No abstract

Hodgkin disease (HD) is characterized by a small number of putative malignant cells [Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells] among a background of lymphocytes and histiocytes. The lineage of HRS cells is still elusive and a clonal origin of these rare cells has not formally been demonstrated. We isolated HRS cells by micromanipulation from histological sections of three cases of Hodgkin lymphoma (each representing a distinct subtype of the disease) and analyzed individual cells for immunoglobulin variable (V) gene rearrangements by PCR. In each of the three cases a singie heavy-chain V (VH) (and in one case, in addition, a K lightchain) gene rearrangement was amplified from the HRS cells, identifying these cells as members of a single done. A potentially functional VH rearrangement was obtained from a case of nodular sclerosis HD. Somatic mutations and intraclonal diversity in the VH genes indicate a germinal center B-cell origin of the HRS cells in a case of lymphocyte-predominant HD, whereas in a case of mixed-cellularity HD the sequence analysis revealed only nonfunctional V gene rearrangements, suggesting a pre-B-cell origin. This indicates that HRS cells can originate from B-lineage cells at various stages of development.

Ovarian cancer is the first leading cause of mortality in gynecological malignancies. To identify key genes and microRNAs in ovarian cancer, mRNA microarray dataset GSE36668, GSE18520, GSE14407 and microRNA dataset GSE47841 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and microRNAs (DEMs) were obtained using GEO2R. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis were performed for DEGs using DAVID database. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established by STRING and visualized by Cytoscape. Following, overall survival (OS) analysis of hub genes was performed by the Kaplan-Meier plotter online tool. Module analysis of the PPI network was performed using MCODE. Moreover, miRecords was applied to predict the targets of the DEMs. A total of 345 DEGs were obtained, which were mainly enriched in the terms related to cell cycle, mitosis, and ovulation cycle process. A PPI network was constructed, consisting of 141 nodes and 296 edges. Sixteen genes had high degrees in the network. High expression of four genes of the 16 genes was associated with worse OS of patients with ovarian cancer, including CCNB1, CENPF, KIF11, and ZWINT. A significant module was detected from the PPI network. The enriched functions and pathways included cell cycle, nuclear division, and oocyte meiosis. Additionally, a total of 36 DEMs were identified. The expression of KIF11 was negatively correlated with that of has-miR-424 and has-miR-381, and it was also the potential target of two microRNAs. In conclusion, these results identified key genes, which could provide potential targets for ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Carcinoma of the uterine cervix is one of the most common malignancies among women worldwide. Human papillomaviruses (HPV) have been identified as the major etiological factor in cervical carcinogenesis. However, the time lag between HPV infection and the diagnosis of cancer indicates that multiple steps, as well as multiple factors, may be necessary for the development of cervical cancer. The development and progression of cervical carcinoma have been shown to be dependent on various genetic and epigenetic events, especially alterations in the cell cycle checkpoint machinery. In mammalian cells, control of the cell cycle is regulated by the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and their essential activating coenzymes, the cyclins. Generally, CDKs, cyclins, and CDK inhibitors function within several pathways, including the p16INK4A-cyclin D1-CDK4/6-pRb-E2F, p21WAF1-p27KIP1-cyclinE-CDK2, and p14ARF-MDM2-p53 pathways. The results from several studies showed aberrant regulation of several cell cycle proteins, such as cyclin D, cyclin E, p16INK4A, p21WAF1, and p27KIP1, as characteristic features of HPV-infected and HPV E6/E7 oncogene-expressing cervical carcinomas and their precursors. These data suggested further that interactions of viral proteins with host cellular proteins, particularly cell cycle proteins, are involved in the activation or repression of cell cycle progression in cervical carcinogenesis.

Background Studies about asymptomatic norovirus infections have been frequently reported. We aim to assess the global prevalence of asymptomatic infections. Method We identified publications that included the proportion of asymptomatic norovirus infections by searching in PubMed, Ovid, Scopus, and Web of Science and by screening references from the articles reviewed. The principal summary data were the prevalence of asymptomatic norovirus infection. Random-effect models for meta-analysis were fitted to generate estimates of overall and subgroup prevalence. Findings Of 81 studies included, asymptomatic norovirus prevalence was estimated at 7% (95% CI: 6%–9%). Africa, Meso America and South America had higher prevalence (15%, 14%, 11%, respectively) while the prevalence in Europe and North America was lower (4%). Prevalence was similar between community and hospital (9%). Prevalence was higher in children (8%) than adults (4%). For food handlers, prevalence was estimated at 3%. In context of outbreaks, prevalence estimated from 15 studies was as high as 18% (95% CI: 10%–30%). Interpretation This knowledge could have an impact on the development of transmission prevention strategies in the future. The high prevalence indicated asymptomatic individuals must not be overlooked. Outstanding questions The high prevalence indicated asymptomatic individuals must not be overlooked. Asymptomatic individuals may play an important role in norovirus transmission. This knowledge could have an impact on the development of transmission prevention strategies.