Partial hydatidiform mole pregnancy ended in full-term delivery of a normal infant: a case presentation.

BACKGROUND: Twin pregnancy with a partial hydatidiform mole (PHM) and a coexistent live fetus is extremely rare. The fetus usually has a normal karyotype. The surviving rate of the fetus till lung maturity is only about 25-40%. PHM pregnancy almost ends in abortion due to the presence of triploid embryo. Here, we report a case of PHM coexistent with a live fetus resulting in a live baby. CASE PRESENTATION: A PHM pregnancy was diagnosed by ultrasonography in a 28-year-old Chinese woman, with normal fetal morphology and mosaicism as indicated by amniocentesis. After being fully informed of the risks, the woman chose to proceed with the pregnancy and finally gave birth to a baby girl and the infant was delivered at term. A single placenta with vesicular changes and peripheral blood diploid chromosomes were observed. There were no serious maternal complications. In conclusion, the diagnosis, management, and monitoring of this condition, which is very rare in clinical practice, remain challenging. Under proper management, a PHM-combined pregnancy can still end in full-term delivery of a normal living fetus.

Multivariate Analysis of Recurrence after Hysteroscopic Diagnosis and Treatment of Endometrial Polyps following IVF-ET Failure.

Objective: To explore the risk factors affecting the recurrence of endometrial polyps (EPs) after hysteroscopic diagnosis and treatment of EPs following in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) failure by multivariate analysis. Methods: The clinical data of 369 patients with EPs hysteroscopically treated in our department due to IVF-ET failure from January 2017 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including the number and size of polyps, postoperative treatment, endometriosis (EM), hydrosalpinx (HSP), and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and the effects of these factors on EP recurrence were observed. Results: Of the patients enrolled, 184 cases (49.9%) were treated by curettage, and 185 cases (50.1%) by electrotomy. A total of 72 cases (19.5%) of postoperative recurrence were determined, including 34 cases (9.2%) without postoperative medication, 31 cases (8.4%) with one month of postoperative Didroxyprogesterone (DG) administration, and 7 cases (1.9%) with three months of postoperative DG administration. Surgical methods, 3 months of postoperative medication, PCOS, and polyp number and size significantly influence the recurrence of EPs, which were all the influencing factors of polyp recurrence. After controlling for other factors, the risk of EP recurrence after electrotomy was found to be lower than that after curettage, with an odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) of 0.354 (0.163-0.767); the risk of EP recurrence after 3 months of postoperative medication was lower than that without postoperative medication, with an OR (95% CI) of 0.024 (0.005-0.104); the risk of EP recurrence in patients with PCOS was higher than that without PCOS, and the OR (95% CI) was 2.505 (1.113-5.639); patients with multiple polyps (≥2) were at an increased risk of recurrence than those with a single polyp, with an OR (95% CI) of 66.552 (14.711-301.084); patients with polyp diameter ≥ 2 cm had a higher risk of recurrence than those with polyp diameter < 2 cm, and the OR (95% CI) was 1084.76 (148.743-7910.999). Conclusions: PCOS patients are at an elevated risk of EP recurrence than non-PCOS patients. In patients with multiple polyps, those with a diameter ≥ 2 cm have an increased risk of polyp recurrence compared with those with polyp diameter < 2 cm; electrotomy is associated with a lower recurrence risk of EPs than curettage. The risk of EP recurrence in patients treated with postoperative progesterone for 3 months is lower than that of patients without postoperative medication.

The circular RNA circ_0030018/miR-136/migration and invasion enhancer 1 (MIEN1) axis promotes the progression of polycystic ovary syndrome.

