Elizabeth T. H. Fontham, Andrew M.D. Wolf, T. Church
et al.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that individuals with a cervix initiate cervical cancer screening at age 25 years and undergo primary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing every 5 years through age 65 years (preferred); if primary HPV testing is not available, then individuals aged 25 to 65 years should be screened with cotesting (HPV testing in combination with cytology) every 5 years or cytology alone every 3 years (acceptable) (strong recommendation). The ACS recommends that individuals aged >65 years who have no history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or more severe disease within the past 25 years, and who have documented adequate negative prior screening in the prior 10 years, discontinue all cervical cancer screening (qualified recommendation). These new screening recommendations differ in 4 important respects compared with the 2012 recommendations: 1) The preferred screening strategy is primary HPV testing every 5 years, with cotesting and cytology alone acceptable where access to US Food and Drug Administration‐approved primary HPV testing is not yet available; 2) the recommended age to start screening is 25 years rather than 21 years; 3) primary HPV testing, as well as cotesting or cytology alone when primary testing is not available, is recommended starting at age 25 years rather than age 30 years; and 4) the guideline is transitional, ie, options for screening with cotesting or cytology alone are provided but should be phased out once full access to primary HPV testing for cervical cancer screening is available without barriers. Evidence related to other relevant issues was reviewed, and no changes were made to recommendations for screening intervals, age or criteria for screening cessation, screening based on vaccination status, or screening after hysterectomy. Follow‐up for individuals who screen positive for HPV and/or cytology should be in accordance with the 2019 American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology risk‐based management consensus guidelines for abnormal cervical cancer screening tests and cancer precursors.
The efficiency of producing timed pregnant or pseudopregnant mice can be increased by identifying those in proestrus or estrus. Visual observation of the vagina is the quickest method, requires no special equipment, and is best used when only proestrus or estrus stages need to be identified. Strain to strain differences, especially in coat color can make it difficult to determine the stage of the estrous cycle accurately by visual observation. Presented here are a series of images of the vaginal opening at each stage of the estrous cycle for 3 mouse strains of different coat colors: black (C57BL/6J), agouti (CByB6F1/J) and albino (BALB/cByJ). When all 4 stages (proestrus, estrus, metestrus, and diestrus) need to be identified, vaginal cytology is regarded as the most accurate method. An identification tool is presented to aid the user in determining the stage of estrous when using vaginal cytology. These images and descriptions are an excellent resource for learning how to determine the stage of the estrous cycle by visual observation or vaginal cytology.
Genotyping may improve risk stratification of high‐risk (HR) human papillomavirus (HPV)‐positive women in cervical screening programs; however, prospective data comparing the natural history and carcinogenic potential of individual HR types remain limited. A meta‐analysis of cross‐sectional HR HPV‐type distribution in 115,789 HPV‐positive women was performed, including 33,154 normal cytology, 6,810 atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), 13,480 low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) and 6,616 high‐grade SIL (HSIL) diagnosed cytologically, 8,106 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 (CIN1), 4,068 CIN2 and 10,753 CIN3 diagnosed histologically and 36,374 invasive cervical cancers (ICCs) from 423 PCR‐based studies worldwide. No strong differences in HPV‐type distribution were apparent between normal cytology, ASCUS, LSIL or CIN1. However, HPV16 positivity increased steeply from normal/ASCUS/LSIL/CIN1 (20–28%), through CIN2/HSIL (40/47%) to CIN3/ICC (58/63%). HPV16, 18 and 45 accounted for a greater or equal proportion of HPV infections in ICC compared to normal cytology (ICC:normal ratios = 3.07, 1.87 and 1.10, respectively) and to CIN3 (ICC:CIN3 ratios = 1.08, 2.11 and 1.47, respectively). Other HR types accounted for important proportions of HPV‐positive CIN2 and CIN3, but their contribution dropped in ICC, with ICC:normal ratios ranging from 0.94 for HPV33 down to 0.16 for HPV51. ICC:normal ratios were particularly high for HPV45 in Africa (1.85) and South/Central America (1.79) and for HPV58 in Eastern Asia (1.36). ASCUS and LSIL appear proxies of HPV infection rather than cancer precursors, and even CIN3 is not entirely representative of the types causing ICC. HPV16 in particular, but also HPV18 and 45, warrant special attention in HPV‐based screening programs.
