Growth-modulatory effects of heparin and VEGF165 on the choriocarcinoma cell-line JEG-3 and its expression of heparanase.

Background: Expression of heparanase (HPSE) in tumor cells is strongly associated with invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. It also plays a key role during pregnancy, in processes of implantation as well as placentation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and heparin are known to alter HPSE expression, with heparin given prophylactically to women with a history of placenta-mediated complications in subsequent pregnancies.

Cancer in pregnancy. Part I: basic diagnostic and therapeutic principles and treatment of gynecological malignancies.

Purpose: Cancer in pregnancy is a rare circumstance. However, the coincidence of pregnancy and malignancy is supposed to increase due to a general tendency of postponing childbearing to older age. To date, clinical guidelines are scarce and experience regarding therapeutic management is limited to case reports.

Cancer in pregnancy. Part II: treatment options of breast and other non-gynecological malignancies.

Purpose: In case of non-gynecological solid tumors and hematological malignancies diagnosed during pregnancy, individual diagnostic and treatment options must be established by an interdisciplinary team.

Methods: In part II of the present review we report on diagnostic and therapeutic principles in distinct entities of solid and hematological malignancies.

Results: On the basis of a review of the current literature, clinical guidelines and algorithms have been established for diagnosis and therapy of maternal cancer during pregnancy.

Current diagnostic modalities and clinical pitfalls in malignant secondary breast tumours.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women with increasing incidence. The occurrence of metastatic disease to the breast in both females and males is relatively rare, constituting 0.5-6% of all breast malignancies.

Fetal micrognathia: objective assessment and associated anomalies on prenatal sonogram.

Objective: To determine the accuracy and characteristics of prenatally detected fetal micrognathia.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of all pregnancies with the suspicion of fetal micrognathia was performed. The affected fetuses were reassessed by estimation of the inferior facial angle (IFA) and the frontal nasomental angle on stored gray scale images to objectively establish the diagnosis.

Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) - is it feasible in gynecological surgery?

Increases in technical expertise in gynecological surgery and advances in surgical instrumentation have led to the development of laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS). Between March and September 2009, 24 patients underwent adnexal surgery at our institution with laparoendoscopic single-site surgery. The LESS technique was performed using the TriPort through an umbilical incision of 10 mm and bent laparoscopic instruments.

Heparanase expression in term placentas of diabetic patients and healthy controls.

Purpose: The prevalence of diabetic disorders in pregnancy is rising, which goes along with increased risks for maternal and foetal complications during pregnancy and delivery. The expression of the endo-β-D: -glucuronidase, heparanase (HPSE), may increase under hyperglycaemic conditions, is believed to play an important role in diabetes associated morbidity outside the female reproductive tract and is expressed in the placenta throughout gestation. However, the placental expression of HPSE has not been investigated in diabetic patients.

Successful application of vacuum-assisted closure therapy for treatment of mastitis-associated chronic breast wounds.

Introduction: Although non-puerperal mastitis is rare and its cause is rather unclear, the number of patients diagnosed with this defect is increasing. In some cases, standard therapy fails and it progresses to a chronic disease. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy has shown good results in healing complex wounds.

Hysteroscopic findings in women with two and with more than two first-trimester miscarriages are not significantly different.

The purpose of this study was to analyse hysteroscopic results in patients with recurrent miscarriages and to compare the frequency of uterine anomalies in women with a history of exactly two and with more than two consecutive miscarriages. A retrospective analysis of 206 patients undergoing hysteroscopy for repeated early pregnancy losses was performed at two university centres. Late miscarriages were excluded, terminations of pregnancy were not counted.

Specific secretory phase endometrial leukocytes of women with two and more consecutive idiopathic abortions are not significantly different from healthy controls.

Objective: To analyze concentrations of endometrial leukocytes in patients with idiopathic-repeated abortions.

Materials And Methods: Biopsies of exactly dated secretory endometrium in 25 patients with idiopathic-repeated abortions and 10 control patients without a history of miscarriage were compared with respect to the concentrations of T-helper cells (CD4), cytotoxic T-cells (CD8), B-cells (CD19) and uterine natural killer cells (CD56) by immunohistochemistry and RNase protection assays.

Results: All examined cells were detectable within secretory endometrium.

Nulliparous patients with small stature delivering at term have an increased risk of secondary cesarean section.

Purpose: To evaluate the obstetric outcome of pregnant patients with small stature (<5th percentile) with regard to the mode of delivery, maternal injuries, and neonatal parameters.

Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis of 13 years of deliveries. Two groups: group A, patients with a height below the 5th percentile, and group B, patients with a body height between the 25th and 75th percentile.

Advanced age is a risk factor for higher grade perineal lacerations during delivery in nulliparous women.

Purpose: To identify risk factors for the development of severe perineal lacerations and to give recommendations for their prevention in nulliparous women.

Methods: A retrospective case-control analysis of deliveries at our University Hospital was performed. Multiparae, Caesarean sections, twin pregnancies, fetal breech position and preterm deliveries were excluded.

Sildenafil inhibits the proliferation of cultured human endothelial cells.

The proliferation of endothelial cells plays a crucial role in the development of intraplaque angiogenesis (IPA). IPA is a major source of intraplaque hemorrhage and therefore contributes to the destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine, whether sildenafil inhibits endothelial cell growth.

Role of cGMP in sildenafil-induced activation of endothelial Ca2+-activated K+ channels.

Intracellular cGMP is an important second messenger in endothelial cells. Because Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels with large conductance (BK(Ca)) have been shown to regulate endothelial cell functions, the aim of the present study was to examine whether sildenafil modulates BK(Ca) activity in cultured human endothelial cells. Changes of the endothelial cell membrane potential were analyzed using the fluorescence dye DiBAC.

Margatoxin inhibits VEGF-induced hyperpolarization, proliferation and nitric oxide production of human endothelial cells.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induces proliferation of endothelial cells (EC) in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo. Furthermore, a role of VEGF in K(+) channel, nitric oxide (NO) and Ca(2+) signaling was reported. We examined whether the K(+) channel blocker margatoxin (MTX) influences VEGF-induced signaling in human EC.