Ellipticine induces apoptosis in human endometrial cancer cells: the potential involvement of reactive oxygen species and mitogen-activated protein kinases.

Ellipticine, an alkaloid isolated from Apocyanaceae plants, has been shown to exhibit antitumor activity in several human malignant tissues including breast, thyroid, and ovarian cancers. The antitumor activity of ellipticine is thought to be primarily mediated by the induction of DNA damage through the inhibition of topoisomerase II and formation of DNA adducts. The human endometrium is known to express topoisomerase II. However, the apoptogenic activity of ellipticine and the mechanisms underlying its action have not been investigated in endometrial cancer cells. In the present study, exposure to ellipticine (1-10µM) was shown to induce apoptosis in RL95-2 human endometrial cancer cells. Ellipticine-induced cell death was associated with the accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and was accompanied by depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from the mitochondrial membrane, and caspase activation. The production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was increased and sustained at high levels during ellipticine treatment. Subsequent to ROS accumulation, extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were activated in ellipticine-treated cells. Release of AIF from the mitochondria appeared to be affected by caspases, ROS, and ERK. The present data show that the treatment of RL95-2 cells with ellipticine induces apoptosis, ellipticine-induced apoptosis is mediated by ROS and the activation of MAPKs, and release of AIF is involved in a caspase-independent pathway. These results demonstrate the potential of ellipticine as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of human endometrial cancers.

Soft tissue metastasis of an immature teratoma of the ovary.

In patients with immature teratoma of the ovary, blood-borne metastasis to organ parenchyma, such as the lungs, liver, or brain, are uncommon. Moreover, soft tissue metastasis is extremely rare. We describe a 31-year-old woman with an immature teratoma of the left ovary, which metastasized to soft tissue of the right thigh after surgery. Because of the rarity of this condition, we report the results of treatment and review the literature.

Bisphenol-A Concentrations from Leiomyoma Patients by LC/MS.

The aim of this study is to investigate how many leiomyoma patients are exposed to bisphenol-A (BPA) , an endocrine disruptor, and whether the serum concentration of BPA is related to leiomyoma growth. Initially, 128 patients were divided into one control and three leiomyoma groups (mild, moderate and severe) according to the size of the leiomyomas. Serum BPA concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC/MS) . Nearly two-thirds of leiomyoma patients were exposed to BPA and the range of BPA was from non-detection to 2.603 ng/ml. The mean BPA concentrations in the groups were 1.015 ± 0.775 ng/ml (control) , 0.774 ± 0.834 ng/ml (mild) , 1.261 ± 0.797 ng/ml (moderate) and 1.244 ± 0.860 ng/ml (severe) (p = 0.158) . After recombination into two group, Group 1 (control plus mild) vs. Group 2 (moderate plus severe) , higher level was found in Group 2 even with no statistical significance (p = 0.06) . In conclusion, about two-thirds of leiomyoma patients were exposed to BPA, but it may not have growth promoting effect on leiomyoma.

Effect of antenatal corticosteroid and antibiotics in pregnancies complicated by premature rupture of membranes between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation.

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of active intervention with antenatal maternal corticosteroid and antibiotics therapy in infants delivered between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation after premature rupture of membrane. This retrospective study included pregnant women complicated by preterm delivery at the Dong-A University Hospital from 1998 to 2002. Patients were divided into labor induction group 1 (n=20), observation group 2 (n=19), and medication group 3 (n=20). We evaluated the effects of prolongation of pregnancy and intervention with maternal corticosteroids and antibiotics therapy on perinatal and neonatal outcomes. Each group did not have a significant difference (p<0.05) in neonatal outcomes, such as respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, retinopathy of prematurity, pneumonia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and sepsis. The mean latency period was 4.7 days and 7.6 days in groups 2 and 3, respectively. Therefore, this study was unable to demonstrate any beneficial effects of corticosteroids in improving neonatal outcomes and prolongation of the latency period with antibiotics.

A case of Cushing s syndrome in pregnancy secondary to an adrenal cortical adenoma.

Cushing s syndrome in pregnant women is rare and difficult to be diagnosed because of the syndrome's association with oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea and the changes in cortisol metabolism during normal pregnancy. Cushing syndrome in pregnancy is usually confused with complicated pregnancy, such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes, and its rarity leads to a low degree of clinical suspicion, often delaying diagnosis. We experienced a case of Cushing s syndrome in pregnancy, which had been considered as the severe preeclampsia and gestational diabetes due to uncontrolled hypertension and hyperglycemia. The pregnancy was terminated with an emergency cesarean operation at 30 weeks of gestation because of severe preeclampsia. In consequence of the evaluation about the Cushing s syndrome after delivery, the adrenal cortical adenoma of right adrenal gland was diagnosed and laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed.