Rho differentially regulates the Hippo pathway by modulating the interaction between Amot and Nf2 in the blastocyst

The Hippo pathway modulates the transcriptional activity of Yap to regulate the differentiation of the inner cell mass (ICM) and the trophectoderm (TE) in blastocysts. Yet how Hippo signaling is differentially regulated in ICM and TE cells is poorly understood. Through an inhibitor/activator screen, we have identified Rho as a negative regulator of Hippo in TE cells, and PKA as a positive regulator of Hippo in ICM cells. We further elucidated a novel mechanism by which Rho suppresses Hippo, distinct from the prevailing view that Rho inhibits Hippo signaling through modulating cytoskeleton remodeling and/or cell polarity. Active Rho prevents the phosphorylation of Amot Ser176, thus stabilizing the interaction between Amot and F-actin, and restricting the binding between Amot and Nf2. Moreover, Rho attenuates the interaction between Amot and Nf2 by binding to the coiled-coil domain of Amot. By blocking the association of Nf2 and Amot, Rho suppresses Hippo in TE cells.

Laparoscopic extraperitoneal uterine suspension with suture line instead of mesh

OBJECTIVE

To compare the safety and effectiveness of two different materials (mesh and suture line) used in laparoscopic extraperitoneal uterine suspension.

DESIGN

A retrospective observational study.

SETTING

Gynaecology departments in two hospitals in China.

POPULATION

Women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse (POP) of stage II or higher.

METHODS

The women were divided into two groups according to the two different materials for laparoscopic extraperitoneal uterine suspension: mesh or suture line. The baseline characteristics, perioperative details, complications, objective and subjective indexes of the two groups were compared.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was subjective satisfaction rate based upon validated questionnaires. The secondary outcome was objective anatomic assessment with the POP-Q system.

RESULTS

No difference was found in baseline characteristics and perioperative details except that there were more cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated other surgeries in the Line than the Mesh group (36 versus 19, P < 0.05; 12 versus 2, P < 0.05). Statistically significant improvements were found in anatomical measures of points Aa, Ba, Ap, Bp, C and TVL (P < 0.01), as well as functional and quality-of-life measures (P < 0.01 for PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7) between both groups. The postoperative PFDI-20, PFIQ-7 and PGI-I scores were not different between two groups (P > 0.05). Two cases of deep wound infection were observed in Mesh group at 3-month follow up.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic extraperitoneal linear uterine suspension is easy to perform and is associated with fewer mesh-related complications. It is more secure, especially in elderly women and in those with physical complications.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Laparoscopic extraperitoneal linear uterine suspension is safe, with fewer mesh-related complications.

Expression of the interleukin-21 and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 in Kimura disease

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expressions of interleukin (IL)-21 and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK1/2) in Kimura disease (KD) and to correlate the findings with clinical and prognostic variables.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical analysis of IL-21 and pERK1/2 was performed in 18 cases of KD and five gender- and age-matched control samples. Clinical data were extracted and patients followed up for a mean period of 32.1 months.

RESULTS

After a mean follow-up period of 32.1 months (range 1-102 months), recurrence was diagnosed as the end point for seven patients-that is, a 44% (7/16) cumulative recurrence rate. In comparison with gender- and age-matched controls, patients showed strong in situ expressions of IL-21 and pERK1/2, respectively (p<0.05). Patients with strong IL-21 staining intensity and overexpression of pERK1/2 had a lower recurrence rate than those with moderate staining intensity (p=0.049, p=0.019, respectively). However, differences were not statistically significant by gender, age, eosinophils, location, multiplicity, laterality, size, duration and primary outbreak. pERK1/2 was the independent prognostic factor (p=0.020), while age, gender, eosinophils, multiplicity, laterality, size, duration, primary outbreak and expression of IL-21 were not.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the IL-21/pERK1/2 pathway is activated in KD, and pERK1/2 might be considered as a potential prognostic indicator in KD.

Gonadotropins promote human ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion via a cyclooxygenase 2-dependent pathway

It is generally accepted that ovarian cancer is associated with local elevation of gonadotropins (FSH and LH), with repeated ovulation and accompanying expression of inducible cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2). However, the roles of gonadotropins and the concomitant elevation of COX2 in the development of ovarian cancer have not been fully characterized. Herein, we report that excessive FSH/LH exposure did not induce proliferation in ovarian cancer cell lines but significantly promoted cell migration and invasion. Moreover, FSH/LH treatment rapidly upregulated COX2 expression within 24 h, whereas COX1 expression remained unchanged. Further results showed that enhancement of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP9 contributed to the stimulatory effect of gonadotropins on cell migration and invasion; these effects were sufficiently blocked by a selective COX2 inhibitor. In conclusion, the present study suggests that gonadotropin-induced migration and invasion in ovarian cancer may be caused by EMT and MMP upregulation via a COX2-dependent pathway.

