyte maturation/fertilization promoting, and embryonic development optimizing. In this review, we systematically discuss the pleiotropic effects of CoQ10 in female reproductive disorders to investigate the mechanism and therapeutic potential to provide a reference in subsequent studies.
Topics: Pregnancy; Animals; Female; Male; Humans; Antioxidants; Reproduction; Ovulation; Adjuvants, Immunologic
PubMed: 37667786
DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S386974 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2023During pregnancy, the complex hormonal changes lead to a progressive decrease of insulin sensitivity that can drive the onset of gestational diabetes (GDM) or worsen an... (Review)
Review
During pregnancy, the complex hormonal changes lead to a progressive decrease of insulin sensitivity that can drive the onset of gestational diabetes (GDM) or worsen an already-known condition of insulin resistance like type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and obesity, with complications for the mother and the fetus. Metformin during pregnancy is proving to be safe in a growing number of studies, although it freely crosses the placenta, leading to a fetal level similar to maternal concentration. The aim of this literature review is to analyze the main available evidence on the use of metformin during, throughout, and beyond pregnancy, including fertilization, lactation, and medium-term effects on offspring. Analyzed studies support the safety and efficacy of metformin during pregnancy. In pregnant women with GDM and type 2 diabetes, metformin improves obstetric and perinatal outcomes. There is no evidence that it prevents GDM in women with pregestational insulin resistance or improves lipid profile and risk of GDM in pregnant women with PCOS or obesity. Metformin could have a role in reducing the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women with severe obesity, the risk of late miscarriages and preterm delivery in women with PCOS, and the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, increasing the clinical pregnancy rate in women with PCOS undergoing fertilization (IVF/FIVET). Offspring of mothers with GDM exposed to metformin have no significant differences in body composition compared with insulin treatment, while it appears to be protective for metabolic and cardiovascular risk.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Metformin; Hypoglycemic Agents; Insulin Resistance; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Breast Feeding; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Diabetes, Gestational; Abortion, Spontaneous; Obesity
PubMed: 37409227
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1176623 -
The Journal of Maternal-fetal &... Dec 2023N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the predominant RNA epigenetic modifications that modify RNAs reversibly and dynamically by "writers" (methyltransferase), "erasers"... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the predominant RNA epigenetic modifications that modify RNAs reversibly and dynamically by "writers" (methyltransferase), "erasers" (demethylase), and "readers."
OBJECTIVE
This review aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complexity of m6A regulation in the great obstetrical syndromes to understand its pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets.
METHODS
The terms "placenta or trophoblast" and "m6A or N6-methyladenosine" were searched in PubMed databases (June 2023).
RESULTS
In this review, we discuss the regulatory role of m6A in the great obstetrical syndromes such as preeclampsia (PE), spontaneous abortion (SA), hyperglycemia in pregnancy (HIP) and fetal growth to emphasize the clinical relevance of m6A dysregulation in pregnancy. We also describe mechanisms that potentially involve the participation of m6A methylation, such as proliferation, invasion, migration, apoptosis, autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum stress, macrophage polarization, and inflammation.
CONCLUSION
We summarize the recent research progress on the role of m6A modification in the great obstetrical syndromes and placental function and provide a brief perspective on its prospective applications.
Topics: Pregnancy; Humans; Female; Placenta; Syndrome; Abortion, Spontaneous; Adenosine; Apoptosis
PubMed: 37474299
DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2023.2234541 -
Infection Oct 2023Currently, there are no standardized guidelines for the diagnosis or management of the complications of urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS). This systematic review of the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Currently, there are no standardized guidelines for the diagnosis or management of the complications of urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS). This systematic review of the literature aims to investigate the state of the art in reference to diagnostic approaches and the clinical management of this condition.
METHODS
A systematic review of literature published between January 1990 and January 2021 was conducted in the MEDLINE database, scoping for articles regarding diagnostic means or therapeutic options for the complications of UGS, namely obstructive uropathy, bladder cancer, abortion, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, kidney failure, urolithiasis and the need for invasive procedures. Relevant data were then extracted from the articles deemed eligible according to the inclusion criteria.
MAIN RESULTS
In total, 3052 articles were identified by the research query, of which 167 articles fulfilling inclusion criteria after title/abstract screening and full-text evaluation were included, 35% on both diagnostic and therapeutic aspects, and 51% on diagnosis and 14% on therapy. Ultrasound was the most frequently tool employed for the diagnosis of UGS complications showing a good performance. Concerning the management of hydronephrosis, the majority of available evidences came from community-based studies where universal treatment with praziquantel was used leading to decrease of prevalence of obstructive uropathy. Concerning studies on surgical procedures, laser endoureterotomy followed by stenting was mostly employed in adult patients leading to a crude cure rate of 60% (43 of 71 patients). In the case of severe hydronephrosis, surgery consisting of ureteral re-implantation showed excellent results with a crude cure rate of 98% (157 cured patients of 160 treated). Concerning bladder cancer, data on 93 patients with a clear diagnosis of UGS-related bladder were available reporting a variable and sometime combined approach based on disease stage. Available data on diagnosis and management of abortion, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, kidney failure, urolithiasis and the need for invasive procedures due to UGS are also presented.
