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Objective To determine the association between cervical polyps in early pregnancy and late abortion and spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB). We also aimed to explore the relationship between cervical polyps and cervical insufficiency in the second trimester. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 2941 singleton pregnant women between January 2010 and December 2015. The frequency of late abortion and SPTB (before 28, 34, or 37 weeks of pregnancy) was compared between the two groups of 142 (4.8%) patients who had cervical polyps early in the pregnancy (P group) and 2799 who did not (non-P group). Multivariate analysis was performed to identify risk factors for late abortion and SPTB. Results The incidence of late abortion and SPTB was significantly higher in the P group than in the non-P group. Cervical polyps in early pregnancy were selected as independent risk factors for late abortion and SPTB before 28, 34, or 37 weeks of pregnancy. The P group had a significantly higher rate of cases requiring therapeutic cervical cerclage than the non-P group. Conclusion Cervical polyps in early pregnancy are risk factors for late abortion and SPTB. They are also associated with the occurrence of cervical insufficiency.

Pregnant women with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at high risk for hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP). Women with poor control DM sometimes have heavy-for-dates infants. However, women with HDP sometimes have light-for-dates infants. We aim to clarify the relationship between glycemic control and fetal growth in women with DM and/or subsequent HDP. Of 7893 women gave singleton birth at or after 22 gestational weeks, we enrolled 154 women with type 1 DM (T1DM) or type 2 DM (T2DM) whose infants did not have fetal abnormalities. Among women with T1DM or T2DM, characteristics of the three groups (with HDP, without HDP, and with chronic hypertension [CH]) were compared. No women with T1DM had CH, but 19 (17.4%) of 109 with T2DM did. HDP incidence was similar between women with T1DM (22.2%) and T2DM without CH (16.7%). Among women with T1DM, the incidences of fetal growth restriction (FGR) with and without HDP were similar. However, among women with T2DM without CH, this incidence was significantly higher among those with HDP (33.3%) than among those without HDP (5.3%), was significantly more common with HbA1c levels at first trimester. 7.2% (33.3%) than with those < 7.2% (5.6%), and significantly more numerous without pre-pregnancy therapies for DM (23.3%) than with them (3.3%). Among women with T2DM and HDP, those with FGR had smaller placenta SDs and higher insulin dosages at delivery than those without light-for-dates. In multivariate analysis, the presence of diabetic nephropathy was a predictor of T1DM and HDP (P = 0.0105), whereas HbA1c levels >= 7.2% before pregnancy was a predictor of T2DM and HDP (P = 0.0009). Insulin dosage > 50U/day at delivery (P = 0.0297) and the presence of HDP (P = 0.0116) independently predicted T2DM, HDP, and FGR development. Insufficient pre-pregnancy treatment of DM increased the risk of HDP.

The aim of this study was to determine whether women with pregnancy-induced antithrombin deficiency (PIATD) had higher risk of liver dysfunction in the absence of thrombocytopenia.We carried out a retrospective observational study at five centers in all 129 women with incidentally found PIATD among 5249 maternities and 129 control women without PIATD matched for number of fetuses and gestational week at delivery. PIATD was diagnosed in women with antenatal antithrombin (AT) activities of ≤75% followed by a further decrease to ≤65% peripartum. Liver dysfunction was defined as serum aspartate aminotransferase 45 IU/L concomitant with lactate dehydrogenase 400 IU/L. Thrombocytopenia was defined as platelet count120 × 10Thrombocytopenia (22% [28/129] vs 5.4% [7/129], P = 0.0001) and liver dysfunction (16% [20/129] vs 0.0% [0/129], P = 0.0000) occurred significantly more often in PIATD than in control women. Of the 20 women with liver dysfunction, 15 (75%) had PIATD, but not thrombocytopenia. Thus, even in the absence of thrombocytopenia, liver dysfunction occurred significantly more often in PIATD than in control women (15% [15/101] vs 0.0% [0/122], respectively, P = 0.0000). The relative risk (95% confidence interval) of liver dysfunction was 28.6 (1.64-500) for women with AT activity of 60-65% and 52.4 (3.17-865) for women with AT activity of60%, compared to women with AT activity ≥66%.PIATD can occur in the absence of thrombocytopenia and PIATD women had higher risk of liver dysfunction even in the absence of thrombocytopenia.

