Background/Aims: We investigated insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) gene activity in human uterine fibroid tissue. Results of the genetic testing were correlated with clinical data. Methods: We obtained samples from patients treated for uterine fibroid and from patients undergoing hysterectomy due to other indications (control group). The examined group (with fibroid) contained 101 cases, while the control group was similar with 110 patients. Gene expression values were determined using the standard PCR technique. Clinical data were available from the computer database of the department. Results: IGF-2 gene expression was significantly higher in the fibroid group. There was no correlation between increase in gene activity and the number of tumors. History of previous uterine fibroid did not seem to predict IGF-2 gene activity in the current fibroid tumor tissue. IGF-2 gene expression did not correlate with cumulative duration of lactation following prior pregnancies. Conclusion: IGF-2 gene activity is significantly increased in leiomyoma tissue compared to normal myometrium. Familial aggregation of uterine fibroids is not significantly associated with increased IGF-2 gene activity; other genes may have a stronger etiological role. It appears that the genetic factors potentially important in the development of familiar uterine leiomyoma are not related to the IGF-2 gene.

SummaryBackgroundAbdominal pregnancy is a rare condition that may lead to severe complications.Case ReportThe authors report the case of a 17-week intact abdominal pregnancy diagnosed in the course of an investigation of lower abdominal pain. Ultrasonography and MR examination revealed an intact abdominal pregnancy. Subsequent angiography was performed to occlude the supportive artery of the pregnancy by selective embolization. The pregnancy was terminated safely by laparotomy a day later. The placenta was left in the abdominal cavity because of the high risk of massive and often uncontrollable bleeding, and treatment with methotrexate was applied postoperatively.ConclusionsPreoperative embolization and the postoperative methotrexate therapy facilitate the safe surgical treatment of abdominal pregnancy.

Prenatal sonographic diagnosis is more accurate in omphaloceles than in gastroschisis.

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Uterine fibroids, benign tumors of the human uterus, are the most common indication for hysterectomy. They are clinically apparent in 20-25% of women and cause significant complaints, like prolonged and heavy menstruation, pelvic pressure or pain, sometimes reproductive dysfunction. Though surgery has been the mainstay of fibroid treatment, various minimally invasive procedures have been developed in addition to hysterectomy and abdominal myomectomy. Formation of new leiomyomas after these conservative therapies remains a substantial problem. Also drug-therapy methods are available, but the possible side-effects limit their long-term use. Authors attempt to give an overview of this common gynecological disease, yielding a new insight into the basic biology and genetics of fibroids, with the hope of new and effective methods of therapy in the future.

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To describe gene expression patterns of the apoptotic regulatory genes Bcl and Bax in human uterine leiomyoma tissue. To investigate the relationship between alterations of gene expression patterns and several relevant clinical parameters. We obtained samples from 101 cases undergoing surgery for uterine leiomyoma for gene expression analysis of the Bcl-2 and Bax genes. Gene expression was quantified using RT-PCR technique. In the leiomyoma group, the Bcl-2 gene was significantly overexpressed compared with the control group although there was no such difference in the gene expression of Bax. Gene activity of Bcl-2 positively correlated with the tumor number in individual uterine leiomyoma cases. Although there was no significant correlation between the length of the cumulative lactation period before the development of uterine leiomyoma and Bcl-2 gene expression in the leiomyoma tissue, we observed a trend for a shorter cumulative lactation period to be associated with overexpression of the Bcl-2 gene. Overexpression of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 gene appeared to be a factor in the development of uterine leiomyoma, whereas gene activity of the proapoptotic Bax gene did not seem to play a role in the process.