Trauma May Play a Role in Endometriosis Pathogenesis

 Childhood and Adult trauma May Play a Role in Endometriosis Pathogenesis

    The article right away dives into the many possibilities that childhood and adult trauma is linked to endometriosis. The University of Barcelona has participated in the study and found very important information that there is linkage between trauma and this condition. Endometriosis is defined as a "chronic systemic inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus." More so, the type of trauma most women have been seen with the linkage of endometriosis is physical abuse or sexual assault. 17% of women in the study found to have witnessed a sudden death, 16% experienced sexual assault, and lastly 36% have received news on having a life threatening diagnosis. Early endometriosis screening programs are becoming more known in order to try and get ahead of this condition. 

    

    After coming across and reading this article, I would have never even have imagine trauma could be related to endometriosis. I find it kind of fascinating in a sense and wonder what else other than early screening could be done to help women. I haven't even really heard of endometriosis until reading this article, and I hope no woman has to go through this. 

Sources:

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250206/Childhood-and-adult-trauma-may-play-a-role-in-endometriosis-pathogenesis.aspx

https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2018/07/endometriosis-linked-to-childhood-abuse.html

CRISPR

Imagine, curing a fatal disease before birth. In an article form Science Daily a research shows that the gene editing tool CRISPR is helping make this possible. Using an animal model, a team at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has managed to out play a lethal lung disease which causes death hours after birth. The team is hoping to solve congenital diseases like cystic fibrosis. Using precisely timed in utero delivery of the CRISPR reagents into the amniotic fluid during the fetal development they were able to target changes in the lungs of mice. They introduced the gene editors four days before birth, which would be the third trimester for humans. In a second experiment they were able to reduce the severity of a lung disease known as surfactant protein C deficiency or SFTPC, which has a common disease causing mutation in the human SFTPC gene. 100% of the untreated mice died of respiratory failure within hours of birth. However, the treated mice showed a 22% survival rate. When I think of genetics the progress we’ve made is barely scratching the surface of the possibilities that lie ahead. Imagine a world where we don’t have to fear for the health of our unborn children. Through genetics, a disease free world doesn’t seem like such a far fetched idea.

A Pregnancy Souvenir: Cells That Are Not Your Own

A team of pathologists at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands found that chromosomes from a growing fetus venture off into the mother's body and into many different organs and tissues.  

It was easier to distinguish this in mothers bearing sons because the chromosome that distinguishes males from females is the Y chromosome (male sex chromosome).  

The pathologists started by collecting tissue from 26 women who had died during or after giving birth to their male babies.  It was found that there were Y chromosomes found in every tissue sample taken!(brains, hearts, kidneys, etc.)

This phenomenon was linked to fetal microchimerism, identified in the 1990s by scientists that found that cells from both sons and daughters could leave through the uterus and into many different cells of the body.  This name is derived from the Greek mythology monster, Chimera, that was a goat, lion and dragon all at once.

Recent studies suggest that women always acquire fetal cells each time they become pregnant and these cells can linger in her system for a long time or can eventually disappear.  It is controversial whether or not these cells can be beneficial or harmful to an expecting mother because of the different studies done and what beneficial and hindering effects pregnancy may have on a mother (better healing abilities, postpartum depression or even cancer?).  

More studies will develop over time to better understand the significance of fetal cells in pregnant mothers

I think this is so interesting.  Who would have known that male chromosomes could be swimming around in a mother during and after her pregnancy?  It probably would have been detected sooner but it is easier to distinguish the Y chromosome of a son in the body of a female as opposed to an X chromosome in a female from an unborn daughter.

To read the full article click here or here