CONCLUSIONS
The review produced a complete picture of the diagnostic and therapeutic options currently available for complicated UGS. These results can be useful both for guiding clinicians towards correct management and for tracing the direction of future research.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Adult; Humans; Schistosomiasis haematobia; Hydronephrosis; Infertility; Pregnancy, Ectopic; Renal Insufficiency; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms; Urolithiasis
PubMed: 37466786
DOI: 10.1007/s15010-023-02060-5 -
Maedica Dec 2023Infertility is a complex condition that depends on numerous mechanisms regarding its occurrence and evolution. It does not appear as a single pathology, and therefore...
Infertility is a complex condition that depends on numerous mechanisms regarding its occurrence and evolution. It does not appear as a single pathology, and therefore the diagnosis and management involve both the identification of etiological causes and other possible systemic interactions. Infertility is defined as a succession of unsuccessful attempts of unprotected intercourse within a couple for 12 months, during the reproductive life. Among the many causes related to infertility, uterine pathology has an important place and hysteroscopy is outstanding in diagnosing and treating various pathologies in this category. This descriptive study was conducted on a retrospective analysis of a group of patients from Bucur Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania. The main data were obtained from medical electronic records and included the type of infertility, associated diagnoses and symptoms, previous investigations, hysteroscopic procedure and follow-up. In order to obtain the database, the above parameters were evaluated and processed in the IBM SPSS Statistics version 28, including other few graphs processed in Microsoft Office Excel 2007. The present study included 51 patients aged between 20 and 40 years, with a mean of 32.02 ± 3.7. Out of the total number of patients, 76.47% of participants to the present study were diagnosed with secondary infertility and 58.82% described menometrorrhagias as the most common symptom. Endometrial polyps were more frequently associated with menometrorrhagias (70% of patients), while synechiae and secondary amenorrhea were found together in 75% of cases. Previous ultrasound evaluation identified uterine cavity abnormalities as nonhomogeneous echo-pattern in 58.82% of cases, with some of them being suggestive of endometrial polyps (37.25%), intrauterine synechiae (3.92%) and uterine fibromas (9.8%). We noticed that 12% of cases required laparoscopy and 4% laparotomy. The outcomes of hysteroscopic management resulted in a conception rate of 39%. We found that 20% of pregnancies achieved were complicated with placenta praevia, 5% with gestational hypertension and 15% with imminence of abortion. Secondary infertility was more frequently encountered than primary infertility and the most common associated manifestations included menometrorrhagia, followed by secondary amenorrhea and pelvic-abdominal pain. Transvaginal ultrasound was correlated with hysteroscopic diagnosed pathology; posthysteroscopic results were favourable, regardless of the size and location of changes in the uterine cavity, thus highlighting the importance of hysteroscopic therapeutic techniques in increasing the chances of conception.
PubMed: 38348079
DOI: 10.26574/maedica.2023.18.4.631 -
Cureus Aug 2023Intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) are the formation of scar tissues in the endometrial cavity. The fibrous tissue in the uterus decreases the space inside the uterine... (Review)
Review
Intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) are the formation of scar tissues in the endometrial cavity. The fibrous tissue in the uterus decreases the space inside the uterine cavity. It includes both endometrium and myometrium. It may lead to hypomenorrhea or amenorrhea, pain, difficulty in conceiving, and recurrent abortion. IUA is caused by uterine tissue damage mostly during surgical procedures such as dilatation and curettage. Other causes may include pregnancy-related complications, miscarriage, abnormal bleeding, infections, fibroid removal, and cesarean section (C-section). Patients generally do not have any symptoms and hence are unaware of the condition. The main therapeutic procedure presently used is hysteroscopic transcervical resection of adhesion (TCRA) with hormonal therapy and nondegradable stent as postoperative adjuvant therapy. It has some major limitations such as failure to prevent recurrence and preserve fertility along with difficulty in endometrial tissue repair due to its anatomical site. These limitations have forced the researchers to think about a better treatment modality. In recent times, a better treatment modality has evolved with stem cell therapy. Therefore, this review presents the recent and advanced therapeutic modalities for the treatment of IUAs.
PubMed: 37719487
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.43553