The effect of COX-2 inhibitor, nimesulide, on angiogenetic factors in primary endometrial carcinoma cell culture.

Angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels from preexisting capillaries, is essential for the development, growth and advancement of solid tumours. Angiogenesis is enhanced by prostaglandins (PGs) that are synthesised by the catalysis of cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) from arachidonic acid. COX-2 is upregulated in a variety of malignancies and favours the growth of malignant cells by stimulating proliferation and angiogenesis. The aim of this study is to investigate the angiogenetic process by determining the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and interleukin (IL)-8 in endometrial cancer cells and to study the effect of nimesulide, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, on these mediators using cell culture. Endometrial tissue specimens were obtained from subjects with endometrial cancer and intramural leiomyoma. Cells were incubated with either 10 or 50 microM nimesulide for 24 h. VEGF, MCP-1 and IL-8 concentrations were determined by sandwich quantitative enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). VEGF concentration was significantly higher in cancer cells than normal endometrial cells. VEGF was decreased with 10 microM nimesulide in cancer cells whereas it remained unaltered in normal cells. Both MCP-1 and IL-8 concentrations were lower in cancer cells than normal cells. MCP-1 levels were decreased with both doses of nimesulide in normal cells, whereas IL-8 levels were significantly affected only by 50 microM of nimesulide. These results suggest that COX-2 inhibitors may be effective in the treatment of endometrial cancer via suppression of angiogenesis.

Natural contraception using the Billings ovulation method.

OBJECTIVE: The Billings ovulation method (BOM) is a medical model of a natural procreation education method based on scientific observation of the changes in the cervical mucus. In this study we examined Turkish women's interest in accurate usage of cervical mucus changes in determining the ovulation time. METHOD: Fifteen regularly cycling women monitored their fertility patterns in 30 cycles using the BOM and urine luteinizing hormone (LH) kits. At the end ofeach cycle, the cervical mucus monitoring chart and LH kits were collected from the subjects and analyzed. RESULTS: The cervical mucus symptoms defined a potential fertile period of 10 days' average length, with the 'peak' mucus characteristic occurring at a mean of day 13.65 +/- 2.62 of the cycle. The duration ofthe LH surge, as observed in early morning urine samples, averaged 5 days, with the peak occurring at a mean of day 13.40 +/- 2.58 of the cycle. Data indicated that there was a strong correlation between LH in the urine and the peak in self-observed, cervical-vaginal mucus (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study proved that women can distinguish patterns of ovulation and anovulation by self-detection of variations in cervical mucus characteristics, and that urinary LH levels strongly correlate with ovulation.