Endometrial hepatoid adenocarcinoma: a rare cause of elevated serum α-fetoprotein.

Hepatoid adenocarcinoma is a rare and unusual tumor in the female genital tract. Hepatoid adenocarcinoma resembles hepatocellular carcinoma morphologically but develops in extrahepatic organs, and usually demonstrates foci of adenocarcinoma of the primary organ. Tumor cells often stain positive for anti-α-fetoprotein antibody, and may be associated with elevated serum α-fetoprotein, which may be useful as a tumor marker to guide treatment. There is little reliable information to guide clinical management of these unusual tumors and prognosis is poor despite multi-modal treatment. This report describes the diagnosis and treatment of this tumor in a postmenopausal woman.

Progress in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in Zhejiang province, China, 2007-2013.

This is a retrospective study based on surveillance of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type-1 (HIV-1) positive pregnant women and their children in China's Zhejiang Province. HIV counseling and testing, mother and infant characteristics, and outcomes are reported here. This study compares two principal periods, the period from 2007-2009 and the period from 2010 to 2013. The average rate of HIV counseling among pregnant women rose from 84.87% during the earlier period to 99.08% during the latter period. And the rate of HIV testing also rose significantly, from 80.60% to 98.58%. The HIV-1 prevalence among pregnant women increased slightly, from 0.01% to 0.02%. Over 70% of infected women were migrants. Half of these HIV-1 positive pregnant women were 20-30 years old. Significant differences in the characteristics of HIV-1 positive pregnant women were observed with time. The proportion of women who were employed increased dramatically from an average of 15.03% during 2007-2009 to an average of 31.34% during 2010-2013 and the proportion of women who had completed high school education increased from 0.52% to 6.51%. During 2007-2009, an average of 3.11% of these women was diagnosed before their pregnancies. During 2010-2013, this average reached to 32.53%. Sexual contact remained the primary route of transmission route during both periods, accounting for half of the infections. The proportion of women who had acquired HIV by blood transfusion declined noticeably. The proportion of mothers and children with antiretroviral therapy increased considerably over time. The overall mother-to-child transmission rate was found to be 7.14%. Although some progress has been made, further work should be performed, fostering early identification and timely therapy. Particular attention should be paid to health care of migrants.

[Expression and clinical significance of Beclin1 and PTEN in endometrial carcinoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma is unclear. This study was to explore the expression of beclin1 (BECN1) and PTEN in endometrial carcinoma, and investigate their correlations to clinicopathologic features of endometrial carcinoma. METHODS: The expression of BECN1 and PTEN in 79 specimens of endometrial carcinoma, 34 specimens of endometrial hyperplasia, and 22 specimens of normal endometria were detected by PowerVision immunohistochemistry. Their correlations to clinicopathologic features of endometrial carcinoma were analyzed. RESULTS: The positive rates of BECN1 and PTEN were the highest in normal endometria, and diminished gradually in endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma (93.33%, 58.82%, and 34.18%, Chi (2)=42.318, P<0.001, 93.33%, 64.71%, and 32.91%, Chi(2)=31.746, P<0.001). The expression of BECN1 was correlated to cell differentiation and histological type, but not to pathologic stage and myometrial invasion. The expression of PTEN was correlated to cell differentiation, histological type, and myometrial invasion, but not to pathologic stage. The expression of BECN1 was positively correlated to that of PTEN in endometrial carcinoma. CONCLUSION: The down-regulation of BECN1 and PTEN may be correlated to carcinogenesis of endometrioid adenocarcinoma.