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Objective: The present study aimed to investigate FOXO3a deregulation in Uterine Smooth Muscle Tumors (USMT) and its potential association with cancer development and prognosis., Methods: The authors analyzed gene and protein expression profiles of FOXO3a in 56 uterine Leiomyosarcomas (LMS), 119 leiomyomas (comprising conventional and unusual leiomyomas), and 20 Myometrium (MM) samples. The authors used techniques such as Immunohistochemistry (IHC), FISH/CISH, and qRT-PCR for the present analyses. Additionally, the authors conducted an in-silico analysis to understand the interaction network involving FOXO3a and its correlated genes., Results: This investigation revealed distinct expression patterns of the FOXO3a gene and protein, including both normal and phosphorylated forms. Expression levels were notably elevated in LMS, and Unusual Leiomyomas (ULM) compared to conventional Leiomyomas (LM) and Myometrium (MM) samples. This upregulation was significantly associated with metastasis and Overall Survival (OS) in LMS patients. Intriguingly, FOXO3a deregulation did not seem to be influenced by EGF/HER-2 signaling, as there were minimal levels of EGF and VEGF expression detected, and HER-2 and EGFR were negative in the analyzed samples. In the examination of miRNAs, the authors observed upregulation of miR-96-5p and miR-155-5p, which are known negative regulators of FOXO3a, in LMS samples. Conversely, the tumor suppressor miR-let7c-5p was downregulated., Conclusions: In summary, the outcomes of the present study suggest that the imbalance in FOXO3a within Uterine Smooth Muscle Tumors might arise from both protein phosphorylation and miRNA activity. FOXO3a could emerge as a promising therapeutic target for individuals with Unusual Leiomyomas and Leiomyosarcomas (ULM and LMS), offering novel directions for treatment strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest and funding disclosures., (Copyright © 2024 HCFMUSP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Leiomyomas (LMs) are the most frequent uterine benign tumors, representing the leading cause of hysterectomy indications worldwide. They are highly associated with women's reproductive complications, and endocrine disruptors may influence their etiology. In this sense, air pollution represents a relevant hormonal disruptor that acts on key signaling pathways, resulting in tumor development and infertility. Our goal was to evaluate submucosal LM samples from patients living in the metropolitan and Sao Paulo city regions, focusing on genes involved in tumor development and infertility features. Twenty-four patients were selected based on their region of residence and clinical information availability. Several genes were differentially expressed between women living in metropolitan areas and Sao Paulo city. Significant associations were observed between BCL-2 , DVL1 , FGFR3 , and WNT5b downregulation and contraceptive use in the samples from women living in Sao Paulo city. ESR1 and HHAT downregulation was associated with ethnicity. WNT5b and GREM were associated with LM treatment and related pathologies, respectively. In the samples from women living in other cities of the metropolitan region, abortion occurrence was associated with BMP4 upregulation. Although further studies may be necessary, our results showed that air pollution exposure influences the expression of genes related to LM development and female reproductive features.

There is a consensus that epigenetic alterations play a key role in cancer initiation and its biology. Studies evaluating the modification in the DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling patterns, as well as gene regulation profile by non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have led to the development of novel therapeutic approaches to treat several tumor types. Indeed, despite clinical and translational challenges, combinatorial therapies employing agents targeting epigenetic modifications with conventional approaches have shown encouraging results. However, for rare neoplasia such as uterine leiomyosarcomas (LMS) and endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS), treatment options are still limited. LMS has high chromosomal instability and molecular derangements, while ESS can present a specific gene fusion signature. Although they are the most frequent types of "pure" uterine sarcomas, these tumors are difficult to diagnose, have high rates of recurrence, and frequently develop resistance to current treatment options. The challenges involving the management of these tumors arise from the fact that the molecular mechanisms governing their progression have not been entirely elucidated. Hence, to fill this gap and highlight the importance of ongoing and future studies, we have cross-referenced the literature on uterine LMS and ESS and compiled the most relevant epigenetic studies, published between 2009 and 2022.

