Mitochondrial supercomplex assembly promotes breast and endometrial tumorigenesis by metabolic alterations and enhanced hypoxia tolerance.

Recent advance in cancer research sheds light on the contribution of mitochondrial respiration in tumorigenesis, as they efficiently produce ATP and oncogenic metabolites that will facilitate cancer cell growth. Here we show that a stabilizing factor for mitochondrial supercomplex assembly, COX7RP/COX7A2L/SCAF1, is abundantly expressed in clinical breast and endometrial cancers. Moreover, COX7RP overexpression associates with prognosis of breast cancer patients. We demonstrate that COX7RP overexpression in breast and endometrial cancer cells promotes in vitro and in vivo growth, stabilizes mitochondrial supercomplex assembly even in hypoxic states, and increases hypoxia tolerance. Metabolomic analyses reveal that COX7RP overexpression modulates the metabolic profile of cancer cells, particularly the steady-state levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. Notably, silencing of each subunit of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex decreases the COX7RP-stimulated cancer cell growth. Our results indicate that COX7RP is a growth-regulatory factor for breast and endometrial cancer cells by regulating metabolic pathways and energy production.

The Endometriosis Fertility Index Is Useful for Predicting the Ability to Conceive without Assisted Reproductive Technology Treatment after Laparoscopic Surgery, Regardless of Endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: The endometriosis fertility index (EFI) is a novel index for predicting pregnancy after surgery. We investigated the utility of the EFI for predicting the ability to conceive without assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment after laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: From July 2011 through December 2012, we recruited 133 infertile patients who underwent laparoscopy, and the EFI was calculated. After surgery, 55 of 133 achieved pregnancy without ART treatment. We evaluated the factors that predicted a naturally successful pregnancy and compared them between the pregnant and non-pregnant subjects. RESULTS: On a univariate linear regression analysis, we found that a younger age, shorter duration of infertility, and higher EFI were positively associated with a successful pregnancy without ART after laparoscopic surgery (p < 0.05). According to 50th percentile EFI, the cutoff EFI predicting a successful pregnancy without ART was 7, the pregnancy rate in the high-EFI group (EFI; 8-10) was significantly higher than that in the low-EFI group (EFI ≤7; p < 0.05), but the duration to natural conception after surgery was similar between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: The EFI possesses greater predictive power for a successful pregnancy with natural intercourse or intrauterine insemination in infertile patients, regardless of endometriosis, than the Revised-American Society of Reproductive Medicine classification.

Bradycardia and cardiac arrest caused by intramyometrial injection of vasopressin during a laparoscopically assisted myomectomy.

BACKGROUND: Vasopressin is often used locally to reduce blood loss during surgery. The use of a local infiltration of a low concentration of vasopressin, less than 0.05-0.3 units/mL, has been considered to be safe. The use of low-dose vasopressin is not free of side effects, and it can also sometimes cause lethal complications. CASE: In a healthy woman with multiple uterine myomas, we experienced a case of sudden cardiac arrest immediately after the intramyometrial injection of vasopressin at a total dose of 11 units (0.2 units/mL). The patient was successfully resuscitated. CONCLUSION: Local intramyometrial infiltration of low-dose vasopressin may cause lethal cardiopulmonary complications.