Abstract Breast cancer is among the leading cause of mortality among women in developing as well as under-developing countries. The detection and classification of breast cancer in the early stages of its development may allow patients to have proper treatment. In this article, we proposed a novel deep learning framework for the detection and classification of breast cancer in breast cytology images using the concept of transfer learning. In general, deep learning architectures are modeled to be problem specific and is performed in isolation. Contrary to classical learning paradigms, which develop and yield in isolation, transfer learning is aimed to utilize the gained knowledge during the solution of one problem into another related problem. In the proposed framework, features from images are extracted using pre-trained CNN architectures, namely, GoogLeNet, Visual Geometry Group Network (VGGNet) and Residual Networks (ResNet), which are fed into a fully connected layer for classification of malignant and benign cells using average pooling classification. To evaluate the performance of the proposed framework, experiments are performed on standard benchmark data sets. It has been observed that the proposed framework outclass all the other deep learning architectures in terms of accuracy in detection and classification of breast tumor in cytology images.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a devastating cerebrovascular disorder with high mortality and long-term disability. It is more prevalent in women than men, but most preclinical research has been performed in male animals. Upregulation of lipocalin-2 (Lcn2), an acute-phase protein involved in iron homeostasis and neuroinflammation, has been implicated in hemorrhagic brain injury in male animals. The purpose of this study was to examine whether genetic deletion of Lcn2 also reduces early brain injury after SAH in female mice. Adult female wild-type (WT) and Lcn2 knockout (KO) mice were subjected to endovascular perforation to induce SAH. Lcn2 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, while brain injury was evaluated using MRI T2 lesion measurement, blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability assays, Fluoro-Jade C staining, and Garcia’s neurological scoring. We found that Lcn2 expression was upregulated in multiple brain regions after SAH, particularly in astrocytes. Compared with WT mice, Lcn2 KO mice exhibited significantly reduced oxidative stress, attenuated ferritin induction, smaller T2 lesions, decreased BBB leakage, reduced neuronal degeneration, and improved neurological recovery over 7 days. These findings identify Lcn2 as a critical mediator of early brain injury after SAH in female mice. These results further support targeting Lcn2 as a therapeutic strategy to reduce brain damage and improve outcomes in SAH patients.
Abstract Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype lacking targeted therapies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the pivotal role of cyclin E1 (CCNE1) in the onset and progression of TNBC using comprehensive bioinformatic analysis and functional validation. We found significantly elevated CCNE1 expression in TNBC tissues compared to normal, which correlated with poor prognosis. Functional assessments in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that knockdown of CCNE1 impaired the proliferative, migratory, and invasive capacities of TNBC cells, promoted apoptosis, and reduced tumorigenicity. Furthermore, CCNE1 sustains the stem-like properties of TNBC cells and fuels malignant progression through Anillin (ANLN). Mechanistically, CCNE1 interacted with ANLN and stabilized its protein levels by counteracting Fizzy-related protein 1 (FZR1)-mediated the ubiquitination modification in TNBC. Mutation of the ubiquitination site in ANLN affected CCNE1’s regulatory functions but not ANLN’s intrinsic properties. Taken together, these findings underscore the role of CCNE1 in promoting TNBC cell stemness and progression via competitive inhibition of FZR1-mediated ANLN ubiquitination. Consequently, targeting CCNE1 emerges as a promising therapeutic approach for breast cancer.
Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, Cytology
Yousef Tizabi, Samia Bennani, Nacer El Kouhen
et al.
