Advances in experimental medicine and biology

Hormones are present in oral fluids and undergo dynamic changes throughout life. Hormonal changes can influence the interactions between the microbial community and the host. The oral microbiome is sensitive to changes in the oral environme…

Iron is required for numerous essential processes, including DNA synthesis, DNA repair, and cellular metabolism. Cancer cells frequently demonstrate an enhanced demand for iron when compared to slowly cycling non-cancer cells due to their i…

The human endometrium, the innermost lining of the uterus, is the anatomic prerequisite for pregnancy. It is the only dynamic tissue that undergoes more than 400 cycles of regeneration throughout the reproductive life of women. Key to this …

Innovative techniques such as the "omics" can be a powerful tool for the understanding of intracellular pathways involved in homeostasis maintenance and identification of new potential therapeutic targets against endocrine-metabolic disorde…

Oxidative stress (OS), a clinical predicament characterized by a shift in homeostatic imbalance among prooxidant molecules embracing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), along with antioxidant defenses, has bee…

Intensive research in the field of sphingolipids has revealed diverse roles in cell biological responses and human health and disease. This immense molecular family is primarily represented by the bioactive molecules ceramide, sphingosine, …

Endometriosis is a gynecologic disease that affects over 10% of women of reproductive age causing pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and infertility, resulting in significant disability and reduced quality of life. Very recent genetic studies have …

The human endometrium is a unique, highly dynamic tissue that undergoes cyclic changes of cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy among women in developed countries. Importantly, the …

Leiomyoma, adenomyosis, and endometrial polyps are benign uterine disorders which seem to develop in the context of hormonal imbalances, due to steroid hormones, estrogen and progesterone, in association with various factors ranging from ge…

Women suffered with inflammatory gynecologic diseases, such as endometriosis (EMs) and acute salpingitis (AS) often complained of sub- or infertility, even in those women without obvious macroscopic anatomical pelvic abnormalities also have…

The major function of the uterus is to accept and provide a suitable environment for an embryo, ultimately leading the birth of offspring and successful propagation of the species. For this occur, there must be precise coordination of hormo…

Posttranscriptional gene regulation is a regulatory mechanism which occurs "above the genome" and confers different phenotypes and functions within a cell. Transcript and protein abundance above the level of transcription can be regulated v…

In industrialized societies the progression of natural selection has been determined and in many cases superseded by social evolution. In the case of reproduction, there has been a decline and delay of childbearing without diminished sexual…

Kisspeptin is now known to be an important regulator of the hypothalamic--pituitary-gonadal axis and is the target of a range of regulators, such as steroid hormone feedback, nutritional and metabolic regulation. Kisspeptin binds to its cog…

The factors and processes involved in primate follicular development are complex and not fully understood. An encapsulated three-dimensional (3D) follicle culture system could be a valuable in vitro model to study the dynamics and regulatio…

All key reproductive events in the human ovary and uterus, including follicle activation, ovulation, implantation, decidualization, luteolysis and menstruation, are dependent upon profound tissue remodelling, characterised by cyclical waves…

Estrogen has been positively linked to the pathogenesis and growth of three common women's cancers (breast, endometrium and ovary). A single gene encodes the key enzyme for estrogen biosynthesis named aromatase, inhibition of which effectiv…

Endometriosis, a benign gynecologic disorder, occurs in about 10% of women in reproductive age and in up to 50% of women with infertility. The basic etiologic factors causing this disease are unknown as yet. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) …

Rapid as well as sustained sperm transport from the cervical canal to the isthmical part of the fallopian tube is provided by cervico-fundal uterine peristaltic contractions that can be visualized by vaginal sonography. The peristaltic cont…