Phylogeny and molecular evolution of the first local monkeypox virus cluster in Guangdong Province, China.

The first local mpox outbreak in Guangdong Province, China occurred in June 2023. However, epidemiological data have failed to quickly identify the source and transmission of the outbreak. Here, phylogeny and molecular evolution of 10 monkeypox virus (MPXV) genome sequences from the Guangdong outbreak were characterized, revealing local silent transmissions that may have occurred in Guangdong whose mpox outbreaks suggested a molecular epidemiological correlation with Portugal and several regions of China during the same period. The lineage IIb C.1, which includes all 10 MPXV from Guangdong, shows consistent temporal continuity in both phylogenetic characteristics and unique molecular evolutionary mutation spectrum, reflected in the continuous increase of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and shared mutations over time. Compared with the Japan MPXV, the Guangdong MPXV showed higher genomic nucleotide differences and separated 14 shared mutations from the B.1 lineage, comprising 6 non-synonymous mutations in genes linked to host regulation, virus infection, and virus life cycle. The unique mutation spectrum with temporal continuity in IIb C.1, related to apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing catalytic polypeptide-like 3, promotes rapid viral evolution and diversification. The findings contribute to understanding the ongoing mpox outbreak in China and offer insights for developing joint prevention and control strategies.

Association between EZH2 Genetic Variants and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Chinese Han Population.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Studies have shown that EZH2, as the member of the Polycomb groups (PcGs) family, plays an important biological role in the occurrence and development of HCC. The association between the genetic variants of EZH2 and HCC is not yet fully established. METHODS: In this study, we used 175 patients with HCC and 209 healthy volunteers' blood samples of Chinese Han population to further analyze the relationship between EZH2 variants and HCC susceptibility. RESULTS: The results showed significant differences in distribution of alleles rs2302427 and rs3757441 between patients and the controls (p < 0.05). The three SNPs of EZH2 investigated show significant association with the elevated risk of HCC (p < 0.05) in addition to the overdominant model of rs3757441 and recessive model of rs41277434 (p > 0.05). The haplotype analysis of the three EZH2 SNPs revealed that the CCA and GTA haplotypes were associated with a higher risk of HCC (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of these experiments indicated that the presence of EZH2 variants was significantly associated with HCC, and these variants could be useful genetic markers for predicting susceptibility to HCC in a Chinese Han population.

A panel of autoantibodies as potential early diagnostic serum biomarkers in patients with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Specific circulating autoantibodies are produced by host immune systems to respond to antigens that arise during tumorigenesis. To achieve auxiliary diagnosis, the present study was designed to test whether circulating autoantibodies against tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) were altered in early breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 102 breast cancer patients and 146 age-matched healthy volunteers were recruited to participate in this study. Autoantibody expression was tested using in-house developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with linear peptide envelope antigens derived from TAAs. RESULTS: Student's t tests showed that expression of autoantibodies against the panel (p16, c-myc, TP53, and ANXA-1) was significantly higher in the breast cancer group, stage I and II breast cancer group, and stage III and IV breast cancer group than in the healthy control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001). The sensitivities of detection of the panel (90% specificity) in these groups were 33.3%, 31.7%, and 33.3%, respectively, significantly higher than that of any single autoantibody. CONCLUSION: The panel of autoantibodies is more sensitive than single TAA autoantibody detection and may be used as biomarkers for early diagnosis of breast cancer.