American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989)

PROBLEM: Adiponectin is a novel adipocytokine of extreme importance for the metabolism. Recent studies have indicated that adiponectin suppresses inflammation, angiogenesis, and fibrosis, which are central pathogenic factors for endometrios…

PROBLEM: In view of evidences suggesting association between endometriosis (EM) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we have performed a comparative evaluation of clinical and humoral immunologic abnormalities in both diseases. METHOD O…

PROBLEM: We investigated inhibitory and activation motif expression of killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) by natural killer (NK) cells, which may be pathogenetically involved in endometriosis. METHOD OF STUDY: We compared cells from…

PROBLEM: Autoimmune mechanisms are often involved in causing infertility. Among the possible targets of autoantibodies, the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) which regulates the follicular maturation in human ovary is a promising candidate…

PROBLEM: The proliferation of stromal cells in endometriosis promotes extensive adhesion; therefore, the morphological analysis of stromal lesions is important in the investigation of the pathogenesis of endometriosis. METHOD OF STUDY: In …

PROBLEM: To assess the effects of mycobacteria and inflammatory cytokines on proliferation of endometrial stromal cells. An effect on endometrial stromal cell proliferation in vitro may suggest a similar effect on endometriotic cells in viv…

PROBLEM: Are toll-like receptors (TLRs) expressed by human endometrium and endometrial cell lines? METHODS OF STUDY: Expression of each TLR mRNA species was determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of…

PROBLEM: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a major cytokine involved in inflammatory and immune function. The aim of this study was to investigate whether polymorphisms at positions -1031, -863 and -857 in the TNF gene promoter region (T…

PROBLEM: The aim of this paper is to provide further evidence that the dystopic proliferation of endometriotic epithelia is caused by the stimulation of peritoneal macrophages. It is essential to show that endometriotic epithelial cells exp…

PROBLEM: Mast cells are critical in allergic and inflammatory diseases such as interstitial cystitis, which is often clinically associated with or mistaken as endometriosis. Mast cells had previously been reported to be increased at sites o…

PROBLEM: Natural killer (NK) dysfunction is considered to contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. In this study, we investigated the host immune response to endometriosis in terms of killer inhibitory receptor (KIR) expression by N…

PROBLEM: Although the presence of mast cells in endometriosis lesions has been reported, there have been no reports of their pathological localization in ovarian endometrial cysts. METHODS OF STUDY: The localization of mast cells in ovaria…

PROBLEM: Endometriosis accompanies local inflammatory reactions in the peritoneal cavity. We examined the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), i.e. extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 MAPK (p38) and c-J…

PROBLEM: Many soluble factors contributing to the pathophysiology of endometriosis are found at abnormal levels in patients suffering from the disease. We postulated that levels of these factors could also be altered in the serum of patient…

PROBLEM: To establish an in vitro culture model of the endometrium and endometriotic lesions, and demonstrate the different expressions of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in these lesions. METHODS: Eight women with moderate to s…

PROBLEM: Interactions between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and peripheral blood T cells in women with endometriosis and leiomyoma are hardly unknown. We have investigated the influence of two major ECM components, collagen IV (C-IV) and f…

PROBLEM: To assess whether interferon-gamma-induced protein-10 (IP-10), a chemokine that has antiangiogenic activities, may be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. METHOD OF STUDY: A total of 120 patients undergoing laparoscopy f…

PROBLEM: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is secreted mainly during the menstrual phase and has been suggested to play a role in induction of apoptosis in endometrial cells and menstrual shedding. TNF-alpha receptor type 2 (TNF-RII) …

PROBLEM: Interleukins (IL) 13 and 15 are key regulators of inflammatory and immune responses, processes that are central to endometriosis and associated abnormalities. The present study examined (1) whether ectopic endometrial tissue expres…

PROBLEM: The objective of this study was to determine the concentration of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and soluble intracellular adhesions molecule (sICAM-1) in serum and follicular fluid (FF) of polycystic ovary (PCO), endometriosis and…

PROBLEM: Accumulating data suggests that aberrant immune responses during retrograde menstruation may be involved in the development of endometriosis. METHOD OF STUDY: The role of immunology in the etiology of endometriosis is reviewed and…

PROBLEM: Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) belongs to a group of glycoproteins isolated from extracts of human placenta. Healthy ovarian and uterine tissues are also known to express PAPP-A. We hypothesized that PAPP-A levels m…

PROBLEM: We sought to examine the role of Hsp60, a 60-kDa stress-responsive protein (hsp60) with potent immunostimulatory properties, in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. We investigated the response of peritoneal fluid mononuclear cell…

PROBLEM: Reduced fertilization rates in women with minor endometriosis may be the result of direct effects on the ovary or to primary dysfunction within the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. This controlled study was designed to examine …

PROBLEM: To review the literature on the role of peritoneal cytokines in the pathogenesis and endometriosis-related infertility. METHODS OF STUDY: A MEDLINE search was conducted by the key words of cytokine and endometriosis in the English…