LncRNA expression profile of ΔNp63α in cervical squamous cancers and its suppressive effects on LIF expression

We aim to determine the lncRNA targets of ΔNp63α in cervical cancer and molecular programs in cancerous differentiation. Different profiles of the lncRNAs were assayed and validated in overexpressing p63 SiHa cells (SiHa/ΔNp63α) and the control cell lines (SiHa/pCon). ENST00000422259, ENST00000447565 (Lnc-LIF-AS) and ENST00000469965, together with their related antisense mRNA DPYD (dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, a pyrimidine catabolic pathway gene), LIF (leukemia inhibitor factor) and FLNC (filamin C) were all notably differentially expressed in both ΔNp63α overexpression cells and knockdown cells. Here, we illustrated that ΔNp63α can inhibit the levels of LIF mRNA by direct transcription regulation and decrease LIF mRNA stability by suppressing the expression of Lnc-LIF-AS. An inverse interaction of LIF and ΔNp63α expression was as well validated in clinical samples of cervical cancer, and high level of LIF in cervical cancers was related with poor patient survival. The decrease of ΔNp63α also attenuated the differentiation of cervical cancerous cells. Suggesting that ΔNp63α may be form a complex network in regulation cervical cancerous differentiation.

Cytosolic DNA sensor-initiated innate immune responses in mouse ovarian granulosa cells

Viral infections of the ovary may perturb ovarian functions. However, the mechanisms underlying innate immune responses in the ovary are poorly understood. The present study demonstrates that cytosolic viral DNA sensor signaling initiates the innate immune response in mouse ovarian granulosa cells and affects endocrine function. The cytosolic DNA sensors p204 and cGAS and their common signaling adaptor stimulator of interferon (IFN) genes (STING) were constitutively expressed in granulosa cells. Transfection with VACV70, a synthetic vaccinia virus (VACV) DNA analog, induced the expression of type I interferons (IFNA/B) and major inflammatory cytokines (TNFA and IL6) through IRF3 and NF-κB activation respectively. Moreover, several IFN-inducible antiviral proteins, including 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase, IFN-stimulating gene 15 and Mx GTPase 1, were also induced by VACV70 transfection. The innate immune responses in granulosa cells were significantly reduced by the transfection of specific small-interfering RNAs targeting p204, cGas or Sting Notably, the VACV70-triggered innate immune responses affected steroidogenesis in vivo and in vitro The data presented in this study describe the mechanism underlying ovarian immune responses to viral infection.

Effects of Ease of Retrieval on Confirmatory Information Search

We investigated the effects of ease of retrieval on confirmatory information search during and after decision making. In 2 experiments, 166 participants (96 and 70 in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively) were asked to make a decision and then to provide reasons for that decision by describing whether or not they felt that evaluating the reasons for their selection or rejection was easy or difficult. Uniform results in both experiments showed that participants who experienced easy retrieval exhibited stronger confirmatory tendencies in information search than did those who experienced difficult retrieval, irrespective of favorable (Experiment 1) or unfavorable (Experiment 2) reasons. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

[Comprehensive Evaluation of Biological Activity in Different Passage Populations of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Bone Marrow in Ovariectomy Osteoporotic Rats]

This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the biological activity in different passage populations of mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs)derived from bone marrow in ovariectomy osteoporotic rats(named OVX-rBMSCs),providing experimental basis for new osteoporotic drug development and research.OVX-rBMSCs were isolated and cultured in vitro by the whole bone marrow adherent screening method.The morphological observation,cell surface markers(CD29,CD45,CD90)detection,cell proliferation,induced differentiation experimental detection were performed to evaluate the biological activity of Passage 1,2,3,4populations(P1,P2,P3,P4)OVX-rBMSCs.The results showed that whole bone marrow adherent culture method isolated and differentially subcultured OVXrBMSCs.The morphology of P4 OVX-rBMSCs was identical fibroblast-like and had the characteristics of ultrastructure of stem cells.The CD29 positive cells rate,CD90 positive cells rate,cell proliferation index,and the osteogenic,adipogenic,chondrogenic differentiation capacities of P4 OVX-rBMSCs were significantly better than those of other populations(P<0.05).OVX-rBMSCs purity and biological activity were gradually optimized with the passaged,and among them P4 cells were superior to all the other populations.Based on these results,we report that the P4OVX-rBMSCs model developed in this study can be used to develop a new and effective medical method for osteoporotic drug screening.

