OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to report mixed germ cell tumor, which revealed changes compatible with early transformation of dysgerminoma to endodermal sinus tumor(EST) through histogenetic considerations and immunohistochemical stains. METHODS: Ovarian germ cell tumors were reviewed from files of Dept. Ob/Gyn. Seoul Paik Hospital fiom 1992.1 to 1996.12. Total of 5 cases include 4 pure dysgerminoma and 1 mixed germ cell tumars. All tissues were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin and reviewed by two pathologists with immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratin, vimentin, AFP, PCNA, p53 & bc1-2. RESULTS: Grossly, the areas of transformation were located at the middle of the mixed tumor. The outer layer of the tumor mass was filled with typical pure dysgerminoma. They were characterised as the presence of microcysts and small glandular structures in hematoxylin-eosin(H-E) stains with positive stain for vimentin, except the tissue of the EST. The cells in the intermediate layer were characterised as the mixed form of dysgerminomatous and EST structures in H-E stains. AFP in the dysgerminomatous cells in intermediate layer and EST were stained, but not in outer layer. CONCLUSION: Dysgerminoma may possess the ability to transform to EST. There might be intermediate stage between dysgerminoma and EST, and Immunohistochemical staining for AFP, cytokeratin, vimentin, PCNA also can be used for prognosis of germ cell tumor.
Coloring Agents ; Dysgerminoma* ; Endoderm ; Endodermal Sinus Tumor* ; Formaldehyde ; Germ Cells ; Keratins ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Paraffin ; Prognosis ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; Seoul ; Vimentin ; Yolk Sac*

Perioperative anemia is common during surgery and is an important risk factor for the transfusion of RBC, morbidity and mortality. Blood transfusion has been a common practice for a long time, and has been a traditionally accepted solution to perioperative anemia. However, increasing evidence is now showing that this traditional treatment may actually do more harm than good. Research has shown that transfusion is independently associated with morbidity and mortality. A paradigm shift is currently taking place towards patient-oriented blood management and patient blood management, PBM. PBM consists of 3 pillars: the optimization of the red blood cell mass, reduction of blood loss and bleeding, and optimization of the patients’ physiological tolerance toward anemia. Of the three fillers, perioperative management is mainly included in the second pillar, but integration of these 3 pillars and strategies into perioperative pathways should improve care processes and patient outcome. Bleeding during surgery and efforts to stop it continue, and treatment for bleeding and many hemostatic methods have been developed. In recent decades, minimally invasive surgical techniques have led to a reduction of bleeding, where hemostatic agents, surgical instruments and new techniques have played an important role in the perioperative field of PBM. This paper summarized why PBM is needed, and the strategy during surgery simply and easily. This paper focuses on the surgeons’ role in PBM. The main PBM protocol is not discussed, but rather the paper focuses on selective clinical practice.

Ever since mankind has had blood, efforts to stop bleeding have never ceased and so numerous methods for hemostasis have been developed. In recent decades, minimally invasive surgical techniques have led patients to less-bleeding surgery but, hemostatic agents, devices and techniques still play an important role in medical side. A number of hemostatic agents and devices have been developed and they can be classified by their mechanism of action. That classification of the coagulants includes mechanisms with physical, caustic, bio-physical, biologic actions. Hemostatic devices are divided into categories such as dressings, glue, clips, electrocoagulations and so on. Based on the concept of minimally invasive surgical procedures, variously developed surgical techniques are divided by the number of ports used and auxiliary instruments. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to each of the hemostatic agents and minimally invasive methods, and the belief in the classical method also prevents the application of new hemostatic methods. The knowledge and understanding of the benefits and costs of these newly developed hemostatic methods will make it easier for medical personnel to manage patient's blood.
Adhesives ; Bandages ; Bloodless Medical and Surgical Procedures* ; Classification ; Coagulants ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Electrocoagulation ; Hemorrhage ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Methods ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the uterine cervix is a rare and aggressive malignancy. We report a case of uterine cervical LCNEC concurrent with high grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-SIN). The LCNEC expressed chromogranin A and thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1). The HG-SIN was negative for these markers. Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 18 was positive in LCNEC whereas both type 16 and 18 were positive in HG-SIN by nested polymerase chain reaction. This case showed TTF1 positivity nonetheless diagnosed as a primary uterine cervical LCNEC confirmed by the detection of HPV genome within the tumor. It is critical to recognize LCNEC of the uterine cervix even in the small biopsy specimen because it is a distinctive clinicopathological entity with highly aggressive behavior and unfavorable outcome.
Humans ; Biopsy

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus and located usually within the pelvis. It may be detected as a rare complication associated with surgery. Endometriosis following obstetric and gynecologic procedure, which is localized mostly in the surgical scar including Cesarean section scar, hysterotomy scar, trocar scar, Bartholin cyst exision scar, or episiotomy scar, may caused by implantation of endometrial gland and stroma. Endometriosis developing after hysterectomy, especially, is a quite rare condition except a recurrent disease. We have experienced a case of a 47-year-old woman who had diagnosed ovarian endometriosis two years after laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy for a large leiomyomatous uterus with no evidence of endometriosis, so we report this case with a brief review of literature.
Cesarean Section ; Cicatrix ; Endometriosis* ; Episiotomy ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Hysterectomy, Vaginal* ; Hysterotomy ; Middle Aged ; Pelvis ; Pregnancy ; Surgical Instruments ; Uterus

PURPOSE: Endometriosis is a steroid dependent disease with a particular genetic background but the location of possible genomic aberrations are still poorly clarified. This study was designed to investigate the associations between the polymorphism of the progesterone receptor gene (PROGINS) and endometriosis. METHODS: 100 women with surgically diagnosed and histologically confirmed endometriosis were enrolled as a patient population and a total of 110 female control subjects undergoing health examination were enrolled as control population. DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to genotype women for the presence of the PROGINS polymorphism in peripheral blood samples. The x2-test was used to compare genotype distributions between endometriosis and controls. RESULTS: T1/T2 heterozygote was found to be one patient in each group, and the rest of the subjects were all T1/T1 homozygotes. There was no difference in the genotype distribution between the endometriosis group and the control group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the progesterone receptor gene PROGINS is not associated with the risk for endometriosis.
DNA ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Genotype ; Heterozygote ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Progesterone* ; Receptors, Progesterone*

OBJECTIVE Clomiphene citrate is one of the most commonly used drugs in the treatment of infertility, but the pregnancy rate achieved with clomiphene citrate is significantly lower than the ovulation rate due to its antiestrogenic effect on the endometrium. Endometrial prolactin is considered to be a marker and an inducer of predecidualization that is characteristic of secretory endometrium. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of clomiphene citrate and unsatisfactory endometrial differentiation to secretory endometrium by examining the endometrial expression of prolactin in clomiphene citrate-treated infertile women with luteal phase defect. METHODS: The endometrial samples from infertIle women wIth luteal phase defect (n=27) were examined. Five cases during secretory phase and six cases during proliferative phase were obtained by biopsy. Sixteen cases were obtained by biopsy during secretory phase after clomiphene citrate treatment. By immunohistochemical staining for prolactin, all obtained endometrial tissues were examined. The differences in the endometrial expression of prolactin were evaluated between proliferative phase and secretory phase, and between clomiphene citrate treated group and no treatment group during secretory phase. RESULTS: The staining of endometrial prolactin was significantly more intense in the glandular epithelial cells and stromal cells in the secretory endometrium than in the proliferative endometrium. The glandular expression of prolactin in the secretory endometrium was not significantly different between the clomiphene citrate-treated group and no treatment group (p=0.719), but the staining of prolactin in the stromal cells was significantly less intense in the clomiphene citrate-treated group than no treatment group (p=0.019). CONCLUSION: in this investigation, we demonstrated that the endometrial stromal expression of prolactin in the secretory phase was significantly lower in the clomiphene citrate-treated group campared with no treatment group in infertile women with luteal phase defect. And our finding suggests that clomiphene citrate may have an adverse effect on the endometrial predecidualization in infertile women.
Biopsy ; Clomiphene* ; Endometrium ; Epithelial Cells ; Estrogen Receptor Modulators ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility ; Luteal Phase* ; Ovulation ; Pregnancy Rate ; Prolactin* ; Stromal Cells

