Heng-Kien Au

Taipei Medical University | TMU · Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Background Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is an early decline in ovarian function that leads to ovarian failure. Conventional treatments for POI are inadequate, and treatments based on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as an option. However, the lack of consideration of the estrogen niche in ovarian tissue significantly reduces the th...

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe dermatological conditions, predominantly affecting women with mortality rates of 4.8–48%. Antibiotics are common triggers. They cause painful mucous membrane erosions in various body parts. Treatment involves steroids, creams, and therapy. Pregnant women with...

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a valuable biomarker for evaluating chronic stress in preschoolers. However, few studies have explored early life HCC and its associated factors. This prospective cohort study analysed the HCC in children aged 6–48 months and its associations with parental HCC as well as positive and negative parental mental hea...

Background In recent years, smart devices have become an integral part of daily life. However, longitudinal studies, particularly those regarding the relationship between toddlers’ smart device usage and behavioral outcomes, are limited. Understanding the impact of parent–child interactions on this relationship is crucial for enhancing toddlers’ de...

Introduction Mifepristone-misoprostol treatment for medical abortion and miscarriage are safe and effective. This study aimed to assess clinical factors associated with subsequent surgical intervention after medical termination of early viable or non-viable pregnancy. Methods This retrospective, single-center study included women who underwent med...

Background In recent years, smart devices have become an integral part of daily life. However, longitudinal studies, particularly those regarding the relationship between toddlers’ smart device usage and behavioral outcomes, are limited. Understanding the impact of parent–child interactions on this relationship is crucial for enhancing toddlers’ de...

Background: In recent years, smart devices have become seamlessly integrated into human life. However, longitudinal studies focusing on their impact on toddlers are lacking. Accordingly, the present study examined the influence of early screen usage time and media content exposure on toddlers’ behavioral performance, along with the positive effects...

Introduction Although mobile devices are used ubiquitously, studies on their detrimental effects on preschoolers are limited. Furthermore, no study has considered shared reading and mobile device usage simultaneously. Therefore, this study examined the effects of mobile devices and shared reading on preschoolers’ development along with the effects...

Background: Although studies have reported the effects of inadequate sleep on maternal health, few have examined the relationships of maternal sleep patterns with fetal health and early childhood development. This study investigated maternal sleep duration patterns from early pregnancy to 3-years postpartum and their effects on birth outcomes and...

The mechanism on how extracellular matrix (ECM) cooperates with niche growth factors and oxygen tension to regulate the self-renewal of embryonic germline stem cells (GSCs) still remains unclear. Lacking of an appropriate in vitro cell model dramatically hinders the progress. Herein, using a serum-free culture system, we demonstrated that ECM lamin...

Introduction Although an array of maternal and child-centered risks have been researched, considerably less is known about the effects of paternal influences on child's birth outcomes and early development. This longitudinal study thus examined the effects of paternal influences (parental stress, partner support, childcare and nursing, and father–c...

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease that affects up to 10% of women of reproductive age and accounts for up to 50% of female infertility cases. It has been highly associated with poorer outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART), including decreased oocyte retrieval, lower implantation, and pregnancy rates. A better...

Background: Mental distress patterns in first-time or experienced mothers and fathers during the transition to parenthood have been inadequately studied. This longitudinal study thus investigated changes in depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life in both parents from early pregnancy until 1 year postpartum. Parity effects were spec...

Hypoxia cooperates with endocrine signaling to maintain the symmetric self-renewal proliferation and migration of embryonic germline stem cells (GSCs). However, the lack of an appropriate in vitro cell model has dramatically hindered the understanding of the mechanism underlying this cooperation. Here, using a serum-free system, we demonstrated tha...

Transforming growth factor (TGF-β)/TGF-β receptor signal is known to promote cell migration. Up-regulation of TGF-β in serum/peritoneal fluid and increased levels of pluripotent transcription factor OCT4 in endometriotic tissues are frequently observed in patients with endometriosis. However, the mechanisms underlying how TGF-β/TGF-β receptor and O...

Effects of OCT4 on TGF-βI-induced mRNA expression levels of OCT4, N-CAD, and SNAIL in human endometrial RL95-2 and HEC1A cell lines. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis was independently repeated at least 3 times. The relative mRNA expression folds of OCT4, N-CAD, and SNAIL in TGF-βI-treated human endometrial RL95-2 and HEC1A cells with or without...

Description of the study population. (PDF)

Positive correlations between the expression of TGF-β RII and OCT4 in human endometriotic tissues. The transcriptional levels (ΔCt of gene levels/β2-microglobulin) of OCT4 were compared with those of the TGF-β RII using the Pearson correlation analysis to determine the statistical correlations. (TIFF)

Antibodies list. (PDF)

Effects of TGF-β and shRNA on cell-proliferation in primary endometriotic stromal cells. The viability of human endometriotic stromal cells with or without shRNA and/or TGF-β (1 ng/ml) treatment for 24h was evaluated using a WST-1 assay. The cell viability at 24h is represented with folds when compare to that at 0 h incubation time. Three independe...

