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Background Creating a functional neovagina is a practical therapeutic intervention for women with congenital vaginal agenesis and sexual needs. Although the incidence of neovaginal prolapse (NP) is low, it is inconvenient for patients and is a challenging problem for gynecologists. Case A 32-year-old woman who had undergone transabdominal sigmoid vaginoplasty 10 years previously at another hospital visited our clinic for evaluation and treatment of NP. Gynecological examination showed exstrophy of the vaginal apex, 4 cm beyond the hymen. Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy was performed using a mesh. The mesh was sutured at the anterior wall and apex of the neovagina and suspended in the anterior sacral region without blood vessels. Summary and Conclusion Laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy might be an effective and safe treatment for NP.

The unpredictable precipitation and water deficit conditions in semiarid regions significantly reduce the yield of summer maize. The exogenous application of plant growth regulators can be used as a strategy to enhance plant stress tolerance and improve the growth and yield of maize under semiarid conditions. Here, we studied the protective role of melatonin application on maize yield using grain filling rate and hormonal crosstalk in maize grains. In the first field experiment, seeds were soaked with melatonin at a concentration of 0 (SM0 ), 25 (SM1 ), 50 (SM2 ), and 75 μM (SM3 ) μM. In contrast, in the second experiment, melatonin was applied on the foliage at the ninth leaf stage at a concentration of 0 (FM0 ), 25 (FM1 ), 50 (FM2 ), and 75 (FM3 ) μM. Our findings showed that melatonin treatments as seed soaking significantly increased single seed weight, seed filling rate in superior, medium and inferior seeds by regulating the hormone levels compared to foliar application. Application of melatonin significantly increased the zeatin+zeatin riboside (Z+ZR), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and gibberellic acid (GA) contents. However, it significantly inhibited the contents of abscisic acid (ABA) during the seed filling period. The content of Z+ZR, IAA, and GA was positively correlated with the maximum seed filling rate, seed weight, and mean filling rate in middle, superior and lower seeds, while the ABA was negatively correlated. The ABA content in inferior seeds was positively correlated with the maximum and mean seed filling rate. In semiarid regions, melatonin treatment of SM2 and FM2 significantly increased the dry matter per plant, 100-grain weight, seed filling rate, IAA, Z+ZR, GA contents, ear characteristics, and maize yield.

Endometrial cells and microenvironment are two important factors in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis. Our previous study demonstrated that macrophages can induce eutopic epithelial cells of adenomyosis to suffer from epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). The aim of this study is to detect whether macrophages interacting with epithelial cells equally induce the EMT process in normal and eutopic endometria of healthy and adenomyotic patients; and whether macrophages parallelly polarize to M2. We investigated the expression levels of epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin), neural cadherin (N-cadherin), cytokeratin7 (CK7), vimentin, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFB1), SMAD3 and pSMAD3 using immunohistochemistry and western blot, and then estimated the genetic levels of CD163, IL10 and MMP12 using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in macrophages. Eutopic and normal endometrial tissues were obtained from 20 patients with adenomyosis and 11 control patients without adenomyosis, respectively. The immunohistochemical analysis shows distinct EMT in eutopic endometria in secretory phase; the expression levels of TGFB1, SMAD3 and pSMAD3 that indicate signal pathway of EMT were also higher in secretory phase. Macrophages can induce EMT process in primary endometrial epithelial cells derived from normal and eutopic endometria. After co-culturing, THP-1-derived macrophages polarized to M2. Compared with the eutopic endometrium group, further polarization to M2 was observed in the normal endometrium group. These results indicate that adenomyosis may be promoted by the pathologic EMT of epithelial cells, which is induced by macrophages that incapably polarize to M2.

