[Correlation of HIPK2 expression with HPV infection and apoptosis in cervical cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation of the expression of homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and apoptosis in cervical cancer. METHODS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue samples from 50 cervical cancers and 15 normal uterine cervix cases were obtained. Apoptosis was quantified by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and the expression of HIPK2 as well as HPV by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: HIPK2 protein expression was detected in 88.0% (44/50) of cervical cancers and 6.7% (1/15) of normal cervical tissues. HPV was found in 78.0% (39/50) of cervical cancers and 20.0% (3/15) of normal cervical tissue samples. The expression of HIPK2 protein was significantly and positively correlated with HPV presence (r=0.467, P<0.01), but negatively with apoptotic index (r=-0.370, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: HIPK2 protein expression is positively correlated with HPV infection, but negatively with apoptotic index in cervical cancers. Therefore, HIPK2 may be involved in the mechanism of apoptosis in cervical cancer and may play an important role in cervical carcinogenesis.

Expression of HIPK2 in cervical cancer: correlation with clinicopathology and prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) is a member of a recently identified nuclear protein kinase family that act as co-repressors for homeodomain transcription factors. This study was carried out to investigate the expression of HIPK2, and its correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis in cervical carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-three cases of cervical cancer and ten cases of normal cervical tissue were analysed retrospectively between January 2002 and December 2006 at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University. The expression of HIPK2, p53 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen was detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlation of HIPK2 and clinicopathological factors as well as prognosis was statistically analysed. RESULTS: The nuclear positive rate of HIPK2 was significantly higher in the cervical cancer group than in the control group (76.7% vs 10.0%, P < 0.05). The expression of HIPK2 was significantly lower in stage I tumours than in stage II/III tumours (60.9% vs 95.0%, P < 0.05), indicating that HIPK2 expression is correlated with the development of cervical cancer. HIPK2 expression was higher in cervical adenocarcinoma than that in squamous cell carcinoma (90.0% vs 72.7%), but there was no significant difference. The positive rate of HIPK2 in well, moderately and poorly differentiated carcinoma was 83.3, 73.3, 100%, respectively, but the difference was not significant. There was no significant difference between the expression of HIPK2 protein and prognosis. HIPK2 expression was significantly higher than p53 in cervical cancer (P < 0.05), but there was no correlation between HIPK2 and p53. CONCLUSION: The expression of HIPK2 may play an important role in cervical carcinogenesis.

Modifying antibiotic prescribing: the effectiveness of academic detailing plus information leaflet in a Malaysian primary care setting.

We assessed the effectiveness of an educational intervention in reducing antibiotic prescribing in public primary care clinics in Malaysia. Twenty-nine medical officers in nine clinics received an educational intervention consisting of academic detailing from the resident Family Medicine Specialist, as well as an information leaflet. The antibiotic prescribing rates were assessed for six months - three months before and three months after the intervention. A total of 28,562 prescriptions were analyzed. Among participating doctors, general antibiotic prescribing rates for pre- and post-intervention phases were 14.3% and 11.0% (post-intervention vs pre-intervention RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.83). The URTI-specific antibiotic prescribing rates for pre- and post-intervention phases were 27.7% and 16.6%, respectively (post-intervention vs pre-intervention RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.66). No significant change in antibiotic prescribing rates was observed among primary care practitioners who did not participate in the study. This low cost educational intervention using both active and passive strategies focusing on URTI produced a statistically significant (and clinically important) reduction in antibiotic prescribing.

Correlation between homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 and apoptosis in cervical cancer.

Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) is a serine/threonine nuclear kinase that is involved in apoptosis and cell growth, and is also thought to play a role in the process of tumorigenesis. The purpose of this study was to identify the role of HIPK2 in cervical cancer. HIPK2 expression was examined in normal and cervical cancer tissues at the mRNA and protein levels by quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting. To investigate the mechanism of action of HIPK2 in cervical cancer, RNA interference was used to analyze the effect of HIPK2 on apoptosis and cell growth in cervical cell lines. The results showed that HIPK2 expression was significantly higher in the cervical cancer tissues compared to the normal cervical tissues, both at the mRNA and protein level. Moreover, inhibition of HIPK2 promoted cell growth and decreased the rate of cell apoptosis in cervical cell lines. Taken together, these results indicate that HIPK2 expression is higher in cervical cancer tissues and has a positive correlation with cervical cancer. HIPK2 may be important in the development of cervical cancer.