OBJECTIVE: It is known that mouse embryos before implantation develop in a low oxygen environment of 3- 8% concentration and with antioxidant materials such as vitamins, antioxidant enzymes, ferrous binding proteins, and albumin in follicular and tubal fluids. However, the 20% oxygen culture condition with chemically defined media might be produce an abundance of ROS, and leads to developmental delay or developmental block in vitro. In this study, we attempt to elucidate the relationship between intracellular H2O2 production and embryo development in different oxygen culture conditions of mouse embryos. METHODS: Prenuclear embryos from C57BL/CBA Fl hybrid and ICR mouse were cultured in incubators which provided 5% carbon dioxide, 20% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide, 5% oxygen. Measurement of H2O2 level in a embryo was performed with DCHFDA(2, 7 -dichlorodihydroflourescein diacetate)and analyzed with Quanti-cell 700, and the number of blastomeres was counted with DAPI( 4, 6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole). RESULTS: Oxygen concentration of the culture medias was significantly higher in the 20% oxygen environment compared to that of 5% oxygen environment. Culture of mice embryos in high oxygen condition leads to high HO concentrations at 2 cell stage and developmental delay or ""2-cell block"" regardless of the strain. But in a 5% oxygen environment, which is similar to in-vivo conditions HO production was suppressed continuously through out culture and development of embryos was definitely improved. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that there is a difference in the production of ROS or protective mechanism according to the mouse strains and stage of development, and it is thought that in-vitro culture in 5% oxygen environment provides stable in vivo equilibrium but in a 20% oxygen environment there is production of ROS which overcome the protective mechanism which leads to cellular damage and embryo developmental delay.
Animals ; Blastomeres ; Carbon Dioxide ; Carrier Proteins ; Culture Media ; Embryonic Development ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Incubators ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Oxygen* ; Pregnancy ; Vitamins

OBJECTIVE: To compare COH characteristics and IVF outcomes among IVF-ET patients who were treated with various therapeutic modalities for ovarian endometriomas and to propose effective pre-cyclic therapeutic modalities to improve IVF-ET outcomes in the patients with ovarian endometriomas. METHODS: All cases that had undergone IVF-ET after laparoscopy between January 1997 to August 2003 were reviewed. Forty-eight patients with tubal factor were assigned to Group I. Twenty seven, 22 and 38 patients diagnosed as severe pelvic adhesion with ovarian endometriomas by laparoscopy received only medical therapy (Group II), cyst aspiration (Group III), and sclerotherapy (Group IV), respectively. Laparoscopic cystectomy was performed in 20 patients (Group V). Resistance index was measured on day administering hCG. RESULTS: As compared with Group I, in Group II resistance index increased (p<0.05) but number of oocytes, good-quality oocyte ratio (mature and intermediate oocytes/total retrieval oocytes), fertilization rate, and embryo development rate decreased (p<0.05). In Group III fertilization rate and embryo development rate decreased (p<0.05). There was no difference between Group IV and Group I in all parameters except basal FSH which increased (p<0.05). In Group V basal FSH, and resistance increased (p<0.05) and number of oocytes and good-quality oocytes ratio decreased (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Sclerotherapy is an effective therapeutic option which can be done prior to IVF-ET cycles in the patients with ovarian endometriomas. Further studies on a large scale are necessary to confirm these data.
Cystectomy ; Embryonic Development ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy ; Sclerotherapy