Prolactin (PRL) acts stimulating the mammary glands development, and its deregulation has been associated to the emergence of several types of tumors, including breast cancer. Breast cancer represents the most prevalent malignancy in women, and the second cause of death in several countries. This tumor can be arise due to several molecular alterations, among them PRL has been the object of increasing interest from researchers worldwide., Objective: To assess the association between elevated levels of plasma prolactin and breast cancer development., Methods: A total of 158 studies were found in search databases (48 from PubMed, 69 from Scopus, 88 from Cochrane, 25 from Embase and 10 retrieved from the gray literature) after removing duplicates. Of these, 104 studies were excluded after title and abstract reading, and 54 studies were then read in full, of which only 14 were selected for this review because they had evaluated the association between PRL and breast cancer. Meta-analysis was carried out using the relative risk (RR), mean and standard deviation, confidence interval (95% CI), and the total number of patients for each study. Fixed- and random-effect models were used as applicable and, for the analysis., Results: The meta-analysis showed a positive association between elevated levels of PRL and breast cancer occurrence (RR 1.26; 95%CI 1.15-1.37). Additionally, the patient sub-group analyses showed a positive association between PRL and invasive breast cancer (1.42; 1.24-1.60), ER+/PR+ (1.49; 1.23-1.75), and post-menopausal status (1.29; 1.16-1.43)., Conclusion: The results showed a positive association between plasma prolactin levels and breast cancer, especially in women with ER+/PR + tumors, of post-menopausal age and those with invasive cancer.

The role and prognostic value of tetraspanins (TSPANs) in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) remain poorly understood. We sought to primarily determine, at both the molecular and tissue level, the expression profile of the TSPANs CD9, CD63, CD81, and CD82 in archived VSCC samples ( n = 117) and further investigate their clinical relevance as prognostic markers. Our studies led us to identify CD63 as the most highly expressed TSPAN, at the gene and protein levels. Multicomparison studies also revealed that the expression of CD9 was associated with tumor size, whereas CD63 upregulation was associated with histological diagnosis and vascular invasion. Moreover, low expression of CD81 and CD82 was associated with worse prognosis. To determine the role of TSPANs in VSCC at the cellular level, we assessed the mRNA levels of CD63 and CD82 in established metastatic (SW962) and non-metastatic (SW954) VSCC human cell lines. CD82 was found to be downregulated in SW962 cells, thus supporting its metastasis suppressor role. However, CD63 was significantly upregulated in both cell lines. Silencing of CD63 by siRNA led to a significant decrease in proliferation of both SW954 and SW962. Furthermore, in SW962 particularly, CD63-siRNA also remarkably inhibited cell migration. Altogether, our data suggest that the differential expression of TSPANs represents an important feature for prognosis of VSCC patients and indicates that CD63 and CD82 are likely potential therapeutic targets in VSCC.

Objectives: The present study aimed to contribute to the catalog of genetic mutations involved in the carcinogenic processes of uterine sarcomas (USs) and carcinosarcomas (UCSs), which may assist in the accurate diagnosis of, and selection of treatment regimens for, these conditions., Methods: We performed gene-targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) of 409 cancer-related genes in 15 US (7 uterine leiomyosarcoma [ULMS], 7 endometrial stromal sarcoma [ESS], 1 adenosarcoma [ADS]), 5 UCS, and 3 uterine leiomyoma (ULM) samples. Quality, frequency, and functional filters were applied to select putative somatic variants., Results: Among the 23 samples evaluated in this study, 42 loss-of-function (LOF) mutations and 111 missense mutations were detected, with a total of 153 mutations. Among them, 66 mutations were observed in the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) database. TP53 (48%), ATM (22%), and PIK3CA (17%) were the most frequently mutated genes. With respect to specific tumor subtypes, ESS showed mutations in the PDE4DIP, IGTA10, and DST genes, UCS exhibited mutations in ERBB4, and ULMS showed exclusive alterations in NOTCH2 and HER2. Mutations in the KMT2A gene were observed exclusively in ULM and ULMS. In silico pathway analyses demonstrated that many genes mutated in ULMS and ESS have functions associated with the cellular response to hypoxia and cellular response to peptide hormone stimulus. In UCS and ADS, genes with most alterations have functions associated with phosphatidylinositol kinase activity and glycerophospholipid metabolic process., Conclusion: This preliminary study observed pathogenic mutations in US and UCS samples. Further studies with a larger cohort and functional analyses will foster the development of a precision medicine-based approach for the treatment of US and UCS.

