Unveiling Hidden Risks: Intentional Molecular Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections and Vaginosis Pathogens in Patients Who Have Been Exclusively Tested for Human Papillomavirus Genotyping.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide, with popular screening methods including the Papanicolaou test and HPV genotyping. However, in clinical practice, coinfections with other pathogens are often underestimated. Therefore, our study aims to describe the prevalence of STIs and vaginosis in urogenital samples from patients who had been tested exclusively for HPV genotyping. METHODS: This analytical, prospective, cross-sectional study included 408 males and females. Eligible participants had positive and negative HPV genotyping test results and agreed to early detection or had HPV antecedents. They provided the same urogenital samples used for HPV detection and, through our multiplex in-house PCR assay, we screened for Candida spp., Ureaplasma spp., Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV), Mycoplasma spp., molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), Treponema pallidum, Haemophilus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella spp. The subsequent statistical analysis aimed to reveal correlations between HPV genotypes and the identified pathogens. RESULTS: Of the participants, 72.1% (n = 294) tested positive for HPV genotypes. HR-HPV (high-risk HPV) genotypes comprised 51 (8.1%), 66 (7.1%), and 58 (6.1%). Haemophilus spp., Ureaplasma spp., Candida spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Mycoplasma spp. frequently co-occurred with HPV infection (p < 0.05). Gender-based variations were notorious for Ureaplasma spp., Mycoplasma spp., and MCV (p < 0.05). Coinfections were prevalent (43.9%), with a positive HPV result elevating the risk for Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma spp., Staphylococcus aureus, HSV, and MCV (OR > 1, p < 0.05). HPV 16 correlated with HSV and Ureaplasma spp., while HPV 6 was linked with HSV and MCV (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This screening strategy uncovered significant coinfections and associations between HPV genotypes and pathogens, underscoring the importance of routine screening to explore clinical implications in urogenital health.

The heterogeneity of Human Papilloma Virus genotypes in the oropharyngeal cavity, anus, and urogenital sites.

The distribution of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) genotypes is not homogeneous among the infectedcells in a specific anatomical site. Thus, we conducted a prospective cross-sectional studywith 2,130 Mexican men and women aged 16 to 80 years. We described the prevalence of HPVgenotypes at the oropharyngeal cavity, anus, and urogenital sites. The most prevalent genotypes inwomen were HR-HPV 66 (5.6%), 16 (4.2%), 59 (4.3%) and LR-HPV 6 (10.1%); for men, HR-HPV16 (4.2%), 53 (3.8%), 66 (3.5%) and LR-HPV 6 (14.1%). In the cervix the most frequent genotypeswere: 6 (7.7%) and 66 (4.6%); vagina 6 (0.4%) and 16 (0.4%); genital wart 6 (5.9%) and 11 (2.7%);external genitalia 6 (0.5%) and 66 (0.5%); oropharyngeal cavity 6 (0.06%) and 66 (0.05%). In bothgenders, the most frequent genotype was HPV 6. The prevalence of HPV genotypes 31 (p=0.016),52 (p=0.049), 56 (0.036), 6 (p<0.0001) and 11 (p<0.0001) showed significant differences when comparinggenders. The kappa analysis demonstrated that in males, the HPV genotypes in the urethra/balanopreputial sulcus and urethral/genital warts had moderate concordance. In conclusion, HPVgenotyping screening tests among anatomical sites should be performed simultaneously to reinforcecurrent strategies, as well as for the development of vaccines and the discovery of oncogenic potentialfor genotypes that are not commonly analyzed.

Monitoring Sexually Transmitted Infections in Cervicovaginal Exfoliative Samples in Mexican Women.

