Ulipristal acetate as an emergency contraceptive agent

Kuntai Capsule Inhibited Endometriosis via Inducing Apoptosis in a Rat Model

We evaluated the effectiveness of Kuntai Capsule (KTC) for treating endometriosis using rat model and investigated its preliminary mechanism of action involved. SD rats were implanted with endometrial tissues and treated with KTC for three weeks. Then, laparotomy was performed to examine volume changes of the autografts. The serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, COX-2, E₂, and P4 were measured through ELISA. TUNEL was performed to analyze the apoptosis on ectopic endometrium. Protein levels of caspases 8, 9, and 3 and cytochrome c in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium were measured by western blotting. Results showed that KTC significantly decreased the volumes of ectopic endometrium. The level of TNF-α increased and E₂ decreased in the KTC treatment groups. TUNEL and western blot assay showed that KTC could induce apoptosis of endometriotic tissues, accompanied with the increased protein expression of caspases 8 and 9, activated caspase-3, and cytochrome c in a dose-dependent manner. However, these protein expression profiles were not affected in eutopic endometrium. Our findings suggest that KTC could inhibit the growth of ectopic endometrial tissue through upregulating the level of TNF-α and its downstream signaling, including caspases and cytochrome c.

Effectiveness of emergency contraception in women after sexual assault

Objective

To assess the effectiveness of emergency single-dose levonorgestrel contraception in preventing unintended pregnancies among woman who visited the emergency department (ED) due to sexual assault (SA).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective chart review in a university hospital in South Korea. Cases from November 10, 2006 to November 9, 2009 were enrolled. Information from the initial visit to the ED and subsequent follow-up visits to the gynecology outpatient clinic was collected.

Results

In total, 1,179 women visited the ED due to SA. Among them, 416 patients had a gynecological examination and 302 patients who received emergency contraception (EC) (1.5 mg single-dose levonorgestrel) at the ED due to SA were enrolled. Ten patients did not return for follow-up examinations. In follow-up visits at the outpatient clinic, two pregnancies were confirmed, which showed the failure rate of the EC to be 0.68%.

Conclusion

Single-dose levonorgestrel EC is extremely effective at preventing pregnancy among victims of SA.