ObjectiveLower extremity lymphedema (LEL) is a major long-term complication of radical surgery. We aimed to estimate the incidence and grading of LEL in women who underwent lymphadenectomy and to evaluate risk factors associated with LEL.Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 358 patients with cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancer who underwent transabdominal complete systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy between 1997 and 2011. Lower extremity lymphedema was graded according to criteria of the International Society of Lymphology. Incidence of LEL and its correlation with various clinical characteristics were investigated using Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional hazards methods.ResultsOverall incidence of LEL was 21.8% (stage 1, 60%; stage 2, 32%; and stage 3, 8%). Cumulative incidence increased with observation period: 12.9% at 1 year, 20.3% at 5 years, and 25.4% at 10 years. Age, cancer type, stage (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics), body mass index, hysterectomy type, lymphocyst formation, lymph node metastasis, and chemotherapy were not associated with LEL. Multivariate analysis confirmed that removal of circumflex iliac lymph nodes (hazard ratio [HR], 4.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.09–8.77; P < 0.0001), cellulitis (HR, 3.48; 95% CI, 2.03–5.98; P < 0.0001), and number of removed lymph nodes (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98–0.99; P = 0.038) were independent risk factors for LEL.ConclusionsPostoperative LEL incidence increased over time. The results of the present study showed a significant correlation with removal of circumflex iliac lymph nodes and cellulitis with the incidence of LEL. Multicenter or prospective studies are required to clarify treatment efficacies.

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine an appropriate postnatal management plan for prenatally diagnosed congenital biliary dilatation (CBD). Methods Between 1962 and 2002, 5 (5.9 %) of 85 patients had CBD diagnosed prenatally and were examined clinically. Of these 5 patients, 2 (group A) underwent delayed primary definitive surgery after percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage (PTCD), 1 (group B) underwent early definitive surgery in the neonatal period, and 2 (group C) underwent delayed primary definitive surgery without PTCD in early infancy (within 6 months after birth). The clinical data, operative findings, intra- and postoperative complications, and follow-up were evaluated in these 3 groups. Results There were no postoperative complications, such as catheter-related complications, in group A. However, there was adhesion around the choledochal cyst, and the operation was therefore difficult in group A. The diameter of the anastomosis in the hepaticojejunostomy was small, and the cyst wall was thin in group B. Consequently, anastomotic leakage of the hepaticojejunostomy occurred in group B. Neither operative nor postoperative complications such as anastomotic leakage or stenosis occurred in group C. Slight fibrosis of Glisson's sheath was seen in 2 patients of groups A and C. No liver cirrhosis was seen in any group. Conclusions The authors propose that asymptomatic patients should undergo elective definitive surgery by 6 months of age. For symptomatic patients, especially when a differential diagnosis of type I cystic biliary atresia is doubtful, early definitive surgery is needed before 2 months of age. PTCD appears to be indicated only under certain circumstances, and delayed primary definitive surgery should be performed as early as possible thereafter.

We investigated the relationships between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene polymorphism, circulating TNF-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentrations, and bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine. TNF gene polymorphisms studied were the Nco I polymorphism within the first intron of TNF-beta (TNF-beta) and three single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter region of the TNF-alpha gene, at positions -857, -863, and -1031. Allelic variants of the TNF gene were identified using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis in 177 postmenopausal Japanese women within 10 years after menopause, aged 56.4 +/- 4.5 years (mean +/- SD). A significantly higher prevalence of the alleles TNF-alpha-863A (20.3% versus 9.9%) and TNF-alpha-1031C (21.3% versus 12.4%) was seen in the low BMD group (Z-score0, n = 91) than in the high BMD group (0Z-score, n = 86). In genotype analysis, although difference did not reach a significant level, women with the rarest allelic variants, i.e., homozygous TNFbl, TNF-alpha-863A, and TNF-alpha-1031C, showed the lowest BMD Z-scores. Women with another rarest allelic variant, TNF-alpha-857T/T had significantly lower BMD Z-scores than did women with TNF-alpha-857C/T or -857C/C. The BMD Z-score decreased significantly with an increase in the total number of such rare alleles. Serum concentrations of TNF-alpha did not differ significantly among groups divided by genotypes. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the total number of rare alleles, in addition to the body mass index and the number of years since menopause, was an independent predictor of the BMD. These presumptive functional polymorphisms of the TNF gene may be associated with the lumbar spine BMD in early postmenopausal Japanese women.

UNLABELLED There is no report concerning oral clonidine's effects on epidural lidocaine in children. Therefore, we performed a study to assess the concentrations of plasma lidocaine and its major metabolite (monoethylglycinexylidide [MEGX]) in children receiving continuous thoracic epidural anesthesia after oral clonidine premedication. Ten pediatric patients, aged 1-9 yr, were randomly allocated to the Control or Clonidine 4 microg/kg group (n = 5 each). Anesthesia was induced and maintained with sevoflurane in oxygen and air (FIO2 40%). Epidural puncture and tubing were carefully performed at the Th11-12 intervertebral space. An initial dose of 1% lidocaine (5 mg/kg) was injected through a catheter into the epidural space, followed by 2.5 mg x kg(-1) x h(-1). Plasma concentrations of lidocaine and MEGX were measured at 15 min, 30 min, and every 60 min for 4 h after the initiation of continuous epidural injection. The concentrations of lidocaine and MEGX were measured using high-pressure liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Hemodynamic variables were similar between members of the Control and Clonidine groups during anesthesia. The Clonidine group showed significantly smaller lidocaine concentrations (p < 0.05) and the concentration of MEGX tended to be smaller in the plasma of the Clonidine group for the initial 4 h after the initiation of epidural infusion. In conclusion, oral clonidine preanesthetic medication at a dose of 4 microg/kg decreases plasma lidocaine concentration in children. IMPLICATIONS Oral clonidine decreases the plasma lidocaine concentration in children. Our finding may have clinical implications in patients receiving continuous epidural anesthesia. Additionally, perhaps an additional margin of safety regarding lidocaine toxicity is gained through the use of oral clonidine in children who will receive epidural lidocaine.

