Apostolos Kaponis

Successful embryo implantation requires dynamic, bidirectional communication between a developmentally competent blastocyst and a receptive endometrium, integrating hormonal, molecular, and immunologic signals. Increasing evidence indicates…

PURPOSE: Neoangiogenesis is necessary for adhesion and invasion of endometriotic lesions. We hypothesize that by blocking angiogenetic pathways we can suppress endometriosis. Oral contraceptive pills (OCs) are routinely used in endometriosi…

IMPORTANCE: Axial downregulation with a 3- to 6-month administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) prior to assisted reproduction techniques has been proposed in order to improve clinical pregnancy rates in women with …

PURPOSE: Neoangiogenesis is necessary for adhesion and invasiveness of endometriotic lesions in women affected by endometriosis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the main components of angiogenesis and is part of the majo…

BACKGROUND: Demystifying the events around early pregnancy is challenging. A wide network of mediators and signaling cascades orchestrate the processes of implantation and trophoblast proliferation. Dysregulation of these pathways could be …

IMPORTANCE: Irrespective of the precise mechanisms leading to endometriosis, angiogenesis is essential for the establishment and long-term proliferation of the disease. As current surgical and medical management options for women with endom…

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) on fertility in women with mild endometriosis who are undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) procedures. DESIGN: Prospective, ra…

Until recently, adenomyosis has been associated with multiparity, not impaired fertility. Currently, adenomyosis is diagnosed with increasing frequency in infertile patients since women delay their first pregnancy until their late 30s or ea…

IMPORTANCE: Ovarian endometrioma is the most common form of endometriosis. Laparoscopy is frequently chosen for its treatment because medical treatment alone is inadequate. However, the role of laparoscopic treatment of ovarian endometrioma…

PURPOSE: The association of cytochrome P450 aromatase gene CYP19(TTTA) ( n ) polymorphism with ovarian response to FSH stimulation was explored. METHODS: Three hundred women undergoing medically assisted reproduction and 300 women with at …

The nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor playing vital roles in innate immunity and other processes involving cellular survival, proliferation, and differentiation. This review highlights the im…

PURPOSE: Sperm flow cytometry (SFC) was used to evaluate the association of sperm chromatin condensation and ploidy with fertilization, embryo development, pregnancy and abortion rates following IVF. METHODS: Conventional semen analysis wa…

The irreversible transformation of androgens into oestrogens is catalysed by cytochrome P450 aromatase. In the present study, we explored the contribution of the (TTTA)(n) polymorphism in the aromatase gene (CYP19) to sperm concentration an…

Apoptosis is a distinctive form of programmed cell death resulting in the efficient elimination of cells without eliciting an inflammatory response. Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of endometrial cells with capacity to avoid …

Apoptosis plays a critical role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and represents a normal function to eliminate excess or dysfunctional cells. Accumulated evidence suggests that apoptosis helps to maintain cellular homeostasis during the me…