Prevalence of Four Sexually Transmitted Infection Pathogens Detected in Urine and Genital Tract Secretion in Hangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase gradually and have become a public health problem in the world. UU, CT, NG, and MG are four common STI pathogens. Our retrospective study analyzed the clinical situation and the laboratory data of patients infected with the four pathogens. The prevalence of the four pathogens, detected in urine and genital tract secretion, was studied in Hangzhou, China. METHODS: A total of 3,168 male and female patients were randomly selected from February 2023 to February 2024. Urine and genital secretions were collected, and four STI pathogens were controlled for detection. Data were collected from the hospital's electronic medical records, and SPSS 25.0 software was used to perform a statistical analysis. RESULTS: Among 3,168 patients, a total of 1,527 were detected as positive, and the positive rate was 48.20%. The age of patients ranged from 13 - 98 years, with an average age of 45.6. The total of patients consisted of 2,191 males and 977 females, which had a significant difference (p < 0.05). Specimens were mainly collected from the Department of Dermatovenerology, Urological Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and so on. The positive rate was statistically different between male and female patients (p < 0.05). Single infection performed a main role and accounted for 79.57% of all of the positive patients. In the ≤ 20 age group, the positive rate was the highest and was as high as 77.65%. In detail, single infection caused by UU dominated, especially in the 21 - 30 age group. Double infection caused by UU and CT and triple infection caused by UU, CT, and NG were the majority, both especially in the 21 - 30 age group. There were significant differences in the positive rates in the different age groups and in the four pathogens (p < 0.05). Quadruple infection was very rare and had only been detected in one patient. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of the four pathogens in Hangzhou was different from other regions. More male than female patients, more single than multiple infections, and more single and multiple infections occurring in young people were the features in Hangzhou. The study would provide reference for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of STI.

In situ biomineralization reinforcing anisotropic nanocellulose scaffolds for guiding the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Nanocellulose (NC) is a promising biopolymer for various biomedical applications owing to its biocompatibility and low toxicity. However, it faces challenges in tissue engineering (TE) applications due to the inconsistency of the microenvironment within the NC-based scaffolds with target tissues, including anisotropy microstructure and biomechanics. To address this challenge, a facile swelling-induced nanofiber alignment and a novel in situ biomineralization reinforcement strategies were developed for the preparation of NC-based scaffolds with tunable anisotropic structure and mechanical strength for guiding the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells for potential TE application. The bacterial cellulose (BC) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) based scaffolds with tunable swelling anisotropic index in the range of 10-100 could be prepared by controlling the swelling medium. The in situ biomineralization efficiently reinforced the scaffolds with 2-4 times and 10-20 times modulus increasement for BC and CNFs, respectively. The scaffolds with higher mechanical strength were superior in supporting cell growth and proliferation, suggesting the potential application in TE application. This work demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed strategy in the preparation of scaffolds with mechanical anisotropy to induce cells-directed differentiation for TE applications.

Co-infection with human papillomavirus and sexually transmitted infections among Chinese individuals.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and their co-infections on different genders and ages. METHODS: Different samples of secretions from the reproductive system were collected from 459 males and 494 females for HPV and STI detection. RESULTS: Total HPV infection rate was 49.46 % for males and 48.99 % for females, and the distribution of HPV subtypes varied significantly between different genders. The infection rate of HR-HPV 52 and 31 in females was higher than that in males (p = 0.002 and 0.039, respectively). In contrast, the infection rate of LR-HPV 6 and 11 in males was higher than that in females (p = 0.01 and 0.001, respectively). Females had a significantly higher infection rate of Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU). Besides, these STIs were stratified based on age and the results indicated that the highest incidence of STIs was observed in younger patients (<20 years old). Patients with HPV infections had a higher incidence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) in both males and females. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to perform HPV, CT and UU screening among patients, and more thorough health education for younger patients is of great clinical significance to improve treatment and prognosis.