BACKGROUND Noncancerous cells simulating adenocarcinoma cells may interfere with the analysis of peritoneal cytology (PC) in patients with endometrial carcinoma. Immunocytochemistry (ICC) may improve the diagnosis of PC. METHODS PC slides from 115 patients with endometrial carcinoma were reviewed. Suspicious or positive cell clusters were recovered with a cell transfer method and were subjected to ICC for MOC-31, cytokeratin 5/6, and p53. Conventional Papanicolaou staining and ICC results were compared directly on the same cells. RESULTS By combined conventional and immunocytochemical PC (CONV-ICC-PC), cytodiagnosis was positive in 18 of 115 patients (15.7%) and suspicious in 3 of 115 patients (2.6%). According to a multivariate Cox regression analysis of patients with tumors confined to the uterus that included grade, myometrial invasion, cervical involvement, and CONV-ICC-PC, only CONV-ICC-PC was an independent prognostic factor (P < 0.05). A multivariate analysis for all of the patients studied that compared CONV-ICC-PC with staging variables revealed that only peritoneal metastasis (P < 0.0001) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.01) were independent prognostic factors. When peritoneal metastases were excluded, CONV-ICC-PC (P < 0.01) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.0025) were the independent prognostic factors. By cell transfer and p53 immunostaining in samples from 14 patients with malignant cells in their peritoneal washings, no deaths occurred among 5 patients with negative p53, whereas 5 of 9 patients with positive p53 died of disease at the time of data analysis. CONCLUSIONS MOC-31 immunostaining improves the diagnosis of PC in endometrial carcinoma. Positive PC is an important prognostic factor for patients with endometrial carcinoma confined to the uterus. The p53 positive cells in PC have possible prognostic significance. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2001;93:115–123. © 2001 American Cancer Society.

Our purpose was to examine the utility of analyzing alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) microheterogeneity assessed by lectin affinity in Down's syndrome (DS) screening. Maternal sera and amniotic fluids were collected from 18 women who were carrying DS fetuses and 70 unaffected pregnancies around 16 weeks of gestation. The percentages of AFP which reacted with Lens culinaris agglutinin (AFP-L2,3) were determined by lectin affinity electrophoresis. AFP-L2,3 levels were significantly increased (P

The prognostic significance of lymph node (LN) metastasis in clinically early-stage (pT1M0 or pT2M0) ovarian carcinoma has not yet been fully elucidated.From 1988 to 1997, 94 patients with ovarian carcinoma of pT1M0 (n = 78) or pT2M0 (n = 16) classification underwent surgery including systematic pelvic and paraaortic LN dissection. We investigated the prognostic factors of intraperitoneally determined early-stage ovarian carcinoma focusing on LN metastasis.LN metastasis was seen in 5.1% of pT1M0 and in 31.3% of pT2M0 tumors. Univariate analysis of grade, histology (clear cell vs others), size of primary tumor, peritoneal cytology, and LN metastasis revealed that histology (P0.01), size of tumor (P0.05), and LN metastasis (P0.0005) were related to patient survival of early-stage ovarian carcinoma. Peritoneal cytology (P = 0.053) and grade (P = 0.059) had marginal statistical significance. A multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that clear cell histology (P0.05) and LN metastasis (P0. 005) are significant independent prognosticators of patient survival. Three (two with clear cell adenocarcinoma and one with mucinous adenocarcinoma) of nine patients with LN metastasis had died of the disease by the time of the present analysis. Two of the three deceased patients had recurrent tumors in distant organs (bone and brain/liver), one had pleural and peritoneal carcinomatosis, and no patients had retroperitoneal recurrence. This suggests that LN metastasis indicates that tumor cells may have already spread systemically at the time of treatment and, at the same time, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) may be effective in eradicating retroperitoneal metastasis in some instances of ovarian carcinoma.Clear cell histology and LN metastasis are indicators of poor prognosis for patients with tumors limited to the pelvis. Therapeutic significance of systematic RPLND for pT1M0/pT2M0 ovarian carcinomas needs to be further investigated by randomized studies.

