Sarcoidosis with secondary recurrent right-sided chylothorax and chylous ascites in a Caucasian male patient.

Sarcoidosis is a rare multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of non-caseating granulomas in involved organs. We report a novel case of a 61-year-old Caucasian male with sarcoidosis presenting with recurrent chylothorax and chylous ascites. Pleural and ascitic fluid analysis revealed high triglyceride levels, consistent with chylothorax and chylous ascites, respectively.

In Vitro Fertilization in a Nulliparous Female Resulting in Placenta Increta and Postpartum Hemorrhage.

A 32-year-old female with unexplained infertility delivered a healthy male infant at 39 weeks 0 days gestational age; the pregnancy was facilitated by in vitro fertilization. Shortly after delivery, she was found to have a morbidly adherent placenta. Attempted removal resulted in postpartum hemorrhage and ultimately hysterectomy after attempting multiple fertility preserving methods to achieve hemostatic control.

Primary Small Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder.

A 64-year-old Caucasian man with a 20 to 25-pack-year cigarette smoking history presented to his primary care provider with the chief complaint of gross hematuria after experiencing three to four months of urinary frequency and urgency. His workup consisted of laboratory blood work, a renal/bladder ultrasound (US), a CT scan without contrast, cystoscopy with biopsy (with an attempted transurethral resection of bladder tumor), and a PET scan. He was diagnosed with stage T4 small cell carcinoma of the bladder (SCCB) shortly after seeking medical care with metastases to the liver, bone, and lymph nodes.

Endometrial Carcinoma: Role of Current and Emerging Biomarkers in Resolving Persistent Clinical Dilemmas.

Objectives: Type II and other high-grade endometrial carcinomas may challenge conventional treatment due to recurrence and metastatic spread and therefore are a persistent clinical dilemma. Effective targeted therapy for these is a goal for clinicians and researchers alike.

Methods: An extensive review of the literature has been performed for obtaining an in-depth understanding of the clinicopathological characteristics, etiologic factors, and molecular profile of these subsets of endometrial carcinoma.

Transcriptional differences between rhesus embryonic stem cells generated from in vitro and in vivo derived embryos.

Numerous studies have focused on the transcriptional signatures that underlie the maintenance of embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency. However, it remains unclear whether ESC retain transcriptional aberrations seen in in vitro cultured embryos. Here we report the first global transcriptional profile comparison between ESC generated from either in vitro cultured or in vivo derived primate embryos by microarray analysis.

Expression profiles of cohesins, shugoshins and spindle assembly checkpoint genes in rhesus macaque oocytes predict their susceptibility for aneuploidy during embryonic development.

High frequencies of chromosomal anomalies are reported in human and non-human primate in vitro-produced preimplantation embryos. It is unclear why certain embryos develop aneuploidies while others remain euploid. A differential susceptibility to aneuploidy is most likely a consequence of events that occur before oocyte collection.

Incidence of chromosomal mosaicism in morphologically normal nonhuman primate preimplantation embryos.

Objective: To establish the exact rates of chromosomal mosaicism in morphologically normal rhesus macaque embryos by determining the chromosomal complement of all blastomeres.

Design: Retrospective rhesus monkey IVF study.

Setting: Academic laboratory and primate research center.

Epigenetics: definition, mechanisms and clinical perspective.

A vast array of successive epigenetic modifications ensures the creation of a healthy individual. Crucial epigenetic reprogramming events occur during germ cell development and early embryogenesis in mammals. As highlighted by the large offspring syndrome with in vitro conceived ovine and bovine animals, any disturbance during germ cell development or early embryogenesis has the potential to alter epigenetic reprogramming.

Mitochondria: determinants of stem cell fate?

Stem cells are traditionally classified as being either embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or somatic stem cells. Such a designation has now become blurred by the advent of ostensibly pluripotent cells derived from somatic cells, referred to as induced pluripotent stem cells. Mitochondria are the membrane bound organelles that provide the majority of a cell's chemical energy via their production of adenosine triphosphate.

Rhesus macaque embryos derived from MI oocytes maturing after retrieval display high rates of chromosomal anomalies.

Background: Rhesus macaque and human preimplantation embryos display similar rates of chromosomal abnormalities. The aim of this study was to determine whether embryos developing from MI oocytes that mature post-retrieval display more chromosomal anomalies than those embryos that are generated from oocytes that are at MII at the time of retrieval.

Methods: Rhesus macaque oocytes were obtained after hormonal ovarian stimulation.

Chromosomal instability in rhesus macaque preimplantation embryos.

Objective: To establish a relevant animal model to systematically investigate chromosomal instability in human oocytes and preimplantation embryos.

Design: Prospective rhesus monkey IVF study.

Setting: Academic laboratory, Oregon National Primate Research Center and Caribbean Primate Research Center.

Challenges of primate embryonic stem cell research.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells hold great promise for treating degenerative diseases, including diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, neural degeneration, and cardiomyopathies. This research is controversial to some because producing ES cells requires destroying embryos, which generally means human embryos. However, some of the surplus human embryos available from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics may have a high rate of genetic errors and therefore would be unsuitable for ES cell research.

Role of the mitochondrial genome in assisted reproductive technologies and embryonic stem cell-based therapeutic cloning.

Mitochondria play a pivotal role in cellular metabolism and are important determinants of embryonic development. Mitochondrial function and biogenesis rely on an intricate coordination of regulation and expression of nuclear and mitochondrial genes. For example, several nucleus-derived transcription factors, such as mitochondrial transcription factor A, are required for mitochondrial DNA replication.

Genotyping: the HLA system and embryo development.

The human major histocompatibility complex (MHC), in addition to its role in the regulation of cell-cell interactions in the immune response, also influences reproductive success. Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is an MHC class I gene of particular interest in reproductive biology because of its specific expression on fetal cytotrophoblast cells, and its reported involvement both in protection of the developing fetus from destruction by the maternal immune response and in the prevention of maternal pre-eclampsia. HLA-G has 15 known alleles at the DNA level, and allelic frequency varies among ethnic groups.