HPV prevalence and genotype distribution among women in eastern China during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since March 2020, the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has affected nearly all aspects of daily life. In this study, we investigated the age-stratified prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) among females in Shandong province (eastern China) and aimed to provide guidance on HPV-based cervical cancer screening and vaccination. The distribution of HPV genotypes was analyzed using PCR-Reverse Dot Hybridization. The overall infection rate of HPV was 16.4%, which was dominated by high-risk genotypes. The most prevalent genotype was HPV16 (2.9%), followed by HPV52 (2.3%), HPV53 (1.8%), HPV58 (1.5%), and HPV51 (1.3%). Among the positive cases with HPV infection, single-genotype infection was significantly higher than that of multi-genotype infection. In subgroup analyses by age (≤25, 26-35, 36-45, 46-55, >55), HPV16, 52, and 53 were consistently the three most common hrHPV genotypes in all age groups. The infection rate of multi-genotypes in the ≤25 and >55 age groups was significantly higher than that in other age groups. A bimodal distribution of HPV infection rate was observed in different age groups. Among lrHPV genotypes, HPV6, HPV11, and HPV81 were the three most common types in the ≤25 age group, while in other age groups, HPV81, HPV42, and HPV43 are the three most common lrHPV genotypes. This study provides basic information on the distribution and genotypes of HPV in the female population in eastern China, which could improve the application of HPV diagnostic probes and vaccines.

Efficacy of Glucocorticoid plus Intravenous Immunoglobulin in Children with Immunoglobulin-Insensitive Kawasaki Disease.

This study mainly analyzes the clinical effect of glucocorticoid (GC) plus intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in treating children with immunoglobulin (Ig)-insensitive Kawasaki disease (KD). From September 2013 to November 2021, 86 Ig-insensitive KD children were selected, including 46 children (observation group, Obs) treated with GC plus IVIG, and 40 children (control group, Con) treated with IVIG. The symptom (fever and fever) resolution time, inflammatory factors (C-reactive protein, CRP; procalcitonin, PCT; interleukin-6, IL-6), immune indicators (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T lymphocytes CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+), and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the groups. The results identified shorter fever and rash resolution time in Obs compared with Con. The posttreatment CRP, PCT, IL-6, and CD8+ and the incidence of adverse events reduced notably in Obs and were lower than Con, while CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ elevated statistically and were higher than that of Con. Our results indicate that GC plus IVIG can significantly promote symptom resolution, alleviate inflammatory response, and improve immune function in children with Ig-insensitivity KD, with favorable safety and clinical promotion value.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy on Self-Assembled Au Nanoparticles Arrays for Pesticides Residues Multiplex Detection under Complex Environment.

The high reproducibility of trace detection in complex systems is very hard but crucial to analytical technology and science. Here, we present a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platform made by large-scale self-assembly of Au nanoparticle (NP) arrays at the cyclohexane/water interface and its use for pesticides residues trace detection. The analyte molecules spontaneously localize into the Au NPs' nanogaps during the self-assembly process, yielding excellent Raman signal enhancement by surface effects, and possibly both by the concentration of the analytes into the array and by plasmonic hot-spot formation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images demonstrate a good uniformity of interparticle distances (2⁻3 nm) in the Au NP arrays. SERS experiments on crystal violet (CV) molecules demonstrated that the relative standard deviations (RSD) of the band intensities at 1173, 1376, and 1618 cm-1 were 6.3%, 6.4%, and 6.9%, respectively, indicating high reproducibility of the substrate. Furthermore, we demonstrate that two pesticides dissolved in organic and aqueous phases could be simultaneously detected, suggesting an excellent selectivity and universality of this method for multiplex detection. Our SERS platform opens vast possibilities for repeatability and sensitivity detection of targets in various complex fields.

Expression of α-fetoprotein in gastric cancer AGS cells contributes to invasion and metastasis by influencing anoikis sensitivity.

α-fetoprotein (AFP) is a valuable tumor marker for many types of cancers, including primary gastric cancer (GC). However, the effects of AFP expression on the metastasis and anoikis sensitivity of GC remain unclear. The present study aimed to explore the role and possible mechanism of AFP in the invasion and metastasis of GC AGS cells, particularly in the anoikis sensitivity of AGS cells. In the present study, the expression of AFP in cultured AGS cells was assayed firstly by RT-PCR, western blotting and sequencing. Then, a specific AFP siRNA was applied to interfere with AFP expression and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (poly-HEMA) was used to block cell anchorage. The invasion and metastatic ability, and anoikis sensitivity detections were conducted based on Transwell chamber assay, anoikis assay kit and western blotting. Our results confirmed the expression of AFP in AGS cells. Then, we found that interference of AFP with siRNA attenuated the invasion and metastasis of AGS cells and induced a significant upregulation of E-cadherin and downregulation of N-cadherin expression (P<0.05). Cell apoptosis and anoikis were induced when cell anchorage was blocked by poly-HEMA treatment, which was exacerbated significantly when cells were exposed to AFP siRNA. Moreover, interference of AFP when cell anchorage was blocked enhanced the expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, caspase-3 and -9, and decreased the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that interference of AFP reduced AGS cell invasion and metastasis by enhancing anoikis sensitivity. The present study provides new insight for the treatment of GC and suggests AFP as a potential therapeutic target by regulating anoikis sensitivity.

Small­sized gold nanoparticles inhibit the proliferation and invasion of SW579 cells.

The present study reported on an intrinsic property of gold nanoparticles (Au­NPs), namely their ability to inhibit the proliferation and invasion of thyroid carcinoma cells. Au­NPs of various sizes (5­60 nm) were synthesized and their uptake into the SW579 human thyroid carcinoma cell line was verified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The viability, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution and invasive capacity of SW579 cells were assessed following treatment with Au­NPs using a Cell Counting Kit­8 assay, flow cytometric analysis and a Transwell as well as a fluorometric invasion assay. TEM demonstrated that all sizes of Au­NPs could be taken up by the SW579 cells. The results showed that small­sized Au­NPs (5 and 10 nm) significantly suppressed the proliferation and invasion of SW579 cells and induced apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, while larger­sized gold nanoparticles (20­60 nm) did not exert these effects, therefore suggesting that the effects of Au­NPs on SW579 cells were highly associated with their particle size. The reduction of the invasive capacity of SW579 cells following treatment with Au­NPs may be attributed to decreases in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase­2 and ­9, which were observed using western blot and reverse­transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. The present study was the first to demonstrate that small­sized Au­NPs inhibit the proliferation and invasion of thyroid carcinoma cells, which may contribute to the advancement of biomedical applications of Au­NPs.