Prevalence of human papillomavirus among Wenzhou women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer

Abstract Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. Using a vaccine to prevent HPV infections could be a cost-effective strategy to decrease the incidence of cervical cancer. Learning about the characteristics of CIN patients with HPV infection in Wenzhou is a key step in guiding the use of HPV vaccines and screening for cervical cancer. Methods We undertook a retrospective analysis including 2612 women who were treated in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics from Jan 2016 to Nov 2017. All of the patients were examined by HPV testing and histology. Results The prevalence of HR-HPV among women with cervical intraepithelial lesions aged 65–69 years (38.8%) was significantly higher than that of the other age groups. The percentage of patients diagnosed with HPV-positive HSIL progressively increased with age to a maximum of 18.0% in the group of 40 to 44 years of age. HPV 16, 52, and 58 were the three most dominant genotypes among these women, and single infections (950, 73.3%) were more common than multiple infections (346, 26.7%). Compared to cervicitis, the odds ratios (ORs) for LSIL associated with HPV 33, 52, 16 and HPV 58 infection were 5.98, 3.91, 3.65, 3.65, and 3.188, respectively; for HSIL associated with HPV 16, 33, 58 and HPV 31 were 9.30, 7.68, 5.97, and 4.21, respectively. In LSIL, the frequencies of HR-HPV 52,16,58,18 were 19.3,18.2,10.9, and 7.8%, respectively. Conclusion Our study provides important data about the HPV genotype distribution and its correlation with cervical intraepithelial lesions in the Wenzhou population

A targeted antibody-based array reveals a serum protein signature as biomarker for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients

Abstract Background Evident adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) incurs high treatment costs, low quality of life, and many complications. Early screening of AIS is essential to avoid progressing to an evident stage. However, there is no valid serum biomarker for AIS for early screening. Methods Antibody-based array is a large-scale study of proteins, which is expected to reveal a serum protein signature as biomarker for AIS. There are two segments of the research, including biomarkers screening and validation. In the biomarkers screening group, a total of 16 volunteers participated in this study, and we carried out differentially expressed proteins screening via protein array assay between No-AIS group and the AIS group, through which GeneSet enrichment analysis was performed. In the validation group with a total of 62 volunteers, the differentially expressed proteins from screening group were verified by Enzyme-Linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and then multiple regression analysis. Results In our study, there were twenty-nine differentially expressed proteins in AIS, through Protein array assay and GeneSet enrichment analysis in the biomarkers screening group. Then the expression of FAP, CD23 and B2M decreased as the degree of AIS increased via ELISA in validation group (FAP, p < 0.0001; CD23, p = 0.0002; B2M, p < 0.0001). Further, the results of multiple regression analysis showed that FAP, CD23 are linked to Cobb angle, whereas B2M were excluded because of multicollinearity. Conclusions Altogether, we found that serum protein FAP and CD23 are intimately related to AIS, suggesting FAP and CD23 are expected to serve as the serum biomarkers, which significantly facilitate frequent longitudinal monitoring as to keep track of disease progression and tailor treatment accordingly

Promoting Nrf2/Sirt3-Dependent Mitophagy Suppresses Apoptosis in Nucleus Pulposus Cells and Protects against Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

One of the causes of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is nucleus pulposus cell (NPC) death, possibly apoptosis. In this study, we explored the role of the Nrf2/Sirt3 pathway and tert-butylhydroquinone (t-BHQ) in IVDD and elucidated the potential working mechanism. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay kits and malondialdehyde (MDA) assay kits were used to assess oxidative stress. Western blot and TUNEL staining were used to examine apoptosis. After siRNA against Nrf2 or lentivirus against Sirt3 was transfected into NPCs, the mechanism of the effect of the Nrf2/Sirt3 pathway on NPCs was assessed. The interaction between t-BHQ and its potential interacting protein NRF2 was further investigated through protein docking analysis. ChIP examined the binding affinity between Nrf2 and Sirt3 promoter. In vivo experiments, X-ray, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Safranin O staining, and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate IVDD grades. The results demonstrated that activation of the Nrf2/Sirt3 pathway inhibited tert-butyl hydroperoxide- (TBHP-) induced apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro. In addition to apoptosis, upregulation of the Nrf2/Sirt3 pathway induced by t-BHQ restored TBHP-induced autophagic flux disturbances. However, its protective effect was reversed by chloroquine and Si-ATG5. Furthermore, t-BHQ ameliorated IVDD development in a rat model. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the Nrf2/Sirt3 pathway and its agonist represent a potential candidate for treating IVDD