Marian Semczuk

Dietary factors in women with dysplasia colli uteri associated with human papillomavirus infection

The studies were carried out in a group of 228 female patients with normal cytological smear and 324 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The applied method of human papillomavirus (HPV) identification, i.e., the HPV digene hybrid capture system, made it possible to select a control group consisting of 168 HPV-negative patients with normal Papanicolaou smears, as well as a group of 228 HPV-positive female patients with CIN. By examining the diet of the patients, it was shown that women with cervical dysplasia associated with high oncogenic risk of HPV infections consumed a smaller quantity of foods containing vitamin C, beta-carotene, and folacin. Our studies indicate a relationship between nutritional habits and the development of CIN associated with HPV infection.

Content of α-tocopherol in blood serum of human Papillomavirus-infected women with cervical dysplasias

The studies were carried out in a group of 228 female patients with normal cytological smear and 324 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. The applied method of identification, i.e., the human Papillomavirus (HPV) digene hybrid capture system, made it possible to select a control group consisting of 168 HPV-negative patients with normal Pap smear, as well as a group of 228 HPV-positive patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. The high-performance liquid chromatography method was employed to evaluate the level of alpha-tocopherol in the blood serum of the patients who were examined. A statistically significantly lower level of alpha-tocopherol was observed in the blood serum of HPV-positive patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. The risk of dysplasia was four times higher for an alpha-tocopherol level < 7.95 mumol/l.

Expression of genes coding for proangiogenic factors and their receptors in human placenta complicated by preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction.

The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of genes coding for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placenta growth factor (PlGF) as well as their receptors, fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor 1 (VEGFR-1/Flt-1) and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2/KDR) in the placentae of patients with pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Tissue samples were collected from placentae of women with PE (n=31) and IUGR syndrome (n=25) as well as of healthy control women (n=31). Total RNA was extracted and purified, mRNA reversely transcribed, and amplified using real-time PCR. Expression of the examined genes was normalized to β-actin. Higher levels of PlGF (p<0.001) and Flt-1 (p<0.05) transcription were found in PE placentae compared to normal ones. A positive correlation between PlGF and Flt-1 expression was revealed in the PE patients. In conclusion, the presented data indicate the upregulation of both PlGF and Flt-1 in placentae of women with PE, which could be induced by a pathological process possibly due to endothelial dysfunction.

Semen Quality, Hormonal Levels, and Androgen Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in a Population of Young Male Volunteers from Two Different Regions of Poland

Background The population of healthy Polish men has not been frequently and systematically investigated for fertility status. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of semen in a randomly recruited population of young males. The most important task was to find a relationship between semen parameters, sex hormones, and AR gene polymorphism. Material/Methods Semen and blood samples from young men from the Poznan (n=113) and Lublin regions (n=89) were collected for semen analysis, assessment of hormonal concentrations, and calculation of the CAG and GGN repeats of the AR gene. Results Statistical comparisons of the hormones and circulating proteins and the seminological parameters revealed significant differences between the regional groups of males studied. Among the correlations found, we emphasize the positive relationship between inhibin B levels and both the number of spermatozoa per ml (R=0.37; p=0.0001) and the total sperm concentration (R=0.40; p=0.00003). Positive correlations between IGF1 and sperm morphology was also found (R=0.40; p=0.000004). The mean number of CAG repeats in our tested groups was 21.93±2.79, in a range from 16 to 31. The mean number of GGN repeats was 23.2±1.66 and ranged from 16 to 29. Numerous significant correlations were found between CAG or GGN repeats and blood hormones or circulating proteins and semen parameters; however, Spearman’s rank correlations revealed rather weak coefficients. Conclusions This report attempted to determine the quality of semen samples and sex hormones in a population of Polish young men. The results were found to be similar to data obtained in Scandinavia. The calculated means and range of CAG or GGN repeats of the AR gene in Polish males were similar to West European epidemiological data.