Ectopia cordis is a rare congenital anomaly. We present 4 cases of ectopia cordis, 1 of which is the first report of an affected fetus in a triplet pregnancy. The morphological relationship between the types of ectopia cordis and their outcomes were investigated in all 4 cases. In addition, the literature on ectopia cordis in Japan was reviewed and discussed.

The distribution of lymph node metastasis and the clinico-pathologic risk factors for nodal involvement in ovarian carcinoma need to be clarified based on systematic lymph node dissection. We studied 115 patients with ovarian carcinoma who underwent systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection between 1987 and 1997. The incidence and distribution of lymph node metastasis are described and the clinico-pathologic risk factors for nodal involvement are investigated. Based on the occurrence of lymph node metastasis in the early stages, the incidence of solitary node involvement and the distribution of lymph node metastasis, we conclude that the primary site of nodal involvement in ovarian carcinoma is the para-aortic node (PAN), especially PAN superior to the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA). By univariate analysis, clinical stage, histologic type (mucinous vs. others), grade, multiple peritoneal metastases, peritoneal cytology, volume of ascites and serum CA125 level were correlated with overall incidence of lymph node metastasis. By performing a multivariate analysis with the clinical stage excluded, it was revealed that grade and peritoneal cytology were independent factors for PAN metastasis (p < 0.0025 and < 0.001, respectively) and that multiple peritoneal metastases and PAN metastasis were significant predictors of pelvic node metastasis (p < 0.01 and < 0.005, respectively). In conclusion, the PANs superior and inferior to IMA should be explored in staging of ovarian carcinoma that appears to be confined to the ovaries. To determine accurately the extent of disease, both the para-aortic and pelvic areas may need to be sampled or dissected in the case of ovarian carcinoma involving the peritoneal surfaces. Int. J. Cancer (Pred. Oncol.) 79:526–530, 1998.© 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The subject of this study was 38 cases of non-immune hydrops fetalis and 11 cases of fetal hydrothorax and/ or ascites (FH/A), a syndrome characterized by the accumulation of pleural effusion and/or ascitic fluid, without generalized skin edema, due to various etiologies, admitted to the obstetrics ward of Hokkaido University Hospital during the period between 1987 and 1994. Fetal treatment consisted of (1) intravascular transfusion or intra-abdominal transfusion for anemia, (2) frequent centesis or shunt insertion for pleural effusion and ascites, (3) reduction of cystic hygroma by puncturing and OK432 injection, and (4) intravascular or maternal injection with an anti-arrhythmic drugs to treat tachycardia. The outcome of NIHF and FH/A was assessed to be able to make a prognosis in NIHF and to compare the efficacy of fetal therapy in cases with (15 cases: 9 NIHF, 6 FH/A) and without (34 cases: 29 NIHF, 5 HF/A) intrauterine treatment. The average survival rates were 23.1% in NIHF and 54.5% in FH/A. None of fetuses with a chromosomal abnormality or cystic hygroma survived. The average GW at the time of detection of NIHF by ultrasonography was week 24.9 +/- 1.1 (mean +/- S.E., n = 38). The average GW at the time of detection of FH/A by ultrasonography was week 26.6 +/- 1.8 (n = 11). NIHF was detected significantly earlier in the IUFD and early neonatal death group (GW 22.4 +/- 1.4) than in the survivor group (GW 27.6 +/- 1.2) (p < 0.05). FH/A was also detected earlier in the IUFD/early neonatal death group than in the survivor group (GW 21.8 +/- 2.4 vs. 31.1 +/- 1.1, n = 11, p < 0.05). The survival rate in the intrauterine treatment group was higher than in the nontreatment group (treatment group: 10/15; non-treatment group: 5/34, p < 0.001). After the trial of intrauterine treatment in the 15 cases mentioned above, some efficacy was observed in 7 cases (reduction of cysts, effusion or edema, disappearance of arrhythmia).

In each of the 2 cases of monozygotic twins reported here, 1 of the fetuses was suspected, as a result of a prenatal ultrasonographic examination, of having congenital heart disease (CHD). One of twins (Case 1) had a hypoplastic left heart (HPLH), coarctation of the aorta (CoA), mitral stenosis (MS), and an atrial septal defect (ASD). Of the other twins (Case 2), 1 fetus had pure pulmonary atresia (PPA) and tricuspid regurgitation (TR). In Case 1, the fetus with CHD had a single umbilical artery, the other had otherwise. In Case 2, the fetus with CHD had a velamentous insertion and an accessory placenta, and the other fetus had a marginal insertion. These findings suggest that environmental factors such as blood flow, blood pressure and so on have a role in the etiology of CHD.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in the level of fetal fibronectin in amniotic fluid during the course of pregnancy. Method: Amniotic fluid samples were obtained from 74 women whose pregnancies ranged in gestation from 14 to 38 weeks. Fetal fibronectin in amniotic fluid was examined with a sensitive immunoassay using a monoclonal antibody FDC-6 which recognizes a unique epitope (III-CS) of the molecule. Results: Fetal fibronectin levels in amniotic fluid decreased significantly during pregnancy (r = −0.79, P < 0.0001). The mean levels at less than 20 weeks of gestation were significantly higher than those at 20–29 weeks (P < 0.0001) and at 30 weeks to term (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: These results must be considered when fetal fibronectin in vaginal fluid is used as an indicator of the rupture of membranes.