GRIM-19 Restores Cervical Cancer Cell Senescence by Repressing hTERT Transcription

High telomerase activity promotes tumor growth by stabilizing damaged chromosomes and their mitotic replication. Overactivation of telomerase activity has been reported in cervical cancer, a malignancy caused by high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs). The HR-HPV E6 can activate hTERT promoter by interacting with E6AP or other binding proteins and by stabilizing the interaction between hTERT and E6AP. GRIM-19 is a novel tumor suppressor that affects multiple targets in a cell to regulate growth. We have previously reported the interaction of GRIM-19 with 18E6 and E6AP to disrupt the E6/E6AP complex and increase the autoubiquitination of E6AP. In this study, we characterized the interaction of GRIM-19 with 16E6 (an oncoprotein produced by HPV16) and identified the binding sites that mediate this interaction. We also found that GRIM-19 expression in cervical cancer cells could inhibit telomerase activity by inhibiting the transactivation of the hTERT promoter by E6, thereby promoting cervical cancer cell senescence. Moreover, we identified a negative correlation between GRIM-19 and hTERT expression in cervical cancer tissues. Suppression of GRIM-19 and induction of hTERT levels were associated with lymph node metastasis, advanced clinical stage, and poor prognosis. This study identified another important novel antitumor molecular link associated with GRIM-19 in the tumorigenesis.

The sensitivity of Pap cytology and HPV testing to detect incident cervical cancer: prior testing results in 178 patients with invasive cervical cancer at a large general hospital in China

INTRODUCTION

Prior screening results in women diagnosed with cervical carcinoma are only reported in the literature in small numbers. We wish to examine a larger number of prior testing results in women with cervical carcinoma from China to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of Pap (Papanicolaou) cytology and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In our study, 178 patients with histologically diagnosed cervical carcinoma and Pap cytology and/or HPV testing in the year prior to diagnosis were retrospectively studied. Pap cytology was performed using liquid-based preparations and HPV testing was done with mostly Hybrid Capture 2 but also included other methods.

RESULTS

In our study, 82.0% of women were symptomatic at presentation with vaginal bleeding or abnormal vaginal discharge. HPV testing was negative in 9.8% of women in the short period before diagnosis of cervical cancer and Pap cytology had a higher rate of false negative results at 16.7%. Adenocarcinoma showed a higher negative testing rate than squamous cell carcinoma did with both cytology and HPV testing. Only 1 of 78 patients (1.3%) having both tests showed a double negative result. Negative high-risk HPV testing was noted in 2 of 9 squamous cell carcinoma patients with routine gynecological examination.

CONCLUSIONS

Both Pap cytology and HPV testing have higher rates of prior negative results in women with cervical carcinoma. When testing is performed using both methods, the greatest number of cervical carcinomas can be detected. These results should also be considered when making screening recommendations with the understanding that HPV testing alone will miss at least a proportion of women with incident cervical carcinoma.

Kimura's disease: risk factors of recurrence and prognosis

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors for recurrence and prognosis of Kimura's disease.

METHODS

In this study, 32 patients received surgery alone, surgery followed by steroids orally and surgery followed by radiotherapy respectively from 2003 to 2015 (male/female: 27/5, ages: 6-64 years). Retrieval of clinical data and follow-ups have been done. The clinical features used as variables include age, gender, location, multiplicity, laterality, size, duration, primary outbreak, smoking, eosinophils, systemic disease and remedies. Statistical analysis including Kaplan-Meier method, Fisher's exact test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U-test and Cox proportional hazard regression model were performed with the SPSS 17.0. The threshold of statistical significance was set at P=0.05.

