OBJECTIVETo investigate the roles of MMPs-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in cesarean section scar healing.

METHODSThe expressions of the MMPs-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were detected by EnVision immunohistochemistry in 22 pregnant women with serious complications of the uterine scar, including 8 with early caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) and 14 with full-term pregnancy undergoing hysterectomy for placenta previa or implanted placenta. Thirty-eight full-term pregnant women without serious complications of the uterine scar and 32 normal full-term pregnant women served as the control I and control II groups, respectively.

RESULTSThe expressions of MMPs-9 and TIMP-1 differed significantly between the 3 groups (P<0.05), whereas TIMP-2 did not (P>0.05). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the expression of MMPs-9 in the uterine scar tissues was positively correlated with poor uterine scar healing with the correlation coefficients of 0.309 and 0.643. An increased severity of poor healing scar was associated with a significantly increased expression of MMPs-9 (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe imbalanced expressions of MMPs-9 and TIMP-1 in injury repair can be related to poor uterine scar healing and CSP.

Adult ; Cesarean Section ; adverse effects ; Cicatrix ; etiology ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Placenta Previa ; surgery ; Pregnancy ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; metabolism ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; metabolism ; Uterus ; pathology ; Wound Healing ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression patterns of ZEB2 and C-myc in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and the associations between their expressions and the pathological features of EOC.

METHODSThe expressions of ZEB2 and C-myc proteins were detected immunohistochemically in 191 cervical cancer tissues and 13 normal ovarian tissues. The relationship between ZEB2 and C-myc protein expressions and the clinicopathological features of EOC was evaluated.

RESULTSZEB2 positive expression ratea in EOC tissues and normal ovarian tissues were 49.2% (94/191) and 30.8% (4/13), respectively (P=0.007), and C-myc positive expression rates in the two tissues were 53.9% (103/191) and 15.4% (2/13), respectively (P=0.001). A high expression of ZEB2 was positively correlated with the pathological type of the tumor (P=0.003), FIGO stage (P=0.028), T stage (P=0.002), and N stage (P=0.04), and a high expression of C-myc was positively correlated with FIGO stage (P=0.035), histological grade (P=0.039), and T stage (P=0.002). C-myc and ZEB2 expressions were positively correlated in EOC (P<0.001), and their co-expression in EOC was significantly correlated with T stage (R=0.358, P<0.001) and FIGO stage (P=0.008).

CONCLUSIONZEB2 and C-myc can promote the progression, invasion and metastasis of EOC, and their combined detection may assist in early diagnosis of EOC.

Disease Progression ; Female ; Homeodomain Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial ; genetics ; metabolism ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Prognosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc ; genetics ; metabolism ; Repressor Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Zinc Finger E-box Binding Homeobox 2