Bisphenol A (BPA) is an environmental compounds is known to possess endocrine disruption potentials. Bisphenol A has epigenetic effects as deregulated expression of microRNAs; such epigenetic marks can induce up/down alterations in gene expression that may persist throughout a lifetime. Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure has been documented in pregnant women, but consequences for development of offspring after BPA exposure during pregnancy are not yet widely studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of microRNAs changes in the placenta transcriptome from pregnant women subjected to therapeutic abortion for fetal malformation and correlate the impact of gestational exposure to BPA on these developmental changes. We performed a comparative analysis of genome wide miRNA expression in placentas from pregnant women exposed to BPA using microarray technology to identify miRNAs which were aberrantly expressed in placentas from malformed fetuses. The expression changes of differential expressed miRNAs in the samples used for microarray were confirmed by qPCR . Beside, we applied various bioinformatics tools to predict the target genes of the identified miR-146a and explore their biological function and downstream pathways. We found that miR-146a was significant overexpressed and correlated significantly with BPA accumulation in the placenta from pregnant women living in a polluted area and undergoing therapeutic abortion due to fetal malformations. Beside, we applied various bioinformatics tools to predict the target genes of miR-146a and explore their biological function and downstream pathways. For the first time, we found, in humans, that miR-146a was significant over-expressed and correlated significantly with BPA accumulation in the placenta. Our results lead to the suggestion that miRNAs could be potential biomarkers to clarify the mechanisms of environmental diseases.

The menopausal transition, or perimenopause, is characterized by menstrual irregularities, vasomotor symptoms, sleep disturbances, mood symptoms, and urogenital tract atrophy. These changes can also affect the quality of life and one’s self-esteem. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is considered the best option to achieve therapeutic relief of different menopausal symptoms but is usually restricted to moderate or severe symptoms. Moreover, many women refuse HRT for a variety of reasons concerning the fear of cancer and other adverse effects. According to these considerations, new topics are emerging: Dissatisfaction with drug costs and conventional healthcare, desire for personalized medicines, and the public perception that “natural is good”. In this context, nonhormonal therapies are mostly evolving, and it is not unusual that women often request a “natural” approach for their symptoms. The aim of this study is to investigate nonhormonal therapies that have been identified to reduce the menopausal symptoms.

Small non-coding RNA deregulation in endometrial carcinogenesis Small non-coding RNA deregulation in endometrial carcinogenesis

In 1963 George Mathé announced to the world that he had cured a patient of leukaemia by means of a bone-marrow transplant. Since than much progress has been made and nowadays Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) is considered the most effective treatment of numerous severe haematological diseases. Gynaecological complications in HSCT women represent a serious concern for these patients, but often underestimated by clinicians in the view of Overall Survival. The main gynaecological complications of HSCT are represented by: premature ovarian failure (POF), thrombocytopenia-associated menorrhagia, genital symptoms or sexual problems in course of chronic GVHD (cGVHD), osteoporosis, secondary solid tumours due to immunosuppressive drugs to treat cGVHD and severity of cGVHD, and fertility and pregnancy issues. In particular fertility-related issues are always more relevant for patients, whose life expectation is constantly growing up after HSCT. Thus, taking care of a patient undergoing HSCT should primarily include gynaecological evaluation, even before conditioning regimen or chemotherapy for the underlying malignancy, as, in our opinion, it is of great importance to ensure a complete diagnostic work-up and intervention options to guarantee maximum reproductive health and a better quality of life in HSCT women. The present review aims at describing principal features of the aforementioned gynaecological complications of HSCT, and to define, on the basis of current international literature, a specific protocol for the prevention, diagnosis, management and follow-up of gynaecological complications of both autologous and heterologous transplantation, before and after the procedure.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecological neoplasm in high-income countries. Five-year survival rates are related to stage at diagnosis, but currently, no validated screening tests are available in clinical practice. The metabolome offers an unprecedented overview of the molecules underlying EC. In this study, we aimed to validate a metabolomics signature as a screening test for EC on a large study population of symptomatic women. Serum samples collected from women scheduled for gynecological surgery (n = 691) were separated into training (n = 90), test (n = 38), and validation (n = 563) sets. The training set was used to train seven classification models. The best classification performance during the training phase was the PLS-DA model (96% accuracy). The subsequent screening test was based on an ensemble machine learning algorithm that summed all the voting results of the seven classification models, statistically weighted by each models’ classification accuracy and confidence. The efficiency and accuracy of these models were evaluated using serum samples taken from 871 women who underwent endometrial biopsies. The EC serum metabolomes were characterized by lower levels of serine, glutamic acid, phenylalanine, and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. Our results illustrate that the serum metabolome can be an inexpensive, non-invasive, and accurate EC screening test.