Downregulation of SPARC Expression Enhances the Fusion of BeWo Choriocarcinoma Cells.

Syncytiotrophoblasts, which are formed by the fusion of villous cytotrophoblasts, play an essential role in maintaining a successful pregnancy. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a non-structural Ca2+-binding extracellular matrix glycoprotein involved in tissue remodeling and cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Previous studies have revealed that SPARC is expressed in villous and extravillous cytotrophoblasts in the first trimester and that RNA interference targeted at SPARC significantly inhibited invasion of human extravillous trophoblast HTR8/SVneo cells. However, the involvement of SPARC in cytotrophoblast fusion remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of SPARC in cytotrophoblast fusion, using the BeWo choriocarcinoma cell line as a model of villous cytotrophoblasts. Immunohistochemical analysis was conducted to assess SPARC expression in normal human placentas using placental tissues obtained during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. We investigated the effects of SPARC knockdown on trophoblast differentiation markers and cell fusion in BeWo cells using small interfering RNA. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that SPARC expression was high in the early gestational chorionic villi and low in the late gestational chorionic villi. SPARC knockdown increased the expressions of human chorionic gonadotropin and Ovo-like transcriptional repressor 1; however, glial cells missing transcription factor 1, syncytin-1, and syncytin-2 showed no significant changes. The assessment revealed that SPARC knockdown significantly enhanced cell fusion compared to the non-silencing control. Our data suggest that SPARC plays a vital role in regulating trophoblast fusion and differentiation during placental development.

Is Cervical Length a Useful Predictor of Antepartum Hemorrhage in Patients with Placenta Previa?

OBJECTIVE: Placenta previa complicates 0.3-0.5% of pregnancies and can cause sudden antepartum massive hemorrhage (APH). Previous studies have indicated that cervical length (CL) measured by transvaginal ultrasonography may be a predicting parameter for APH in patients with placenta previa; however, conflicting data exist. Thus, we investigated the association between CL and APH in patients with placenta previa. METHODS: In total, 129 singleton pregnant women with placenta previa, who delivered at our institution from January 2010 to December 2016, were included in this study. The shortest CL measured throughout gestation was used for analysis, and we defined CL less or more than 30 mm as short or normal CL, respectively. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses, and a receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve was plotted to determine the cut-off CL value to predict APH. RESULTS: APH occurred in 26 patients. The adjusted odds ratio for APH was 3.80 (95% CI, 1.36-10.65) in patients with short CL. ROC analysis was performed to determine a cut-off CL value of 35 mm to predict APH, with a sensitivity of 80.7% and a specificity of 60.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicated that CL measurements may be useful in determining patients at high risk of APH.

Monochorionic Diamniotic Twin Pregnancy; a Retrospective Study on Twintwin Transfusion Syndrome and Related Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the clinical characteristics and perinatal outcome of disorders specific to monochorionic diamniotic (MD) twin pregnancies, focusing on twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and related disorders, such as selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR), inter-twin amniotic fluid discordance (AFD), and twin anemia polycythemia sequence (TAPS). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 69 cases of MD twin pregnancies delivered after 22 weeks at our institution from January 2009 to September 2013. RESULTS: TTTS occurred in 9 cases (13%). There was a total of 11 cases (16%) of MD twins with sIUGR in this period. One case developed TTTS. All 3 cases (4%) of AFD in this study developed TTTS or sIUGR. CONCLUSION: AFD should be recognized as predictors of TTTS or sIUGR. Further studies on TTTS-related disorders allow a more precise subgroup categorization that enables optimal management.

Acquired Factor XI Deficiency with Lupus Anticoagulant in a Pregnant Woman Diagnosed by the Eruptions and Pain in Fingers.

