Angiopoietin-1 and -2 and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in ovarian grafts after cryopreservation using two methods.

OBJECTIVE: The favored method of preserving fertility in young female cancer survivors is cryopreservation and autotransplantation of ovarian tissue. Reducing hypoxia until angiogenesis takes place is essential for the survival of transplanted ovarian tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of angiopoietin-1 (Angpt-1), angiopoietin-2 (Angpt-2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ovarian tissue grafts that were cryopreserved using two methods. METHODS: Ovarian tissues harvested from ICR mice were divided into three groups: group I (control), no cryopreservation; group II, vitrification in EFS (ethylene-glycol, ficoll, and sucrose solution)-40; and group III, slow freezing in dimethyl sulfoxide. We extracted mRNA for VEGF, Angpt-1, and Angpt-2 from ovarian tissue 1 week following cryopreservation and again 2 weeks after autotransplantation. We used reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to quantify the levels of VEGF, Angpt-1, and Angpt-2 in the tissue. RESULTS: Angpt-1 and Angpt-2 expression decreased after cryopreservation in groups II and III. After autotransplantation, Angpt-1 and Angpt-2 expression in ovarian tissue showed different trends. Angpt-1 expression in groups II and III was lower than in group I, but Angpt-2 in groups II and III showed no significant difference from group I. The vitrified ovarian tissues had higher expression of VEGF and Angpt-2 than the slowfrozen ovarian tissues, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that Angpt-2 may play an important role in ovarian tissue transplantation after cryopreservation although further studies are needed to understand its exact function.

Who Really Benefits from 3D-Based Planning of Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer?

BACKGROUND: Although intracavitary radiotherapy (ICR) is essential for the radiation therapy of cervical cancer, few institutions in Korea perform 3-dimensional (3D)-based ICR. To identify patients who would benefit from 3D-based ICR, dosimetric parameters for tumor targets and organs at risk (OARs) were compared between 2-dimensional (2D)- and 3D-based ICR. METHODS: Twenty patients with locally advanced cervical cancer who underwent external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) following 3D-based ICR were retrospectively evaluated. New 2D-based plans based on the Manchester system were developed. Tumor size was measured by magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: The mean high risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV) D90 value was about 10% lower for 2D- than for 3D-based plans (88.4% vs. 97.7%; P = 0.068). Tumor coverage did not differ between 2D- and 3D-based plans in patients with tumors ≤ 4 cm at the time of brachytherapy, but the mean HR-CTV D90 values in patients with tumors > 4 cm were significantly higher for 3D-based plans than for 2D-based plans (96.0% vs. 78.1%; P = 0.017). Similar results were found for patients with tumors > 5 cm initially. Other dosimetric parameters for OARs were similar between 2D- and 3D-based plans, except that mean sigmoid D2cc was higher for 2D- than for 3D-based plans (67.5% vs. 58.8%; P = 0.043). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that 3D-based ICR plans improve tumor coverage while satisfying the dose constraints for OARs. 3D-based ICR should be considered in patients with tumors > 4 cm size at the time of brachytherapy or > 5 cm initially.

Rapid deterioration of preexisting renal insufficiency after autologous mesenchymal stem cell therapy.

Administration of autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown to improve renal function and histological findings in acute kidney injury (AKI) models. However, its effects in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are unclear, particularly in the clinical setting. Here, we report our experience with a CKD patient who was treated by intravenous infusion of autologous MSCs derived from adipose tissue in an unknown clinic outside of Korea. The renal function of the patient had been stable for several years before MSC administration. One week after the autologous MSC infusion, the preexisting renal insufficiency was rapidly aggravated without any other evidence of AKI. Hemodialysis was started 3 months after MSC administration. Renal biopsy findings at dialysis showed severe interstitial fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration, with a few cells expressing CD34 and CD117, 2 surface markers of stem cells. This case highlights the potential nephrotoxicity of autologous MSC therapy in CKD patients.

