Viral infections contribute as a cause of 15–20% of all human cancers. Infection by oncogenic viruses can promote different stages of carcinogenesis. Among many types of HPV, around 15 are linked to cancer. In spite of effective screening methods, cervical cancer continues to be a major public health problem. There are wide differences in cervical cancer incidence and mortality by geographic region. In addition, the age-specific HPV prevalence varies widely across different populations and showed two peaks of HPV positivity in younger and older women. There have been many studies worldwide on the epidemiology of HPV infection and oncogenic properties due to different HPV genotypes. However, there are still many countries where the population-based prevalence has not yet been identified. Moreover, cervical cancer screening strategies are different between countries. Organized cervical screening programs are potentially more effective than opportunistic screening programs. Nevertheless, screening programs have consistently been associated with a reduction in cervical cancer incidence and mortality. Developed countries have achieved such reduced incidence and mortality from cervical cancer over the past 40 years. This is largely due to the implementation of organized cytological screening and vaccination programs. HPV vaccines are very effective at preventing infection and diseases related to the vaccine-specific genotypes in women with no evidence of past or current HPV infection. In spite of the successful implementation of the HPV vaccination program in many countries all over the world, problems related to HPV prevention and treatment of the related diseases will continue to persist in developing and underdeveloped countries.

Background:Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a risk factor for peptic ulcer. There have been no studies addressing environmental and dietary risk factors in western India. We conducted a case control study enrolling peptic ulcer patients in Pune, India.Materials and Methods:Risk factors for peptic ulcer and H. pylori infection were assessed in a participant interview. H. pylori status was assessed from stool by monoclonal antigen detection.Results:We enrolled 190 peptic ulcer, 35 stomach cancer patients, and 125 controls. Fifty-one percent (180/350) of the participants were infected with H. pylori. Lower socioeconomic status (SES) [odds ratio (OR): 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02–1.39], meat consumption (OR: 2.35, 95% CI: 1.30–4.23), smoking (OR: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.24–4.02), eating restaurant food (OR: 3.77, 95% CI: 1.39–10.23), and drinking nonfiltered or nonboiled water (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01–1.23) were risk factors for H. pylori infection. H. pylori infection (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.03–2.89), meat (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.02-1.75), fish (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02–1.89) consumption, and a family history of ulcer (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.08–1.60) were risk factors for peptic ulcer. Consumption of chili peppers (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.10–0.37) and parasite infestation (OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.24–0.80) were protective against H. pylori infection.Conclusion:H. pylori infection is associated with peptic ulcer. Lower SES, consumption of restaurant food, meat, nonfiltered water, and smoking are risk factors for H. pylori. Consumption of meat, fish, and a family history of peptic ulcer are risk factors for peptic ulcer. Consumption of chili peppers and concurrent parasite infestation appear to be protective against H. pylori.

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Information on the infective stage of Ascaris lumbricoides and the pathology caused by the parasite is widely available in the literature. However, information about early embryonic development of A. lumbricoides and its life cycle outside the host is limited. The purpose of this study was to describe the morphological changes within the developing embryo during incubation in vitro at 28 C, as well as to explore differences in egg viability during incubation. Ascaris suum eggs (4,000 eggs/ml), used as a model for A. lumbricoides , were placed for incubation in 0.1N H(2)SO(4) at 28 C in the dark for 21 days. Every day, sub-samples of approximately 100 A. suum eggs were taken from the incubation solution for microscopic evaluation. Development, morphological changes, and viability of the first 40 eggs were observed and documented with photos. During this study, 12 stages were identified in the developing embryo by standard microscopy, 2 of which had not been previously reported. By the end of the first wk, most developing embryos observed were in the late-morula stage (72.5%). On day 14 of incubation, 90% had developed to larva-1 stage, and by day 21, 100% had developed to larva-2 stage. No significant differences were found in the viability recorded in a continuum from day 5 to day 21 of incubation (chi-square, P > 0.05). The result of this study complements and expands the stages of development of Ascaris spp. outside the host previously reported in the literature. It also suggests the potential use of early stages of development of the nematode to determine viability and safety of sewage sludge, wastewater, or compost after treatment recommended by USEPA.