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare but progressive and devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by involuntary movements, cognitive decline, executive dysfunction, and neuropsychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression. It follows an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. Thus, a child who has a parent with the mutated huntingtin (<i>mHTT</i>) gene has a 50% chance of developing the disease. Since the HTT protein is involved in many critical cellular processes, including neurogenesis, brain development, energy metabolism, transcriptional regulation, synaptic activity, vesicle trafficking, cell signaling, and autophagy, its aberrant aggregates lead to the disruption of numerous cellular pathways and neurodegeneration. Essential heavy metals are vital at low concentrations; however, at higher concentrations, they can exacerbate HD by disrupting glial–neuronal communication and/or causing dysbiosis (disturbance in the gut microbiota, GM), both of which can lead to neuroinflammation and further neurodegeneration. Here, we discuss in detail the interactions of iron, manganese, and copper with glial–neuron communication and GM and indicate how this knowledge may pave the way for the development of a new generation of disease-modifying therapies in HD.
Abstract Background Traumatic injuries to spinal cord lead to severe motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction. The accumulation of inhibitory compounds plays a pivotal role in the secondary damage to sparing neural tissue and the failure of axonal regeneration and remyelination. Acid-sensing ion channel-1(ASIC1A) is widely activated following neurotrauma, including spinal cord injury (SCI). However, its role in SCI remains elusive. Methods The effects of acidic environment on the differentiation and genes changes of neural stem cells (NSCs) were assessed by immunofluorescence staining and RNA-sequencing analysis, respectively. The expression of ASIC1A and prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) were detected by western blot and immunofluorescence staining. The concentration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) within NSC-derived extracellular vesicles were evaluated by ELISA. Small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were used to knock down Asic1a and Ptgs2 expression in NSCs. The myelin sheath regeneration and axonal remyelination in rats and Asic1a-KO mice were assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Results Following injury to the spinal cord, ASIC1A was found to be colocalized and upregulated in NSCs. ASIC1A activation prevents the differentiation of NSCs into oligodendrocytes by upregulating PTGS2, which leads to increased production and release of PGE2 within extracellular vesicles (EVs). ASIC1A or PTGS2 deficiency in NSCs counters the ASIC1A-related effects on mediating NSC differentiation by reducing PGE2 expression within NSC-derived EVs. Furthermore, intervention in ASIC1A signaling by administration of ASIC1A inhibitors or genetic deletion of ASIC1A demonstrated a pronounced advantage in enhancing myelin sheath regeneration and axonal remyelination. Conclusions The activation of ASIC1A prevents NSC differentiation into oligodendrocytes via the transcellular NSC-to-NSC delivery of PGE2, resulting in the failure of myelin sheath regeneration and axonal remyelination following SCI. The inhibition of ASIC1A presents a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of SCI. Graphical Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level in the cytoplasm and play an important role in a wide range of biological processes. Recent studies have found that the miRNA sequences are presented not only in the cytoplasm, but also in the mitochondria. These miRNAs (the so-called mitomiRs) may be the sequences of nuclear or mitochondrial origin; some of them are involved in regulation of the mitochondrial gene functions, while the role of others is still unknown. The identification of nucleotide signals, which are unique to mitomiRs, may help to determine this role. We formed a dataset that combined the experimentally discovered mitomiRs in human, rat and mouse. To isolate signals that may be responsible for the mitomiRs’ functions or for their translocation from or into mitochondria a context analysis was carried out for the sequences. For three species in the group mitomiRs/non-mitomiRs and the group of all miRNAs from the miRBase database statistically overrepresented 8-letter motifs were identified (p-value < 0.01 with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons), for these motifs the patterns of the localization in functionally important regions for different types of miRNAs were found. Also, for the group mitomiRs/non-mitomiRs we found the statistically significant features of the miRNA nucleotide context near the Dicer and Drosha cleavage sites (Pearson’s χ2 test of independence for the first three positions of the miRNA, p-value < 0.05). The observed nucleotide frequencies may indicate a more homogeneous pri-miRNA cleavage by the Drosha complex during the formation of the 5’ end of mitomiRs. The obtained results can help to determine the role of the nucleotide signals in the origin, processing, and functions of the mitomiRs.
The androgen receptor (AR) signalling pathway is the key driver in most prostate cancers (PCa), and is underpinned by several kinases both upstream and downstream of the AR. Many popular therapies for PCa that target the AR directly, however, have been circumvented by AR mutation, such as androgen receptor variants. Some upstream kinases promote AR signalling, including those which phosphorylate the AR and others that are AR-regulated, and androgen regulated kinase that can also form feed-forward activation circuits to promotes AR function. All of these kinases represent potentially druggable targets for PCa. There has generally been a divide in reviews reporting on pathways upstream of the AR and those reporting on AR-regulated genes despite the overlap that constitutes the promotion of AR signalling and PCa progression. In this review, we aim to elucidate which kinases—both upstream and AR-regulated—may be therapeutic targets and require future investigation and ongoing trials in developing kinase inhibitors for PCa.