Management of Endometrial Hyperplasia With a Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine System: A Korean Gynecologic-Oncology Group Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) for treatment of endometrial hyperplasia (EH). METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was conducted from November 2010 to March 2014. Patients with histologically confirmed EH were treated with LNG-IUS. At 3, 6, and 9 months after LNG-IUS insertion, follow-up endometrial aspiration biopsies with the LNG-IUS in the uterus were undertaken. At the 12th month of follow-up, endometrial tissues were obtained via 2 methods: endometrial aspiration biopsy with the LNG-IUS in the uterus, followed by dilatation and curettage (D&C) after LNG-IUS removal. The primary outcome was the regression rate at 12 months after LNG-IUS insertion, and the secondary outcome was the consistency of the results between the endometrial aspiration biopsy and the D&C. RESULTS: The study population comprised 75 patients, including 37 with simple hyperplasia without atypia; 3 with atypical simple hyperplasia; 23 with complex hyperplasia without atypia, and 12 with atypical complex hyperplasia. Of these patients treated with the LNG-IUS, 38 (50.7%) were followed up at 12 months after LNG-IUS insertion. The complete regression rate at 12 months was 94.7% (36/38): 100% (6/6) of patients with atypical EH and 93.7% (30/32) with EH without atypia. In all of the cases (100%, 36/36), patients achieved complete regression within 3 months of LNG-IUS insertion. A comparison of the pathologic results from endometrial aspiration biopsy and D&C was carried out for 15 patients. In the histologic results by endometrial aspiration biopsy, 14 patients were diagnosed as "normal endometrium" and 1 as "insufficient tissue for pathologic evaluation." Among the 14 cases of normal endometrium by endometrial aspiration biopsy, 1 was diagnosed as "residual EH" by D&C, and the 1 case with insufficient tissue was diagnosed as normal endometrium by D&C. CONCLUSIONS: Levonorgestrel intrauterine system is an effective and favorable method for treatment of EH.

Torsion of a parasitic myoma that developed after abdominal myomectomy.

Iatrogenic parasitic myomas are rare. The condition is defined by the presence of multiple smooth-muscle tumorous nodules in the peritoneal cavity. This may be attributable to seeding of myoma particles during uterine surgery. The clinical course is usually indolent. The disease is often asymptomatic and is usually discovered only incidentally. A 38-year-old woman who had undergone abdominal myomectomy 7 months prior presented with acute abdominal pain and a huge pelvic mass. We performed exploratory laparotomy. A parasitic mass 17 cm in diameter with a twisted omental pedicle was identified. En bloc excision of the mass and omentum was performed, followed by total abdominal hysterectomy. Histopathological examination of multiple sections revealed features compatible with an infarcted leiomyoma. Thus, we present a very rare case of an iatrogenic, rapidly growing parasitic myoma complicated by omental torsion (which caused the acute abdominal pain). We also offer a literature review.

Failure of uterine artery embolization for controlling postpartum hemorrhage.

AIM: We evaluated the efficacy of uterine artery embolization (UAE) for controlling postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2008 and December 2009, 23 women with intractable PPH underwent UAE. Specific diagnoses included uterine atony (n = 10), placenta accreta (n = 8), puerperal hematoma (n = 2) and placental polyp (n = 3). RESULTS: Of 10 patients with uterine atony, treatment with UAE failed in two women with severe vasoconstriction. One patient developed lumbosacral plexopathy. All eight patients with placenta accreta were treated successfully with the placement of multiple sutures in the placental bed and UAE. Two of the three women with placental polyps were treated successfully with UAE and packing of the uterus. CONCLUSIONS: Embolization should follow resuscitation for vascular collapse. In the case of an adherent placenta, embolization is more effective with the placement of multiple sutures in the placental bed or compression of the placental bed.

Efficacy of array comparative genomic hybridization in a fetus with an inherited apparently balanced translocation: A case report.

When one parent is discovered to have the same apparently balanced genetic rearrangement as that identified at prenatal diagnosis, many couples are advised to seek a more precise prenatal diagnosis for reassurance. A 25-year-old translocation carrier, who carried a fetus with partial trisomy 3q and partial monosomy 9p with omphalocele in a previous pregnancy, showed the same apparently balanced translocation at chorionic villus sampling. A truly balanced translocation without cryptic imbalances for the fetus was detected using array comparative genomic hybridization. For cryptic unbalanced defects, in which an apparently balanced translocation has been transmitted from a normal parent to a child with a phenotypic abnormality, the use of array comparative genomic hybridization to assess the presence of cryptic aberrations in the fetus combines the speed of DNA analysis with a comprehensive scan for submicroscopic genomic abnormalities.

Endometrial carcinoma in a patient having 45,X Turner syndrome with gonadal mosaicism.

Only three cases of endometrial carcinoma in women with possibly pure 45,X Turner syndrome without previous unopposed estrogen therapy have been reported. A 46-year-old single nulligravid woman with Turner syndrome phenotype, spontaneous menstruation, and well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the endometrium was diagnosed as having the 45,X karyotype from peripheral blood, skin, buccal cells, and endometrium, which was confirmed using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Analysis of the ovarian tissue using FISH confirmed 45,X/46,XX mosaicism. Gonadal mosaicism may help to interpret spontaneous menstruation and endometrial carcinoma in possibly pure 45,X Turner syndrome. We conclude that a molecular analysis of lymphocytes and various tissues is necessary for detecting low-level mosaicism in apparently homogeneous 45,X women.