OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of low-dose aspirin on IVF outcome and endometrium in patients undergoing IVF-ET. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February, 2001 to Jun, 2001, 60 infertile patients were randomly divided into study group (28 cycles) and control group (32 cycles). The study group received a daily oral dose of 25 mg of aspirin for at least 2 weeks from first visiting day. Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation was initiated in all patients with the GnRH agonist starting in the midluteal phase of the previous cycle. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age of the patients, basal serum E2, LH, FSH level and endometrial thickness among two groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the study group and the control group respectively in dosage (26.5+/-4.8 vs 26.2+/-5.3 amples) and duration (10.4+/-4.2 vs 9.8+/-5.3 days) of gonadotropin administration, serum E2 level on the hCG administration day (1823+/-342 vs 1854+/-543), LH (14.5+/-2.7 vs 14.8+/-3.1), FSH (16.7+/-3.4 vs 18.3+/-4.7), the number of follicles p> 15 mm (13.2+/-6.3 vs 12.8+/-5.9), the number of oocytes retrieved (9.2+/-2.4 vs 8.4+/-1.7), the number of embryos transferred (4.7+/-2.0 vs 4.7+/-2.0), fertilization rate (68.4% vs 64.5%), implantation rate (21.3% vs 17.6%), and clinical pregnancy rate (28.4% vs 26.2%). The endometrial thickness and the percentage of endometrial trilaminar pattern on hCG day were significantly higher in study group than control group (12.9+/-3.7 mm vs 10.4+/-2.8 mm, 78.3% vs 64.5%). CONCLUSION: Many reports suggest that low-dose aspirin improve ovarian response, implantation rate, fertilization rate, implantation rate, and pregnancy rate by increasing the blood flow, but we couldn't prove the significant effect of low-dose aspirin on the IVF outcome except on endometrium. This may be affected by dose of aspirin, duration, and number of patients studied. This trial is small, so our results highlight the need for a large randomized controlled trial to identify the effect of low-dose aspirin on IVF-ET outcome.
Aspirin* ; Embryonic Structures ; Endometrium ; Female ; Fertilization ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Gonadotropins ; Humans ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy Rate

No abstract available.
Home Care Services* ; Humans ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Asthma*

Gastric mucosa shows continuous changes in surface epithelium as well as inflammatory reaction by various substances from the outside and their metabolic products. Gastric mucosal lesions are proven to be associated with bacterial infection by the discovery of Heliobacter pylori(H. pylori) and many studies about histopathologic changes of gastric mucosa associated H. pylori infection has been advanced. It is known that H. pylori associated gastritis displays surface foveolar epithelial changes, such as cytoplasmic vacuolation, mucin loss, juxtaluminal cytoplasm erosion, epithelial denudation, and mucosal irregularity. There have been many studies that H. pylori infection is associated with intestinal metaplasia, gastric dysplasia, and carcinoma. Also chronic H. pylori infection with its induction of gastric lymphoid follicle has been implicated as a precursor of gastric lymphoma of the unique B-cell type that arises from mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue(MALT). However, these gastric mucosal changes are also observed in gastritis with other causes. In this study, we aimed to define specific histopathiologic findings associated with H. pylori infection. A total of 463 gastric biopsy specimens were reviewed. They were Helicobacter-associated gastritis and were divided as many (MH), a few (AH), and no (NH), according to the number of H. pylori. 210 (MH), 131 (AH), and 122 (NH) biopsy specimens were included. Lymphocytes, plasma cells in lamina propria, eosinophils and neutrophils in surface epithelium and crypt as well as lamina propria were graded from 0 to 3. Surface epithelial changes including cytoplasmic vacuolation, mucin loss, juxtaluminal erosion, epithelial denudation and mucosal irregrarity were observed in 200 of 210 cases(95%) in MH group, 34 of 131 cases(26%) in AH group, and 6 of 122 cases(5%) in NH group. This result indicates there is significant difference in surface epithelial changes according to the number of H. pylori(p<0.001). Severity of eosinophil, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and plasma cell infiltration is increased in proportion to the number of H. pylori. Especially, neutrophilic infiltration is not identified in 95 of 122 cases(78%) in NH group, whereas MH group shows severe infitration (grade 3) in 127 of 210 cases(61%), and no (grade 0) in 11 of 210 cases(5%). This data well explains that the severity of neutrophil infiltration is associated with, the degree of H. pylori infection in chronic active gastritis, with statistical significance. The prevalence of lymphoid follicle formation was 17 of 120 cases(14%) in NH group, 24 of 131 cases(18%) in AH group, and 52 of 210 cases(25%) in MH group. This shows that lymphoid follicle formation correlates with the number of H. pylori, but without statistical significance. The prevalence of intestinal metaplasia in NH, AH, and MH was 43 of 122 cases(35%), 46 of 131 cases(35%), and 69 of 210 cases(33%), showing no association between intestinal metaplasia and H. pylori. In summary, H. pylori associated gastritis dispays characteristic histopathological changes in gastric mucosa, in which surface epithelial changes and various inflammatory infiltrates are increased in proportion to the number of H. pylori. Especially vacuolization of surface foveolar epithelium, cryptitis, and crypt abscess are specific findings of H. pylori associated gastritis.
Biopsy

