Application of open porous poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres and the strategy of hydrophobic seeding in hepatic tissue cultivation.

In this article, porous poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microsphere scaffolds with a size of ∼ 400 μm and pores of ∼ 20 μm were prepared for constructing injectable three-dimensional hepatocyte spheroids. The porous sites of PLGA microspheres provided a spatial space for hepatocyte distribution. Hepatocytes spheroids were cocultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cell, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell, or NIH/3T3 cells by combining the porous PLGA microspheres with the relatively hydrophobic culture strategy.

Clinical outcomes and development of children born after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using extracted testicular sperm or ejaculated extreme severe oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia sperm: a comparative study.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and development of children born after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with extracted testicular sperm or ejaculated extreme severe oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia (OAT) sperm.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Infertility clinic at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

High-efficiency cell seeding method by relatively hydrophobic culture strategy.

Cell adhesion efficiency is one of the key factors affecting the results of manufacturing tissue engineering constructs. High efficiency is required for seeding low proliferation cells onto scaffolds. In this study, we designed a strategy to improve the efficiency of cell adhesion using hydrophobic cell culture environment to enhance cells adhering to a scaffold.

Large-scale cultivation of transplantable dermal papilla cellular aggregates using microfabricated PDMS arrays.

In this work we have developed a strategy for cultivating dermal papilla (DP) cells to form multiple arrayed spheroidal microtissues for transplantation on a micropatterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) plate system. We also describe the behavior of dermal papilla cells on this platform and the spontaneous formation of spheroidal microtissues by DP cells. We used a hydrophobic PDMS arrayed chip as a master to separate the seeded cells in the TCPS culture plate.

Patterned PDMS based cell array system: a novel method for fast cell array fabrication.

Cell-cell interaction is important in numerous biological processes, including cell growth, cell differentiation and migration. The ability to generate pre-determined cell patterns or cell arrays on a study surface is crucial for cell-cell interaction studies. In this paper, we developed a method for fast cell array fabrication using laser sintering and the hydrophobicity of PDMS films.

The role of the preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen level in early-stage adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to identify the relationship between preoperative serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and clinicopathological variables in early-stage adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Methods: From February 1990 to August 2002, 117 patients with surgically treated early-stage cervical adenocarcinoma that had had preoperative serum CEA evaluations were retrospectively reviewed. The cut-off value for CEA, based on the manufacturer's recommendations, was 5 ng/ml.

Multiple uterine angioleiomyomas in a woman presenting with severe menorrhagia.

Background: Angioleiomyoma is a rare benign neoplasm that originates from smooth muscle cells and contains thick-walled vessels. There were only five cases of uterine angioleiomyoma reported in the available English literatures. We present here the unique computed tomography finding in a patient with multiple uterine angioleiomyomas causing severe menorrhagia.

The predictive value of using a combined Z-score and day 3 embryo morphology score in the assessment of embryo survival on day 5.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of using the Z-score alone, or, in combination with the day 3 embryo morphology score, to predict embryo viability at day 5 from a large cohort of embryos derived from patients undergoing treatment with IVF/ICSI.

Methods And Results: In this retrospective study, a total of 1894 zygotes from 346 treatment cycles (295 couples) was analysed between January 2001 and May 2002. The Z-scoring system was useful in predicting day 5 embryo survival.

Major complications associated with laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy: ten-year experience.

Study Objective: To describe our experience with major complications associated with laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) and compare our results with those of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) membership survey and another similar study.

Design: Retrospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3).

Setting: University-affiliated hospital.

Leiomyosarcoma of the uterus: a clinicopathologic study of 21 cases.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to identify the prognostic factors of and to determine the most appropriate mode of treatment for uterine leiomyosarcoma.

Methods: We reviewed the hospital records, including surgical notes and pathologic reports, of 21 patients with uterine leiomyosarcoma treated at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, between 1987 and 1997. Univariate analysis was performed using the log-rank test.

Can a preoperative CA 125 level be a criterion for full pelvic lymphadenectomy in surgical staging of endometrial cancer?

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether a preoperative serum level of CA 125 in patients with endometrial cancer can provide additional information in determining the extent of lymphadenectomy required in the surgical staging and which cutoff value is optimal in this respect.

Methods: CA 125 was measured in 124 patients diagnosed with endometrial carcinoma who underwent surgery at our institution between January 1995 and May 2000. Statistic analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test to evaluate the association of preoperative CA 125 levels with various factors.