The abnormal expression of circular RNAs (circRNAs) is associated with the progression of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which commonly causes infertility in women. In this study, we identified the role of circ_0030018 in PCOS. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of circ_0030018, microRNA (miR)-136, and migration and invasion enhancer 1 (MIEN1). Cell counting kit-8 and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assays were performed to analyze the proliferation of KGN cells. Apoptosis was analyzed using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Transwell assays were performed to measure the migration and invasion abilities of cells. qPCR and Western blotting were used to measure the levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Snail, and vimentin. The correlation of circ_0030018 or MIEN1 expression with miR-136 expression was confirmed via luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. Results showed that circ_0030018 expression was upregulated in patients with PCOS and KGN cells. Knockdown of circ_0030018 suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cells, while promoting their apoptosis. circ_0030018 sponged miR-136, which targeted MIEN1. Moreover, downregulation of miR-136 abrogated the effects of circ_0030018 silencing, while the overexpression of MIEN1 reversed the miR-136-induced effect on KGN cells. In summary, loss of circ_0030018 delayed the progression of PCOS via the miR-136/MIEN1 axis.

Prostate Cancer Vascularity: Superb Microvascular Imaging Ultrasonography with Histopathology Correlation.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between prostate cancer (PCa) vascularity detected by superb microvascular imaging (SMI) and Gleason score in biopsy specimens. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 119 patients with suspected PCa before biopsy underwent gray-scale ultrasound (US), color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS), and SMI imaging between June 2018 and March 2019. Vascularity quantity was assessed by SMI and compared with that of CDUS. The vessel parameter was also compared with the Gleason score. The sensitivity of PCa was compared between transrectal ultrasound guided systematic biopsy (SB) and SMI-guided targeted biopsy (SMI-guided TB). RESULTS Pathology confirmed 74 of 119 patients had PCa. The microvascular quantity of PCa patients was significantly higher than that of non-malignant patients. SMI detected blood vessels in 97.3% (72/74) in the malignant group, while CDUS identified blood flow signals in 90.5% (67/74) of the PCa group. SMI visualized enriched microvascular in PCa of Gleason 8 (54.5%) and Gleason 9 (92.3%). There was a positive correlation between microvascular quantity detected by SMI and Gleason score, with a correlation coefficient of 0.373 (P<0.001). SMI-guided TB cores were significantly more likely than SB cores to detect PCa (OR=12.83, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS SMI could be promising as a useful imaging technique in the detection and characterization of PCa. There was a positive correlation between microvascular quantity detected by SMI and Gleason score.

Strain Elastography-Targeted Biopsy: Does Prostate Volume Affect Prostate Cancer Detection?

BACKGROUND The present study aimed to assess the correlation between prostate volume and prostate cancer (PCa) detection by strain elastography (SE)-guided targeted biopsy (TB) compared with conventional transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided systematic biopsy (SB). MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study enrolled 357 patients suspected to have PCa. All patients received TRUS-guided 10-core SB and SE-guided TB. The sensitivity for PCa detected by SE-guided TB was compared with that by TRUS-guided SB, in combination with prostate biopsy pathology. The correlation between the prostate volume and the detection rate of SE-guided TB was investigated. RESULTS PCa was pathologically confirmed in 151 out of 357 patients. The by-patient detection rate of TRUS-guided SB was 72.8% (110/151). Subsequently, a further increase of 6.6% (10/151) in PCa determination was obtained by the SE-guided TB. The sensitivity of SE-guided TB for patients with prostate volume <30 ml, 30-50 ml, 51-80 ml, and >80 ml was 91.7% (44/48), 80.3% (53/66), 70.4% (19/27), and 40.0% (4/10), respectively (p=0.002). For patients with a prostate volume less than 30 ml, SE-guided TB (91.7%) had a higher sensitivity than SB (62.5%) (p<0.007). CONCLUSIONS SE-guided TB has a higher detection rate of PCa in comparison with TRUS-guided SB. There was also a negative correlation between prostate volume and SE-guided TB. Therefore, use of SE-guided TB may complement use of conventional SB, especially for patients with smaller prostate volume.