BACKGROUND: Globally, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are a major cause of morbidity in sexually active individuals, having complications in reproduction health and quality of life. In concordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Candida spp., Ureaplasma spp., Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, HSV, and Mycoplasma spp. from cervicovaginal samples and to correlate them with the gynecological history of the patients. METHODS: Our analytical, prospective, and cross-sectional study included 377 women who participated in a reproductive health campaign during 2015-2016. Anthropometric and gynecological variables were obtained. Cervicovaginal specimens were collected and analyzed with a multiplex in-house PCR to detect Candida spp., Ureaplasma spp., Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, HSV, Mycoplasma spp., and Chlamydia trachomatis. RESULTS: The positive cases were 175/377 (46.4%) to at least one of the microorganisms. The most frequent pathogen detected in this population was Ureaplasma spp. (n = 111, 29.4%), followed by Mycoplasma spp. (n = 56, 14.9%) and Candida spp. (n = 47, 12.5%); 33.7% of the positive cases were single infections, whereas 12.7% had coinfection. The multiplex PCR assay was designed targeting nucleotide sequences. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that monitoring STIs among asymptomatic patients will encourage target programs to be more precisely and effectively implemented, as well as make these programs more affordable, to benefit society by decreasing the prevalence of STIs.

Association of Cystathionine ß-Synthase Gene Polymorphisms With Preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy disorder that increases maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality worldwide. High plasma levels of homocysteine (Hcy) are a risk factor for several cardiovascular diseases. Cystathionine ß-synthase (CBS) plays an important role in Hcy homeostasis catalyzing the irreversible degradation of Hcy to cystathionine, protecting the endothelium from injury caused by hypoxia. Several mutations and polymorphisms may alter the expression of the CBS gene, resulting in variable levels of Hcy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of CBS gene polymorphisms with PE in Mexican women. A case-control study consisting of 129 pregnant women with PE (37 severe and 92 mild) and 173 women with uncomplicated pregnancies was performed. Polymorphisms, such as G797A, C785T, T833C, G919A, T959C, C1105T, and 844ins68 base pair, in the CBS gene were genotyped. The polymorphism G797A was monomorphic in cases with the presence of only G797A-G allele. Allele C785T-T and genotype C785T-C/T were associated with susceptibility in severe and mild PE. Alleles G797A-G and T959C-T were associated with susceptibility only in severe PE. Haplotype TGTWGTC was of susceptibility for severe PE and of protection for mild PE. Haplotypes CGTWGCC and CATWGTC seem to be protective for severe PE, but the latter is related to susceptibility in mild PE. The results suggest that C785T, G797A, and T959C mutations are contributing in different ways in severe and mild PE in our population and could be count as another related factor for this disease.

Immunological and Functional Characterization of RhoGDI3 and Its Molecular Targets RhoG and RhoB in Human Pancreatic Cancerous and Normal Cells.

RhoGDI proteins have been implicated in several human cancers; changes in their expression levels have shown pro- or anti-tumorigenic effects. Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a complex pathology, with poor prognosis, and most patients die shortly after diagnosis. Efforts have been focused on understanding the role of RhoGDI's in PDAC, specially, RhoGDI1 and RhoGDI2. However, the role of RhoGDI3 has not been studied in relation to cancer or to PDAC. Here, we characterized the expression and functionality of RhoGDI3 and its target GTPases, RhoG and RhoB in pancreatic cell lines from both normal pancreatic tissue and tissue in late stages of PDAC, and compared them to human biopsies. Through immunofluorescences, pulldown assays and subcellular fractionation, we found a reduction in RhoGDI3 expression in the late stages of PDAC, and this reduction correlates with tumor progression and aggressiveness. Despite the reduction in the expression of RhoGDI3 in PDAC, we found that RhoB was underexpressed while RhoG was overexpressed, suggesting that cancerous cells preserve their capacity to activate this pathway, thus these cells may be more eager to response to the stimuli needed to proliferate and become invasive unlike normal cells. Surprisingly, we found nuclear localization of RhoGDI3 in non-cancerous pancreatic cell line and normal pancreatic tissue biopsies, which could open the possibility of novel nuclear functions for this protein, impacting gene expression regulation and cellular homeostasis.