This review will summarise our current understanding of endometrial lymphatics, including the mechanisms regulating their growth and function. The potential contribution of lymphatic vessels and lymphangiogenic growth factors to various endometrial disorders will be discussed.”
“Menstruation has many of the features of an inflammatory process. The complexity and sequence of inflammatory-type events leading to the final tissue breakdown and bleeding are slowly being unravelled. Progesterone has anti-inflammatory properties, and its rapidly declining levels (along with those of estrogen)

in the late secretory phase of each non-conception cycle, initiates a sequence selleck screening library of interdependent events of an inflammatory nature involving local inter-cellular interactions Daporinad mouse within the endometrium. Intracellular responses to loss of progesterone (in decidualized stromal, vascular and epithelial cells) lead to decreased prostaglandin metabolism and loss of protection from reactive oxygen species (ROS). Increased ROS results in release of NF kappa B from suppression with activation of target gene transcription and increased synthesis of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, cytokines, chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). The resultant

leukocyte recruitment, with changing phenotypes and activation, provide further degradative enzymes and MMP activators, which together with a hypoxic environment induced by prostaglandin actions, lead to the tissue breakdown and bleeding characteristic of menstruation. In parallel, at sites where shedding is complete, microenvironmentally-induced changes in phenotypes of neutrophils and macrophages from pro- to anti-inflammatory, in addition

to induction of growth factors, contribute to the very rapid re-epithelialization and restoration of tissue integrity.”
“Background: Although the clinico-pathological entity of uremic pleuritis has long been recognized, its clinical significance remains poorly defined.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 82 chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients that had pleural effusion. The pattern of diagnosis and clinical outcome were reviewed.

Results: 10 patients had overt fluid overload and PKC412 thoracocentesis was not performed, 23 had other specific diagnoses, 15 had transudative effusion due to fluid overload, 12 had unexplained transudative effusion, and 22 patients had unexplained exudative effusion. The 3-year actuarial survival was 40.9% and 83.3% for patients with unexplained exudative and transudative effusion respectively (p = 0.012); technique survival was 74.2% and 90.9% respectively (p = 0.006). For patients with unexplained exudative effusion, 11 patients had their PD regimen intensified: they had a higher 3-year actuarial survival than those with their dialysis regimen unchanged (100.0% vs 52.6%, p = 0.04).

Conclusion: Unexplained exudative pleural effusion is not uncommon in chronic PD patients.