RESULTS

Median recurrence time was 29 months (2.42 years) after discharged and 56.3% patients relapsed. High recurrence rate was significantly associated with smoking habit (P=0.036). Patients who were diagnosed systemic disease (P=0.027) and were treated with surgery alone (P=0.025) or surgery followed by steroids orally (P=0.025) had short disease-free time. Furthermore, smoking habit (HR=3.383, 95% CI: 1.213-9.433, P=0.02), systemic disease (HR=4.462, 95% CI: 1.443-13.794, P=0.009), surgery alone (HR=4.668, 95% CI: 1.506-14.470, P=0.008) and surgery followed by steroids orally (HR=6.053, 95% CI: 1.330-27.556, P=0.02) were identified as risk factors for the prognosis of Kimura's disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Smoking habit, systemic diseases, surgery alone and surgery followed by steroids orally were associated with poor prognosis of Kimura's disease, and they might be prognostic markers of Kimura's disease.

Humane accomplishment of physicians and the philosophy of minimally-invasive and noninvasive medicine: A perspective

The highest realm in clinical medicine is the harmonious unity of medical sciences and the humanistic spirit. Given that the beauty of human nature resides in humanity, a competent medical practitioner should be a sage that personifies the rigorous scientific spirit and the humanity. It is essential for a medical practitioner to learn to seek answers to medical inquiries at the philosophical level. Important as it is to study the organs, the cells and the functions of the body, medical practitioners need to be well-versed in the utmost beauty of mankind. The central tenet of minimally-invasive therapeutic medicine is to minimize harm to patients while effectively managing the lesion. The radical changes brought about by minimally-invasive technologies, exemplified by the non-invasive high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) surgery, are to change the face of traditional surgery.

Mitochondrial D310 instability in Chinese lung cancer patients

To characterize the somatic mutation spectrum of mitochondrial DNA at D310 in Chinese lung cancer patients and evaluate its potential significance in Chinese lung cancer diagnosis, in this study, 237 samples, including lung tumor, adjacent normal tissue and blood samples of 79 lung cancer patients were analyzed. By comparing sequences of D310 between lung cancer tissues, adjacent normal tissue and blood samples, the somatic mutations at D310 were detected in 17.72% (14/79) of Chinese lung cancer patients; this implied that somatic mutations at D310 could be served as valuable biomarker for diagnostic of Chinese lung cancer. Further analyses indicated that deletion and heterogeneity were the predominant characters for somatic mutations detected at D310 of Chinese lung cancer patients.

Item Anomaly Detection Based on Dynamic Partition for Time Series in Recommender Systems

In recent years, recommender systems have become an effective method to process information overload. However, recommendation technology still suffers from many problems. One of the problems is shilling attacks-attackers inject spam user profiles to disturb the list of recommendation items. There are two characteristics of all types of shilling attacks: 1) Item abnormality: The rating of target items is always maximum or minimum; and 2) Attack promptness: It takes only a very short period time to inject attack profiles. Some papers have proposed item anomaly detection methods based on these two characteristics, but their detection rate, false alarm rate, and universality need to be further improved. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an item anomaly detection method based on dynamic partitioning for time series. This method first dynamically partitions item-rating time series based on important points. Then, we use chi square distribution (χ²) to detect abnormal intervals. The experimental results on MovieLens 100K and 1M indicate that this approach has a high detection rate and a low false alarm rate and is stable toward different attack models and filler sizes.

Fertility-Preserving Treatments in Patients with Gynecological Cancers: Chinese Experience and Literature Review

We conducted a retrospectively reviewed of the literature published of patients underwent fertility-preserving treatments for cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancers using the WANFANG database in Chinese. A majority were retrospective studies and case reports. With cervical cancer, radical trachelectomy(RT) in combination with pelvic lymphadenectomy could preserve the fertility of patients with early stage IA1-IB1 cancers, Tumor size≤2 cm should be emphasized as the indication of RT in considering of the higher recurrent rate in patients with tumor size>2 cm. For endometrial cancers, there is much experience on it. Given accurate pretreatment assessment, hormonal therapy is feasible management option to preserve fertility in young patients with early stage lesions that limited to the endometrium and well differentiated. High dose progestin have been applied, oral medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), 250-500 mg/day, megestrol acetate 160-480 mg/day. Other therapies that have been used in a limited number of cases include GnRH analog, intrauterine devices (IUDS) containing progestogen, usually combination of these therapies. All patients should be followed up by ultrasound and/or MRI evaluation, and endometrial curettage at intervals of 3 months. With ovarian cancer, in China, fertility- preserving surgery in patients with stage IA (grade G1) of epithelial ovarian tumor and patients with germ cell tumor and borderline ovarian tumor have been successfully performed.