OBJECTIVE: To identify genital HPV types and high risk group of HPV associated with cervical cancer in Korean women. METHODS: Both Pap test and HPV-DNA test using PCR assay were performed as screening test for cervical cancer in this clinic. When patients were positive in HPV-DNA test, HPV genotyping using sequencing method and cervical biopsy were performed. RESULTS: Frequent age group of HPV infection was 40 yrs (34.3%) and prevalence of HPV infection was 9.8%. Twenty-three types of HPV were detected. HPV 16 and 58 were detected in invasive cancer. HPV 16, 31, 33, 45, and 58 were detected in HSIL. HPV 6, 11, 18, 53, 59, and 66 were detected in LSIL. HPV 16 was most commonly detected in HSIL and invasive cancer. CONCLUSION: HPV 16, 31, 33, 45, and 58 are included in high risk group of HPV in Korean women. It may be very effective in early detection of cervical cancer to classify HPV types included in high risk group of cervical cancer in Korean women and to perform cervical biopsy in the patients who have high risk types of HPV infection.
Biopsy ; Female ; Human papillomavirus 16 ; Human papillomavirus 6 ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVE: To identify genital HPV types and high risk group of HPV associated with cervical cancer in Korean women. METHODS: Both Pap test and HPV-DNA test using PCR assay were performed as screening test for cervical cancer in this clinic. When patients were positive in HPV-DNA test, HPV genotyping using sequencing method and cervical biopsy were performed. RESULTS: Frequent age group of HPV infection was 40 yrs (34.3%) and prevalence of HPV infection was 9.8%. Twenty-three types of HPV were detected. HPV 16 and 58 were detected in invasive cancer. HPV 16, 31, 33, 45, and 58 were detected in HSIL. HPV 6, 11, 18, 53, 59, and 66 were detected in LSIL. HPV 16 was most commonly detected in HSIL and invasive cancer. CONCLUSION: HPV 16, 31, 33, 45, and 58 are included in high risk group of HPV in Korean women. It may be very effective in early detection of cervical cancer to classify HPV types included in high risk group of cervical cancer in Korean women and to perform cervical biopsy in the patients who have high risk types of HPV infection.
Biopsy ; Female ; Human papillomavirus 16 ; Human papillomavirus 6 ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: This study reports the results of the use of preoperative concurrent radiochemotherapy (CRCT) for the treatment of locoregionally advanced esophageal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1998 through 2005, 61 patients with intrathoracic esophageal cancer at stages II-IVB (without distant organ metastasis and presumed to be respectable) received preoperative CRCT. CRCT consisted of radiotherapy (45 Gy /25 fractions /5 weeks) and FP chemotherapy (5-FU 1 g/m2/day, days 1-4 and 29-32, Cisplatin 60 mg/m2/day, days 1 and 29). An esophagectomy was planned in 4~6 weeks after the completion of CRCT. RESULTS: There were two treatment-related deaths. Among the 61 patients, 53 patients underwent surgery and 17 patients achieved a pathological complete response (pCR). The overall survival (OS) rates of all 61 patients at 2 and 5 years were 59.0% and 38.0%, respectively. The rates of OS and disease-free survival (DFS) of the surgically resected patients at 2 and 5 years were 61.6%, 40.1% and 53.3%, 41.8%, respectively. By univariate analysis, achieviement of pCR and a clinically uninvolved distant lymph node (cM0) were favorable prognostic factors for OS and DFS. There were 27 patients that experienced a relapse-a locoregional relapse occurred in 5 patients, a distant metastasis occurred in 12 patients and combined failure occurred in 10 patients. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study are favorable. pCR and an uninvolved distant lymph node were found to be favorable prognostic factors.
Chemoradiotherapy* ; Cisplatin ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Esophagectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Treatment Outcome*

Benign hypervascular hyperplastic nodules (HHN) in liver cirrhosis are very rare. It is important to distinguish between regenerative nodules (hyperplastic nodules) and tumorous nodules (dysplastic or neoplastic nodules) in hepatocellular nodular lesions. The differential diagnosis between HHN and hepatocellular carcinoma on the basis of radiologic imaging is often difficult, and is clinically important when determining the therapeutic plan. Therefore, histological confirmation by needle biopsy sampling of the liver is necessary for a correct diagnosis of HHN. We report herein a case of benign HHN mimicking hepatocellular carcinoma in a 32-year-old male alcoholic liver cirrhosis patient without viral hepatitis infection.
Adult ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnosis ; Humans ; Hyperplasia/diagnosis ; Liver/*pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic/*diagnosis/pathology/radiography ; Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the risk factors of lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with submucosal invasive colorectal cancer (SICC). METHODS: Between January 1998 and January 2009, we reviewed patients who had undergone radical colon resection with LN dissection for SICC. RESULTS: There were 36 males and 40 females (mean age, 61.1 years; range, 35~86 years). In the univariate analysis, the risk of LN metastasis was related to the depth (absolute and relative), lymphovascular invasion, tumor budding, and tumor differentiation (P<0.05). The relative depth by Kudo classification and lymphovascular invasion were significant predictors of LN metastasis both in univariate and multivariate analysis. In SICC with an absolute depth <1,800 microm, no LN metastasis was detected. Regardless of the size of the SICC, tumors that invaded within the sm2 layer and had no lymphovascular invasion had no LN metastasis. CONCLUSION: In the SICC, lymphovascular invasion and depth of submucosal invasion are strong predictors of LN metastasis. If deep invasion exceeds sm2 and positive lymphovascular invasion exists in the resected specimen, additional colectomy with LN dissection appears to be necessary.
Colectomy ; Colon ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Risk Factors

Therapeutic radiation therapy has developed new technologies that use a high dose of radiation with three- dimensional targeting for a few days instead of conventional radiation therapy that uses small doses of radiation for a longer period of time. A Cyberknife is an image- guided robotic system for stereotactic radiosurgery. The Cyberknife was first developed for the treatment of intracranial lesions, and recently has been used for tumors in the chest and abdomen. A Cyberknife can use a high dose of radiation for treatment of a hepatocellular carcinoma and can be employed to minimize radiation injury around the tumor. However, in a large tumor, the therapeutic efficacy is reduced and injury can occur around the organs. We report a case of acute injury in the stomach and duodenum after Cyberknife treatment of a hepatocellular carcinoma near the hepatic portal area.
Abdomen ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Duodenum* ; Radiation Injuries ; Radiosurgery ; Stomach Ulcer ; Stomach* ; Thorax

A self-expanding metal stent is an effective treatment for biliary stenosis, improving obstructive jaundice and maintaining the long term patency of the bile duct. The complications of the metal stent are a perforation, distal migration, restenosis and duodenal mucosa injury from the contralateral wall impaction or trauma. However, the metal stent is a relatively permanent device and its removal is technically challenging. We report a case of protrusion of biliary stents into the duodenal lumen of a distal common bile duct cancer patients that was managed successfully by endoscopic argon plasma laser trimming.
Argon* ; Bile Ducts ; Common Bile Duct ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; Mucous Membrane ; Plasma* ; Stents*