Human Reproduction

STUDY QUESTION: Does signaling via the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis in a mouse model? SUMMARY ANSWER: Mice treated with a CB1 agonist developed larger ectopic lesions, while less severe lesion…

STUDY QUESTION: What is the economic burden of endometriosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: The identified studies indicate that there is a significant economic burden associated with endometriosis, as observed by both direct and indirect costs. WHAT I…

STUDY QUESTION: Does mouse endometrial epithelial cells and stromal cells have a similar transient receptor potential (TRP)-channel expression profile and to that found in the human endometrium? SUMMARY ANSWER: Mouse endometrial epithelial…

STUDY QUESTION: To what extent do patient- and treatment-related factors explain the variation in morphokinetic parameters proposed as embryo viability markers? SUMMARY ANSWER: Up to 31% of the observed variation in timing of embryo develo…

STUDY QUESTION: Are the levels of total circulating cell-derived microparticles (cMPs) and circulating tissue factor-containing microparticles (cMP-TF) increased in patients with endometriosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: The levels of total cMP, but …

STUDY QUESTION: What is the effect of vitamin D deficiency on the pregnancy rates following frozen embryo transfer (FET)?. SUMMARY ANSWER: Vitamin D deficiency does not affect pregnancy rates in FET cycles. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Although…

STUDY QUESTION: What is the global consensus on the classification of endometriosis that considers the views of women with endometriosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: We have produced an international consensus statement on the classification of endome…

STUDY QUESTION: Do young women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or endometriosis report more psychological distress than their peers without a history of these conditions? SUMMARY ANSWER: Young women (aged 18-23 years) with PCOS or en…

STUDY QUESTION: Are STAT3 signaling molecules differentially expressed in endometriosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: Levels of phospho-STAT3 and HIF1A, its downstream signaling molecule, are significantly higher in eutopic endometrium from women with …

STUDY QUESTION: Are microRNAs (miRs) altered in the eutopic endometrium (EuE) of baboons following the induction of endometriosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: Induction of endometriosis causes significant changes in the expression of eight miRs, inclu…

STUDY QUESTION: Can the presence of endometrial nerve fibres be used as a diagnostic test for endometriosis in women with pelvic pain? SUMMARY ANSWER: Endometrial fine nerve fibres were seen in the endometrium of women both with and withou…

STUDY QUESTION: Is the combined excisional/ablative technique for the treatment of ovarian endometriomas better than the traditional stripping technique in terms of recurrence rate? SUMMARY ANSWER: There is no evidence that the combined ex…

STUDY QUESTION: How can deep endometriotic stromal cells proliferate and persist in a fibrotic environment? SUMMARY ANSWER: The serine/threonine kinase AKT and extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways may co-operate to suppo…

STUDY QUESTION: Does an association exist between high normal numbers of CGG trinucleotide repeats on the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene and diminished ovarian reserve (DOR)? SUMMARY ANSWER: This large data set demonstrated tha…

STUDY QUESTION: Are brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptors, NTRK2, NGFR and SORT1, regulated by ovarian steroids in the uterus? SUMMARY ANSWER: BDNF and its low affinity receptor, nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR), ar…

STUDY QUESTION: What mechanism is involved in regulating the autophagy of endometrial stromal cells (ESCs), and does it participate in the pathogenesis of endometriosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: CXCL12 down-regulates secretory phase ESC autophagy. …

The increasing confidence with the techniques of oocyte and ovarian cortex freezing has prompted their potential use for patient categories other than those at risk of early menopause due to cancer treatments. Women affected by every iatrog…

STUDY QUESTION: Do DNA variants in the growth regulation by estrogen in breast cancer 1 (GREB1) region regulate endometrial GREB1 expression and increase the risk of developing endometriosis in women? SUMMARY ANSWER: We identified new sing…

STUDY QUESTION: Are members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel superfamily functionally expressed in the human endometrial stroma? SUMMARY ANSWER: The Ca(2+)-permeable ion channels TRPV2, TRPV4, TRPC6 and TRPM7 are functiona…

STUDY QUESTION: In women with deeply infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) what is the prevalence of involvement of endometriotic tissue and fibrosis in ureteral endometriosis (UE), as assessed by histological staining? SUMMARY ANSWER: In women…

STUDY QUESTION: How does regulation of telomerase activity (TA) in human endometrial epithelial cells (EEC) by ovarian hormones impact on telomere lengths (TL) and cell proliferation? SUMMARY ANSWER: Healthy endometrial epithelial cell pro…

STUDY QUESTION: Are the levels of biologically active and the most toxic dioxin-like substances in adipose tissue of patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) higher than in a control group without endometriosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: …

STUDY QUESTION: Does the endometrial functionalis have the potential to undergo self-renewal after menstruation and how is this process controlled by ovarian steroids? SUMMARY ANSWER: Endometrial xenografts subjected to withdrawal of estra…

STUDY QUESTION: What is the role of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) in human endometriotic tissues and a mouse model of endometriosis? SUMMARY ANSWER: Four IAP proteins were expressed in endometriotic tissue indicating IAPs may …

STUDY QUESTION: Can bioinformatics analysis of publically available microarray datasets be utilized in identifying potentially important transcription factors (TF) in the hormonal regulation of the endometrium? SUMMARY ANSWER: Systems inte…