Background: The single vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer (SVBT) cycle has been increasingly utilized for assisted reproductive technology. Women of advanced maternal age (AMA) comprise a significant portion of patients who have undergone ‘freeze-all’ cycles. This study investigated the association between the post-warming extended culture duration and pregnancy outcomes in patients of AMA. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed the outcomes of 697 SVBT cycles between January 2016 and December 2017. The cycles were divided into 3 groups based on the age of the female partners: group I: < 35 years (n = 407), group II: 35–37 years (n = 176); and group III, 38–40 years (n = 114). Data are shown as the mean ± standard error of the mean. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan’s multiple range test. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.001. Results: The blastocyst rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate (LBR) was significantly lower in the AMA groups. However, there were no significant differences in LBR in the transfer between the AMA and younger groups according to blastocyst morphology and post-warming extended culture duration. Conclusion Post-warming extended culture of blastocysts is not harmful to patients of AMA. It could be a useful parameter in clinical counseling and decision making for fertility treatments.

BACKGROUND: The standard morphological evaluation has been widely used for embryo selection, but it has limitations. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between morphologic grading and euploidy rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF) preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) and compare the pregnancy rates in young and old ages. METHODS: This is a retrospective study using the medical records of patients who underwent IVF procedures with PGS between January 2016 and February 2017 in a single center. The embryo grades were categorized into 4 groups: excellent, good, fair, and poor. Basic characteristics, euploidy rates, clinical pregnancy (CP) rates and ongoing pregnancy rates were analyzed. RESULTS: The excellent group had significantly higher rate of euploid embryos than fair group (47.82% vs. 29.33%; P = 0.023) and poor group (47.82% vs. 29.60%; P = 0.005). When the four groups were recategorized into two groups (excellent and good vs. fair and poor), they also showed significant difference in euploidy rates (44.52% vs. 29.53%; P = 0.002). When the patients were divided into two groups by age 35, the CP rates for those under and over 35 years old were 44.74% and 47.83%, respectively, which showed no significant difference. CONCLUSION: The significant differences among the euploidy rates of different morphologic embryo grades demonstrated the positive correlations between the morphologic grading of the embryo and the euploidy rate of PGS. Additionally, there was no significant difference between the younger and older patients' CP rates. These findings emphasize the fact that old age patients might benefit from PGS whatever the indication of PGS is.
Blastocyst* ; Embryonic Structures ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Genetic Testing* ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Medical Records ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Retrospective Studies

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of brain tumors. GBMs, like other tumors, rely relatively less on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and utilize more aerobic glycolysis, and this metabolic shift becomes augmented under hypoxia. In the present study, we investigated the physiological significance of altered glucose metabolism and hypoxic adaptation in the GBM cell line U251 and two newly established primary GBMs (GBM28 and GBM37). We found that these three GBMs exhibited differential growth rates under hypoxia compared to those under normoxia. Under normoxia, the basal expressions of HIF1α and the glycolysis-associated genes, PDK1, PDK3, and GLUT1, were relatively low in U251 and GBM28, while their basal expressions were high in GBM37. Under hypoxia, the expressions of these genes were enhanced further in all three GBMs. Treatment with dichloroacetate (DCA), an inhibitor of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), induced cell death in GBM28 and GBM37 maintained under normoxia, whereas DCA effects disappeared under hypoxia, suggesting that hypoxic adaptation dominated DCA effects in these GBMs. In contrast, the inhibition of HIF1α with chrysin suppressed the expression of PDK1, PDK3, and GLUT1 and markedly promoted cell death of all GBMs under both normoxia and hypoxia. Interestingly, however, GBMs treated with chrysin under hypoxia still sustained higher viability than those under normoxia, and chrysin and DCA co-treatment was unable to eliminate this hypoxia-dependent resistance. Together, these results suggest that hypoxic adaptation is critical for maintaining viability of GBMs, and targeting hypoxic adaptation can be an important treatment option for GBMs.
Anoxia ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cell Death* ; Cell Line ; Dichloroacetic Acid ; Glioblastoma* ; Glucose ; Glycolysis ; Metabolism ; Oxidative Phosphorylation ; Oxidoreductases ; Phosphotransferases ; Pyruvic Acid

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver stiffness (LS) as assessed by transient elastography (TE) can change longitudinally in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The aim of this study was to identify the factors that improve LS. METHODS: Between April 2007 and December 2012, 151 patients with CHB who underwent two TE procedures with an interval of about 2 years were enrolled. Ninety-six of the 151 patients were treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues [the antiviral therapy (+) group], while the remaining 55 patients were not [the antiviral therapy (-) group]. The two groups of patients were stratified according to whether they exhibited an improvement or a deterioration in LS during the study period (defined as an LS change of < or =0 or >0 kPa, respectively, over a 1-year period), and their data were compared. RESULTS: No differences were observed between the antiviral therapy (+) and (-) groups with respect to either their clinical characteristics or their initial LS. The observed LS improvement was significantly greater in the antiviral therapy (+) group than in the antiviral therapy (-) group (-3.0 vs. 0.98 kPa, P=0.011). In the antiviral therapy (+) group, the initial LS was higher in the LS improvement group (n=63) than in the LS deterioration group (n=33; 7.9 vs. 4.8 kPa, P<0.001). However, there were no differences in any other clinical characteristic. In the antiviral therapy (-) group, the initial LS was also higher in the LS improvement group (n=29) than in the LS deterioration group (n=26; 8.3 vs. 6.5 kPa, P=0.021), with no differences in any other clinical characteristic. CONCLUSIONS: A higher initial LS was the only factor associated with LS improvement in patients with CHB in this study.
Adult ; Aged ; Alanine Transaminase/blood ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral/blood ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens/blood ; Hepatitis B virus/genetics ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/drug therapy/pathology/*ultrasonography ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Middle Aged

