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Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is involved in cervical cancer development, and hence understanding its prevalence and genotype distribution is important. However, there are few reports on the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV in the city of Huzhou in China. Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 11,506 women who visited Huzhou Maternity & Child Health Care Hospital between January 2018 and October 2019 were enrolled. The results of HPV genotyping and cytology tests were analyzed. Results The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 15.5%. The rate of high-risk (HR) HPV infection (13.5%) was higher than that of single low-risk (LR) HPV infection (2.0%) (p<0.05). The five most common HPV genotypes were HPV52 (3.3%), 16 (1.9%), 58 (1.7%), 53 (1.5%), and 81 (1.2%). The infection rate of HPV peaked in women aged 16–24 and women aged ≥55. The infection rate of HPV58 or HPV81 appeared as a single peak in women aged ≥55. The rates of HR-HPV and LR-HPV infection were higher in subjects with abnormal cytology (p<0.05). Conclusions HPV infection is high in Huzhou, and HPV53 and HPV81 are the prevalent genotypes. HPV infection rate is associated with age and cytology. Regional HPV surveillance is essential to optimize current HPV prevention and vaccine development.

Female sex workers in Huzhou, China, were found to have a greater probability of being infected with high-risk HPV, and novel vaccines against HPV-58 and HPV-52 should be developed. Using condoms could reduce the risk of infection.

TB-IGRA had a high sensitivity and specificity for TB infection; it could be comparable with the QFT-GIT assay. It might be a powerful assisting tool for TB infection diagnosis in the Chinese clinical setting.

MK mRNA level in PBMC may be a potential non-invasive molecular marker for the diagnosis of primary NSCLC.

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Introduction: Antiviral drug-resistance patterns of hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutants are complex and currently partly understood. The aim of this study was to monitor the genotypic resistance profile in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) receiving nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) in Huzhou, eastern China. Methodology: Serum samples of 139 CHB patients undergoing NA treatment were obtained from Huzhou Central Hospital. The full-length HBV reverse transcriptase regions were amplified and sequenced. The NA resistance mutation positions, including rtL80, rtI169, rtV173, rtL180, rtA181, rtT184, rtA194, rtS202, rtM204, rtI233, rtN236, and rtM250 were analyzed. Results: Genotypic resistance mutations were detected in 41.72% (58/139) of patients with CHB. Drug resistance mutations were detected at positions rt80, rt173, rt180, rt181, rt194, rt202, rt204, rt236, and rt250, but were not observed at positions rt169, rt184, and rt233. The prevalence of mutations at rtM204 was 54.44% in 90 patients who were treated with lamivudine (LAM) or telbivudine (LDT). RtN236 mutations were detected in 7.14% (2/28) of the patients receiving adefovir (ADV) therapy. Additionally, rtA181 mutations were observed in 4 patients with LAM, ADV, and LDT-based therapy, but not in those patients treated with entecavir (ETV). Among patients who harbored rtM204 combination mutations, rtM204I and rtM204V were significantly associated with rtL80I/V and rtL180M, respectively. Conclusions: The mutation patterns of NA-resistant HBV are complicated in CHB patients in the current clinical setting. Thus, it is necessary to persistently monitor the resistance mutations of HBV for optimizing antiviral therapy strategy and for preventing an outbreak of clinical resistance.

We prepared rabbit monoclonal antibodies that target human midkine (MK). The MK gene was amplified by PCR from the plasmid pEGFP-MK and subcloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-1λT to generate an N-terminally glutathione S-transferase (GST)-tagged fusion protein construct. Expression of the GST-MK fusion protein was achieved by IPTG induction in Escherichia coli cells. The expressed protein was purified using the GST system. After verifying purification, the fusion protein was used to immunize rabbits to prepare monoclonal antibodies against human MK by the rabbit hybridoma technique. The hybridomas generated were screened by an enzyme-link immunoassay (ELISA) for specificity, which was further characterized by Western blotting and ELISA. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the purified protein corresponds to the calculated molecular weight. The GST-MK fusion protein was prepared. At least one hybridoma cell line secreting anti-MK MAb was obtained. Western blotting analysis confirmed the identity of the MAb. The titer of the MAbs measured by an indirect ELISA was 1:64,000. The affinity constant, which was measured by a non-competitive ELISA, was found to be 3.0 × 10(9) M(-1). Western blotting and immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the produced MAbs bind to the MK protein in cancerous tissues. The GST-MK fusion protein was successfully expressed and purified. The MAbs against MK were subsequently prepared, which should further aid research and the application of MK MAbs in clinical settings.