Hypoblast from human pluripotent stem cells regulates epiblast development.

Recently, several studies using cultures of human embryos together with single-cell RNA-seq analyses have revealed differences between humans and mice, necessitating the study of human embryos. Despite the importance of human embryology, ethical and legal restrictions have limited post-implantation-stage studies. Thus, recent efforts have focused on developing in vitro self-organizing models using human stem cells.

Response Predictive Markers and Synergistic Agents for Drug Repositioning of Statins in Ovarian Cancer.

In the field of drug repurposing, the use of statins for treating dyslipidemia is considered promising in ovarian cancer treatment based on epidemiological studies and basic research findings. Biomarkers should be established to identify patients who will respond to statin treatment to achieve clinical application. In the present study, we demonstrated that statins have a multifaceted mode of action in ovarian cancer and involve pathways other than protein prenylation.

Evaluation of safety and diagnostic performance for flexible hysteroscopy in 1591 outpatient cases.

Background: To date, only few large studies are available concerning the safety and diagnostic concordance rates of outpatient flexible hysteroscopy. In our institution, outpatient hysteroscopy has been routinely and educationally applied Kosuke Tsuji to intrauterine lesions; thus, we retrospectively investigated the institution's outpatient flexible hysteroscopy cases.

Methods: A total of 1591 cases of outpatient flexible hysteroscopy conducted at our institution in 2012-2016 were retrospectively analyzed in terms of their clinical background, complications and diagnostic concordance rates.

Cowden syndrome complicated by schizophrenia: A first clinical report.

Patients with Cowden syndrome exhibit mucocutaneous lesions, hamartomatous polyposis of the gastrointestinal tract, and macrocephaly, often complicated by malignant tumors, such as breast, thyroid, and uterine cancers. Autism spectrum and epilepsy have been known as neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with Cowden syndrome; however, to the best of our knowledge, there is no report on cases complicated by schizophrenia. Here, we report a first case of Cowden syndrome complicated by schizophrenia.

The insulin-PI3K-Rac1 axis contributes to terminal adipocyte differentiation through regulation of actin cytoskeleton dynamics.

Adipocyte differentiation is accompanied by a pronounced change in the actin cytoskeleton characterized by the reorganization of filamentous (F)-actin stress fibers into cortical F-actin structures. We previously showed that depolymerization of F-actin stress fibers induced by inactivation of RhoA-ROCK (Rho-associated kinase) signaling acts as a trigger for adipocyte differentiation. The relevance and underlying mechanism of the formation of cortical F-actin structures from depolymerized actin during adipocyte differentiation have remained unclear, however.

LAMC1 is a prognostic factor and a potential therapeutic target in endometrial cancer.

Objective: With the emerging significance of genetic profiles in the management of endometrial cancer, the identification of tumor-driving genes with prognostic value is a pressing need. The gene, encoding the laminin subunit gamma 1 (LAMC1) protein, has been reported to be involved in the progression of various malignant tumors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of LAMC1 in endometrial cancer and elucidate the underlying mechanism.

ROCK Inhibition Induces Terminal Adipocyte Differentiation and Suppresses Tumorigenesis in Chemoresistant Osteosarcoma Cells.

Tumors comprise heterogeneous cell types including cancer stem cells (CSC), progenitor cells, and differentiated cells. Chemoresistance is a potential cause of relapse and a key characteristic of CSC, but the development of novel therapeutic approaches for targeting these cells has been limited. We previously established osteosarcoma-initiating (OSi) cells by introducing the gene for c-Myc into bone marrow stromal cells of knockout mice.

Profiling of the Causative Bacteria in Infected Lymphocysts after Lymphadenectomy for Gynecologic Cancer by Pyrosequencing the 16S Ribosomal RNA Gene Using Next-Generation Sequencing Technology.

Background: Surgery for gynecologic cancer with lymphadenectomy and pelvic radiotherapy can produce lymphoceles that sometimes complicate with infection, resulting in abscesses. The true pathogenic bacteria of abscesses are not always found because of false-negative results due to administered antibiotics and difficulty with detection, including for anaerobic bacteria. Analyzing bacteria flora by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using 16S ribosomal DNA may reveal the true pathogenic bacteria in abscesses.