The patient was a 45-year-female who presented with pain at right shoulder and right upper arm. The patient suffered from right shoulder and arm pain for 3 years and had pain management which was performed using medication and conservative management after she had been diagnosed with calcific tendinitis. However, substantial pain relief was not consistently achieved, and recurrence of pain was reported. Therefore, we performed right axillary nerve and suprascapular nerve block through pulsed radiofrequency. Two months after the procedure, the shoulder pain gradually subsided with the size reduction of the calcified nodule and she needed no more pain management.
Arm ; Calcinosis ; Humans ; Nerve Block ; Pain Management ; Recurrence ; Rotator Cuff ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Pain ; Tendinopathy

The aim of this study was to present a method for endodontic management of a maxillary first molar with unusual C-shaped morphology of the buccal root verified by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. This rare anatomical variation was confirmed using CBCT, and nonsurgical endodontic treatment was performed by meticulous evaluation of the pulpal floor. Posttreatment image revealed 3 independent canals in the buccal root obturated efficiently to the accepted lengths in all 3 canals. Our study describes a unique C-shaped variation of the root canal system in a maxillary first molar, involving the 3 buccal canals. In addition, our study highlights the usefulness of CBCT imaging for accurate diagnosis and management of this unusual canal morphology.
Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Dental Pulp Cavity ; Floors and Floorcoverings ; Molar

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an uncommon type of gastrointestinal lymphoma. MCL is a distinct subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The major subtype of MCL is characterized by the presence of multiple lymphomatous polyposis (MLP), in which multiple polyps are observed along the gastrointestinal tract. The malignant cells express pan B-cell marker and the T-cell marker cluster of differentiation 5. The chromosomal translocation t(11;14)(q13;q32) that causes cyclin D1 overexpression is commonly observed on the cytogenetic analysis of MCL. Survival improvement has recently been achieved for patient with MCL by the successful introduction of monoclonal antibodies and dose-intensified approaches for treatment, including autologous stem cell transplantation strategies. Some reports suggest that there is an increased incidence of second malignancies in patients with MCL or lymphoma. We report a case of MCL involving the colon; the patient was a 60-year-old man who complained of low abdominal discomfort during defecation. During the workup, a meningioma was unexpectedly discovered. On analysis, the tumor was found to be a t(11;14)-negative and non-MLP-type MCL.
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14 ; Cyclin D1/metabolism ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell/*diagnosis/genetics/metabolism ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Meningeal Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Meningioma/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Translocation, Genetic

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Early gastric cancer (EGC) that is undifferentiated or shows submucosal invasion has not been generally accepted as an indication for endoscopic treatment. But recently, experiences with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for undifferentiated EGC or submucosal invasive (SM) EGC have increased. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes of ESD for EGC with undifferentiation or submucosal invasion. METHODS: Between August 2005 and August 2009, among 210 EGCs treated using ESD at our hospital, 18 lesions were diagnosed as undifferentiated gastric cancer and 41 as SM gastric cancer. A retrospective analysis was done on the medical records of these patients. RESULTS: Mean follow-up periods were 19.39+/-11.2 months. During the follow-up period, local recurrence was noted in 4 lesions. Local recurrence rates of the EGC groups (group 1, mucosal cancer with undifferentiation; group 2, SM cancer with differentiation; group 3, SM cancer with undifferentiation) were 10%, 4.5%, and 50%, respectively. Groups 1 and 2 were not significantly different in local recurrence rates compared to the mucosal cancer with differentiation group (p=0.061, p=0.125, respectively). The undifferentiated EGC group was significantly lower in curability using ESD than the differentiated EGC group (55.6% vs. 89.6%, p=0.000). The curability of the SM EGC group was lower than the mucosal EGC group (36.6% vs. 98.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Complete resection using ESD is difficult in undifferentiated and SM gastric cancers. SM cancer with undifferentiation should be treated immediately by salvage operation. For mucosal cancer with undifferentiation or SM cancer with differentiation, one should consider careful short-term follow-up.
Follow-Up Studies ; Medical Records ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms

Gastric lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma is a rare carcinoma among gastric malignant tumor but has a good prognosis. The carcinoma has histologic feature characterized by small nest of cancer cells mixed with lymphoid stroma. We report a case with lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of stomach initially presenting as panperitonitis because of spontaneous tumor perforation. A 56-year-old man visited our emergency room because of epigastric pain. A preoperative abdominal CT scan showed a massive pneumoperitoneum in the upper abdomen, and the presence of gastric cancer in the lesser curvature of the stomach. An emergent laparotomy was performed followed by radical subtotal gastrectomy. Pathologic examination revealed that the tumor was a lymphoepithelioma-like gastric carcinoma.
Carcinoma/*diagnosis/pathology/therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Humans ; Lymphoma/radiography/surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumoperitoneum/etiology/radiography/surgery ; Rupture, Spontaneous ; Stomach Neoplasms/*complications/*diagnosis/pathology/therapy ; Stomach Rupture/*complications/radiography/surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Schwannoma is a benign neoplasm of the Schwann cells of the neural sheath. Most schwannomas occur in the head and neck, and extremities and rarely in the retroperitoneal space. The differentiation of a schwannoma from other malignant tumor or benign tumor is very difficult on a preoperative examination with ultrasonography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Furthermore, the lesion with increased fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in PET-CT cannot exclude malignant tumor. Therefore, this lesion needs surgical excision and a histological examination with immunohistochemical staining. We report a case of schwannoma occuring in the retroperitoneal space that incidentally discovered by PET-CT for health-check up. Pathologic confirmation by laparoscopic excision was done.
Aged ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/diagnostic use ; Humans ; Male ; Neurilemmoma/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Retroperitoneal Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed