Timur Seckin

Timur Seckin is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a B.S in Molecular Environmental Biology. In addition to microbiology, biochemistry, and endocrinology, he has taken advanced courses in both statistics, public health, and psychology.

Combination of noninvasive biomarkers in the identification of endometriosis

The combined measurement of urine enolase, serum CA125, and CA19-9 may be an accurate test for the prediction and detection of endometriosis. This is according to a study published in the journal BioMedical Research International. The gold standard for the diagnosis of endometriosis is laparoscopy and histopathological examination. However, research on biomarkers as noninvasive diagnostic tests for earlier identification of endometriosis is going on. Recently, a team of researchers from Iran and Germany conducted a cross-sectional study to verify the accuracy…

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Body mass index, the incidence of endometriosis and the severity of dysmenorrhoea

According to a case-control study conducted by researchers from China, there is no association between body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of endometriosis. This finding contrasts with the conventional knowledge that low BMI is a risk factor for endometriosis. In earlier literature, a low body mass index is thought to be a risk factor, and some recent studies indicated that women with normal BMI also likely to develop endometriosis, implying that the issue is still controversial. The research team…

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Factors affecting the quality of life of women with endometriosis

Results from a new study suggest that the quality of life of women with endometriosis is significantly affected by their confidence to manage pain and their belief in the evolution of their condition. In this study, led by Rees M. et al., published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 230 women with endometriosis from the United Kingdom who have been taking part in a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study between November 2014 and April 2015 were analyzed. The role of pain self-efficacy, health…

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A Call for Pan-Canadian Collaboration for the Care and Quality of Life of Endometriosis Patients

Wahl KJ et al., from Canada, drew attention to the lack of health care for endometriosis patients who are estimated to be 1 million in number in Canada in their recent brief communication report. The delay in the diagnosis, the difficulty to access to effective treatment and ignorance of symptoms of endometriosis patients even by their nearest ones cause progressive physical disability and significant mental health challenges, including thoughts of suicide. The advanced stages of endometriosis and contributors to complex…

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Voiding Dysfunction after Colorectal Surgery for Endometriosis

Postoperative voiding dysfunction is a less frequent complication of rectal shaving than that of discoid excision or segmental resection in patients undergoing colorectal surgery for endometriosis, regardless of its definition. This is according to a meta-analysis conducted by researchers from France and the USA. Vesale E. and the team performed a systematic review of 51 studies, and included 13 of them for this meta-analysis, with the aim of evaluating the rates of voiding dysfunction grouped by the surgical approach, i.e.…

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Adolescent endometriosis

A recent article, led by experts from Peking Medical Union College, describes the clinical characteristics and postoperative symptoms of adolescent endometriosis. The authors inform that their report, which is published in the "Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology", can provide new insight for physicians when they are performing the counseling for the adolescent endometriosis patients. The study describes the clinical characteristics of 85 adolescents with histologically confirmed endometriosis, age less than 19 years. The study team, led by Song XC et…

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Anogenital distance and endometriosis

Endometriosis may be associated with exposure of the embryo to chemicals called ‘endocrine disruptors’. Exposure to endocrine disruptors can be estimated by measuring the anogenital distance (i.e. the distance between the clitoris and the anus), using a centimeter ruler with millimeter accuracy. This information is according to a research article published in the journal "Human Reproduction Open", a team led by Dr. Crestani. The team compared the anogenital distance in 168 patients with and without endometriosis in their prospective cohort study…

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Health inequalities in USA

Dr. E. Albert Reece, the vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, specialized in maternal and fetal medicine, wrote on health disparities in the American nation, in Obstetrics and Gynecology News, on the website www.mdedge.com, in June 2017. "Health disparities, or inequities, translate not only into greater suffering for certain segments of the population, but also to significantly greater health care costs for everyone. Racial health disparities are associated with an estimated $35 billion annually in excess…

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Neglected needs of endometriosis and infertility patients during COVID-19 pandemic

With the global outbreak of the COVID-19, hospitals canceled surgeries and people are afraid of going to hospitals. However, chronic diseases still need to be managed. Rowe H. and Quinlivan J., researchers from Australia, pointed out the neglected needs of women with endometriosis during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Their paper has been recently published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology. Here, the authors shortly reviewed endometriosis and its link to infertility as well as the emotional cost. Endometriosis…

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Endometriosis and Insomnia

There should be more awareness among clinicians for the relationship between insomnia and endometriosis, the study suggests. There needs to be a suspect of endometriosis whenever the clinician faces women of reproductive age with sleep or insomnia-related symptoms. This symptom is not pathognomonic, but the complaint may be associated with dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain, fortifying the suspicion. Endometriosis managing clinicians should investigate the sleep-related symptoms more carefully, even a specialist sleep professional may be necessary. The symptoms cause to increase the…

