Publications by authors named "Koichi Hiraki"
Article Synopsis
- This study aimed to determine if there is a connection between anogenital distance (AGD) and vaginal pH levels in women with endometriosis.
- A cohort of 107 women, both with and without endometriosis, was analyzed regarding AGD measurements and vaginal pH during surgical procedures from July 2021 to June 2022.
- The results showed no significant difference in AGD across groups, but vaginal pH levels differed significantly, suggesting women with endometriosis are less likely to have an alkaline pH; however, AGD was not a reliable predictor for endometriosis.
Article Synopsis
- A Japanese version of the short-form Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-X-SF-J) was created to assess personal growth perspectives, including existential and spiritual growth, among individuals.
- The study involved two samples of Japanese university students, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to ensure the short form's reliability and validity, resulting in a 10-item, 5-factor inventory.
- The PTGI-X-SF-J demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach's alpha between 0.671 to 0.875) and showed no significant correlation with posttraumatic stress disorder, making it a useful tool for evaluating personal growth in trauma survivors while minimizing their emotional burden.
Article Synopsis
- Prognostic factors for patients with unresectable biliary tract cancer treated with S-1 after failing gemcitabine were explored in a study involving 33 patients.
- The analysis identified the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) as significant poor prognostic indicators for overall survival.
- Changes in the PNI were found to correlate with the therapeutic effectiveness of S-1, suggesting it could serve as an important factor to monitor during treatment.
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers found that whether the stressful event was labeled as trauma or not did not significantly change the model for PTG, suggesting that PTG can occur regardless of this perception.
- * The results highlighted the need to consider the processes of rumination and emotional disclosure in relation to PTG, emphasizing their importance for personal growth after stressful experiences.
Article Synopsis
- This phase II study aimed to assess the effectiveness of combining nab-paclitaxel (nab-PTX) with anthracycline-based therapy as a neoadjuvant treatment for advanced breast cancer.
- A total of 41 patients were treated, with observable pathological complete response (pCR) rates varying significantly among different breast cancer subtypes, with a total pCR of 24% overall but as high as 100% for HER2-positive cases.
- The treatment was generally well-tolerated, although notable side effects included peripheral sensory neuropathy and neutropenia, with one patient experiencing fatal complications linked to pneumonia.
Article Synopsis
- Endometriosis is a complex disease affecting primarily women of reproductive age, with ongoing debate about its exact causes, particularly concerning the influence of bacterial endotoxins and their interaction with TLR4 receptors.
- Researchers used a specific test to measure endotoxin levels in menstrual and peritoneal fluids, while also examining microbial presence in menstrual blood and endometrial samples, along with the impact of GnRHa treatment on microbial colonization and endometritis.
- The study reveals that lipopolysaccharides influence inflammation and endometriosis growth, highlights significant microbial contamination in menstrual blood and tissues, and introduces the "bacterial contamination hypothesis," suggesting new treatment avenues beyond traditional estrogen suppression.
Lamotrigine has acute antidepressant effects in patients with bipolar disorder. However, there is little information regarding appropriate serum levels of lamotrigine and the time until remission after the start of lamotrigine therapy in patients with bipolar II depression. This was a naturalistic and unblinded prospective pilot study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: A prominent stress reaction in the pelvis of women with endometriosis and the role of human heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in inflammation and the growth of endometriosis has been recently demonstrated. We report here expression of HSP70 in tissues derived from GnRH agonist (GnRHa)-untreated and -treated women with adenomyosis and uterine myoma.
Study Design: This is a case-controlled biological study.
Article Synopsis
- Adenomyosis is believed to develop from changes in the basalis endometrium, and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) plays a significant role in endometriosis, which is thought to arise from the functionalis endometrium.
- The study investigated HGF's impact on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in adenomyosis by analyzing biopsy samples from women with and without the condition and examining the relationship between HGF and cell markers E-cadherin and N-cadherin.
- Results indicated that HGF reduces E-cadherin while increasing N-cadherin levels, promotes cell shape changes and migration, and enhances expression of transcriptional repressors SLUG and SNAIL
Study Question: Is there any risk of intra-uterine bacterial colonization and concurrent occurrence of endometritis in women with endometriosis?
Summary Answer: An increase in intra-uterine microbial colonization and concurrent endometritis occurred in women with endometriosis that was further increased after GnRH agonist (GnRHa) treatment.
What Is Known Already: Higher bacterial contamination of menstrual blood and increased endotoxin level in menstrual and peritoneal fluids have been found in women with endometriosis than in control women. However, information on intra-uterine microbial colonization across the phases of the menstrual cycle and possible occurrence of endometritis in women with endometriosis is still lacking.
Article Synopsis
- * Biopsies from various tissues were analyzed for HSP70 and macrophage presence in women with different forms of endometriosis, showing higher HSP70 levels during menstruation and in women with endometriosis compared to controls.
- * GnRHa treatment significantly reduced HSP70 expression in cyst walls and related lesions, highlighting a potential impact of this treatment on endometriosis-related inflammation and pathology.
Article Synopsis
- A study examined the presence of hidden endometriotic lesions in the normal peritoneum of women, comparing those with visible endometriosis to those without.
- The research involved 151 women with visible endometriosis and 62 controls, using tissue samples collected during laparoscopy to detect microscopic endometriosis via various immunohistochemical markers.
- Results indicated a 15.2% occurrence of occult microscopic endometriosis in women with visible endometriosis, compared to 6.4% in controls, suggesting a potential link between visible and occult forms of the disease.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess the clinical and surgical outcomes of uterine preservation surgery for patients with placental polyps from 2002 to 2009.
- A total of eight cases were analyzed, using various surgical methods, with imaging techniques such as MRI and ultrasound to evaluate the condition.
- Findings indicated that the use of color Doppler ultrasound can aid in diagnosing placental polyps, and delaying surgery may lead to less blood loss during the procedure.
Study Question: Is the occurrence of pelvic pain in women with ovarian endometrioma associated with coexisting peritoneal lesions (PLs)?
Summary Answer: Pelvic pain in women with ovarian endometrioma is usually associated with coexisting PLs. An increased tissue inflammatory reaction with elevated prostaglandin (PG) production may be responsible for the generation of pain.
What Is Known Already: Severe pelvic pain in women with ovarian endometrioma is reported to be associated with deeply infiltrating endometriosis.
Article Synopsis
- This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of clinical cytology in diagnosing pelvic actinomycosis before surgery.
- Nine patients already diagnosed with this condition provided samples from their endometrium and cervix, which were then analyzed for the presence of actinomyces through various methods including cytology, pathology, and cultures.
- The results showed that cytology had a 77.7% detection rate for actinomyces, significantly higher than the 50% from pathology and 11.1% from cultures, indicating that cytology could be a valuable tool in preoperative diagnosis.
We synthesized two high-pressure polymorphs PbNiO(3) with different structures, a perovskite-type and a LiNbO(3)-type structure, and investigated their formation behavior, detailed structure, structural transformation, thermal stability, valence state of cations, and magnetic and electronic properties. A perovskite-type PbNiO(3) synthesized at 800 °C under a pressure of 3 GPa crystallizes as an orthorhombic GdFeO(3)-type structure with a space group Pnma. The reaction under high pressure was monitored by an in situ energy dispersive X-ray diffraction experiment, which revealed that a perovskit-type phase was formed even at 400 °C under 3 GPa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A study synthesized LiNbO(3)-type MnMO(3) (where M = Ti or Sn) under high pressure and temperature to explore their structures and properties.
- The compounds showed a polar structure and exhibited weak ferromagnetism due to antiferromagnetic interactions at low temperatures (25 K for MnTiO(3) and 50 K for MnSnO(3)).
- There were notable anomalies in dielectric permittivity linked to the ferromagnetic transition temperature, suggesting these materials could be promising candidates for multiferroic applications.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined changes in serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in women who underwent surgery for benign ovarian cysts.
- There was a noticeable decline in AMH levels in women with ovarian endometrioma compared to those with other benign cysts after surgery.
- This decline indicates a depletion of ovarian follicles in tissue specimens post-surgery for women with endometrioma.
Article Synopsis
- - A pregnant woman with scleroderma had a placenta that showed unusual findings, including multiple cysts, significant fibrotic changes, and large areas of tissue death on the maternal side.
- - Despite these placental issues, the fetus was growing normally, but concerning signs like fetal tachycardia were observed around 29 weeks of pregnancy.
- - The baby was delivered via Caesarean section, weighing 1092 grams, and this case marks the first documented instance of a pregnant woman with scleroderma having multiple cysts in the placenta.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on the role of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) in influencing inflammation and cell growth in women suffering from endometriosis, adenomyosis, and uterine myoma.
- Biopsy specimens were taken from various lesions to analyze the expression of GnRH receptors and the effects of GnRHa on cell proliferation, using techniques like RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry.
- Results showed that GnRH receptors were present in the tissues, especially during the menstrual phase, and that GnRHa treatment significantly reduced cell proliferation compared to untreated cells, suggesting a potential therapeutic role.
To test the hypothesis that bacterial contamination of menstrual blood could be a local biologic event in the development of endometriosis, menstrual blood was cultured and bacterial endotoxin was measured in menstrual blood and peritoneal fluid. Our results suggest that compared with control women, higher colony formation of Escherichia coli in menstrual blood and endotoxin levels in menstrual fluid and peritoneal fluid in women with endometriosis may promote Toll-like receptor 4-mediated growth of endometriosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffect of human seminal fluid on the growth of endometrial cells of women with endometriosis.
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol
April 2010
Article Synopsis
- The study explored how human seminal fluid affects the growth of endometrial cells from women with and without endometriosis, using samples collected during laparoscopic surgery.
- Results showed that seminal plasma significantly boosted the growth of endometrial cells from women with endometriosis, particularly compared to those without the condition.
- The research found that while certain growth factors in seminal plasma were higher than in other body fluids, blocking these factors individually did not stop cell growth, indicating that a combination of treatments might be necessary to inhibit the growth stimulated by seminal fluid.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to understand the effects of GnRH agonist (GnRHa) therapy on inflammatory responses, blood vessel density, and cell death (apoptosis) in women suffering from reproductive diseases like endometriosis, adenomyosis, and uterine myoma.
- Tissue samples were taken from women treated with GnRHa for 3-6 months and analyzed for specific markers indicating inflammation and angiogenesis, along with assessing apoptosis levels.
- Results showed that GnRHa therapy significantly lowered inflammation and micro-vessel density while increasing apoptosis in the affected tissues, suggesting its potential as an effective treatment for these conditions.
Article Synopsis
- * Research indicates that endometriosis growth can occur even without ovarian steroid hormones, suggesting that the innate immune system also plays a role in its progression.
- * The article explores how bacterial endotoxin and TLR4 are involved in endometriosis and highlights their contribution to negative reproductive outcomes, particularly how increased macrophage presence in women with endometriosis affects the condition.
Endometriosis, a chronic disease characterized by endometrial tissue located outside the uterine cavity is associated with chronic pelvic pain and infertility. However, an in-depth understanding of the pathophysiology of endometriosis is still elusive. It is generally believed that besides ovarian steroid hormones, the growth of endometriosis can be regulated by innate immune system in pelvic microenvironment by their interaction with endometrial cells and immune cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF