Bilateral ovarian endometriomas after laparoscopic hysterectomy following adjuvant tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer: A case report.

Tamoxifen, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, is widely used as adjunctive therapy for women with breast cancer. However, tamoxifen has an agonistic effect on the endometrium and may be associated with endometrial proliferation, hyperplasia, polyp formation and carcinoma. The case report describes a 50-year-old woman who developed bilateral ovarian endometriomas while taking tamoxifen for breast cancer after total laparoscopic hysterectomy. She had undergone total laparoscopic hysterectomy for multiple uterine fibroids with no ovarian pathology at age 48 years, had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had commenced tamoxifen as post-mastectomy adjuvant therapy. One year after starting tamoxifen, she developed bilateral ovarian swelling accompanied by acute abdominal pain. At laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, endometriomas were visible on both ovaries. Pathological examination confirmed endometriotic cysts with no evidence of malignancy. Postoperatively, anastrozole (an aromatase inhibiter) was substituted for tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy for her breast cancer.

Fabrication of Fragment Antibody-Enzyme Complex as a Sensing Element for Immunosensing.

Antibody-enzyme complexes (AECs) are ideal molecular recognition elements for immunosensing applications. One molecule possesses both a binding ability to specific targets and catalytic activity to gain signals, particularly oxidoreductases, which can be integrated into rapid and sensitive electrochemical measurements. The development of AECs using fragment antibodies rather than intact antibodies, such as immunoglobulin G (IgG), has attracted attention for overcoming the ethical and cost issues associated with the production of intact antibodies. Conventionally, chemical conjugation has been used to fabricate AECs; however, controlling stoichiometric conjugation using this method is difficult. To prepare homogeneous AECs, methods based on direct fusion and enzymatic conjugation have been developed, and more convenient methods using Catcher/Tag systems as coupling modules have been reported. In this review, we summarize the methods for fabricating AECs using fragment antibodies developed for sensing applications and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method.