This study examines whether silencing specific β-nerve growth factor small interfering RNA (β-NGF siRNA) can affect the growth of ectopic endometriotic implants, generalized hyperalgesia, and nerve fiber density in endometriosis.Four specific β-NGF siRNAs were detected by Western blot analysis, and the most efficient specific siRNA was transferred into rats with surgically induced endometriosis through gene transfer. The length × width × height of each ectopic transplant that survived from 2 groups were measured at pre-and postbombardment after 2 weeks. The transplants were collected 2 weeks after bombardment. Warm-water tail flick test was performed before the rats were sacrificed. The specimens were sectioned and stained immunohistochemically with antibodies against the types of nerve fibers to compare the presence of different nerve fibers in the treatment and control groups. The serums and supernatants of the peritoneal washings in the treatment and control groups were collected for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. The extra rats were successfully induced with endometriosis and through gene transfer as described above. The spherical volumes of the transplants and tail flick latency post-bombardment after 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks were measured.The spherical volumes in the treatment group were much smaller than those in the control group, and tail flick latency significantly increased in the treatment group postbombardment after 2 weeks. The ELISA analysis showed that the concentrations of β-NGF in the serums and supernatants of the peritoneal fluid decreased in the treatment group unlike in the control group. Less sympathetic and sensory innervation was observed in the treatment group postbombardment after 2 weeks. The outcomes of the spherical volumes of the transplants and tail flick latency postbombardment after 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks showed that the sizes of the transplants did not return to their previous size and that the treatment had some effects on generalized hyperalgesia.Specific siRNA-mediated silencing of the β-NGF gene expression after gene transfer suppressed the growth of ectopic endometriotic implants resulted in a significant improvement in generalized hyperalgesia as well as reduced sympathetic and sensory nerve fiber density in the treatment group.

Termination of pregnancy is an important and necessary back-up method for family planning services in many countries. The combination of mifepristone and misoprostol is a widely used alternative to surgical evacuation of the uterus in early pregnancy; however, there are few reports about medical abortion in women with a prior uterine incision and few studies have described curettage occurring as part of the procedure and an indication for the intervention. Curettage in a prior uterine incision can increase operative complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether vaginal bleeding intervals, routine ultrasound scan and serum beta-hCG test after medical abortion could accurately identify women with uterine scars who would require curettage.Six hundred sixty-eight women with a uterine scar and at up to 49 days of gestation underwent a medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol. Each woman took 50 mg and 25 mg of mifepristone orally in the morning and in the evening, respectively, for 2 days and 600 mcg of misoprostol orally on the third day.Of the 668 women, 6 (0.9%) were lost to follow-up. The overall complete abortion rate was 91.7%; 55 women underwent curettage, including 2 women with heavy bleeding, 3 women with ongoing pregnancy and 34 women with incomplete abortion. The incomplete abortion rate was significantly greater in women with persistent bleeding lasting 21 days than in women with persistent bleeding lasting 14 days (p.001), and the overall sensitivity and specificity of vaginal bleeding interval (21 days) were 97.1% and 75%, respectively. The incomplete abortion rate was also greater in women whose serum beta-hCG wasor=500 IU/L than in women whose serum beta-hCG was500 IU/L (p.001), and the overall sensitivity and specificity of serum beta-hCG (or=500 IU/L) were 97.1% and 62.5%, respectively. Moreover, the incomplete abortion rate was greater in women with an endometrial thicknessor=15 mm than in women with an endometrial thickness15 mm (p.001), and the overall sensitivity and specificity of endometrial thickness (or=15 mm) were 94.1% and 75%, respectively. No complication occurred.The combination of mifepristone and misoprostol was found to be a safe and effective method to terminate early pregnancy in women with a previous cesarean delivery. If a woman with a prior uterine incision experienced vaginal bleeding intervalsor=21 days and/or had a bilayer endometrial thicknessor=15 mm and/or serum beta-hCGor=500 IU/L after a medical abortion, then she should undergo curettage.

Total phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy-3-glu) and antioxidant capacity of Chinese bayberry fruit (Myrica rubra Sieb. and Zucc.) differed among the four cultivars “Baizhong” (white), “Fenhong” (pink), “Wuzhong” (red) and “Biqi” (dark red). Antioxidant capacity determined by both the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH.) radical scavenging capacity was significantly correlated with the antioxidant components in the fruit, and directly related to fruit color. Cy-3-glu accounted for at least 82, 38, and 12% of the total antioxidant capacity in “Biqi”, “Wuzhong” and “Fenhong” fruits, respectively. No detectable Cy-3-glu was found in “Baizhong” fruit. Greater fruit maturity was associated with higher levels of all the bioactive components and antioxidant capacity. Significant increases were also found during postharvest storage of “Biqi” fruit held at either 20 °C for 2 days or 0 °C for 5 days. However, these levels decreased during a 2-day shelf-life at 20 °C after 5 days at 0 °C. These results show that storage and shelf-life conditions are important if health-based bioactive components of bayberry fruit are to be maintained after harvest.