Warburg effect in Gynecologic cancers.

Mammalian cells produce energy by oxidative phosphorylation under aerobic conditions. However, in the 1920s, Otto Warburg reported the so-called "Warburg effect" in which cancer cells produce ATP that is biased toward glycolysis rather than mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation not only in anaerobic environment but also in aerobic environment. Glucose is converted into lactate without going into mitochondria after being metabolized in glycolysis.

Current state and outlook for drug repositioning anticipated in the field of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer and the eighth most common cause of cancer mortality in women. Although standard chemotherapy is the established treatment for ovarian cancer, the prognosis remains poor, and it is highly anticipated that new drugs will be developed. New drugs, such as humanized anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibodies and poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitors, are expected to improve clinical outcomes of ovarian cancer.

Is antidyslipidemic statin use for cancer prevention a promising drug repositioning approach?

Novel pharmacological therapies are in development for cancer, ranging from conventional chemotherapeutic drugs to molecular targeted drugs, antibody-based drugs, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are developed using new technologies. However, the increasing cost of new drug development is increasing the costs of national healthcare and putting pressure on government finances worldwide. Under these circumstances, drug repositioning (i.

Radiation-induced angiosarcoma of the omentum diagnosed by laparoscopy: A case report.

Angiosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor with an aggressive clinical course and a poor prognosis. Intraperitoneal angiosarcoma, especially originating from the omentum, is extremely rare. We report a case of radiation-induced angiosarcoma of the omentum that arose in a 38-year-old female seven years after concurrent chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer.

Erratum: Recent advances in the molecular mechanisms of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/br.2017.

Drug repositioning of mevalonate pathway inhibitors as antitumor agents for ovarian cancer.

Drug repositioning is an alternative strategy redirecting existing drugs for new disease. We have previously reported an antitumor effect of statins, antidyslipidemic drugs, on ovarian cancer and . In this study, we investigated the antitumor effects of other mevalonate pathway inhibitors and the mechanism of the antitumor effect from a metabolic perspective.

New use of microsatellite instability analysis in endometrial cancer.

The increasing incidence of obesity and diabetes due to changes in diet, earlier menarche, delayed menopause, late marriage, and declining birth rate have resulted in an increase in the number of endometrial cancer cases over the last few decades. Although surgical therapy is sufficient for early endometrial cancer, there is no effective therapy for patients with advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer. The oncogenic mechanism of endometrial cancer involves microsatellite instability (MSI) caused by dysfunction of DNA mismatch repair genes in 30% of patients.

Recent advances in the molecular mechanisms of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome.

Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKHS) is a disease caused by congenital absence of the uterus and two-thirds of the upper vagina. The pathogenic mechanism of MRKHS may involve gene abnormalities, and there are various case reports associating MRKHS with the Wnt family member 4 () mutation. Analysis of genes mapped to regions in which deletion and duplication are frequently detected in patients with MRKHS has shown involvement of LIM homeobox 1 (), HNF1 homeobox B () and T-box 6 ().

Carcinoma of the lower uterine segment diagnosed with Lynch syndrome based on MSH6 germline mutation: A case report.

Endometrial cancer in the lower uterine segment (LUS) is associated with Lynch syndrome with MLH1 or MSH2 germline mutation. Here, we report a case of carcinoma of the LUS diagnosed with Lynch syndrome based on MSH6 germline mutation in a 46-year-old woman with abnormal vaginal bleeding. She had had rectal cancer at age 39 with a family history of colon cancer (father, 75 years), pancreatic cancer (paternal grandmother, 74 years), and colon cancer (maternal grandmother, 85 years).

Methylation Analysis of DNA Mismatch Repair Genes Using DNA Derived from the Peripheral Blood of Patients with Endometrial Cancer: Epimutation in Endometrial Carcinogenesis.

Germline mutation of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes is a cause of Lynch syndrome. Methylation of MutL homolog 1 () and MutS homolog 2 () has been detected in peripheral blood cells of patients with colorectal cancer. This methylation is referred to as epimutation.