Survival and reproductive outcome of childbearing age ovarian cancer patients taking fertility-sparing surgery

Background: Surgical management of ovarian cancer includes total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy which results in the loss of fertility. Fertility-sparing surgery in the reproductive aged women with early-stage ovarian cancer with favourable histology has been proposed by American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and European Society for Medical Oncology. We sought to access the survival and fertility outcome of Korean women in their reproductive age who undertook fertility-sparing surgery.Methods: Based on the Korean National Insurance Claims Data and the National Health Information Database, 328 women with newly developed ovarian cancer in 2010 were followed up for the survival and pregnancy outcome until 2020. Patients who were diagnosed with cancer or underwent hysterectomy before 2010 were excluded. The control group consisted of 552 women matched by age, economic status and place of living.Results: Out of 120, 10 deaths occurred in the fertility-sparing surgery group showing a survival rate of 91.7%. Women undertaking fertility-sparing surgery had a lower chance of delivering a new-born compared to the control group (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.26-0.81). Diagnosis of infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and abortion appeared higher in the fertility-sparing surgery group, but it did not reach a statistical significance.Conclusions: The pregnancy rate of the ovarian cancer patients with fertility-sparing surgery was lower than that of women without ovarian cancer. Undergoing fertility-sparing surgery per se should not deter women of trying to get pregnant as the pregnancy outcome indicators do not show statistically significant differences compared to the control group

Effects of stress, depression, and spousal and familial support on maternal identity in pregnant women

Purpose The objective of this study was to identify the factors influencing maternal identity in pregnant women. Methods Using a descriptive research design, a cross-sectional survey was conducted. In total, 127 pregnant women were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Korea from January to April 2019. Measurements included maternal identity, stress, depression, spousal and familial support, and demographic and obstetric characteristics. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression using SPSS version 25.0. Results The mean score for maternal identity was 131.15 out of 160, and the mean scores for stress, depression, and spousal and familial support were 14.59 (out of 40), 6.82 (out of 30), and 109.04 (out of 132), respectively. Stress (r=–.38, p<.001), depression (r=–.37, p<.001), and spousal and familial support (r=.37, p<.001) were significantly correlated with maternal identity. In multiple regression analysis, stress (β=–0.27, p=.005) and spousal and familial support (β=0.23, p=.014) were found to be significant factors influencing maternal identity in pregnant women (F=14.19, p<.001). Conclusion It is necessary to develop effective strategies to mitigate stress and to encourage spousal and familial support in pregnant women. Such strategies could further enable pregnant women to enhance their maternal identity

Preclinical evaluation of injectable sirolimus formulated with polymeric nanoparticle for cancer therapy

Nanoparticles are useful delivery vehicles for promising drug candidates that face obstacles for clinical applicability. Sirolimus, an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin has gained attention for targeted anticancer therapy, but its clinical application has been limited by its poor solubility. This study was designed to enhance the feasibility of sirolimus for human cancer treatment. Polymeric nanoparticle (PNP)–sirolimus was developed as an injectable formulation and has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that PNP–sirolimus has prolonged circulation in the blood. In addition, PNP–sirolimus preserved the in vitro killing effect of free sirolimus against cancer cells, and intravenous administration displayed its potent in vivo anticancer efficacy in xenograft tumor mice. In addition, PNP–sirolimus enhanced the radiotherapeutic efficacy of sirolimus both in vitro and in vivo. Clinical application of PNP–sirolimus is a promising strategy for human cancer treatment

A Case of Wernicke's Encephalopathy Following Fluorouracil-based Chemotherapy

The pyrimidine antimetabolite 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a chemotherapeutic agent used widely for various tumors. Common side effects of 5-FU are related to its effects on the bone marrow and gastrointestinal epithelium. Neurotoxicity caused by 5-FU is uncommon, although acute and delayed forms have been reported. Wernicke's encephalopathy is an acute, neuropsychiatric syndrome resulting from thiamine deficiency, and has significant morbidity and mortality. Central nervous system neurotoxicity such as Wernicke's encephalopathy following chemotherapy with 5-FU has been reported rarely, although it has been suggested that 5-FU can produce adverse neurological effects by causing thiamine deficiency. We report a patient with Wernicke's encephalopathy, reversible with thiamine therapy, associated with 5-FU-based chemotherapy

Trichosanthes kirilowii

Trichosanthes kirilowii tuber is a traditional medicine which exhibits various medicinal effects including antidiabetic and anticancer activities in several cancer cells. Recently, it was reported that Cucurbitacin D (CuD) isolated from Trichosanthes kirilowii also induces apoptosis in several cancer cells. Constitutive signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which is an oncogenic transcription factor, is often observed in many human malignant tumor, including breast cancer. In the present study, we tested whether Trichosanthes kirilowii ethanol extract (TKE) or CuD suppresses cell growth and induces apoptosis through inhibition of STAT3 activity in breast cancer cells. We found that both TKE and CuD suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells by inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation. In addition, both TKE and CuD inhibited nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of STAT3. Taken together, our results indicate that TKE and its derived compound, CuD, could be potent therapeutic agents for breast cancer, blocking tumor cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis through suppression of STAT3 activity

Purification of Sulfhydryl Oxidase from Human Foreskin Tissue and Immunohistochemical Localization

Human sulfhydryl oxidase, catalyzing the conversion of either free or bound thiol to disulfide compound, was isolated from human skin tissue to apparent homogeneity through multiple steps of ammonium sulfate salting-out, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, CM-cellulose chromatography and ACA54 gel filtration. The enzyme was shown to have a molecular weight of 65 kDa and a specific activity of 8.39 x 103 Ufmg protein. The specific polyclonal antibody was raised, with which the tissue distribution of the enzyme was studied immunohistochemically. The enzyme is present ubiquitously in most human tissues. However, the granular layer of the epidermis, stromal tissues of the breast and uterine cervix, hepatocytes and islets of the pancreas are noted to contain a comparatively high amount of the enzyme