Roles of vaginal flora in human papillomavirus infection, virus persistence and clearance.

Vaginal flora plays a vital role in human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and progression to cancer. To reveal a role of the vaginal flora in HPV persistence and clearance, 90 patients with HPV infection and 45 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study and their vaginal flora were analyzed. Women with HPV infection were treated with Lactobacillus in the vaginal environment as a supplement to interferon therapy. Our results indicated that patients with high risk HPV (Hr-HPV) 16/18 infection had a significantly higher alpha diversity compared with the healthy control (p < 0.01), while there was no significant difference between the non-Hr-HPV16/18 group and the controls (p > 0.05). Patients with multiple HPV infection had insignificantly higher alpha diversity compared with single HPV infection (p > 0.05). The vaginal flora of patients with HPV infection exhibited different compositions when compared to the healthy controls. The dominant bacteria with the highest prevalence in HPV-positive group were Lactobacillus iners (n = 49, 54.44%), and the top 3 dominant bacteria in the HPV-persistent group were Lactobacillus iners (n = 34, 53.13%), Sneathia amnii (n = 9, 14.06%), and Lactobacillus delbrueckii (n = 3, 4.69%). Patients with HPV clearance had significantly lower alpha diversity, and the flora pattern was also different between groups displaying HPV clearance vs. persistence. The patients with persistent HPV infection had significantly higher levels of Bacteroidaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Helicobacteraceae, Neisseriaceae, Streptococcaceae (family level), and Fusobacterium, Bacteroides, Neisseria, and Helicobacter (genus level) than patients who had cleared HPV (p < 0.05). Importance: Our study revealed differences in vaginal flora patterns are associated with HPV persistence and its clearance. Interferon plus probiotics can greatly improve virus clearance in some patients. Distinguishing bacterial features associated with HPV clearance in patients would be helpful for early intervention and reverse persistent infection.

CircRNA expression profiling of PBMCs from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma by RNA-sequencing.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are differentially expressed in various cancer types. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical implication of circRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to evaluate the potential of circRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers for HCC. CircRNA expression was profiled in 19 patients with HCC and 19 normal controls using ribosomal RNA-depleted RNAs. Differentially expressed circRNAs (DE-circRNAs) between HCC and controls were identified using CIRI2 and distinct circRNA expression signatures were screened. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were used to predict the potential functions of these DE-circRNAs and the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks were then constructed. Several DE-circRNAs were selected and confirmed by RT-qPCR. A total of 40 DE-circRNAs (27 upregulated and 13 downregulated) were identified between patients with HCC and controls. Functional annotation indicated that these DE-circRNAs were involved in cellular components, molecular functions and cancer-associated pathways related to HCC. These included pathways in cancer, TNF signaling pathway, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and hepatocyte differentiation. The circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was generated based on 11 candidate circRNAs. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that Homo sapiens (hsa)_circ_0073239, hsa_circ_007090, hsa_circ_0008304, hsa_circ_0017586, hsa_circ_0000369 and hsa_circ_0001181 may serve as potential biomarkers for HCC. Results from Cell Counting Kit-8 assay suggested that small interfering RNA targeting hsa_circ_0001181 reduced the proliferation of HepG2 cells, which implicated it as a potential therapeutic target for HCC. Therefore, in the present study, the differential expression pattern and important role of circRNAs in HCC were determined. The present results highlight the diagnostic potential of circRNAs in HCC and provide novel insight into the development of and treatment approaches for HCC.

RNA-seq profiling reveals PBMC RNA as a potential biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors and has extremely high morbidity and mortality. Although many existing studies have focused on the identification of biomarkers, little information has been uncovered regarding the PBMC RNA profile of HCC. We attempted to create a profile throughout using expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) RNA using RNA-seq technology and compared the transcriptome between HCC patients and healthy controls. Seventeen patients and 17 matched healthy controls were included in this study, and PBMC RNA was sequenced from all samples. Sequencing data were analyzed using bioinformatics tools, and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was used for selected validation of DEGs. A total of 1,578 dysregulated genes were found in the PBMC samples, including 1,334 upregulated genes and 244 downregulated genes. GO enrichment and KEGG studies revealed that HCC is closely linked to differentially expressed genes (DEGs) implicated in the immune response. Expression of 6 selected genes (SELENBP1, SLC4A1, SLC26A8, HSPA8P4, CALM1, and RPL7p24) was confirmed by qRT-PCR, and higher sensitivity and specificity were obtained by ROC analysis of the 6 genes. CALM1 was found to gradually decrease as tumors enlarged. Nearly the opposite expression modes were obtained when compared to tumor sequencing data. Immune cell populations exhibited significant differences between HCC and controls. These findings suggest a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of HCC. This study provides new perspectives for liver cancer development and possible future successful clinical diagnosis.

Simultaneous measurement of temperature and relative humidity based on a twisted microfiber coated with nanomaterials.

We propose a twisted microfiber interferometer sensor coated with boron nitride (BN) nanosheets for simultaneous measurement of relative humidity (RH) and temperature ($ T $). Sensitive material characteristics (BN nanosheets) enhance refractive index (RI) sensing sensitivity of proposed devices. A twisting process on the microfiber surely improves the evanescent field interaction with the deposited layer. The experimental results show that the RH sensitivities are ${-}{121.6}\;{\rm pm}/\% {\rm RH}$ and 0.26 dBm/%RH for humidity range from 46% to 72% and $ T $ sensitivities of 23.5 pm/°C and ${-}{0.045}\;{\rm dBm}/^\circ {\rm C}$ from 50°C to 90°C. The twisted microfiber interferometer has the advantages of compact structure, high sensitivity, and multiparameter measurement, which has certain potential for more applications.

Fast response microfiber-optic pH sensor based on a polyaniline sensing layer.

The microfiber-optic interferential sensor based on polyaniline (PANI) sensing layer is efficiently performed in pH detection. The refractive index changes of PANI film can be translated into a significant wavelength shift in the interferometric fringe. We demonstrate the feasibility of PANI attached to the fiber surface in studying the interface polymerization method. The sensing performances of an improved sensitivity in acid solution with -0.54nm/pH and alkaline solution with 0.28 nm/pH are systematically investigated. By taking advantage of its miniature size and mechanical flexibility, the microfiber interferential sensor might make a promising platform for pH measurement.