To examine the association between maternal weight gain and twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).Retrospective observational study in two tertiary care centers.All 124 women with monochorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies who gave birth at ≥ 16 gestational weeks between 2002 and 2010.Analysis of chronological relation between maternal weight gain per week (weekly gain) and the diagnosis of TTTS.Sonographic diagnosis of TTTS.A weekly weight gain ≥ 1.4 kg occurred in 45 women, preceded the diagnosis of TTTS in 22 (78.6%) of the 28 women with TTTS, and was associated with TTTS [women with one weekly weight gain ≥ 1.4 kg vs. women with no weekly weight gains ≥1.4 kg who were diagnosed as having TTTS: 48.9% (22/45) vs. 7.6% (6/79); RR, 6.44; 95%CI, 2.82-14.69]. At given gestational weeks between 16 and 27, the mean (± SD) prospective risk of the development of TTTS within three weeks was 52.0 ± 33.8% among women who showed a weekly weight gain ≥ 1.4 kg for the first time, whereas the risk of the development of TTTS within one week was 1.6 ± 1.7% among women who never showed a weekly weight gain ≥ 1.4 kg.Excessive maternal weight gain ≥ 1.4 kg/week is likely to occur during the development of TTTS.

Lower extremity lymphedema (LEL) is a serious complication caused by lymphadenectomy in patients with gynecologic malignancies. In this study, we evaluated the effect of preserving the circumflex iliac lymph nodes (CILNs), i.e., the most caudal external iliac lymph nodes, for the prevention and reduction of LEL by comparing two groups of patients, one in which CILN were removed and the other in which CILNs were preserved. We retrospectively reviewed 329 patients with gynecologic malignancies who had undergone abdominal complete systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. The patients were divided into nonpreserved (n = 189) and preserved (n = 140) groups, depending on whether CILNs were removed. Primary outcome measures included the incidence and severity of LEL. The incidence of LEL was significantly lower in the preserved group than in the nonpreserved group (P

Study Objective To investigate the effect of small-dose ketamine on the predicted effect-site concentration of propofol required for loss of consciousness (LOC) and Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) insertion. Design Randomized, double-blinded study. Settings Operating room. Patients 50 ASA physical status 1 and 2 women scheduled for elective breast or gynecological surgery. Interventions Patients were randomly allocated to a ketamine group or a control group. Thirty seconds before propofol injection, ketamine group patients received ketamine 0.2 mg/kg, while control group patients received saline. Propofol was given in a target-controlled infusion and target blood concentration was gradually increased until LOC. The effect-site concentrations for attempting LMA insertion was predetermined by modifying Dixon's up and down method. LMA insertion was attempted without muscular blocking agents. Measurements Pain scores on propofol injection, effect-site concentrations at LOC, hemodynamic variables, and patient movement or side effects on LMA insertion were recorded. Main Results The effect-site concentration of propofol required for LOC was 2.14 μ g/mL for the control group and 1.66 for the ketamine group ( P = 0.0082). The predicted effect-site concentration of propofol alone at which 50% of patients did not move with LMA insertion (EC 50 LMI) was 3.59 μ g/mL (95% CI: 3.18∼4.19 μ g/mL). Pretreatment with ketamine 0.2 mg/kg decreased EC 50 LMI from 3.59 (3.18∼4.19) to 2.39 (1.22∼2.99). Conclusions Pretreatment with ketamine 0.2 mg/kg reduced the propofol concentration required for both LOC (22%) and LMA insertion (33%) in women.

Cytogenetic amniocentesis (CA) has been performed as a reliable prenatal diagnostic method for decades. The aims of the present study were to reveal the frequency of fetal chromosome abnormalities according to medical indica- tions of CA, and to assess the risks of specific abnormal ultra- sound findings. Data on chromosome karyotypes of fetuses from 5043 Japanese mothers were collected. Group I comprised 4626 fetuses whose mothers underwent CA due to a variety of paren- tal reasons. Group II comprised 417 fetuses whose mothers underwent CA due to fetal abnormality, abnormality of amni- otic fluid volume and fetal growth restriction. The frequency of chromosome abnormalities in Group II (17.7%) was signifi- cantly higher than in Group I (1.8%). The frequencies of chro- mosome abnormalities in Group II singleton fetuses with fetal abnormality, polyhydramnios and fetal growth restriction were 21.5, 22.9 and 19.6%, respectively. By multivariate analyses, we found that cystic hygroma (odds ratio 5.6, 95% CI 2.7-11.6), abnormal extremity (5.0, 1.7-14.4) and cardiovascular abnor- mality (3.3, 1.1-10.1) were significant variants associated with fetal chromosomal abnormalities. Information revealed in the present study constitutes a beneficial reference for genetic counseling.

