Quality of life is related to good health, family relations, feeling of self-esteem, and ability to cope with difficult situations. Endometriosis is a chronic condition which affects different areas of life. The lack of satisfaction in everyday life is mainly due to constant pain. The process of adjusting to a life with illness is associated with negative emotions. The aim of the article is to review the current state of knowledge concerning the impact of social and medical factors on a population of women affected by endometriosis. Women with endometriosis have an impaired quality of life compared to the general female population. Psychological consequences of endometriosis include: depression, anxiety, powerlessness, guilt, self-directed violence, and deterioration of interpersonal relations. It may contribute to lower productivity at work and less satisfying intimate life. A multi-disciplinary, evidence-based care is needed. The disease can take away the ability to be physically active, obtain an education, work continuously, and interact with friends. Social support and cognitive-behavioral therapy are extremely important for healing.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and is related with poor prognosis. Despite numerous studies, the pathogenesis of OC is still unknown. Recent studies indicate the role of the immune system in the development and spread of OC. The identification of factors and mechanisms involved in that process and their modulation is crucial for creating effective antitumor therapy. We investigated the potential role of Th17 cells in OC patients (n = 71) by analyzing the frequencies of Th17 cells in three different environments, i.e., peripheral blood (PB), peritoneal fluid (PF), and tissue (Th17 infiltrating cells), and the concentration of IL-17A in plasma and PF of patients in terms of their clinical and prognostic significance. Th17 cells were analyzed by flow cytometry as a percentage of CD4⁺ lymphocytes that expressed intracellular expression of IL-17A. The level of IL-17A in plasma and PF were determined by ELISA. Our results showed accumulation of Th17 cells among tumor-infiltrating CD4⁺ lymphocytes (p<0.001 in relation to PB). Moreover, the percentage of Th17 cells in both PB and PF of OC patients was significantly lower than that in benign tumors group (n = 35). There were no significant differences in the percentage of Th17 cells in PB, PF, and tissue in relation to clinicopathological characteristics of OC patients and survival. The lower percentage of Th17 cells in the PB and PF of OC patients may promote evasion of host immune response by cancer cells. The concentration of IL-17A in plasma of OC patients was higher (p<0.0001) than that in both benign tumors and control group (n = 10). The PF IL-17A level in OC patients was higher (p<0.0001) than that in women with benign ovarian tumors, indicating its synthesis in OC microenvironment. Higher IL-17A level in PF is correlated with longer (median: 36.5 vs. 27 months) survival of OC patients.

Recent studies of the peritoneal cavity environment in endometriosis demonstrate quantitative and qualitative changes in the cells responsible for cell-mediated immunity. Such changes may have led to disturbances in the surveillance, recognition, and destruction of misplaced endometrial cells and might have, in fact, brought about the disease. The aim of the study was to assess CD95 (Fas) expression on (activated) peritoneal fluid (PF) macrophages, as well as to ascertain soluble Fas (sFas) concentration in the PF of endometriosis patients, as compared to the nonendometriotic group. The concentration of leukocytes in the PF, the percentage of cells expressing CD45⁺/CD14⁺, and the percentage of PF macrophages expressing the HLA-DR antigen were significantly higher in patients with stages I and II endometriosis. The percentage of Fas- (CD95⁺-) expressing macrophages was significantly higher in all stages of the disease, in comparison with controls. Moreover, the concentration of sFas in the PF of patients with moderate and severe endometriosis was significantly higher, as compared to the reference group. The high number of immune cells in PF in early stage endometriosis and their increased susceptibility to apoptosis confirm the role of the impaired peritoneal environment and immune defects in the development and progression of the disease.

Liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (LC-ESI-MS/MS) qualitative and quantitative analysis of different extracts from the aerial parts and roots of Alchemilla acutiloba led to the identification of phenolic acids and flavonoids. To the best of our knowledge, isorhamnetin 3-glucoside, kaempferol 3-rutinoside, narcissoside, naringenin 7-glucoside, 3-O-methylquercetin, naringenin, eriodictyol, rhamnetin, and isorhamnetin were described for the first time in Alchemilla genus. In addition, the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity of all extracts were evaluated. The results clearly showed that among analyzed extracts, the butanol extract of the aerial parts exhibited the highest biological activity comparable with the positive controls used.

Regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) are characterized by the presence of CD4+ surface antigen. Today the transcription factor FOXP3 is considered to be the most specific marker of Treg cells. The aim of the study was to estimate the percentage of Treg in peripheral blood and the tissue of the epithelial ovarian tumor and blood serum TGF-beta concentrations and relationships between them. Moreover, the aim of the study was to answer the question whether the percentage of Treg lymphocytes affects the time of survival in patients with ovarian cancer. The patients were divided into four groups, depending on the histopathological examination result: I – a group without any pathology within the ovaries (C; n = 20), II – a group with benign tumors (B; n = 25), III – with borderline tumors (BR; n = 11), IV – a group with cancer of the ovary (M; n = 24). The percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood and the tissue was assessed using the flow cytometry method. TGF-beta cytokine concentration was estimated with the ELISA immunoenzymatic test. Statistical analysis of the results was conducted using the computer program Statistica 10.0PL (StatSoft, Inc). No significant differences were found in percentages of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood between individual groups of patients (p = 0.11). However, we observed marked differences in the tissue of malignant and non-malignant tumors between individual groups of patients (p = 0.003). The analysis with the post hoc test revealed significantly higher TGF-beta concentration in the group of women with malignant tumors. Moreover, no relationship was found between TGF-beta concentration and the percentage of Treg cells in peripheral blood and tumors of the ovary. No correlation was found between the percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood (p = 0.4) and the tissue of ovarian tumors (p = 0.3) and the time of survival of patients with ovarian cancer. The recruitment of Treg lymphocytes toward the tumor is one of the mechanisms of escape of neoplasm from the response of the immune system. The percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood and the neoplastic tissue does not influence the time of survival of patients with ovarian cancer.