ABSTRACT
Aim: Human infertility is a public problem and a cause of social and psychological complications affecting more than 50 million couples globally. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous environmental endocrine disrupting chemical and has been associated with infertility problems in women.The aim of the present study was to analyze concentrations of bisphenol A and circulating hormones in infertile Saudi women for evaluating the association of BPA with infertility.Methodology: The present study was done on 43 infertile women for evaluating possible association of systemic BPA concentrations with infertility in Saudi Arabia. The clinical indications were irregular menses, hyper-androgenism, multiple small ovarian cysts, polycystic ovarian syndrome and unexplained infertility. Blood samples from infertile women and a control group of 18 healthy fertile women were analyzed and compared for concentrations of BPA and circulatory hormones. Results: The results showed that BPA concentrations were not significantly different between infertile women and controls. BPA concentrations were also not correlated with systemic hormone concentrations in infertile women. Interpretation: Serum BPA levels had no association with hormone imbalance in this cohort of infertile Saudi women. However, considering the previous studies that have shown a relationship of BPA with female infertility, an argument can be made that there might be lower exposure of Saudi population to BPA in comparison to BPA analogues such as BPS (according to recent reports). Therefore, it is suggested to conduct more infertility studies that include detection of BPA and its analogues in infertile Saudi women
ABSTRACT
Radiotherapy has been the standard therapy for locally advanced cervical cancer for decades. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy had failed to improve survival in these patients. Concomitant combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is promising in improving survival in many clinical trials with risk of increasing radiation reactions. We report a study comparing the combination of weekly cisplatin concomitant with irradiation versus irradiation alone in the same dose and technique. Sixty patients with cervical cancer [stage JIB-I VA] were randomized into two arms; either weekly cisplatin 40 mg/m2 plus radiotherapy [group A] or radiotherapy 45 Gy whole pelvis followed by intracavitary irradiation [to raise the dose to point A to 80 Gy] then parametrial irradiation with central shield for another 15 Gy [group B]. There was a significant difference in response to treatment in both arms [90% Vs. 69% respectively F<0.05]. Also, there was a statistically superior progression free and overall survival in the concomitant group [P<0.043 and p<0.0336]. The toxicity reported was generally limited in both groups and of lower grade despite being significantly higher in patients who received combination treatment. We conclude that combined modality is feasible and could be well tolerated in our patients population