Complementary Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment is Associated with a Reduction of Surgical Rate in Patients with Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding: A Propensity-Score Matched Cohort Study.

Background: Many patients with dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) seek traditional medicine consultations. This study intended to investigate the association of complementary Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) with the surgery rate in patients with DUB in Taiwan.

Methods: We enrolled 43,027 patients with newly diagnosed DUB (ICD-9-CM codes 626.

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma with uterine intramural recurrence: Case report of ovarian clear cell carcinoma with fertility sparing treatment.

Objective: Ovarian clear cell carcinoma has a poor prognosis in comparison with other pathological types of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. It also has relative resistance to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy with a great risk of recurrence.

Case Report: We report a case of recurrent ovarian clear cell carcinoma status after left salpingo-oophorectomy (fertility-sparing debulking operation) and six courses of adjuvant chemotherapy (paclitaxel (175 mg/m)/carboplatin (AUC 6)).

Risk factors for 5-year complications after midurethral sling surgery for stress urinary incontinence: a retrospective cohort study from Taiwan.

Midurethral sling surgery is the current gold standard worldwide for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery, with over 90% of surgeons worldwide using the midurethral sling for SUI between 2008 and 2018. However, concerns surround mesh-related adverse events associated with the midurethral sling. The decision to use the midurethral sling for surgical treatment has become a challenging one for clinicians, surgeons and patients.

Finding of the optimal preparation and timing of endometrium in frozen-thawed embryo transfer: a literature review of clinical evidence.

Frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) has been a viable alternative to fresh embryo transfer in recent years because of the improvement in vitrification methods. Laboratory-based studies indicate that complex molecular and morphological changes in endometrium during the window of implantation after exogenous hormones with controlled ovarian stimulation may alter the interaction between the embryo and endometrium, leading to a decreased implantation potential. Based on the results obtained from randomized controlled studies, increased pregnancy rates and better perinatal outcomes have been reported following FET.

Growth hormone in fertility and infertility: Mechanisms of action and clinical applications.

Secreted by the anterior pituitary gland, growth hormone (GH) is a peptide that plays a critical role in regulating cell growth, development, and metabolism in multiple targeted tissues. Studies have shown that GH and its functional receptor are also expressed in the female reproductive system, including the ovaries and uterus. The experimental data suggest putative roles for GH and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1, induced by GH activity) signaling in the direct control of multiple reproductive functions, including activation of primordial follicles, folliculogenesis, ovarian steroidogenesis, oocyte maturation, and embryo implantation.

Cervical pregnancy: a case report of hysteroscopic resection and balloon compression combined with systematic methotrexate treatment.

Objective: Cervical pregnancy is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy. When the pregnancy is terminated, it will sometimes lead to persistent bleeding. In some cases, hysterectomy is inevitable and the patient loses fertility.

New Efficient Method for Hysteroscopic Isthmoplasty: Four Simple Steps Lead to a Significant Improvement in Bleeding Status.

We demonstrate an effective reduction in postmenstrual spotting after our novel hysteroscopic isthmoplasty. This study included 66 patients with isthmocele-related postmenstrual spotting confirmed by sonography and diagnostic hysteroscopy between 2000 and 2017. Our new interventions included the following four steps: (1) make a resection gradient of the distal edge of the isthmocele from the ape of the isthmocele down to the cervical outer orifice; (2) resect the distal and proximal niches of the isthmocele; (3) electrocauterize the distal and proximal sides (not only the niche bottom) of the small cave on the scar side of the isthmocele; (4) manage the isthmocele until it is largely connected to the cavity.

Image-guided brachytherapy following external-beam radiation therapy for patients with inoperable endometrial cancer.

Objective: To investigate the outcomes of definitive external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) plus image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT) in patients with endometrial cancer (EC) unsuitable for surgery.

Methods: A total of 50 patients with inoperable EC were included. The patients received EBRT in a median dose of 45 Gy to the pelvis over 5 weeks.

