Regression in melanoma is a frequent biological event of uncertain prognostic value as the lesion exhibits heterogeneous phenotypical features, both at the morphological and immunohistochemical level. In the present study, we examined the expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP1, TIMP2 and TIMP3) in melanoma with regression. We specifically examined the expression levels of these TIMPs in regressed components (RC) and non-regressed components (NRC) of the tumor and compared their expression levels with those in non-regressed melanomas. We found that TIMP1 was overexpressed in the NRC of melanomas with partial regression (PR) compared with the NRC in melanomas with segmental regression (SR) (P=0.011). TIMP2 was overexpressed in the NRC of melanomas with PR compared with the NRC in melanomas with SR (PR/SR, P=0.009); or compared with the NRC in melanomas with simultaneous SR-PR (P=0.002); or compared with melanomas without regression (absence of regression) (P=0.037). Moreover, TIMP3 was overexpressed in the NRC of all melanomas with SR as compared to the RC component (P=0.007). Our findings on the differential expression of TIMP1, TIMP2 and TIMP3 in melanomas with regression support the hypothesis that the morphological differences identified in the melanoma regression spectrum may have a correlation with prognosis. This may explain the controversial findings within the literature concerning the biological and prognostic role of regression in melanoma.

Regarding sex estimation on human skeletal remains, the current trend in forensic anthropology is towards creating national standards, as population-specificity of discriminant functions is now a known fact. Also, over the last period of time, discriminant function analysis of osteometric data has become the method of choice in forensic anthropology, as it renders high accuracy results, superior to those obtained by visual shape assessment or direct metric comparison. We have conducted a study on 200 adult crania (100 males, 100 females) from a modern Romanian population sample (Rainer collection, Bucharest). Based on 11 cranial measurements, we have calculated population-specific discriminant functions for intact crania, cranial vault and facial region measurements, as well as single-variable DF. The results point to a pronounced craniometric sexual dimorphism in Romanian population, similar to other European populations: sexing accuracies of 88% on intact crania, 81% on cranial vault measurements and 83.5% on facial measurements respectively, with 83.5% correctly assigned by facial breadth alone discriminant function. Discussions on the results, as well as comparisons with similar studies are presented below.

No abstract

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is characterized by the presence of lipidladen foamy macrophages with both acute and chronic phase inflammatory cells. The aim of the study is to present our experience about patients with Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. 29 patients were evaluated through a complete anamnesis and the preoperative management included routine blood and biochemical tests, urine culture and renal ultrasound, intravenous urography and computed tomography (CT). All patients underwent open nephrectomy followed by the pathological exam. The main symptoms of these patients were fever and flank pain. Preoperative laboratory tests revealed anemia, leukocytosis and increasing levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine. Kidney failure was noticed in almost half of the cases. This study succeeded to evaluate the demographic, clinical, biological, surgical and histological characteristics. A pathological diagnosis is mandatory mainly for the evaluation of its coexistence with renal carcinoma.

The chemical pregnancy is an early pregnancy loss occurring shortly after implantation. 50-75% of all miscarriages are considered to be chemical pregnancies. Although the pregnancy test is positive, the fetus cannot be detected on ultrasounds; it can be asymptomatic or it can have menstrual-like cramping and bleeding. There are numerous risk factors associated with miscarriage, such as: epidemiological, genetic, anatomical, endometrial, endocrine and immune factors, infections, inherited thrombophilia and antiphospholipid syndrome. Many drugs are related with spontaneous miscarriage, significant evidence being found for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, inhaled corticosteroids, antidepressant medication, antiepileptic and antihypertensive drugs, the artemisinin-based combination therapy and for the diclofenac/misoprostol combination. Besides the common diseases like asthma, chronic hypertension, chronic kidney disease, thyroid disorders, diabetes mellitus, polycystic ovary syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis, there was also found a higher correlation with the risk of miscarriage for the Zika Virus infection. In conclusion, chemical pregnancy is a type of early pregnancy loss which usually doesn�t need prevention, associated with multiple risk factors.

Precocious puberty is defined as the onset of menarche before 9 years of age, or the appearance of secondary sex characteristics before 8 years of age. It is associated with many psychosocial disturbances and adverse health outcomes such as: cardiovascular disease, shorter adult stature, an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and breast cancer. There is a general tendency to a progressive decrease in age of reaching puberty, specifically the onset of thelarche and menarche, girls being 10 times more affected than boys. This actual tendency can be explained by the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity and also by increasing environmental exposure to endocrine disruptor chemicals in household and personal care products.Phenols, phthalates, parabens and other compounds, such as polybrominated biphenyls and diethylstilbestrol are associated with precocious onset of puberty in girls, in case of in-utero or peripubertal exposure. These chemicals are frequently found in toothpaste, cosmetics, soups, shampoos, perfumes and other personal care products, interfering with sex hormones and puberty timing. This is why pregnant women should be more aware and avoid products based on these chemicals.

No abstract

In the present environment of staggering technical innovations and increasing expectations of quality healthcare it is evident that we need to fine tune our diagnostic abilities in order to fulfil patients� demands for more efficient therapies and augmented quality of life. We are looking for current trends in clinical gynecology that make use of Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy, technology not yet employed in Romanian laboratories for the clinical practice but that is rapidly becoming the worldwide method of choice for accurate characterization of the hormonal milieu essential for the requirements of women healthcare.