To investigate whether human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G gene polymorphism is associated with reproductive failure in a Polish population, we sequenced exons 2-4 of the HLA-G gene in 58 couples with three recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSAs) in the first trimester of pregnancy and 58 fertile control couples. We identified 12 different HLA-G alleles. Neither allele was found to be associated with an increased risk of RSA in the population. HLA-G allele sharing was similar in couples with RSA and in control fertile couples. All cases and controls were also genotyped for the -725C>G polymorphisms in the promoter region and the 14-bp insertion deletion in the 3' untranslated region of the HLA-G gene. The frequencies of both variants in RSA women and control fertile women were similar. These results suggest that HLA-G gene polymorphism does not influence the risk of RSA in the Polish population, but further studies are needed in this regard.

To investigate whether human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) gene polymorphism is associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) failure, we sequenced exons 2-4 of the HLA-G gene in 50 couples with three or more IVFs (including 10 couples with five or more IVFs) and 58 control fertile couples from a Polish population. Of the 10 different HLA-G alleles identified in our study subjects, neither allele was found to be associated with IVF. We also genotyped 50 couples with IVF and 71 control couples for the -725C>G variant in the promoter region and the 14 bp insertion or deletion polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region of the HLA-G gene. The frequency of -725GG or GC genotype in women with IVF and in control fertile women was similar [26% vs 25.3%; odds ratio (OR) = 1.0; P = 1.0]. The 14 bp ins/ins or ins/del genotype was more common in women with IVF than in control women (76.9% vs 59.1%; OR 2.4; P = 0.03), but the difference was not significant after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. The frequency of the ins/ins or ins/del genotype was particularly high (90%) in women who experienced five or more IVFs (OR = 6.2; P = 0.08), but again, the excess was not statistically significant, possibly because of small sample sizes. These results are in line with functional studies that show lower levels of HLA-G mRNA and protein related to the HLA-G allele including the 14 bp sequence and suggest that the insertion allele may be associated with an increased risk of IVF.

Introduction/Objective: The aim of the study was to show which of the adipose tissue accumulation indicators correlate with testosterone disorders in non-diabetic aging men. Material and methods: 455 non diabetic men, recruited at primary care facilities, aged 50–75 participated in the study. The participants underwent anthropometric measurement and ELISA determination of total testosterone (TT), estradiol (E2), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), sex hormone binding protein (SHBG), and the determination of fasting glucose (FPG), high-density lipids cholesterol (HDL-Ch), and triacylglycerols (TAG) in serum. The following indicators were calculated: body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), lipid accumulation product (LAP), and visceral adiposity index (VAI). Results: Men with testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS) differed in each of the assessed obesity indices from those without TDS. All of the studied parameters correlated significantly negatively with TT concentration in blood serum, with VAI being the strongest predictor of TDS. It was shown that the threshold value at which the risk of TDS increased was 28.41 kg/m2 for BMI, 1.58 for VAI, 104 cm for WC, and 37.01 for LAP. Conclusions: Indicators of fat accumulation that take into account biochemical parameters in assessing lipid metabolism are better markers of actual body fat deposition than indicators based solely on anthropometric measurements. Among them, VAI seems the most suitable biomarker of TDS in non-diabetic aging men.

BackgroundAlthough immune system plays a key role in the pathogenesis of both endometriosis and ovarian cancer, its function is different. Therefore, we hypothesized, that selected immune parameters can serve as diagnostic markers of these two conditions. The aim of this study was to compare serum and peritoneal fluid concentrations of sHLA-G, IL-10 and TNF-alpha in women with selected ovarian pathologies: benign serous cysts, endometrioma and malignant tumors. Clinical significance of using them for diagnostic purposes in women with serous ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and ovarian cancer, which in the future may improve the early diagnosis of ovarian diseases.Case PresentationThe study included women treated surgically for benign serous ovarian cysts, ovarian endometrioma and serous ovarian adenocarcinomas. Peripheral blood and peritoneal fluid samples were obtained intraoperatively. Patients with benign serous cysts, endometrioma and ovarian malignancies did not differ significantly in terms of their serum and peritoneal fluid concentrations of sHLA-G. Ovarian cancer patients presented with significantly higher median serum concentrations of IL-10 and TNF-alpha than other study subjects. Median concentrations of IL-10 and TNF-alpha in peritoneal fluid turned out to be the highest in ovarian cancer patients, followed by women with endometrioma and subjects with benign serous cysts. All these intergroup differences were statistically significant. Irrespective of the group, median concentrations of sHLA-G, IL-10 and TNF-alpha in peritoneal fluid were higher than serum levels of these markers.ConclusionsElevated serum and peritoneal fluid concentrations of IL-10 and TNF-alpha distinguish ovarian malignancies and endometriomas from benign serous ovarian cysts. In contrast to endometriosis, ovarian malignancies are characterized by elevated peritoneal fluid concentrations of IL-10 and TNF-alpha, elevated serum concentrations of IL-10 and low serum levels of TNF-alpha. Serum and peritoneal fluid concentrations of sHLA-G have no diagnostic value in differentiating between ovarian malignancies and endometriomas.

Introduction: The etiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has not so far been fully explicated. However, it is assumed that changes in the levels of hormones associated with aging can contribute to the development of prostatic hyperplasia. Dihydrotestosterone combines with the androgen receptor (AR) proteins of the prostate gland. Enzyme activity is based on two isoenzymes: type 1 and type 2. 5α-reductase type 1 is encoded by the SRD5A1 gene, and type 2 is encoded by the SRD5A2 gene. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of the SRD5A1 (rs6884552, rs3797177) and SRD5A2 (rs523349, rs12470143) genes’ polymorphisms, and to assess the relationships between the genotypes of the tested mutations, and the levels of biochemical and hormonal parameters in patients with BPH. Material and Methods: The study involved 299 men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. We determined the serum levels of particular biochemical parameters—fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides (TG)—by the spectrophotometric method, using ready reagent kits. The ELISA method was used to determine the levels of the following hormonal parameters and proteins: total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), insulin (I), luteinizing hormone (LH), and sex hormone binding protein (SHBG). Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed. Genotyping was performed by real-time PCR. Results: We analyzed the relationships between the incidence of particular diseases and the genotypes of the SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 polymorphisms among patients with BPH. The BPH patients with the CC genotype of the SRD5A2 rs523349 and rs12470143 polymorphisms were considerably less frequently diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetS) (p = 0.022 and p = 0.023 respectively). Our analysis revealed that homozygotes with the CC of the SDR5A2 rs12470143 polymorphism had visibly higher HDL levels than those with the TT and CT genotypes (p = 0.001). Additionally, we found that the patients with the CC genotype of the SDR5A2 rs12470143 polymorphism had considerably higher FT levels (p = 0.001) than the heterozygotes with the CT and the homozygotes with the TT of the genetic variant analyzed in our study. Furthermore, the patients with at least one G allele of the SRD5A2 rs523349 polymorphism had significantly lower SGBG levels (p = 0.022) compared with the homozygotes with the CC genotype. The presence of at least one A allele (AA + AG genotypes) of the SRD5A1 rs3797177 polymorphism entailed notably lower serum insulin levels than those observed in homozygotes with the GG genotype (p = 0.033). Conclusions: The study described in this article shows that selected SRD5A1 and SRD5A2 polymorphisms can alter the levels of metabolic and hormonal parameters in patients with BPH. Special attention should be paid to the SDR5A2 rs12470143 polymorphism, which is associated with a change in lipid profile, as well as with the inheritance and incidence rate of MetS among these patients. An analysis of the frequency o...