Adjunctive Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment is Associated With an Improved Survival Rate in Patients With Cervical Cancer in Taiwan: A Matched Cohort Study.

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in Taiwan. Some patients take Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). However, very few current studies have ascertained the usage and efficacy of CHM in patients with cervical cancer.

Uterine leiomyoma is associated with the risk of developing endometriosis: A nationwide cohort study involving 156,195 women.

Objective: Evidence for an association between uterine leiomyoma and increased risk of endometriosis is limited by small sample sizes and short follow-up periods. We assessed this association in a large nationwide sample with 14 years of data.

Design: Data were sourced from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID2000).

Association of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) with ovarian cancer: a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study from Taiwan.

Background: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an important health issue for women. Infection and inflammation play an important role in carcinogenesis and PID has been reported to be associated with ovarian cancer in some small scale studies.

Aim: We sought to determine whether PID is associated with an elevated risk of ovarian cancer in Asian women.

Acupuncture Treatment Reduced the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Patients with Depression: A Propensity-Score Matched Cohort Study.

Background: Major depressive disorder is a significant public health concern, which often leads to loss of productivity, functional decline, and various complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in the risk reduction of coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients with depression.

Methods: We enrolled patients diagnosed with depression between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2010, through the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD).

Hydronephrosis in patients with cervical cancer is an indicator of poor outcome: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study.

Cervical cancer is a common malignancy in women. The presence of hydronephrosis in patients with cervical cancer can be a challenging clinical problem. The appropriate management of these patients and the prediction of their outcomes are concerns among gynecologists, urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and nephrologists.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy for pelvic boost in gynecological cancer patients with local recurrence or unsuitable for intracavitary brachytherapy.

Objective: To evaluate efficacy of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for pelvic boost irradiation in gynecological cancer patients with pelvic recurrence or with intact uterus unsuitable for brachytherapy.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 25 gynecological cancer patients who received SBRT boost for pelvic recurrence (salvage group, n = 14), or for local dose escalation instead of intracavitary brachytherapy due to unfavorable medical condition (definitive group, n = 11). The pelvis was irradiated with a median dose of 54 Gy in six weeks, and then SBRT was prescribed with a range of 10-25Gy in two to five fractions.

Association between oophorectomy and depression in patients with comorbidities: A nationwide cohort study in Taiwan.

Objective: This study investigated the long-term rates of depression after oophorectomy for benign gynecological conditions with or without comorbidities.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) involving 8199 women aged ≥20 years who underwent unilateral or bilateral oophorectomy for benign gynecological conditions (cases) between 2000 and 2013 (index date). A second cohort consisted of 32,796 women who did not undergo oophorectomy (controls) who were matched 4:1 to cases by age and index year.

Surgical outcomes of hysterectomy by transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) compared with laparoscopic total hysterectomy (LTH) in women with non-prolapsed and benign uterine diseases.

Objective: We aimed to compare the surgical outcomes between hysterectomy by transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) and laparoscopic total hysterectomy (LTH).

Materials And Methods: This study is a retrospective chart analysis. From January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017, a total of 183 patients of reproductive age with an indication for hysterectomy due to non-prolapsed and benign uterine diseases were enrolled.

Increased risk of endometriosis in patients with endometritis - a nationwide cohort study involving 84,150 individuals.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of endometriosis among endometritis patients and its association with confounding comorbidities.

Material And Methods: A population-based, retrospective cohort study of women aged between 20 to 55 years, who were newly diagnosed with endometritis between 2000 to 2013. A total of 16,830 endometritis patients and 67,230 non-endometritis individuals were enrolled by accessing data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan.

A Potential Herbal Adjuvant Combined With a Peptide-Based Vaccine Acts Against HPV-Related Tumors Through Enhancing Effector and Memory T-Cell Immune Responses.

Viral infection is associated with many types of tumorigenesis, including human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced cervical cancer. The induction of a specific T-cell response against virus-infected cells is desired to develop an efficient therapeutic approach for virus-associated cancer. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has a long history in the treatment of cancer patients in Asian countries.