Safety and efficiency of modified sacrospinous ligament fixation for apical prolapse: Long-term studies and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the safety and efficiency of modified sacrospinous ligament fixation (MSSF) for apical prolapse. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study. Patients diagnosed with apical prolapse from 2014 to 2019 were recruited and divided into three groups: sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSF), MSSF, and laparoscopic sacral hysteropexy (LSH). All surgical characteristics were obtained and information concerning complications was collected and compared among these three groups. RESULTS: A total of 710 patients were included: 108 in the SSF group, 260 in the LSH group, and 342 in the MSSF group. The MSSF and SSF groups took less surgical time (P < 0.001) and had shorter hospital stays (P < 0.001). All three methods can significantly change prolapses to point C on the POP quantification score (P < 0.001). Prevalence of vaginal and pelvic pain after surgery was higher in the SSF group (8/108; 7.41%) (P = 0.028), and urinary incontinence was higher in the LSH group (22/260; 8.46%) (P = 0.010). In the LSH group more patients experienced constipation and dyschezia after surgery (prevalence 18/260; 6.92%; P = 0.048). Recurrence of pelvic organ prolapse in the MSSF group (15/324; 4.39%) and LSH group (12/260; 4.62%) was much lower than in the SSF group (16/108; 14.81%) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The efficacy of MSSF is commendable with low recurrence of POP and few complications in long-term follow up.

Management of uterine cystic adenomyosis by laparoscopic surgery: case report.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis of the uterine body can be manifested as diffuse solid lesions or cystic lesions. The former is common, while the latter is rare, especially for cystic adenomyosis larger than 5 cm. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30-year-old woman was admitted for severe and worsening dysmenorrhea. Ultrasound examination revealed a rare well-circumscribed cystic lesion about 5.5 × 4 × 5.0 cm. CA-125 level was slightly elevated. She accepted laparoscopic surgery and the adenomyotic tissues were excised. The histopathology of the specimen demonstrated the endometrial glands in the walls of cysts and an area of extensive hemorrhage can be seen in the inner wall of cyst. The patient made a good recovery after surgery and her symptoms complete resoluted. CONCLUSIONS: This is a rare case of a cystic adenomyotic lesion that was treated by laparoscopic surgery.

Bta-miR-98 Suppresses Replication of Caprine Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 Through Inhibiting Apoptosis by Targeting Caspase-3.

Caprine parainfluenza virus type 3 (CPIV3) is an emerging respiratory pathogen that affects the sheep and goat industry in China and possibly other countries around the world. Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs play important roles in regulating virus-host interactions and can suppress or facilitate viral replication. In this study, we showed that CPIV3 infection induced apoptosis in Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells, as determined by morphological changes and flow cytometry. Caspase activity and the expression of pro-apoptotic genes further indicated that CPIV3 induced apoptosis by activating both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. We also demonstrated the involvement of bta-microRNA-98 (bta-miR-98) in regulating CPIV3-induced apoptosis. Bta-miR-98 was downregulated in MDBK cells infected with CPIV3. Overexpression of bta-miR-98 significantly decreased the activities of caspase-3, -8, and -9. Conversely, inhibition of bta-miR-98 had completely opposite effects. Furthermore, our data showed that bta-miR-98 markedly affected CPIV3 replication by regulating apoptosis. Importantly, we found that bta-miR-98 modulated CPIV3-induced apoptosis by targeting caspase-3, an effector of apoptosis. Collectively, our results may suggest that CPIV3 infection induced apoptosis and downregulated the levels of bta-miR-98, and this miRNA regulated viral replication through effected apoptosis. This study contributes to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying CPIV3 pathogenesis.

Synthesis and Evaluation of the Antitumor Activity of Novel 1-(4-Substituted phenyl)-2-ethyl Imidazole Apoptosis Inducers In Vitro.

Novel imidazole derivatives were designed, prepared, and evaluated in vitro for antitumor activity. The majority of the tested derivatives showed improved antiproliferative activity compared to the positive control drugs 5-FU and MTX. Among them, compound 4f exhibited outstanding antiproliferative activity against three cancer cell lines and was considerably more potent than both 5-FU and MTX. In particular, the selectivity index indicated that the tolerance of normal L-02 cells to 4f was 23-46-fold higher than that of tumor cells. This selectivity was significantly higher than that exhibited by the positive control drugs. Furthermore, compound 4f induced cell apoptosis by increasing the protein expression levels of Bax and decreasing those of Bcl-2 in a time-dependent manner. Therefore, 4f could be a potential candidate for the development of a novel antitumor agent.

Synthesis, activity evaluation, and pro-apoptotic properties of novel 1,2,4-triazol-3-amine derivatives as potent anti-lung cancer agents.