We report a case of acquired factor XI deficiency with lupus anticoagulant (LA) in a 28-year-old primigravida who presented with finger pain and eruptions on her palms and fingers during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. The patient complained of pain and reddening of the fingers at 30 weeks of gestation. She was referred to our tertiary center with a diagnosis of preeclampsia and suspected collagen disease at 35 weeks of gestation. Erythema was seen on the fingers and palms, and she presented with pain and cryesthesia on the fingers. Laboratory investigations revealed an activated partial thromboplastin time of 51 s (normal, 23-40 s), although it was normal during the 30th and 34th gestational weeks, LA with an anticardiolipin-beta2-glycoprotein I complex antibody, and low level of clotting XI activity (25 U/mL). On week 37 day 0 of gestation, the patient presented with severe hypertension. An urgent Cesarean section was performed after transfusion of two units of fresh frozen plasma. There was no excessive bleeding during the surgery or the postpartum period. The symptoms on her fingers and palms gradually improved after surgery. Our case indicates that dermatoses of pregnancy may become a starting point for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases and coagulation abnormalities. When a patient presents with an atypical symptom, as in our case, the possibility of various diseases should be considered.

Case of metastatic uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma in the right atrium.

INTRODUCTION: Metastasis of uterine cervical carcinoma to the heart is uncommon and cases with metastasis to the right atrium are especially rare. This type of metastasis occurs in the epicardium and the myocardium in over 90% of cases with a heart metastatic tumor. Most cases of a metastatic tumor in the heart are found by chance during autopsy. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a patient with stage IIa uterine cervical carcinoma who visited our hospital with a chief complaint of arrhythmia 1.9 years after surgical treatment of carcinoma. CT and MRI showed that recurrent metastatic uterine cervical carcinoma had grown from the inferior vena cava upward into the right atrium. CONCLUSION: Although gynecological malignant tumors rarely metastasize to the heart, it is important to consider this possibility in patients with chest symptoms, and to make an early definite diagnosis and give appropriate treatment.

Uteroplacental circulation, preeclampsia, and maternal abdominal aortic stiffness in normal and compromised pregnancies.

A study of 82 normal and 60 compromised pregnant women who were identified by uterine artery Doppler flow waveform systolic/diastolic ratio >95th percentile (increased peripheral resistance) was carried out to examine the elastic properties of the maternal abdominal aorta (AA). An aortic stiffness index (SI) was measured between 18 and 40 weeks at four-weekly intervals with a phase-locked loop ultrasound technique to estimate the aortic systolic and diastolic diameters and their correlation with blood pressure. In the normal group, the aortic systolic and diastolic diameters, as well as the SI, increased with the maternal age. In the compromised group, aortic diameter and blood pressure were normal, but the SI during the early second trimester was increased. Twenty-two women from the compromised group with an SI above the 95th percentile for their age had a significantly higher prevalence of preeclampsia in comparison with women with a normal SI (P<0.001). The aortic SI was significantly higher in severe than in mild preeclampsia. This study demonstrates that stiffness of the AA is increased in pregnant women with preeclampsia and that a progressive increase of the SI in serial studies is associated with severity of the disease. Aberrant hemodynamic adaptation in preeclampsia seems to include increased stiffness of the larger artery besides high resistance in small peripheral arteries.

Evaluation of 25 years of Uterine Cervical Cancer Screening at Tokai University Hospital Health Evaluation and Promotion Center.

The total number of persons who underwent uterine cervical cancer screening at the Tokai University Hospital Health Evaluation and Promotion Center during the 25-year period from January 1976 to March 2001 was 30,173 (gross number: 111,181). Since 1995, more than 6,500 females have visited the center annually, and more than 70% were 40-59 years of age. Among these females, 849 exhibited atypical changes higher than class IIIa in the cytological examination (class IIIa: 779, IIIb: 43. IV: 14 and V: 13), and the detection rate was 0.76%. In examining the relationship between the age and number of visits to the center and the detection rate of atypical changes observed in the cytological examination, patients in their 40s exhibited the highest detection rate (1.31%), and the rate at the first screening was 1.19%. Analysis of the age distribution for the detection rate of atypical changes in the cytological examination before 1989 and after 1990 showed that persons in their 40s and 50s had high rates (1.62% and 1.69%, respectively) before 1989, but since 1990 persons in their 20s, 30s and 40s exhibited high rates (2.86%, 2.16% and 2.61%, respectively) (p ＜ 0.001). This suggests a lowering of the age at which atypical changes are observed in the cytological examination.