(1) Background: This study aimed to analyze the impact of the confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemics on the eating, exercise, and quality-of-life habits of pregnant women. (2) Methods: This was an internet-based cross-sectional survey which collected information about adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical exercise, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and perceived obstacles (in terms of exercise, preparation for delivery, and medical appointments) of pregnant women before and after the confinement. The survey was conducted in 18–31 May 2020. (3) Results: A total of 90 pregnant women participated in this study. There was a significant decrease in the levels of physical activity (p < 0.01) as well as in HRQoL (p < 0.005). The number of hours spent sitting increased by 50% (p < 0.001), 52.2% were unable to attend delivery preparation sessions because these had been cancelled. However, there were no significant differences in the eating pattern of these women (p = 0.672). Conclusions: These results suggest the need to implement specific online programs to promote exercise and reduce stress, thus improving the HRQoL in this population, should similar confinements need to occur again for any reason in the future.
Objective To verify whether sildena®l is effective in young premenopausal women affected by arousal disorder.Design A double-blind cross-over study. Setting Centre for Sexological Research, Department of Microbiological and Gynaecological Science, University of Catania, Italy.Sample Fifty-three volunteer women aged 22±28 years affected by arousal disorders.Methods The study consisted of three 4-week periods: sildena®l, washout, placebo, by six possible sequences. sildena®l was used at 25 mg or 50 mg.Main outcome measures Ef®cacy was assessed at baseline and once monthly by the Personal Experiences Questionnaire based on the 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire quanti®ed subjective arousal (primary endpoint), and orgasm, enjoyment, sexual frequency, and the number of sexual fantasies.Results Fifty-one women completed the study. Mean (SD) usage of sildena®l 25mg and 50mg was, respectively, 2.8 (0.8) and 2.7 (1.3) times weekly, while mean usage of placebo was 2.8 (1.6) times weekly. During both sildena®l dosages, arousal and orgasm improved with respect to placebo (P , 0.001). Therapeutically significant differences were not noted during the treatment with both 50 mg and 25 mg of sildena®l for arousal and orgasm. The frequency of sexual fantasies and of sexual intercourse, and enjoyment, improved in the women treated with sildena®l (P , 0.05).Conclusions Our study suggests that sildena®l may improve sexual performance of women affected by sexual dif®culties such as arousal disorder, and may indirectly improve other aspects of sexual life. Moreover, further studies need to de®ne the use of PDE type 5 inhibitors in this sexual pathophysiology.
The Human Genome Project led to the discovery that about 80% of our DNA is transcribed in RNA molecules. Only 2% of the human genome is translated into proteins, the rest mostly produces molecules called non-coding RNAs, which are a heterogeneous class of RNAs involved in different steps of gene regulation. They have been classified, according to their length, into small non-coding RNAs and long non-coding RNAs, or to their function, into housekeeping non-coding RNAs and regulatory non-coding RNAs. Their involvement has been widely demonstrated in all cellular processes, as well as their dysregulation in human pathologies. In this review, we discuss the function of non-coding RNAs in endometrial physiology, analysing their involvement in embryo implantation. Moreover, we explore their role in endometrial pathologies such as endometrial cancer, endometriosis and chronic endometritis.
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