Endometriosis, defined by the presence of viable endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, is among the most common gynecologic disorders affecting women of reproductive age. Endometriosis is associated with an inflammatory peritoneal …
The association between endometriosis and infertility is complex. Nevertheless, in the absence of tubal distortion considerable evidence suggests four principle factors likely to contribute to subfertility. These include impaired folliculog…
OBJECTIVE: To report a rare case of a patient with catamenial hemoptysis, secondary infertility, and endometriosis associated with a unicornuate uterus and noncommunicating rudimentary horn. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: University hospit…
Numerous cytokines and growth factors are synthesized in the endometrium. IL-8 is one of these cytokines regulating endometrial function. It is a neutrophil chemoattractant/ activating factor and a potent angiogenic agent. IL-8 is elevated …
PROBLEM: Chemokines are increasingly recognized as important regulators of uterine function. METHODS OF STUDY: The following is a review of uterine chemokines, especially monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, interleukin (IL)-8, and regula…
The preponderance of recent data suggests that endometriosis does not adversely affect in-vitro fertilization pregnancy rates. However, many studies demonstrate impaired oocyte quality, decreased fertilization, and compromised implantation …
Clinical observations indicate that an implantation defect occurs in women with endometriosis. Despite intense research, the role of alterations in endometrial receptivity and the peritoneal fluid microenvironment in the derangement of impl…
OBJECTIVE: To review the available information regarding chemotactic cytokines and their possible implications in human reproduction. DESIGN: A thorough literature and MEDLINE search was conducted to identify studies relating to the role o…
HOXA10 and HOXA11 are homeobox genes that function as transcription factors essential to embryonic development. We have recently described a role for each of these two genes in regulating endometrial development in the adult during the cour…
Concentrations of interleukin (IL)-8, a potent chemotactic factor produced by many cell types, are elevated in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis. We investigated whether endometrial stromal cell (ESC) adhesion induces the exp…
OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and mouse anti-human IL-8 monoclonal antibody on endometrial stromal cell adhesion to fibronectin. DESIGN: Prospective, controlled in vitro study. SETTING: Academic research laborator…
One of the most puzzling problems of endometriosis is determining which mechanisms link this spectrum of conditions to infertility. There is conflicting evidence about the effect of endometriosis on the endometrium and on oocyte/embryo qual…
Fas-Fas ligand (FasL) interactions play a significant role in the immune privilege status of certain cell populations, and several cytokines and growth factors can modulate their expression. When a FasL-expressing cell binds a Fas-bearing i…
Shed menstrual endometrium is viable and has the ability to implant and grow in women, who eventually develop endometriosis. Many of the cell-to-cell or cell-to-extracellular matrix (ECM) connections are mediated by integrins. Monocyte chem…
Endometriosis, one of the most prevalent gynaecological disorders, may affect fertility. Extensive research has been done in an attempt to understand the pathogenesis of endometriosis and its association with reproductive failure. It has be…
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) on preimplantation embryos and to evaluate the levels of basic FGF in follicular and peritoneal fluid. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: University-based labor…
The peritoneal environment in endometriosis is known to have growth-promoting effects on endometrial cells. To investigate whether follicular fluid, a contributor to the peritoneal fluid, stimulates endometrial cell proliferation, we incuba…
Hox genes are well-known transcriptional regulators that play an essential role in directing embryonic development. Mice that are homozygous for a targeted disruption of the Hoxa10 gene exhibit uterine factor infertility. We have recently d…
Proliferation of endometrium is dependent on sex steroid hormones, but specific growth factors are likely to play an important role in regulating this process. A number of cytokines and growth factors are synthesized in the endometrium in r…
PROBLEM: Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is produced mainly by monocytes/macrophages, and it induces proliferation and cytotoxicity of T-cells and natural killer cells. In women with endometriosis, natural killer cell activity in the peritoneal flui…
Abdomino-pelvic adhesions arise from infection, endometriosis, or peritoneal injury during surgery, and represent a significant source of morbidity in women of reproductive age. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) plays a role in the che…
The effect of natural, environmental, or manufactured substances on endocrine organs is a current topic of discussion. Recently, some toxicants have been suggested to promote endometriosis; therefore, attention has turned to the role of env…
OBJECTIVE: To investigate monocyte chemotactic protein-1 concentrations in the peritoneal fluid (PF) of women with or without endometriosis, then assess peritoneal mesothelial cells as a potential source of monocyte chemotactic protein-1. …