A five-long non-coding RNA signature to improve prognosis prediction of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Recent works have reported that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in tumorigenesis and prognosis of cancers, suggesting the potential utility of lncRNAs as cancer prognostic markers. However, lncRNA signatures in predicting the survival of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remain unknown. In this study, we attempted to identify lncRNA signatures and their prognostic values in ccRCC. Using lncRNA expression profiling data in 440 ccRCC tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data, a five-lncRNA signature (AC069513.4, AC003092.1, CTC-205M6.2, RP11-507K2.3, U91328.21) has been identified to be significantly associated with ccRCC patients' overall survival in both training set and testing set. Based on the lncRNA signature, ccRCC patients could be divided into high-risk and low-risk group with significantly different survival rate. Further multivariable Cox regression analysis suggested that the prognostic value of this signature was independent of clinical factors. Functional enrichment analyses showed the potential functional roles of the five prognostic lncRNAs in ccRCC oncogenesis. These results indicated that this five-lncRNA signature could be used as an independent prognostic biomarker in the prediction of ccRCC patients' survival.

Evaluating the microRNA-target gene regulatory network in renal cell carcinomas, identification for potential biomarkers and critical pathways.

Variant microRNA (miRNA) expression is a character of many cancer types. The combined analysis of miRNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression profiles is crucial to identifying links between deregulated miRNAs and oncogenic pathways. The aim of this study was to screen several novel genes associated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and analyze the gene functions and signal pathways which were critical to RCCs with DNA microarray. The gene expression profile of GSE6344 was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database, including 10 RCC samples and 10 healthy controls. Compared with the control samples, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of RCC was identified. The selected DEGs were further analyzed using bioinformatics methods. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was performed using Gene Set Analysis Toolkit and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed with prePPI. Then, pathway enrichment analysis to PPI network was performed using WebGestalt software. We found that a total of 521 DEGs were down-regulated and 473 DEGs were up-regulated in RCC samples compared to healthy controls. A total of 15 remarkable enhanced functions and 17 suppressed functions were identified. PPI nodes of high degrees, such as RHCG, RALYL, SLC4A1, UMOD and CA9, were obtained. The DEGs were classified and significantly enriched in cytokine and cytokine receptor pathway. The hub genes we find from RCC samples are not only biomarkers, but also may provide the groundwork for a combination therapy approach for RCCs.

[Transurethral resection of bladder neck for female bladder neck sclerosis: a prospective urodynamics study].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the probable unsuccessful reasons for transurethral resection of bladder neck (TUR-BN) of female bladder neck sclerosis. METHODS: Thirty eligible cases received urodynamic inspections at pre-operation, post-operation of months 1, 2, 3 and 6 and year 1. RESULTS: TUR-BN was effective in 27 patients (90%), but ineffective in 3 (10%). Among the effective cases, the urodynamic parameters of Qmax and Qave increased (P < 0.05) while the residual urine volume and maximum pressure of detrusor contraction decreased (P < 0.05). The above four parameters showed no difference in those ineffective cases (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: TUR-BN is an effective therapy for female bladder neck sclerosis. Those ineffective cases are probably caused by functional obstruction. Further urodynamic imaging studies may help to confirm the causes.

[Morphology and celluar proliferation of follicles from cryopreserved human ovarian tissues].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the morphology and proliferation of primordial and primary follicles in fresh and vitrificated human ovarian tissues. METHODS: Human ovarian tissues were cryopreserved by direct cover vitrification (DCV) for 2 weeks. The morphology of the primordial and primary follicles from the frozen-thawed tissues was compared with those from the fresh tissues. Both fresh and cryopreservation tissues were cultured for 48 hours before the tissues were embedded in paraffin block for immunohistochemical staining for PCNA. RESULTS: The distribution of primordial and primary follicles in the fresh ovarian tissues was not different from that in the frozen tissues. The cryopreserved tissues had less abnormal morphology in primordial follicles than in primary follicles, but no difference was found between the cryopreserved tissues and fresh tissues. Positive staining on PCNA expression in granulsa cells and oocyte of transitional follicles and primary follicles as well as stromal cells were found in fresh, fresh cultured and cryopreserved cultured ovarian tissues. The fresh tissues had less positive staining on PCNA in the follicle than in the fresh cultured and cryopresered cultured tissues. CONCLUSION: Cryopreserved human ovarian tissues by DCV can maintain partial primordial and primary follicles. Follicles in cryopreserved ovarian tissues can initiate development in vitro culture.