Extracellular matrix comprises approximately 90% of cartilage, with collagens and proteoglycans making up the bulk of the tissue. In recent years, several abundant cartilage proteins that are neither collagens nor proteoglycans have been characterized in detail. The putative roles of these proteins range from involvement in matrix organization or matrix-cell signaling (PRELP, chondroadherin, cartilage oligomeric protein and cartilage matrix protein) through to molecules that are likely to be involved with modulation of the chondrocyte phenotype (CD-RAP, CDMPs, chondromodulin and pleiotrophin). Other molecules, such as the cartilage-derived C-type lectin and cartilage intermediate layer protein have no role as yet. Due to the difficulties associated with experimentally manipulating a tissue that is 90% extracellular matrix in a manner that can be readily transferred to the whole organism, many of these molecules have been focused on by a surprisingly small number of researchers. This review focuses on newly discovered proteins and glycoproteins in cartilage, with a bias towards those that have structural roles or that are unique to cartilage.

ObjectivesDengue represents one of the most serious life-threatening vector-borne infectious diseases that afflicts approximately 50 million people across the globe annually. Whilst symptomatic infections are frequently reported, asymptomatic dengue remains largely unnoticed. Therefore, we sought to investigate the immune correlates conferring protection to individuals that remain clinically asymptomatic.MethodsWe determined the levels of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) and gene expression profiles of host immune factors in individuals with asymptomatic infections, and whose cognate household members showed symptoms consistent to clinical dengue infection.ResultsWe observed broad down-regulation of host defense response (innate, adaptive and matrix metalloprotease) genes in asymptomatic individuals as against symptomatic patients, with selective up-regulation of distinct genes that have been associated with protection. Selected down-regulated genes include: TNF α (TNF), IL8, C1S, factor B (CFB), IL2, IL3, IL4, IL5, IL8, IL9, IL10 and IL13, CD80, CD28, and IL18, MMP8, MMP10, MMP12, MMP15, MMP16, and MMP24. Selected up-regulated genes include: RANTES (CCL5), MIP-1α (CCL3L1/CCL3L3), MIP-1β (CCL4L1), TGFβ (TGFB), and TIMP1.ConclusionOur findings highlight the potential association of certain host genes conferring protection against clinical dengue. These data are valuable to better explore the mysteries behind the hitherto poorly understood immunopathogenesis of subclinical dengue infection.

Chondromodulin-I (ChM-I) is a small glycoprotein that is abundant in fetal cartilage. Mature chondromodulin-I is processed from a larger precursor form, presumably at a proteolytic site RERR-ELVR. The precursor, mature chondromodulin-I and two processed products, the remnant left after removal of mature chondromodulin-I and a smaller, unglycosylated form, were identified using antipeptide antisera. The products of chondromodulin-I precursor processing were seen in cultured chondrocytes, a stable long-term culture chondrosarcoma cell line, as well as Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with an expression plasmid that contained cDNA coding for the chondromodulin-I precursor. Pulse-chase analysis allowed a processing pathway to be analyzed for chondromodulin-I. To further dissect the processing events, three constructs that express recombinant wild-type or mutant chondromodulin-I were transfected into CHO cells. We showed that chondromodulin-I is cleaved intracellularly at the predicted cleavage site, and that the mature glycopeptide is rapidly secreted immediately after processing. The chondromodulin-1 precursor has a short half-life and is not readily apparent in tissue samples, suggesting that chondromodulin is not a member of the juxtacrine family of growth factors, despite some similarities. The smaller unglycosylated form of chondromodulin-I was only observed in cartilage and not in short-term cultures or transfected cells, suggesting an extracellular processing event. No processing occurred when the precursor cleavage site was mutated to RERQ-SLVR or when precursor chondromodulin-I was expressed in the furin-deficient CHO cell line, suggesting the involvement of furin in processing.

Objective To examine the state of cervical screening and prevention in Central Asian states, specifically Kazakhstan. Results In the five Central Asian countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are far higher than those in most Western and high-income nations, and are increasing. Cervical cancer screening is available in all five countries, but is mainly opportunistic. Only Kazakhstan has a structured cytological screening program, from which screening coverage analysis is possible. Conclusion Despite significant decreases in cervical cancer incidence and mortality in developed countries, the problem is still of great concern in these Central Asian countries and is attributed to poorly organized screening and the absence of vaccination programs.