Reprint requests to: Dr. Wen-Ko Su Department of Radiology, Hsinchu Mackay Memorial Hospital. No. 690, Sec. 2, Guang Fu Road, Hsinchu 30071, Taiwan, R.O.C. Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm that usuallyoccurs as a primary tumor of the uterus. Endometrial stromal sarcomas may occasionally arise in other sites, such as the ovary, mesentery, and vagina. We report an ...

Background: Endometriosis is the presence of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity and is the most common gynecologic disorder in women of reproductive age. We have preliminary evidence that in the presence of a 3-dimensional (3-D) fibrin matrix, human endometrial glands, stroma, and neovascularization can develop in vitro, mimicking the earliest stages of endometriosis. The aim of t...

Bovine herpesvirus-4 (BoHV-4) and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infect the uterus of cattle, often resulting in reduced fertility, or abortion of the fetus, respectively. Here, exposure of primary bovine endometrial cells to BoHV-4 or BVDV modulated the production of inflammatory mediators. Viral pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) are detected via pattern-recognition receptors ...

Human embryo invasion and implantation into the inner wall of the maternal uterus, the endometrium, is the pivotal process for a successful pregnancy. Whereas disruption of the endometrial epithelial layer was already correlated with the programmed cell death, the role of apoptosis of the subjacent endometrial stromal cells during implantation is indistinct. The aim was to clarify whether apopt...

AIM To investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), a group of proteolytic enzymes with a central role in extracellular matrix invasion and degradation, in stromal sarcomas. METHODS 11 endometrial stromal sarcomas (four low grade tumours, seven high grade) were stained for MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-9 using immunohistochemical stains. The surgical material consisted of nine hyste...

Human implantation involves extensive tissue remodeling at the fetal-maternal interface. It is becoming increasingly evident that not only trophoblast, but also decidualizing endometrial stromal cells are inherently motile and invasive, and likely contribute to the highly dynamic processes at the implantation site. The present study was undertaken to further characterize the mechanisms involved...

The recent discovery of a new isoform of estrogen receptor (ER) beta has prompted the reexamination of estrogen action on target organs. Here, we describe the endometrial expression of human ERbeta and compare its distribution with that of ERalpha in the endometrial functional zone. Using immunocytochemistry with well characterized polyclonal antibodies against ERbeta, we have detected specific...

AIMS The Mirena coil is a levonorgestrel releasing intrauterine device that is in widespread use. This study aims to document the endometrial morphology associated with this device. METHODS Endometrial specimens from 75 women with the Mirena coil were reviewed and the histological features detailed. RESULTS Morphological features found in most of the endometria were decidualisation of strom...

BACKGROUND Human endometrium has immense regenerative capacity, growing ~5 mm in 7 days every month. We have previously identified a small population of colony-forming endometrial stromal cells which we hypothesize are mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The aim of this study was to determine if the co-expression of two perivascular cell markers, CD146 and platelet-derived growth factor-receptor beta...

Endometrial Stromal Sarcomas are rare malignant tumours of the uterus. We report the case of incidental finding of Low-Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma (LGESS) that metastasized to the retroperitoneum 14 years after the original surgery in a 72-year-old woman. The patient underwent a laparotomy and excision of all tumour nodules. Considering the common recurrence of and slow growing nature of ...