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The common epithelial ovarian tumors appear to arise from the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE), which is a simple squamous-to-cuboidal meso^helium covering the ovary. The exact mechanism of ovarian tumorigenesis is not well known even though this disease is the most frequent cause of cancer death i…
It is increasingly apparent that GnRH-II acts as an autocrine/paracrine regulator in non-pituitary tissues, in addition to its role in the regulation of gonadotropin synthesis, and is an important player in cancer cell biology. High levels of GnRH-II and GnRHR in malignant ovarian tumors as compare…
Aberrant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activity contributes to the development of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), a common and lethal female malignancy. Elucidating the regulation of EGFR function will improve treatments for EOC and the survival of patients. This study aims to elucidate …
Homeobox genes, which code for families of transcription factors, act at the top of genetic hierarchies. HOX genes specify positional identity during development, and in adult tissues, regulate differentiation and proliferation. Most ovarian carcinomas are derived from the ovarian surface epitheliu…
Activin A (homodimer of inhibin βA-subunit) is known to increase inhibin βB-subunit and inhibin B (heterodimer of inhibin α- and βB-subunit) levels and decrease progesterone accumulation in human granulosa cells. Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) is a potent paracrine regul…
Due to the ?flare effect? associated with the flare protocol, variation in the degree of follicular maturation during stimulation may result in differences in follicle response as compared to the luteal protocol which is based on maximal pituitary suppression and synchronization of follicular matur…
Nuclear receptors including estrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs) are activated by their ligands as well as by signaling pathways in response to peptide hormones and growth factors. In gonadotrophs, gonadotropin releasing hormones (GnRHs) act via the GnRH receptor (GnRHR). Both …
Remodeling of the endometrial extracellular matrix, which occurs during the early stages of pregnancy in the human, is mediated by the temporal expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in both the maternal and fetal compartments and counterbalance…
Loss of BRCA1/BRCA2 function through genetic or epigenetic mechanisms is common in epithelial ovarian carcinomas (EOC), but because there are multiple potential mechanisms of loss, the overall frequency is unknown. We characterized loss of BRCA1/BRCA2 at the DNA, RNA and protein level from an unsel…
n approximately 40% of ovarian cancers, PIK3CA, which encodes the p110α catalytic subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is amplified. This amplification correlates with increased PIK3CA transcription, p110α protein expression, and PI3K activity. Moreover, PIK3CA is implicated as…
In contrast to the success of ICSI in treating male infertility, concerns have been raised about the health outcomes of the children conceived through this procedure. Cohort studies have shown that the ICSI population has an increase in low birth weight (LBW), birth defects, chromosomal abnormaliti…
Disruptions or imbalances of the vaginal microbiome can lead to negative reproductive health consequences for women, including an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, and preterm birth. HIV-positive women may be particularly vulnerable to microbiome disrup…
Human newborns exposed in utero to maternally administered SSRIs such as fluoxetine (FX) have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes including poor neonatal adaptation. This comprises respiratory difficulty, jitteriness, cyanosis when feeding and persists for several days after birth. Seve…
Pregnancies derived from in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are associated with increased rates of chromosome abnormalities, congenital malformations, low birth weight, pre-term births, multiple gestations, and imprinting disorders. Assisted reproductive techno…
Light microscopy has remained the primary tool for the assessment of embryo quality and the selection of embryos for transfer in clinical IVF practice. Recent studies have suggested that metabolomic profiling of embryo culture media can distinguish human embryos with better implantation potential. …
With the increasing use of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) every year, concerns have been raised regarding the possible effect these procedures have on the health of the children procured by them. Although patients born via ART are usually healthy, studies have associated these procedures wi…
Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) binds androgens and estrogens with high affinity, and regulates the distribution of these sex steroids in the blood and other biological fluids. Liver is the primary site of SHBG production, but the human SHBG transcription unit responsible for this is also expre…
The distintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin repeats (ADAMTS) are members of a gene family of secreted, multidomain and multifunctional proteinases that are able to proteolytically degrade a diverse array of cellular, extracellular and extracellular matrix (ECM) substrates. We ex…
Abnormal DNA methylation at imprinted and non-imprinted genes has been associated with spermatogenesis failure. However, little information is available regarding DNA methylation at those genes in men affected by severe male factor infertility. We hypothesized a higher incidence of aberrant DNA met…
The ADAMTS (A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with TromboSpondin Repeats) are a novel family of secreted metalloproteinases. There is increasing evidence that distinct ADAMTS subtypes play key roles in embryonic development, reproduction and cancer. Nineteen ADAMTS subtypes have been identified i…