Our purpose was to determine the characteristics of cerebral ischemia during the induction of antenatal periventricular leukomalacia by hemorrhagic hypotension in premature fetal sheep.The hemorrhage group received an acute withdrawal of 40% of the fetoplacental blood volume (n = 7), whereas an isovolemic exchange transfusion was performed in the control group (n = 7). Changes in the total hemoglobin, oxy-hemoglobin, and deoxy-hemoglobin levels in the cerebral tissue were assessed with the use of near-infrared spectroscopy and compared statistically.Of 7 fetuses in the hemorrhage group, 5 exhibited periventricular leukomalacia but none in the control group (P.05). In the hemorrhage group, both brain total-hemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin decreased seriously after insult, and the decreased levels persisted even after recovery of systemic blood pressure, whereas such drastic changes were not observed in the control group, suggesting the occurrence of reperfusion failure in the fetal brain in the hemorrhage group.The no-reflow phenomenon and successive reperfusion injuries after cerebral ischemia could be closely involved in the induction of antenatal periventricular leukomalacia in this experimental condition.

Diazepam is widely used to relieve preoperative anxiety in patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of polymorphism in CYP2C19 and the effects of CYP3A4 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) content in blood on recovery from general anesthesia and on diazepam pharmacokinetics.Sixty-three Japanese patients were classified into the following 3 genotype (phenotype) groups on the basis of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of CYP2C19 polymorphism: no variants, *1/*1 (extensive metabolizer [EM]); 1 variant, *1/*2 or *1/*3 (intermediate metabolizer [IM]); and 2 variants, *2/*2, *2/*3, or *3/*3 (poor metabolizer [PM]). We assessed the effects of these polymorphisms and of CYP3A4 mRNA content in the lymphocytes on the patients' recovery from general anesthesia.CYP2C19 genotyping analysis in the 63 subjects showed that 32%, 46%, and 22% of subjects were classified into the EM, IM, and PM groups, respectively. The PM subjects showed a larger area under the curve representing the concentration of diazepam over a 24-hour period (AUC(0-24)) (2088 +/- 378 ng/mL.h(-1), P = .0259), lower clearance of diazepam (0.049 +/- 0.009 L.h(-1).kg(-1), P = .0287), and longer emergence time (median, 18 minutes; 25th-75th percentile range, 13-21 minutes; P.001) in comparison with subjects in the EM group (AUC(0-24), 1412 +/- 312 ng/mL; clearance, 0.074 +/- 0.018 L.h(-1).kg(-1); and emergence time, 10 minutes, 8-12 minutes [median and 25th-75th percentile range]). The IM group also showed a longer emergence time (median, 13 minutes; 25th-75th percentile range, 9-20 minutes; P.001) and a larger variation in this parameter in comparison with the EM group. The distributions of the CYP2C19 genotype were significantly different between the 2 groups (rapid emergence20 minutes, slow emergence20 minutes) (P = .0148). The mean value of the CYP3A4 mRNA level in the slow-emergence group (mean +/- SD, 4.80 +/- 3.99 x10(-10)) was significantly lower than that of the rapid-emergence group (mean +/- SD, 12.50 +/- 11.90 x10(-10)) (P = .0315). However, there was no significant correlation between emergence time and CYP3A4 mRNA levels (r = 0.239, P = .0601).We found that the CYP2C19 genotype affects diazepam pharmacokinetics and emergence from general anesthesia and that the slow-emergence group possesses lower levels of CYP3A4 mRNA than are found in the rapid-emergence group.

We report the first case of an intrauterine treatment for cystic hygroma. Guided by ultrasonography, we first removed intracystic fluid from two cysts and then injected OK-432 into each fetal cyst at 21 and 28 weeks of gestation. No re-enlargement of the cysts was subsequently observed. At 38 weeks of gestation, a male infant was delivered transvaginally. Only a slight skin fold was observed in the nuchal area of the neonate, indicating the effectiveness of OK-432 for the intrauterine treatment of cystic hygroma.

Genitourinary tract anomalies found at birth arise from a variety of sex differentiation disorders occurred during fetal development. It is important to know and identify common congenital anomalies of genitalia for disclosing underlying genetic and/or endocrine disorders of newborn at very early stage of life as well as for determining proper sex of neonate. This article presents several genital anomalies from an obstetric point of view and simply describes their handlings.

