Trends in molecular medicine

Endometriosis, traditionally viewed as a gynecological condition, is increasingly recognized as a systemic disease due to its frequent association with inflammatory and autoimmune comorbidities. Recent molecular and genetic insights reveal …

Whether endometriosis is a progressive disease remains debated. Central to this debate is understanding the natural history of endometriotic lesions, which are essentially wounds undergoing repeated tissue injury and repair. Viewing the dis…

In this opinion, we propose that compromised microvascular perfusion and inflammation are fundamental drivers of chronic pain syndromes, with many of these conditions sharing a common etiology involving suboptimal blood flow and inflammator…

Sex differences in immune system aging significantly impact disease susceptibility and vaccine responses among older adults, but with notable disparities between men and women. This area has gained importance because vaccines can exhibit di…

Endometriosis is a common disorder associated with pain, gastrointestinal and urinary symptoms, infertility, and fatigue. It is defined by the presence of endometrial-like lesions found predominantly in the pelvis. Mechanisms that contribut…

Recent work by Muraoka and colleagues reports that the Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum is detected in the uterus of 64% of women with endometriosis. Fusobacterium infection causes macrophage infiltration, transform…

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a critical gap in female health science, fueling anxiety, polarized views, and vaccine hesitancy. Although menstrual cycles feel like a niche topic for some, efforts to augment knowledge on the 'fifth vita…

IL-33 is a member of the IL-1 family and was first identified as an alarmin that acts at mucosal barrier sites. However, IL-33 is now understood to be a pleiotropic cytokine that acts on a variety of immune and non-immune cell types to prom…

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and autotransplantation can restore ovarian endocrine function and fertility and recently were changed from experimental to fertility preservation procedures for medical indications by the American Society of…

Genetic causes are thought to underlie about half of infertility cases, but understanding the genetic bases has been a major challenge. Modern genomics tools allow more sophisticated exploration of genetic causes of infertility through popu…

Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory, estrogen-dependent disease characterized by the growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity. Although the etiology of endometriosis remains elusive, immunological dysfunction has been…

Estrogens are the primary female sex hormones and play important roles in both reproductive and non-reproductive systems. Estrogens can be synthesized in non-reproductive tissues such as liver, heart, muscle, bone and brain, and tissue-spec…

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by implantation and growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. This disabling condition is considered one of the most frequent diseases in gynecology, affecting 15…