In this study, a series of 4,5-bis(substituted phenyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-amine compounds was designed, synthesised, and evaluated to determine their potential as anti-lung cancer agents. According to the results of screening of lung cancer cell lines A549, NCI-H460, and NCI-H23 in vitro, most of the synthesised compounds have potent cytotoxic activities with IC50 values ranging from 1.02 to 48.01 µM. Particularly, compound 4,5-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-amine (BCTA) was the most potent anti-cancer agent, with IC50 values of 1.09, 2.01, and 3.28 µM against A549, NCI-H460, and NCI-H23 cells, respectively, meaning many-fold stronger anti-lung cancer activity than that of the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil. We also explored the effects of BCTA on apoptosis in lung cancer cells by flow cytometry and western blotting. Our results indicated that BCTA induced apoptosis by upregulating proteins BAX, caspase 3, and PARP. Thus, the potential application of compound BCTA as a drug should be further examined.

Influence of YKL-40 gene RNA interference on the biological behaviors of endometrial cancer HEC-1A cells.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) gene RNA interference on the biological behaviors and enhanced chemosensitivity of endometrial cancer (EC) HEC-1A cells. YKL-40 small interfering (si)RNA was transduced into EC HEC-1A cells using a lentivirus. The experiment was divided into three groups: The experimental group was transfected with YKL-40 siRNA (si-YKL-40); the mock-treatment group was transfected with transfection reagent only; and the blank control group was left untreated. A reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to investigate the mRNA expression levels of YKL-40. The biological behaviors, including cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis, were detected by MTT and Transwell assays, and flow cytometry (FCM) analysis, respectively. The results of the present study demonstrated that the mRNA expression levels of YKL-40 were downregulated within HEC-1A cells upon transfection with si-YKL-40 (P<0.05). The proliferative, migratory and invasive abilities of HEC-1A cells were inhibited by si-YKL-40 (P<0.05). The mRNA expression levels of YKL-40 were upregulated within HEC-1A cells following treatment with cisplatin (P<0.05). FCM analysis revealed that the average cellular apoptosis rate increased following the inhibition of YKL-40 gene expression via siRNA (P<0.05). Therefore, the YKL-40 gene may be associated with the proliferative, migratory, invasive and anti-apoptotic ability of HEC-1A cells. YKL-40 downregulation may enhance the sensitivity of human EC HEC-1A cells to chemotherapy.

The Strica Homolog AaCASPS16 Is Involved in Apoptosis in the Yellow Fever Vector, Aedes albopictus.

Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases playing essential roles during apoptosis. Seven caspases identified in Drosophila were Dronc, Dredd, Strica, Dcp-1, Decay, Drice and Damm. Among them, Strica is an insect-specific caspase containing a long serine- and threonine- rich prodomain, of which function is not yet well studied. Here we identified a homolog of strica from Aedes albopictus, named as Aacasps16. Aacasps16 encoded a protein containing a putative serine- and threonine-rich prodomain and a well conserved caspase catalytic domain. AaCASPS16 shared high identity with dipteran insects Strica homologs. Alignment showed that the closest relative of AaCASPS16 was Aedes aegypti AeCASPS16. The expression profiles of Aacasps16 during developmental and adult stages were analyzed. Purified recombinant AaCASPS16 exhibited the highest caspase activity to WEHD, which is the substrate preferred by human caspase-9. AaCASPS16 induced apoptosis when over-expressed in C6/36 cells. AaCASPS16 was processed during apoptosis induced by actinomycin D and ultraviolet irradiation treatment, whereas partial silencing of Aacasps16 reduced actinomycin D- and ultraviolet irradiation-triggered apoptosis in C6/36 cells. Taken together, our study identified AaCASPS16 as a novel apoptotic caspase in Aedes albopictus.

Enhancement of TAT cell membrane penetration efficiency by dimethyl sulphoxide.

Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are promising tools for transducing presynthesized therapeutic molecules which possess low membrane permeability. The poor efficiency of cellular uptake and unexpected cellular localization are still the main obstacles to the development of drug delivery by using CPPs. In this study, we investigated the effect of a penetration enhancer, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), on the penetrating efficiency of a synthetic TAT peptide or the TAT fusion protein. FITC-labeled TAT and TAT-GFP were added to 10% DMSO or 100 microM chloroquine pretreated cells, fluorescence uptake into culturing cells was observed using fluorescence microscopy, FACS or quantitatively analyzed by a fluorescence spectrum. 10% DMSO treatment markedly increased internalization of TAT into cells and appeared in a well-distributed pattern throughout the cytosol and nucleus without membrane perforating or detectable cytotoxicity, the enhancement effect by 10% DMSO was reduced by endocytosis inhibitors including ammonium chloride and sodium azide. 10% DMSO also enhanced TAT-Apoptin induced apoptosis of carcinoma cells. These findings implicated that DMSO can be a novel delivery enhancer appropriate for CPP penetration.