The placenta is an attractive new source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), but the biological characteristics of placenta-derived MSCs (P-MSCs) have not yet been characterized. We successfully isolated, cultured and expanded P-MSCs using routine methods. Under appropriate induction conditions, these cells can differentiate into bone, cartilage, fat and hepatocyte-like cells. In addition, the proliferative response of P-MSCs to different cytokines was monitored using the MTT assay. The results show that low concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines, e.g. RANTES, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and IL-8 can stimulate the proliferation of P-MSCs in a dose-dependent manner, peaking at concentrations of 40 ng/ml of RANTES, 10 ng/ml of IL-1 and IL-6, and 150 ng/ml of IL-8 (p < 0.01). The level of proliferation decreased when the concentration of these four cytokines increased beyond these values. On the other hand, anti-inflammatory cytokines hepatocyte growth factor and IL-4 had an inhibitory effect on P-MSCs. In conclusion, the placenta contains MSCs that are consistent with the characteristics of bone marrow MSCs. Low concentrations of proinflammatory chemokines stimulated the proliferation of P-MSCs while anti-inflammatory cytokines inhibited the growth of P-MSCs in a dose-dependent manner.

Purpose: To investigate the antitumor activity of physcion8-O-β-glucopyranoside (PSG) against cervical cancer, as well as its mechanisms. Methods : The anti-proliferative effects of PSG on HeLa cells were determined by CCK-8 assay and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were calculated. Subsequently, a mouse xenograft model of HeLa cell line was established to investigate the antitumor effect of PSG in vivo. Furthermore, cell apoptosis was investigated by fluorescence microscopy via DAPI staining, and other mechanisms were determined by Western blot assay. Results : In vitro, PSG exhibited significant anti-proliferative effect on HeLa cells (p

Background This study aimed to develop a working animal model for exploring the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of premature ovarian failure (POF) as induced by cisplatin. Methods Female Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with different doses of cisplatin. The bodyweight, estrous cyclicity, concentration of gonadal hormones, ovarian weight, and histopathology were determined and compared with those of the control group. Gene chips were used to compare the genes that were differentially expressed between the POF and control ovaries. Results A cisplatin dose of 1.5mg/kg body weight significantly reduced the E2 levels and elevated the gonadotropin levels after two weeks of injection. The treated rats were characterized by estrous cycle disorders and the lack of mature follicles. Thus, these animals could be used as a model for chemotherapy-induced POF. Compared with the controls, the Gene Ontology (GO) categories that were significantly increased in the POF ovaries included "monooxygenase activity," "cholesterol metabolism," and "acute inflammatory response." On the other hand, the GO terms "mitotic spindle organization," "ovulation," and "cholesterol biosynthetic process" were downregulated. The upregulation of three proteins CYP2E1, SCARB1, C3 and downregulation of CYP51 were verified in the cisplatin ovaries by Western blot analysis. Conclusions The immune inflammatory response and reactive oxygen species may damage ovarian function in the cisplatin-induced POF.

Fetal liver (FL) has transient and intense hematopoietic activity during gestation. It has been shown that hematopoietic activity in FL begins at embryonic day (E)11, is maximal at E16 and rapidly ceases thereafter. This development of FL is simultaneous with transition of several hematopoietic features. Stromal cells (SCs) appear to regulate hematopoiesis in FL. To compare in vitro hematopoietic support ability of FL SCs from different developmental stages, we established three mouse primary FL SCs from different gestation days and compared their capacity in supporting the growth and differentiation of human umbilical cord blood, by flow cytometry and long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) assays. Results showed that expansion of hematopoietic progenitor in an E15.5 FL SC microenvironment was superior to that in E12.5 and E18.5 FL SC microenvironments. Co-culture on E15.5 FL SCs resulted in a 3.04-fold increase in early CD34+/CD38− progenitors and a 6.4-fold increase in LTC-ICs after 2 weeks. However, the comparison of CD2+/CD19− cell output and CD19+ cell output in different conditions did not attain statistical significance. These results show that murine E15.5 FL SCs are most effective in sustaining stem cell function along with greatest expansion of total nuclear cells of human umbilical cord blood (hUCB). We conclude that the change in SC function is responsible for the transition of hematopoietic function in FL.