Real-time quantitative PCR primer and product size. (PDF)

Introduction Considerable concern persists on tobacco use during perinatal periods. No study has simultaneously investigated the longitudinal association of paternal smoking with maternal and paternal depressive and anxiety symptoms during perinatal periods. Methods In this prospective study, 533 couples (pregnant women and their husbands) complet...

This study evaluated the effectiveness of cold-gel packing on episiotomy pain among postpartum women who had normal spontaneous deliveries. A quasi-randomised control trial was conducted in a maternity ward of a regional teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. Seventy postpartum women were recruited, choosing to be in either the experimental or contr...

Objective To determine whether cesarean scar defect (CSD) parameters assessed by transvaginal sonography (TVS) might impact the early medical abortion outcome.Methods Women with previous cesarean delivery who received oral mifepristone and misoprostol for medical abortion were reviewed retrospectively. A successful medical abortion was defined as t...

Endometriosis is the eutopic and/or ectopic growth of endometrial tissues. High levels of TGF-β in peritoneal fluid and increased expression of OCT4 have been well documented in endometriosis. However, the molecular mechanism between TGF-β and OCT4 expression in endometriosis still remains largely unknown. In this study, we examined the roles of OC...

Background: Based upon traditional Chinese postpartum rituals, women should be confined to home and obey restrictive regimen (e.g., special diet, avoiding bath) for one month. Although some evidences suggested confinement practices reduced postpartum depression, there was little consensus. Almost none of these studies examined the impact of prenata...

Objective: To identify the impact of the pluripotent transcription factor OCT4 in endometrial cell migration and endometriosis. Design: The OCT4 expression and cell migration study. Setting: Research institution and reproductive medical clinic. Patient(s): Nine subjects with normal endometrium, 3 subjects with normal myometrium, 36 patients...

Background: Perinatal depression and anxiety affect approximately 6.6-25% of women. Although previous studies identify risk factors for perinatal depression, much fewer focuses on anxiety. This study thus aims to compare the prevalence and risk factors for prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety, with the differences identified. Methods: A t...

Recent clinical evidence has failed to demonstrate the benefits of elevation of serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL), suggesting potential loss of protective effects of HDL at high concentrations. This study aimed to investigate the concentration-related effects of HDL on in vitro and in vivo functions of human endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) a...

To present molecular cytogenetic characterization of a prenatally detected duplication of 15q26.2→q26.3 in a fetus with overgrowth. A 34-year-old para 0 woman underwent amniocentesis at 18 weeks of gestation because of advanced maternal age. Amniocentesis revealed a derivative chromosome 15, or der(15), with additional material at the end of the lo...

Recently, endometrial hyperplasia was identified as presenting a higher risk for progressing to endometrial carcinoma more readily than adenomyosis. The Lcn-2 gene encodes neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), which promotes cell proliferation and serves as a cancer marker in some cancers. In our current study, we investigated the rela...

Successful fertilization is tightly regulated by capacitation and decapacitation processes. Without appropriate decapacitation regulation, sperm would undergo a spontaneous acrosome reaction which leads to loss of fertilization ability. Seminal plasma is known to negatively regulate sperm capacitation. However, the suppressive mechanisms still rema...

Precise sperm-oocyte interaction is a critical event for successful fertilization. However, the identity of molecules involved in this process in humans remains largely unknown. This report describes the identification and characterization of a novel cell-surface protein and its potential role in human sperm-oocyte interaction. We previously identi...

Several cases in which uteruses have been preserved in women with placenta percreta have been reported. We herein report a 38-year-old woman with a history of previous cesarean section who was admitted with lower abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding at 31 weeks of gestation. An urgent exploratory laparotomy revealed active bleeding from the uterine...

To determine the association between type of previous delivery (vaginal compared with cesarean) on the success of medical abortion with mifepristone-misoprostol in early pregnancy. The records of 879 women with intrauterine pregnancies at or before 56 days of gestation who underwent medical abortions were reviewed. Medical treatment consisted of 60...

Reported herein is the case of a 35-year-old multipara woman diagnosed (on sonography) with total placenta previa that had ruptured through the myometrium of the uterus, invading the wall of the urinary bladder. In the 32nd week of gestation the patient underwent an emergency cesarean section due to profuse vaginal bleeding. Due to possible intraop...