Deciphering the spectrum of somatic mutations in the entire mitochondrial DNA genome

The mitochondrion is a crucial intracellular organelle responsible for regulating cellular energy metabolism, producing free radicals, initiating and executing the apoptotic pathways. Previous studies have shown that somatic mutations in mitochondrial DNA are associated with various tumors, which may be involved during carcinogenesis and tumor progression. To examine the mutation pattern in cancer, 625 reported somatic mutations in the mitochondrial DNA genome were analyzed. We found that, except for deletions and insertions, most somatic mutations were point mutations, accounting for 89.44% of somatic mutations. Transition was the predominant form of somatic mutation in the entire mitochondrial DNA genome, accounting for 87.12% of point mutations, most of which were homoplastic. Frequency statistics analysis of point mutations indicated that, except for 3 tRNA genes, the mutations were distributed on all resting genes and in the D-loop region, with the latter showing the highest frequency of somatic mutation (19.34%), followed by the tRNA leucine 2 gene and non-coding regions between base pairs 5892 and 5903, while 13 coding-region genes and 2 rRNA genes showed a relatively lower frequency of somatic point mutations. Nonsynonymous mutations and terminal amino acid changes were the primary point somatic mutations detected from 13 coding-region genes, which may cause mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer cells. We found that the somatic mutations may affect the mitochondrial DNA genome; the non-coding region should be examined to identify somatic mutations as potential diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of cancer.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of myocardial infarction

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have the ability to regenerate myocadial tissue. BMSCs transplantation can produce cardiac-like cells,promote angiogenesis, and secrete a variety of growth factors and cytokines. This article summarizes the molecular mechanisms of myocardial repair, explores the potential regenerative capacity of cardiac muscles after myocardial infarction,and reviews the previous studies on BMSC transplantation for treatment of cardiac muscle after myocardial infarction, with an attempt to provide new insights in clinical decision-making.

Up-regulation of ITCH is associated with down-regulation of LATS1 during tumorigenesis and progression of cervical squamous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE

The molecular basis for the normal cervical squamous epithelium advance to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN I, CIN II, CIN III) and ultimately to invasive carcinoma has not yet been defined. We explored the abnormal expression of ITCH (AIP4) and its degrading substrate Large Tumor Suppressor 1 (LATS1) in CINs and cervical cancers, which might disrupt the normal differentiation of the cervical epithelia and contribute to the tumorigenesis of the cervix.

METHODS

A series of 110 samples, comprising 24 cases of normal cervical tissues, 20 cases of CIN I, 26 cases of CIN II/ III and 40 cases of squamous cancer of the cervix (SCC) were used for analysis. The expression of ITCH and LATS1 was assessed in the tissues by immunohistochemistry, and statistically analyzed by SPSS13.0.

RESULTS

The increased nuclear and cytoplasmic expression levels of ITCH and the low membrane expression of LATS1 were strongly associated with the malignant transformation of the cervical epithelium and the histological progression of SCC. Moreover, the high nuclear and cytoplasmic expression levels of ITCH were significantly correlated with clinical stage (P=0.036, P=0.003, respectively) and tumor size (P=0.046,P=0.039, respectively); the low membrane expression of LATS1 was significantly correlated with clinical stage (P=0.036)and tumor size (P=0.023). Both the nuclear and cytoplasmic expression levels of ITCH were inversely associated with the membrane expression of LATS1 in cervical tissues (P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

ITCH up-regulation and LATS1 down-regulation were closely associated with tumorigenesis and progression of SCC; therefore, inhibiting the expression of ITCH may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy for impeding the progression of precancerous neoplasm to SCC.

Comparison of laparoscopic peritoneal vaginoplasty and sigmoid colon vaginoplasty performed during radical surgery for primary vaginal carcinoma

Background

Radical surgery of primary vaginal carcinoma typically involves partial or complete resection of the vagina, and young patients in particular can experience sexual dysfunction after surgery. Vaginoplasty is mandatory for this population, multiple vaginal reconstructive techniques have been reported. Here we attempted to determine whether the peritoneum is a feasible alternative to the sigmoid colon in vaginoplasty performed during radical surgery.

Methods

Between February 2005 and July 2009, 12 patients underwent radical surgery for Federation of International Gynecology and Obstetrics Stage I primary vaginal carcinoma in the upper one-third of the vagina. To retain a sex life, the patients received vaginoplasty either with the peritoneum (peritoneal group, 5 patients) or with the sigmoid colon (sigmoid group, 7 patients) during radical surgery. Surgeries were performed at the Anhui Provincial Hospital in China. The data between the two groups was retrospectively analyzed.

