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We report a rare case of a 58-year-old male with accidental occlusion of left main trunk (LMT) artery by injured aortic valve during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Although we successfully bailed out this complication by urgent LMT stenting, aortic regurgitation developed immediately after PCI. Echocardiography detected a filamentous structure attached to the aortic valve. An elective aortic valve replacement surgery revealed that his right coronary cusp was torn into two filamentous strips. One strip accidentally plunged into LMT and was fixed by the intracoronary stent. Another strip floated in the aortic root and appeared as though vegetation attached to the aortic valve in case of acute infective endocarditis. Guiding catheters probably injured the aortic valve during PCI. This report reminded us of the importance of meticulous manipulation of a guiding catheter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine whether the bone-morphogenetic proreins-2 (BMP-2) or-7 (BMP-7) levels in follicular fluid (FF) are associated with success in oocyte fertilization during assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. Twenty-four cycles in 24 patients who underwent oocyte retrieval in Sugiyama clinic were included in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the success or failure of fertilization. FF samples were obtained from a single follicle in each patient, and the levels of BMP-2, BMP-7, Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), estradiol and progesterone from FF were measured, and evaluated in relation to the ART outcomes. The BMP-2 levels correlated positively with the AMH levels in FF ( r = 0.4928), but there was no statistically significant difference between BMP-7 and AMH levels. The BMP-2 and BMP-7 levels had no relation with either progesterone or estradiol levels, but BMP-2 levels in the fertilized group were significantly higher than those in the unfertilized group ( P < 0.05). The BMP-2 levels in FF positively correlated with the AMH levels in FF, and those in the fertilized group were significantly higher than in the unfertilized group. Therefore, the BMP-2 levels in FF could be a predictive marker for fertilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine whether the bone-morphogenetic proreins-2 (BMP-2) or -7 (BMP-7) levels in follicular fluid (FF) are associated with success in oocyte fertilization during assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. Twenty-four cycles in 24 patients who underwent oocyte retrieval in Sugiyama clinic were included in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the success or failure of fertilization. FF samples were obtained from a single follicle in each patient, and the levels of BMP-2, BMP-7, Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), estradiol and progesterone from FF were measured, and evaluated in relation to the ART outcomes. The BMP-2 levels correlated positively with the AMH levels in FF ( r= 0.4928), but there was no statistically significant difference between BMP-7 and AMH levels. The BMP-2 and BMP-7 levels had no relation with either progesterone or estradiol levels, but BMP-2 levels in the fertilized group were significantly higher than those in the unfertilized group ( P < 0.05). The BMP-2 levels in FF positively correlated with the AMH levels in FF, and those in the fertilized group were significantly higher than in the unfertilized group. Therefore, the BMP-2 levels in FF could be a predictive marker for fertilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early growth response (Egr)-1 is a transcription factor that triggers transcription of downstream genes within 15–30 min of various stimulations. These genes are expressed rapidly through specific promoter activation and mediate cell growth and angiogenesis. Following the previous computational identification of a site that was thought to be an Egr-1 consensus binding site at –273 to –281 in the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) promoter region, the present study was conducted to evaluate the role of Egr-1 in the regulation of hTERT and telomerase in uterine cervical cancer. First, the expression of Egr-1 and hTERT at the mRNA level was examined in cervical cancer tissues. Egr-1 and hTERT were expressed much higher in cervical cancer tissues than in the normal cervix. However, a negative correlation was noted in the expression between Egr-1 and hTERT. By luciferase assay using hTERT promoter constructs, hTERT transcriptional activation was shown to be inhibited when Egr-1 was overexpressed. Furthermore, Egr-1 overexpression decreased hTERT protein production as well as hTERT mRNA as observed by western blotting analysis and real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The present study suggests that Egr-1 plays an important regulatory role in the transcriptional activation of hTERT. ( Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1401–1406) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have shown that changes in the weather affect health. In the field of obstetrics and gynecology, several events have been empirically shown to be related to the weather. Labor pain is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and various hormones, and is expected to be influenced by the weather and environmental changes. Several studies have been conducted on the relationship between delivery and barometric pressure, which shows constant changes with changes in weather, but there is no generally accepted view on this. We conducted a retrospective study in our patients who had a spontaneous cephalic delivery in this hospital between January 1997 and December 2003, in order to determine whether low barometric pressure induces labor pains, premature rupture of the membranes, and delivery, and whether changes in barometric pressure affect delivery. There was a significant increase in the number of deliveries and rupture of the membranes at low barometric pressure ( P < 0.01), although there was no significant correlation between onset of labor and barometric pressure. This tendency was noted in both women with spontaneous rupture of the fetal membranes and those with premature rupture of the membranes ( P < 0.01). On days with a larger change in barometric pressure, regardless of whether it was increasing or decreasing, the number of deliveries increased and the relationship was statistically significant ( P < 0.01). A causal relationship was noted between the number of rupture of the fetal membranes, delivery and barometric pressure, suggesting that low barometric pressure induces rupture of the fetal membranes and delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]