ObjectiveThe purpose of the current study was to evaluate survival outcome according to the expression status of CD73 in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.MethodsA total of 167 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were enrolled in the current study. For each patient, a retrospective review of medical records was conducted. Immunohistochemical staining for CD73, CD8, FoxP3, and CD68 was performed using tissue microarray made with paraffin embedded tissue block.ResultsAmong the enrolled patients, 29.9% of patients (n=50) showed negative expression for CD73, whereas 70.1% of patients (n=117) showed positive expression for CD73. The CD73 positive group showed better prognosis compared to the CD73 negative group (5-year overall survival of CD73 positive group, 73.0%; that of CD73 negative group, 50.1%; p=0.023). CD73 was more frequently expressed in mucinous adenocarcinoma and clear cell carcinoma compared to serous or endometrioid adenocarcinoma. In addition, CD73 overexpressions were more frequently detected in patients with known good prognostic factors, i.e., low stage, well/moderate differentiation, negative peritoneal cytology, no lymphovascular involvement, and no macroscopic residual tumor after debulking surgery. There was significantly more infiltration of regulatory T cells in the CD73 negative group compared to the CD73 positive group.ConclusionGood prognosis in patients with overexpression of CD73 may be due to that overexpression of CD73 was more frequently observed in epithelial ovarian cancer patients with known good prognostic factors. Therefore, this result means that favorable differentiation and stage have more influence on survival outcome than adverse effect of CD73 per se.

Memristive switching with digital set and multistep analog reset characteristics were demonstrated in tantalum oxide (Ta 2 O 5 )-based resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices using Ti and Ag top electrodes (TEs). The Ta 2 O 5 -based device with a Ti TE requires a forming process to initiate the switching and exhibits a gradual resistance increase behavior with the sequential increase in voltage in the reset process. The Ta 2 O 5 -based device with a Ag TE shows a slightly different switching behavior. The Ta 2 O 5 -based device with a Ag TE does not require a forming process and shows a gradual resistance increase behavior after an abrupt reset with a sequential increase in voltage in the reset process. The difference in switching behavior is because of the difference in the composition of the conducting filament in both devices. The Ta 2 O 5 -based device with a Ag TE presents a dual-mode switching mechanism with coexistence of Ag and oxygen vacancy-driven filament formation. The configuration of the conducting filament is controlled by the compliance current (I cc ). The resistive switching occurs because of oxygen vacancy filaments at low I cc , whereas it is due to dual filaments consisting of Ag and oxygen vacancies at high I cc . This is confirmed by the analyses of the temperature dependence of the conducting filament and the conduction mechanism. These results with unique dualmode switching behaviors will help identify the conducting filament mechanisms and overcome the technical limitations faced by the RRAM devices.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of epidermal growth factor-like domain 7 (EGFL7) in epithelial ovarian cancer, and to assess its relevance to clinicopathological characteristics and patients' survival.MethodsA total of 177 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were enrolled in the current study. For each patient, a retrospective review of medical records was conducted. Immunohistochemical staining for EGFL7 was performed using tissue microarrays made with paraffin-embedded tissue block. EGFL7 expression levels were graded on a grade of 0 to 3 based on the percentage of positive cancer cells. We analyzed the correlations between the expression of EGFL7 and various clinical parameters, and also analyzed the survival outcome according to the EGFL7 expression.ResultsThe expression of EGFL7 in ovarian cancer tissues was observed in 98 patients (55.4%). High expression of EGFL7 (grade 2 or 3) was significantly correlated with pathologic type, differentiation, stage, residual tumor after debulking surgery, lymphovascular space involvement, lymph node metastasis, high cancer antigen 125, peritoneal cytology, and ascites. Among these clinicopathologic factors, differentiation was significantly correlated with EGFL7 expression in multivariate analysis (p<0.05). Survival analysis showed that the patients with high EGFL7 expression had a poorer disease free survival than those with low EGFL7 expression (p=0.002).ConclusionOur data suggest that EGFL7 expression is a novel predictive factor for the clinical progression of epithelial ovarian cancer, and may constitute a therapeutic target for antiangiogenesis therapy in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.

Epithelioid sarcoma of vulva is extremely rare. Only 20 cases have been reported in the literature so far. Early diagnosis is difficult because of its benign appearance as a painless subcutaneous nodule. Therefore treatment can be delayed, although epithelioid sarcoma requires prompt surgery. We report a case of epithelioid sarcoma that occurred in the left vulva with a brief review of literature.

INTRODUCTIONThe incidence of abdominal pregnancy varies from one in 372 to one in 9,714 live births; and the abdominal pregnancy is associated with high morbidity and mortality (1). The lithopedion formation, a dead fetus undergoing intra-abdominal calcification instead of spontaneous resorption, is an unusual complication. There has been only a single report on presentation of lithopedion as an ovarian neoplasm in the literature (2). We herein report the second such case. CASE REPORTA 63-yr-old, gravida 2, para 1, woman was referred to our hospital for a palpable abdominal mass with a 40-yr history. The patient had recently suffered from urinary frequency and lower abdominal discomfort and was recommended for further evaluation of the mass at a local clinic. Pelvic examination revealed a normal postmenopausal uterus and a fetal head-sized movable hard mass in the lower abdomen. We supposed the mass to be a calcified myoma or a solid adnexal tumor. The sonographic findings revealed a huge densely calcified mass suggesting an ovarian tumor. The abdominopelvic computed tomographic scan revealed a highly calcified mass in the midline of the lower abdomen, which appeared to be a solid ovarian tumor such as teratoma. The tumor markers were within normal limits. The size, the consistency of the mass, and the old age of the patient lead us to conclude that the mass would be a low-grade malignant ovarian tumor and that explolaparotomy was needed. During laparotomy, a well-demarcated stony hard and 11×11×8 cm-sized mass was found embedded within the omentum, and was resected from the omental bed. The right adnexa were atrophied but the tubal isthmic portion was calcified, and therefore the right salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. The atrophied and small genital tract as usual as in the most postmenopaused women made us abandon the consideration of the possibility of low-grade malignant ovarian tumor, so we did not do any further procedures. We supposed that it would be a calcified omental or mesenteric tumor rather than an ovarian tumor.Until this point, we had never suspected that the mass could be a lithopedion. On further questioning, the patient reported that she had become pregnant 40 yr before and that the pregnancy had continued for about 9-10 months with fetal movement and abdominal distension, until she experienced a vaginal bleeding without any signs of labor. Because of poor accessibility to doctors and hospitals, she stayed at home and sought the alternative medicine such as herb medication. After some time, the fetal movement and the abdominal distension disappeared and the palpable mass developed. Two years later, she became pregnant again and successfully delivered a daughter, who was 38 yr old at the time the patient was admitted to our hospital. From history taking, we suspected the possibility of old advanced abdominal pregnancy.On gross pathologic examination, the mass showed a glistening, stony hard calcified external surface. After decalcifica- Old Abdominal Pregnancy Presenting as an Ovarian Neop...