Although granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is commonly used in the field of supportive therapy for cancer treatment, the serum concentration of endogenous G-CSF in healthy women is still obscure due to the low sensitivity (30 pg mL-1) of the usual enzyme immunoassay. With the development of a highly sensitive (1.0 pg mL-1) chemiluminescent immunoassay by Kiriyama et al., we have clarified the changes of serum G-CSF levels in healthy women during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. The G-CSF concentration showed a peak value of 27.3 +/- 2.5 pg mL-1 (mean +/- SEM) at the ovulatory phase during the menstrual cycle, which is significantly higher than in all other phases (P < 0.0001, unpaired t-test). A significantly higher value compared to the menstrual cycle, except during the ovulatory phase, was also revealed throughout pregnancy (P < 0.0001, unpaired t-test). These results suggest that G-CSF plays an important role in ovulation and the maintenance of pregnancy.

We experienced five pregnancy cases with type I congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) of fetuses and summarized here their clinical characteristics, pregnancy outcomes, and fetal therapies. Four of five cases were prenatally diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as having lung abnormality, and the remaining case was prenatally diagnosed as having congenital diaphragmatic herniation (CDH). One fetus underwent the puncture of cysts in the lung, and two fetuses received in utero thoracoshunts between cysts and the amniotic fluid cavity (thoracoamniotic shunt). One pregnancy ended in artificial termination at 17 gestational weeks, and 4 pregnancies succeeded in live births. All these 4 infants underwent surgical operations for CCAM, and 1 infant underwent an additional operation for CDH. The MRI examinations were useful to prenatally identify CCAM, and the in utero thoracoamniotic shunt appears to be beneficial in preventing lung hypoplasia in the affected fetuses.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are a biologically and clinically heterogeneous entity. Although some DLBCL represent transformation of follicular lymphomas (FL), the proportion that is of follicular center cell (FCC) origin remains uncertain. Immunophenotypic and genotypic markers used to suggest a FCC origin for a lymphoma (bcl-6 and CD10 expression, lack of CD138 expression, bcl-2 rearrangements [R]) or to subdivide DLBCL (bcl-2 expression, bcl-6 R) were therefore investigated in 22 FL and 44 DLBCL using paraffin section immunostains and Southern blot/polymerase chain reaction analysis. All FL tested were bcl-6+ (19) and CD138- (22) with 16/19 also bcl-2 and CD10+ (classic phenotype), one bcl2+, CD10- (grade III) and two bcl2-, CD10+ (grade II or III). Bcl-2R was identified in 4/5 FL-GrI, 3/6 FL-GrII, and 1/3 FL-GrIII. Bcl-6R was found in 0/5, 2/4, and 0/3 FL, respectively. All but 3/41 DLBCL were bcl-6+ with 17/37 also bcl-2+ and CD10+. Three of these cases were also CD138+. Twelve bcl-6+ cases were bcl-2+, CD10-, six bcl-2-, CD10+, and two bcl-2-, CD10-. The three bcl-6- cases were bcl-2+, CD138- and two were CD10+. Bcl-2R was identified in 5/27 DLBCL with 4/5 bcl-2+, 3/4 tested CD10+ and 4/4 bcl-6+. Bcl-6R was identified in 7/26 including three with a classic FL phenotype. The vast majority of DLBCL in this study have an immunophenotype that supports a FCC origin. Although the proportion of DLBCL that co-expressed bcl-6, CD10 and bcl-2 was lower than for the FL, absence of bcl-2 or CD10 may be associated with higher grade FL It is also possible that bcl-6 expression is not completely specific for a FCC origin. Only a minority of cases suggested postfollicular differentiation. Only a minority of DLBCL show bcl-2R, suggesting that many have a different molecular pathogenesis than most low-grade FL. Bcl-6R did not exclude a FCC origin.

Objective: This prospective study assesses the efficacy of maternal serum screening for use in prenatal diagnosis of fetal anomaly and chromosome imbalance in Japanese women. Methods: Maternal serum α-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, and unconjugated estriol were measured in 1,055 singleton pregnant women between 14 and 20 weeks of gestation. A calculated risk for trisomy 21 of ≥1/299 or α-fetoprotein ≥2.5 multiples of the median was adopted as positive. Results: Three hundred and seventy-eight of the 1, 055 women screened (35.8%) were identified as positive. Sensitivity, false-positive rate, and positive predictive value in women aged Conclusions: Our results suggest that the evaluation of each serum marker, as well as of the calculated risk, was significantly important in the prenatal detection of fetal aneuploidy.