Although there have been a few reports of cases in which cancer cells of extrauterine origin were observed in vaginal smears, such findings are relatively uncommon. We recently experienced a case of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma diagnosed by cervicovaginal smear in a 56-year-old woman in routine work-up of carcinoma peritonei. The cellular features were several scattered cellular clusters of adenocarcinoma cells in clear background without tumor diathesis. Psammoma body was not present. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma with multiple metastases.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous ; Diagnosis ; Disease Susceptibility ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Laparotomy ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thyroid Gland ; Vaginal Smears

BACKGROUND: Rhinovirus infection of the airways results in increased permeability of the airway vascular endothelium with the influx of plasma proteins, including lipids such as LDL. In vitro studies on the effect of oxLDL on leukocytes has shown many proinflammatory effects on multiple leukocytes. We hypothesized that oxLDL is one mechanism for recruiting granulocytes to the airways during a RV infection. Therefore, chemotaxis and transendothelial migration, in response to nLDL, was determined for these granulocytes. METHODS: nLDL was oxidized with 5mM Cu2SO4 for 20-24 hours. 3-5×10(5) cells were loaded into the Transwell filter while the chemotatic agonists were placed in the lower well for chemotaxis. Confluent monolayers on HPMEC were grown on Transwell filters for transendothelial migration. The filters were washed and eosinophils and neutrophils loaded on to the filter with the chemotatic agonist was were placed in the lower well. The wells were incubated for 3 hours. The number of migrating cells was counted on a hemocytometer. RESULTS: OxLDL, but not nLDL, is chemotatic for eosinophils and neutrophils. The level of granulocytes chemotaxis was dependent on both the concentration of LDL and its degree of oxidation. OxLDL stimulates eosinophil and neutrophils migration across HPMEC monolayers (±IL-1β preactivation) in a dose dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Increased vascular permeability during a RV infection may lead to the influx and oxidation of LDL. The resulting oxLDL. is one possible mechanism for the recruitment of neutrophils and eosinophils to the airway interstitial matrix. Once in the airways, granulocytes can further interact with oxLDL to promote airway inflammation.
Blood Proteins ; Capillary Permeability ; Chemotaxis ; Endothelium, Vascular ; Eosinophils* ; Granulocytes ; Inflammation ; Leukocytes ; Neutrophils* ; Permeability ; Rhinovirus ; Transendothelial and Transepithelial Migration

No abstract available.
Hepatolenticular Degeneration*

An autopsy case of male pseudohermaphrodite associated with Bochdalek diaphragmatic hernia is reported. This newborn infant showed a large clitoris and hypospadic urethra which was the only opening in the perineum except for the anus. There were urethrovaginal fistula and uterus didelphys. The adrenals were slightly larger than normal, but microscopically did not show any features of cortical hyperplasia. Well formed testes were found and were histologically unremarkable. In addition, Bochdalek type of diaphragmatic hernia was present, associated with severe left lung hypoplasia and massively herniated abdominal organs into the chest cavity, shifting the mediastinum considerably and eventually led to death in a few minutes after birth. The pathogenesis of genital anomaly and diaphragmatic hernia is briefly discussed and it is suggested that this type of genital abnormality might be due to defect of testicular M llerian inhibitor factor and can be categorized as incomplete male pseudohermaphroditism.
Infant ; Male ; Female ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans

No abstract available.
Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma*