The cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein-2 is a possible target of novel treatment for endometriosis.

Problem: How is the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α-induced inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein expression in endometriotic stromal cells (ESCs) involved in cell viability and signaling pathways?

Method Of Study: Endometriotic stromal cells were isolated from ovarian chocolate cysts in 20 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery. IAP protein expression and IκB phosphorylation were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Interleukin (IL)-8 protein expression and cell proliferation were assessed by ELISA.

Parthenolide reduces cell proliferation and prostaglandin E2 [corrected] in human endometriotic stromal cells and inhibits development of endometriosis in the murine model.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of parthenolide on human endometriotic cells and murine endometriotic lesions.

Design: Experimental study.

Setting: University hospital and laboratory of animal science.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues reduce the proliferation of endometrial stromal cells but not endometriotic cells.

Aims: We investigated the potential of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and GnRH antagonists to inhibit cell proliferation in endometriotic and endometrial stromal cells.

Methods: Twenty patients with ovarian endometriomas and 18 patients with uterine fibromas were recruited. Endometriotic and endometrial stromal cells were obtained from the ovarian chocolate cyst linings and the eutopic endometria of premenopausal women with uterine fibromas, respectively.

The role of NF-kappaB in endometriosis.

The nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor playing vital roles in innate immunity and other processes involving cellular survival, proliferation, and differentiation. This review highlights the importance of NF-kappaB in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. Constitutive activation of NF-kappaB has been shown in endometriotic lesions.

The importance of venous Doppler velocimetry for evaluation of intrauterine growth restriction.

The management of growth-restricted fetuses requires accurate diagnosis to optimize the timing of delivery. Doppler velocimetry is the only noninvasive method for assessing the fetoplacental hemodynamic status. This review will give a critical overview of the current knowledge on fetal venous blood flow in pregnancies complicated by in-trauterine growth-restricted fetuses.

Apoptosis and endometriosis.

Apoptosis is a distinctive form of programmed cell death resulting in the efficient elimination of cells without eliciting an inflammatory response. Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of endometrial cells with capacity to avoid apoptosis outside the uterus. Apoptosis plays a fundamental role for the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Demethylation of a nonpromoter cytosine-phosphate-guanine island in the aromatase gene may cause the aberrant up-regulation in endometriotic tissues.

Objective: To search for the demethylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) islands within the aromatase gene in stromal cells derived from endometriotic chocolate cysts.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Biosignaling, Tottori University, Yonago, Japan.

TAK1 activation for cytokine synthesis and proliferation of endometriotic cells.

Endometriosis causes pelvic pain and infertility in women of reproductive age. We explored TNFalpha-induced specific signaling pathways and gene expressions in endometriotic stromal cells (ESCs). Based on the data of the pathway specific cDNA array, we analyzed the role of TAK1, which is believed to work as a common mediator for NF-kappaB and MAPK pathways.

Detailed multigrade evaluation of fetal disorders with the quantified actocardiogram.

Aims: To evaluate fetal disorders using detailed quantitative values from the actocardiogram (ACG) involving simultaneous tracing of ultrasonic Doppler fetal movement bursts and fetal heart rate (FHR).

Methods: Duration of FHR accelerations and fetal movement bursts were measured manually in 20 common fetal disorders. The severity of the fetal disorder was estimated using the FHR acceleration duration to movement burst ratio (A/B ratio) and 10-0 clinical severity ranks derived from the A/B ratio.

Serum interleukin-8 levels are elevated in patients with ovarian endometrioma.

Objective: To determine whether serum interleukin (IL)-8 concentration can be measured in patients with ovarian endometrioma and whether this measurement is a useful tool in diagnosing this disease.

Design: A controlled clinical study and an in vitro study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tottori University, Japan.

Involvement of p38 MAP kinase in lipopolysaccharide-induced production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandin E(2) in human choriodecidua.

Chorioamnionitis is implicated in the pathogenesis of preterm delivery. However, the detailed mechanisms by which infection induces preterm labor are not well understood. This study has assessed the involvement of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine and prostaglandin (PG) production in human choriodecidua.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ligand reduced tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced interleukin-8 production and growth in endometriotic stromal cells.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR gamma) ligand (pioglitazone) on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression in endometriotic stromal cells (ESCs) and on proliferation of ESCs.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tottori University Hospital, Yonago, Japan.

Apoptosis and endometriosis.

Apoptosis plays a critical role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and represents a normal function to eliminate excess or dysfunctional cells. Accumulated evidence suggest that apoptosis helps to maintain cellular homeostasis during the menstrual cycle by eliminating senescent cells from the functional layer of the uterine endometrium during the late secretory and menstrual phase of the cycle. BCL-2 family and Fas/FasL system have been extensively studied in human endometrium and endometriotic tissues.

Aberrant expression of keratinocyte growth factor receptor in ovarian surface epithelial cells of endometrioma.

Ovarian surface epithelial cells (OSEs) are considered to be the common source of endometrioma and epithelial ovarian cancer. The present study reveals that keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR) messenger RNA was expressed in OSEs of endometriomas but not in those of normal ovaries, suggesting that autocrine KGF/KGFR and paracrine fibroblast growth factor 10/KGFR signaling loops may be involved with the proliferation in OSEs of endometrioma.

Macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 induces cyclooxygenase-2 and prostaglandin E(2) via toll-like receptor 2 in human placental trophoblast cells.

We have examined whether toll-like receptor (TLR)2-mediated stimulation by macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 (MALP-2), originally purified from Mycoplasma fermentans, induces cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandin (PG)E(2) in human placental trophoblast cells. The signaling mechanism by which MALP-2 exerts its effect has also been examined. Human placental trophoblast cells isolated from term placenta were used.

Drug-induced apoptosis was markedly attenuated in endometriotic stromal cells.

Background: The survival of endometriotic cells in the ectopic site has been investigated from the aspect of susceptibility of endometriotic tissues to apoptosis. In order to investigate the nature of abnormal survival of endometriotic cells in ectopic locations, we compared drug-induced apoptosis in endometrial and endometriotic cells.

Methods: Endometrial stromal cells were obtained from normal endometrium in 11 patients who underwent hysterectomy for leiomyoma without endometriosis.

Progesterone and progestational compounds attenuate tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced interleukin-8 production via nuclear factor kappa B inactivation in endometriotic stromal cells.

Objective: To investigate whether and how P, dienogest (synthetic progestin), and danazol affected tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)-induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression in endometriotic stromal cells.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tottori University Hospital, Yonago, Japan.

Reduction of estrogen production by interleukin-6 in a human granulosa tumor cell line may have implications for endometriosis-associated infertility.

Objective: To examine the effect of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on estrogen production and aromatase activity using a human granulosa tumor cell line (KGN cells). The involvement of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade in the inhibitory effects of IL-6 on estrogen production was also evaluated.

Design: Molecular and biological studies of KGN cells.

Lipopolysaccharide-promoted proliferation of endometriotic stromal cells via induction of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-8 expression.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) protein in endometriotic stromal cells (ESC) and their effect on the proliferation of ESC.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tottori University Hospital, Yonago, Japan.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha induced the release of interleukin-6 from endometriotic stromal cells by the nuclear factor-kappaB and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways.

Objective: To examine the involvement of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the induction of interleukin-6 (IL-6) by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in endometriotic stromal cells (ESC).

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tottori University Hospital, Yonago, Japan.

Interleukin-1beta-induced expression of IL-6 and production of human chorionic gonadotropin in human trophoblast cells via nuclear factor-kappaB activation.

Problem: The cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6), stimulates the production of human chorionic gonadotropine (hCG) in chorionic cells. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) during the induction of IL-6 by IL-1beta in human trophoblast cells.

Method Of Study: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the gene expressions of IL-1, IL-1 receptor (IL-1R), IL-6R and gp130 in a human choriocarcinoma cell line, BeWo.

A combination of interleukin-6 and its soluble receptor impairs sperm motility: implications in infertility associated with endometriosis.

Background: We previously reported that the level of interleukin (IL)-6 is increased in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis. This study was undertaken to assess the effects of IL-6 and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) on in vitro sperm motility.

Methods: Sperm (n = 20) were cultured with IL-6 or sIL-6R, or with a combination of both.

Hepatocyte growth factor promotes cell proliferation and inhibits progesterone secretion via PKA and MAPK pathways in a human granulosa cell line.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a mesenchymal-derived paracrine factor that acts through a c-met receptor. The activated c-met receptor recruits various signal proteins. We used a steroidogenic human granulosa-like tumor cell line (KGN cells) to analyze the biological function of HGF in human ovary cells.

Use of the LAP DISK (abdominal wall sealing device) in laparoscopically assisted myomectomy.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of an abdominal wall sealing device (the LAP DISK) used during laparoscopically assisted myomectomy (LAM).

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tottori University Hospital, Yonago, Japan.