In a retrospective university hospital-based study of spontaneously conceived (SC), intrauterine insemination (IUI), and in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) groups, this study finds maternal complications or the neonatal outcomes of twins to be similar between the groups.

Objective Bladder endometriosis is a rare disease with variable symptoms. No definite treatment for this disease has been documented due to its rarity. We present a case of bladder endometriosis mimicking a lower segment uterine adenomyoma. Case Report A 25-year-old woman presented with the complaint of severe dysmenorrhea and suprapubic tendernes...

To evaluate the transcription and translation ability of mitochondria in terminally differentiated granulosa cells, these cells were incubated with ionic calcium. Prospective laboratory research. In vitro fertilization laboratory in a university hospital. Granulosa cells were harvested from 50 female patients undergoing IVF. Analysis of mitochondri...

Hatching is an important process for early embryo development, differentiation and implantation. However, little is known about its regulatory mechanisms. By integrating the technologies of RNA amplification and cDNA microarrays, it has become possible to study the gene expression profile at this critical stage. Pre-hatched and hatched ICR mouse em...

The rearrangement of mitochondrial DNA in luteinized granulosa cells was determined in order to evaluate the fertilization capacity of oocytes and the development of embryos. Multiple deletions of mtDNA were found in luteinized granulosa cells from in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients. The 4977-base pair (bp) deletion was the most frequent deletio...

To clarify the relationship between mitochondria and embryo development, we collected human unfertilized oocytes, early embryos, and arrested embryos. Unfertilized oocytes and poor-quality embryos were collected, and the ultrastructure of mitochondria was determined by transmission electron micrography. Four criteria for determining the mitochondri...

Granulosa cells are known to contribute to maturation of oocytes, and most of the growth factors exert their action via granulosa cells. It has been established that granulosa cell death during follicular atresia and luteolysis results from apoptosis. However, the precise mechanistic pathways of granulosa cell apoptosis have not yet been defined. I...

The physiological changes in endometriosis involving multiple steps of matrix remodeling include abnormal tissue growth, invasion, and adhesion formation. Endometriosis-associated abnormal matrix remodeling is affected by several molecular factors including proteolytic enzymes and their inhibitors, which mediate tissue turnover throughout the repro...

Endometriosis is a benign but aggressive disease. It occurs when shed endometrium from the female reproductive tract grows at a site outside the uterus. The physiological changes in endometriosis-abnormal tissue growth, invasion, and adhesion phenomena-are similar to those seen in tumorous tissues. Although the etiology of endometriosis is not well...

To investigate changes in utero-ovarian blood flow during the peri-implantation period and their significance in successful embryo implantation. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in 317 women undergoing in-vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment. All of them had at least one good-quality embryo for transfer on the second...

To evaluate the relationship between mitochondrial gene expression of oocytes/embryos and their fertilizability in unfertilized oocytes, arrested embryos, and tripronucleate zygotes, because both nuclear and cytoplasmic factors contribute to oocyte activation, fertilization, and subsequent development. Prospective laboratory research. In vitro fert...

This study investigated the effect of supplementation with chicken extract on plasma and colostrum protein compositions in lactating women. Thirty healthy pregnant women were evenly divided into the control (n = 15) or chicken extract (CE) group (n = 15). The CE group was given one bottle (70 mL/bottle) of chicken extract three times a day to provi...

This chapter discusses the role of mitochondria in aging ovary. Human mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) is a maternally inherited double-stranded circular DNA molecule, which is involved in respiratory and oxidative phosphorylation. The human metaphase II oocyte is estimated to have 100,000 mitochondria; however, there is only one mitocho...

To investigate the correlation of blood flow detected by color Doppler sonography in the endometrial-subendometrial unit with pregnancy outcome of IVF-ET treatments. Prospective clinical study. University setting. Six hundred twenty-three patients selected prospectively on the day of ET. Transvaginal ultrasound examination was performed before ET....

Objective: To determine the rearrangement of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in unfertilized human oocytes and compromised embryos to evaluate the fertilization capacity of oocytes. Design: Prospective laboratory research. Setting: IVF laboratory in a university hospital. Patient(s): One hundred twenty-four unfertilized oocytes, 98 arrested embryos, a...

The occurrence of fluid accumulation within the uterine cavity was examined in women undergoing IVF to investigate its correlation with tubal disease and impact on the pregnancy outcome. A registry of ultrasound procedures spanning 5 years was retrospectively studied. Thirty five out of 746 (4.7%) IVF cycles were identified as having uterine fluid...

To explore a possible mechanism of the increasing incidence of monozygotic twins following assisted hatching of human embryos. Case report. Clinical research center in a medical school teaching hospital. A 37-year-old infertile woman with repeated IVF failures. Assisted hatching of the day 3 embryos using acidic Tyrode's solution. The morphology of...