Results

The operating time was shorter for the peritoneal group than for the sigmoid group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in blood loss as well as in the length or width of the neo-vaginas between the two groups during surgery (P > 0.05). No metastasis or operation-related complications were observed in any of the patients. Six months after surgery, the neo-vaginas of both groups were smooth, soft, and moist. The neo-vaginas in the sigmoid group were similar in size during and 6 months after surgery. The neo-vaginas in the peritoneal group were shorter (although no less wide) 6 months after surgery (P < 0.05); length and width (that admitted two fingers) remained stable thereafter. All patients experienced a satisfactory sex life after surgery. Colposcopy revealed a good vaginal surface covered with squamous epithelium in the neo-vaginas of the peritoneal group, and intestinalization in the neo-vaginas of the sigmoid group. At the 36-month follow-up, all patients were clinically free of disease.

Conclusions

Laparoscopic vaginoplasty using the peritoneum compared with using the sigmoid colon is simpler and more feasible for management of Stage I primary vaginal carcinoma. Its benefits include shorter operating time, no bowel disturbance, and production of a hygienic vaginal environment, as well as a potential sex life and oncologic outcome comparable to that of sigmoid colon vaginoplasty.

[Sling suspension: a new technique of treating uterine prolapse]

OBJECTIVE

To report a novel surgical technique of laparoscopic extraperitoneal sling suspension for uterine prolapse and evaluate its efficacy.

METHODS

A total of 21 consecutive patients of symptomatic uterovaginal prolapse with POP-Q (pelvic organ prolapse quantification system) stage ≥ 2 and aged 59 (42-76) years were enrolled for this procedure between September 2011 and December 2012. In brief, uterus was suspended to anterior abdominal wall fascia using an inelastic nonabsorable mesh extraperitoneally under laparoscopic guidance. The outcomes of interest included total operative duration, estimated blood loss, surgical length of stay POP-Q score change and quality of life questionnaire in pelvic floor distress inventor [PFDI-20] and pelvic floor impact questionnaire [PFIQ-7]. Follow-ups were scheduled at 1, 6 and 12 months and then annually. Comparisons were made between at preoperation and 6 and 12 months. The surgical success was defined as both subjective cure and significant improvement of POP-Q.

RESULTS

This procedure was performed successfully in all patients. The estimated blood loss 10 (10-40) ml, operative duration 30 (25-90) minutes and postoperative hospital stay 1 (1-5) day. There were no major intraoperative or postoperative complications. The median follow-up was 20 (12-26) months. There were significant improvements in POP-Q measurements of Ba and C (P < 0.01) and quality-of-life scores (P < 0.01) at 6 and 12 months. The subjective cure rate was 100% and surgical success rate at 12 months 100%.

CONCLUSION

This new sling suspension technique for uterine prolapse is safe, well-tolerated and effective so that it offers a simple alternative of laparoscopic uterine suspension.

Establishment of reference panel for human platelet antigen genotyping

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Human platelet antigens (HPAs) are platelet-specific alloantigens associated with polymorphisms of platelet surface glycoproteins (GPs), and they can induce alloantibodies when individuals lacking a particular polymorphism are exposed to them via pregnancy or transfusion. Immune responses to HPAs are involved in the pathogenesis of several clinical syndromes. HPA genotyping is therefore important for clinical diagnosis and laboratory research. This study aims to establish a reference panel for HPA genotyping.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Genomic DNA extracted from human blood was used as the template for amplifying HPA (1a-5a and 15a) gene fragments using specific primers. The amplified products were cloned into pGM-T vectors, which were transformed into competent TOP10 cells. After clone screening and amplification, the plasmids were extracted and sequenced. Next, the gene fragments HPA-1b-5b and 15b were obtained by site-directed mutagenesis using the corresponding HPA-1a-5a and 15a plasmids as template DNA.

RESULTS

We successfully constructed reference plasmids for HPA genotyping with HPA-1a-5a, 15a, HPA-1b-5b and 15b. The DNA sequences were consistent with those published in GenBank.

CONCLUSION

Obtaining reference DNA for low-frequency HPAs is very difficult, and the successful construction of reference plasmids for the six HPA systems may solve this problem. Establishment of this panel has laid the foundation for future research on HPA genotyping.