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Transvaginal sonography for predicting the distance between rectosigmoid endometriosis and the anal verge

For optimal surgery, pre-surgical assessment of the distance between rectosigmoid deep endometriosis lesions and the anal verge (Lesion to Anal Verge Distance-LAVD) is recommended by many specialists. A group of researchers from Norway, Austria, and Australia studied the accuracy of transvaginal sonography in the pre-surgical measurement of the LAVD compared to intraoperative in vivo measurement. This paper has recently been published in the journal "Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology". The present study included 133 symptomatic rectosigmoid endometriosis patients who were…

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The link between ovarian cancer and endosalpingiosis

The presence of benign glands lined by tubal-type epithelium in the peritoneum and subperitoneal tissues is called "endosalpingiosis". A recent study that investigates the possible association between endosalpingiosis and ovarian cancer was conducted by Hermens et al., from the Netherlands, and has been published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology. In total, 2,490 women with histologically proven endosalpingiosis identified between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2015, from the database were included in the study. Among them, 1,005 (40.4%) had a concurrent histological…

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Urgent Need For Building Resilience

According to Naeem et al.’s article, “Coping with Covid”, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the ideal intervention tool to increase resilience. Their study has recently been published in "Kyber Medical University Journal". The authors investigate the psychological impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the general public and demonstrate how CBT can help alleviate the negative valence of people's moods, emotions, and attitudes. They also define how resilience can help people cope with their current situations.  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a useful intervention…

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Cycle-related gastrointestinal complaints in reproductive age young women

An analysis of 1-year data on 266 patients who presented to the Clinic and Polyclinic for Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine at Jena University Hospital to undergo surgery for endometriosis and its symptoms was performed by Nicolaous K. et al., a team of researchers from Germany. The team evaluated the type and duration of endometriosis-related symptoms and identified predictors for patterns of involvement depending on symptoms. Also, a questionnaire including parameters such as type and duration of symptoms before surgery, number…

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Endometriosis in the Urinary Bladder

A case of bladder endometriosis is reported by Geng JH, from Taiwan, and the paper has been recently published in The New England Journal Of Medicine. The patient was a 38-year-old woman presented to the outpatient urology clinic with complaints of intermittent gross hematuria, pain with urination, and pelvic pain for 6 months. She delivered by cesarean section six years earlier and had a total abdominal hysterectomy for uterine myoma and adenomyosis 1 year earlier. A hypervascular mass measuring 5.3x4.3x4.3…

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Hemorrhagic Ascites, Belly-Blood: The cause may be endometriosis!

A paper on the presentation of hemorrhagic ascites in endometriosis patients, written by Bernard et al. from the United States and China, was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility. From 1978 to 2016, the authors found only 37 articles, which describe 42 endometriosis patients with clinically significant ascites, encapsulating peritonitis, or frozen abdomen. In most of the cases reviewed, ascites started gradually and women presented with complaints of abdominal distention. Many of the patients described in these articles presented with one of the…

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Endometriosis of the Appendix

Endometriosis of the gastrointestinal tract is infrequent, and it rarely involves the appendix. A group of researchers from the United States of America reported a case of a 50-year-old postmenopausal woman with endometriosis in the vermiform appendix presenting as acute appendicitis. Their paper was published in the journal "Cureus". The patient presented to the emergency department with a three-week history of sharp, non-radiating, intermittent, moderate right lower quadrant abdominal pain. She had a history of hypertension and adenomyosis with abnormal…

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How to predict complications for endometriosis surgery?

In a new study co-led by scientists at Sorbonne University, a nomogram is built to better inform patients about the risk of deep endometriosis surgery without bowel involvement. The findings have been published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X, a peer-reviewed and open access mirror journal of the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. To find the incidence of complications after surgery for deep endometriosis without bowel involvement, Poupon C and colleagues…

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Fusion US/MR imaging in the evaluation of deep infiltrating endometriosis

Scioscia M. et al., from Italy presented a case of a large deep infiltrating nodule of the uterosacral ligament and discussed the importance of a relatively new technique, fusion US/MR imaging in their article. The article containing a video of dynamic evaluation using MR/ultrasound fusion technique and at laparoscopy has been published in the "Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology". The lesion deepened into the parametrium and medially infiltrates the rectum. MR/ultrasound fusion imaging verified the entrapment of the left hypogastric…

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Plasma Energy for Ovarian Endometriomas

There are many different approaches used in the management of ovarian endometriomas such as stripping cystectomy, ablation, including electrical/thermal and CO2 laser ablation, fenestration/aspiration, and combined techniques. Plasma energy is a new promising treatment option for ovarian endometrioma and may be an alternative to stripping cystectomy. This is according to a study conducted by researchers from the Netherlands and published in the Facts, Views and Vision in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. In this retrospective cohort study, researchers evaluated the efficacy of this…

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