Abstract Human sideroflexin 2 (SFXN2) belongs to the SFXN protein family, which is a mitochondrial outer membrane protein involved in mitochondrial iron metabolism. Mitochondria are indispensable for cellular energy production and iron metabolism. However, it remains elusive how SFXN2 modulates mitochondrial homeostasis and cellular iron metabolism in multiple myeloma (MM). In this study, we first found that SFXN2 was significantly elevated and correlated to poor outcomes in MM patients from clinical datasets. SFXN2 overexpression promoted MM cell proliferation and suppressed starvation-induced autophagy/mitophagy, while SFXN2 knockdown aggravated mitochondria damage and autophagic processes in ARP1 and H929 MM cell lines. Furthermore, inhibition of SFXN2 exerted effectively anti-myeloma activity in vivo by using myeloma xenograft model. Mechanism studies indicated that heme oxygenase 1 (HO1) with anti-oxidant function contributed to the process of autophagy suppression and cellular proliferation mediated by SFXN2. Our study revealed the critical role of SFXN2 in regulating mitochondrial bioenergetics, mitophagy, cellular iron metabolism, and redox homeostasis in interconnected and intricate way. Collectively, these findings not only provide insights into the metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells, but also highlight the therapeutic potential of SFXN2 in combination with iron metabolism as target for prognosis and treatment in MM patients.
Emmalee J. Northrop‐Albrecht, William R. Taylor, Bing Q. Huang
et al.
Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are of growing interest due to their potential diagnostic, disease surveillance, and therapeutic applications. While several studies have evaluated EV isolation methods in various biofluids, there are few if any data on these techniques when applied to stool. The latter is an ideal biospecimen for studying EVs and colorectal cancer (CRC) because the release of tumour markers by luminal exfoliation into stool occurs earlier than vascular invasion. Since EV release is a conserved mechanism, bacteria in stool contribute to the overall EV population. In this study, we assessed five EV separation methods (ultracentrifugation [UC], precipitation [EQ‐O, EQ‐TC], size exclusion chromatography [SEC], and ultrafiltration [UF]) for total recovery, reproducibility, purity, RNA composition, and protein expression in stool supernatant. CD63, TSG101, and ompA proteins were present in EV fractions from all methods except UC. Human (18s) and bacterial (16s) rRNA was detected in stool EV preparations. Enzymatic treatment prior to extraction is necessary to avoid non‐vesicular RNA contamination. Ultrafiltration had the highest recovery, RNA, and protein yield. After assessing purity further, SEC was the isolation method of choice. These findings serve as the groundwork for future studies that use high throughput omics technologies to investigate the potential of stool‐derived EVs as a source for novel biomarkers for early CRC detection.
Sphingolipids are important structural membrane components and, together with cholesterol, are often organized in lipid rafts, where they act as signaling molecules in many cellular functions. They play crucial roles in regulating pathobiological processes, such as cancer, inflammation, and infectious diseases. The bioactive metabolites ceramide, sphingosine-1-phosphate, and sphingosine have been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of several microbes. In contrast to ceramide, which often promotes bacterial and viral infections (for instance, by mediating adhesion and internalization), sphingosine, which is released from ceramide by the activity of ceramidases, kills many bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. In particular, sphingosine is an important natural component of the defense against bacterial pathogens in the respiratory tract. Pathologically reduced sphingosine levels in cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells are normalized by inhalation of sphingosine, and coating plastic implants with sphingosine prevents bacterial infections. Pretreatment of cells with exogenous sphingosine also prevents the viral spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) from interacting with host cell receptors and inhibits the propagation of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in macrophages. Recent examinations reveal that the bactericidal effect of sphingosine might be due to bacterial membrane permeabilization and the subsequent death of the bacteria.