OBJECTIVE: Aromatase is the key enzyme for the conversion of C19 steroids into estrogen in certain human tissues. We studied to evaluate the aromatase expression in eutopic endometirum and endometriotic lesion and its relationship to clinical and laboratory parameters. METHODS: The study included 78 cases of endometriotic lesion and 14 cases of eutopic endometrium and 30 cases of normal uterine endometrium obtained through laparoscopic surgery and curettage. The frozen tissue specimens were examined by immunohistochemistry using aromatase. Clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and operative findings were analyzed and compared in according to aromatase expression. RESULTS: We observed positive immunohistochemical expression for aromatase in endometriotic lesion from 46/78 patients (59.0%). Aromatase expression was elevated in comparison to eutopic endometrium (5/14 patients, P=0.032) and the difference was more pronounced when eutopic endometriums from patients with endometriosis were compared with those of healthy controls (2/30 patients, P<0.001). Aromatase-positive patients had more moderate-to-severe chronic pelvic pain, higher CA-125 level significantly. Also in operative findings, severe grade endometriosis, bilateral endometriomas, and associated leiomyoma and adenomyosis were more frequent in aromatase positive patients. High values of white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CA 19-9 were more frequent in aromatase positive patients notwithstanding insignificant differences. CONCLUSION: Unopposed local biosynthesis of estrogens by increased expression of aromatase in eutopic endometrium and endometrial tissue could be involved in the development or maintenance of endometriosis and other uterine estrogen-triggered diseases. Our findings suggest increased expression of aromatase may be related with severity, activity, and chronic pelvic pain in patients with endometriosis.
Adenomyosis ; Aromatase ; Blood Sedimentation ; Curettage ; Endometriosis ; Endometrium ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Laparoscopy ; Leiomyoma ; Leukocyte Count ; Pelvic Pain ; Steroids ; Biomarkers, Tumor

No abstract available.
Humans ; Perinatal Mortality ; Pregnancy, Twin*

OBJECTIVE: The rate of developmental progression of frozen-thawed embryos is lower than that of nonfrozen embryos in mice, cows, humans and other mammalians. This study was designed and performed to evaluate the beneficial effects of coculture of Vero cells on the development of frozen-thawed two-cell stage embryos of ICR strain mice. MATERIASL AND METHODS: The late two-cell stage mouse embryos were obtained from oviducts of 5~6 week old mated ICR mice superovulated with pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Two-cell stage mouse embryos were frozen slowly with 1,2-propanediol and sucrose as cryoprotectants and thawed rapidly, followed by stepwise dilution. The frozen-thawed embryos were cultured in Ham's F-10+10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) basal culture medium with and without Vero cells. The rates of development in both groups were compared every 24 hours for 5 days. RESULTS: Vero cells did not significantly stimulate the rate of embryonal development compared to controls at 24 hours after culture, 124 (69.3%) and 68 (61.3%), respectively (p=0.161). On day 4, however, 55 (30.7%) cocultured embryos had developed to expanded-hatching blastocysts, which was the significantly higher number than that of the embryos in controls: 16 (14.4%) (p=0.002). In addition, more embryos in coculture developed to hatching-hatched blastocysts (43[24.0%]) compared to the controls (10[9.0%]) (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Coculture of cryopreserved embryos after thawing with Vero cells seems to be an useful tool to remove the postthaw deleterious effects of freezing and to obtain better quality embryos appropriate for transfer. These beneficial effects of Vero cell coculture appear to become more prominent as the embryonic development progresses over time.
Animals ; Blastocyst ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Coculture Techniques* ; Cryopreservation ; Embryonic Development ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Freezing ; Gonadotropins ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR* ; Oviducts ; Pregnancy ; Propylene Glycol ; Sucrose ; Vero Cells*