We report an unusual case of a 55 year old Japanese woman with a seminoma but relatively normal menses. The patient was a phenotypic female with late onset menarche (18 years of age), who was amenorrhoeic for the first year, followed by menses of one to three days' slight flow with dysmenorrhoea, but an otherwise normal menstrual history. A typical seminoma was removed from the left adnexal region and an immature testis was identified separately as an associated right adnexal mass. Repeated karyotypic studies on peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures showed only 46,X,-Y,t(Y;15)(q12;p13). Cytogenetic examination of the patient's younger brother, who had fathered three healthy children, showed an identical karyotype. Mosaicism of 46,X,-Y,t(Y;15)(q12;p13)/45,X cell lines was found in skin samples from the patient's elbow and genital regions, although there were no clinical stigmata of Turner syndrome. An androgen receptor binding assay of cultured genital skin fibroblasts was negative. Molecular analysis using Southern blot hybridisation, PCR, and direct DNA sequencing showed that neither the patient nor her brother had a detectable deletion or other abnormalities of Y chromosome sequences, including the SRY (sex determining region of the Y chromosome) gene sequence. These findings suggest that Turner mosaicism of the 45,X cell line may have contributed to this atypical presentation in an XY female, although we cannot exclude abnormalities of other genes related to sex differentiation.

Correlation entre le taux de cytokines du liquide amniotique et l'amniotite chorionique histologique lors de l'accouchement a terme Le but de la presente etudes consiste a etablir la correlation entre le taux de cytokines dans le liquide amniotique et le statut histologique de l'amniotite chorionique (CAM) dans les cas de travail avant terme. La population etuidee etait constituee de onze patientes qui ont ete admises pour travail premature avec membranes intactes. Une amniocentese a ete pratiquee sur toutes les femmes pour etablir le statut microbiologique de la cavite amniotique et un test de stabilite du microbulbe a ete effectue dans les 24 heures precedant l'ejection du placenta. Nous avons preleve le liquide amniotique dans 6 cas (nous avons obtenu 7 prelevements parce qu'une patiente presentait une grossesse gemellaire dizygote); l'amniotite chorionique avait ete diagnostiquee par examen histologique et 12 patientes sans amniotite chorionique avaient ete retenues. Le liquide amniotique a ete preleve dans les 24 heures avant l'accouchement. Le taux de cytokine (IL-2, -4, -6, TNF-α, IFN-γ) du liquide amniotique a ete etabli par epreuve ELISA. Le taux de IL-2 et -6 chez les patientes presente une amniotite chorionique (moyenne ± deviation standard, 52,9 ± 83,9 pg/ml et 20537,9 ± 8853,7 pg/ml) etait plus eleve que chez les patientes sans amniotitie chorionique (sans resultat et 65,6 ± 27,5), soit une pertinence statistique de p < 0,05 et p < 0,001. Nous avons releve une relation positive entre les taux de IL-6 du liquide amniotique et les stades de l'inflammation histologique placentaire selon Blanc dans le groupe des patientes presentant une amniotite chorionique. Ces resultats laissent supposer que le taux de IL-6 du liquide amniotique est le test le plus probant pour la detection d'une infection extra-amniotique ou intra-amniotique dans les cas de travail premature sans rupture des membranes ainsi que pour le pronostic de gravite de l'infection.

Objective: In 1981, we preliminarily reported on the clinical value and safety of the intra-amniotic dye (Phenol-sulfonphthalein, PSP)-injection method for diagnosing PROM. In the current study, through examination of 64 equivocal cases in the midtrimester of pregnancy, we investigated the clinical efficacy of the PSP test. Methods: In the present study we examined patients with equivocal PROM in their 14th week to 33rd week of gestation, whose findings were positive according to a combination of conventional diagnostic methods. The results of the PSP test and conventional diagnostic methods were compared with the final diagnosis of PROM. Results: The conventional diagnostic methods showed an accuracy rate of 63.9%–70.5%, in contrast to the PSP test, which had a 100%-accuracy rate (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Using the PSP test in combination with amnioscopy, we have established a method of differentially diagnosing PROM. We have reconfirmed the clinical efficacy of the PSP test in 64 equivocal PROM cases.

This study aimed to determine the number of lymph nodes (LNs) removed in patients who underwent abdominal complete systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy and to identify factors that contribute to disparity in the number of LNs removed.We retrospectively reviewed 260 patients with endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer between 1997 and 2011. All pelvic and para-aortic LNs were submitted as 25 separate packets. The correlations of the number of LNs with age, year of surgery, the operating surgeon, pathologist, body mass index (BMI), histology, clinical stage, operating time, blood loss, and lymph node metastasis were investigated.The median number of LNs removed was 45 pelvic (17-92) and 25 para-aortic (6-69) LNs. Among pelvic LNs, the common iliac nodes were the most frequently removed followed by the obturator nodes. The median number of the left upper para-aortic LNs between the left renal vein and the inferior mesenteric artery was highest among para-aortic LNs. There were significant correlations between the total number of LNs removed and age (P = 0.036), histology (clear vs serous; P = 0.015), and BMI (P0.0001) in ovarian cancer. Features associated with higher LN count on multivariate linear regression analysis included younger patients (P = 0.038) and higher BMI (P = 0.012).Age and BMI are independently associated with higher LN counts during LN dissection in ovarian cancer. The present study results may be important when using LN counts as a surrogate for adequate lymphadenectomy.