The lethal-7 (let -7 ) family is an important microRNA (miRNA) group that usually exerts functions as a tumor suppressor. We aimed to evaluate the expression profile of let-7a, let-7b, let-7c, let-7d, let-7e, let-7f, let-7g , and let-7i and to assess their value as prognostic markers in uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS) patients. The miRNAs expression profile was assessed in 34 LMS and 13 normal myometrium (MM) paraffin-embedded samples. All let-7 family members showed downregulation in LMS. Our findings showed that patients with let-7e downregulation had worse overall survival (OS) and is an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.24 ). In addition, almost half the patients had distant metastasis . LMS patients with downregulated let-7b and let-7d had worse disease-free survival (DFS); they are not independent prognostic factors (HR = 2.65 ). Patients' ages were associated with let-7d, let-7e and let-7f (p = 0.0160 ) downregulation. In conclusion, all the let-7 family members were downregulated in LMS patients, and the greater the loss of expression of these molecules, the greater their relationship with worse prognosis of patients. L et-7e expression might influence the OS, while let-7b and le-7d might influence the DFS. The l owest expression levels of l et-7d, let-7e , and let-7f were associated with the oldest patients. Our findings indicate strong evidence of let- 7 ' s role as a potential prognostic biomarker in LMS., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that act as regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. They play a key role in several biological processes. Their abnormal expression may lead to malignant cell transformation. This study aimed to evaluate the expression profile of 84 miRNAs involved in tumorigenesis in immortalized cells of myometrium (MM), uterine leiomyoma (ULM), and uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS). Specific cell lines were cultured and qRT-PCR was performed. Thirteen miRNAs presented different expression profiles in ULM and the same thirteen in ULMS compared to MM. Eight miRNAs were overexpressed, and five were underexpressed in ULM. In ULMS cells, five miRNAs exhibited an overexpression and eight were down-regulated. Six miRNAs (miR-1-3p, miR-130b-3p, miR-140-5p, miR-202-3p, miR-205-5p, and miR-7-5p) presented a similar expression pattern in cell lines compared to patient samples. Of these, only three miRNAs showed significant expression in ULM (miR-1-3p, miR-140-5p, and miR-7-5p) and ULMS (miR-1-3p, miR-202-3p, and miR-7-5p). Our preliminary approach identified 24 oncomirs with an altered expression profile in ULM and ULMS cells. We identified four differentially expressed miRNAs with the same profile when compared with patients' samples, which strongly interacted with relevant genes, including apoptosis regulator (BCL2), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), insulin like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R),serine/threonine kinase (RAF1), receptor tyrosine kinase (MET), and bHLH transcription factor (MYCN). This led to alterations in their mRNA-target., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest.

Since 2005, the Department of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Viral Hepatitis under the Health Surveillance Secretariat in Brazil's Ministry of Health has approved a testing algorithm for using rapid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) tests in the country. Given the constant emergence of new rapid HIV tests in the market, it is necessary to maintain an evaluation program for them. Conscious of this need, this multicenter study was conducted to evaluate five commercially available rapid HIV tests used to detect anti-HIV antibodies in Brazil. The five commercial rapid tests under assessment were the VIKIA HIV-1/2 (bioMérieux, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), the Rapid Check HIV 1 & 2 (Center of Infectious Diseases, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil), the HIV-1/2 3.0 Strip Test Bioeasy (S.D., Kyonggi-do, South Korea), the Labtest HIV (Labtest Diagnóstica, Lagoa Santa, Brazil) and the HIV-1/2 Rapid Test Bio-Manguinhos (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). A total of 972 whole-blood samples were collected from HIV-infected patients, pregnant women and individuals seeking voluntary counselling and testing who were recruited from five centers in different regions of the country. Informed consent was obtained from the study participants. The results were compared with those obtained using the HIV algorithm used currently in Brazil, which includes two enzyme immunoassays and one Western blot test. The operational performance of each assay was also compared to the defined criteria. A total of 972 samples were tested using reference assays, and the results indicated 143 (14.7%) reactive samples and 829 (85.3%) nonreactive samples. Sensitivity values ranged from 99.3 to 100%, and specificity was 100% for all five rapid tests. All of the rapid tests performed well, were easy to perform and yielded high scores in the operational performance analysis. Three tests, however, fulfilled all of the prerequisites established previously by the Department of STDs, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis: the HIV-1/2 3.0 Strip Test Bioeasy, the Rapid Check HIV 1 & 2 and the VIKIA HIV-1/2. Three of the five tests evaluated (the HIV-1/2 3.0 Strip Test Bioeasy, the Rapid Check HIV 1 and 2 and the VIKIA HIV-1/2) performed as well as the reference assays and fulfilled the requirements for use in the Brazilian national algorithm., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 and 2 antibodies detection was performed in 457 dried whole blood spots samples (S&S 903). Q-Preven HIV 1+2 was the screening test used. The results were compared with the gold standard serum tests by ELISA (Cobas Core e Axsym HIV1/2 gO) and immunofluorescence was the definitive confirmatory test. The samples were obtained from the Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição in Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil, through whole blood transfer to filter paper card and sent to Caxias do Sul, RS-Brazil where the tests were performed. The dried whole blood spot stability was evaluated with two different panels. The first one was composed of five negative and five positive samples stored at room temperature, 4 degrees C, -20 degrees C and -70 degrees C, while the second was composed of two negative and three positive samples stored at 37 degrees C (humidity <50%). Each sample was screened every week for six weeks. These measurement results didn't show variation during the study period. The detected sensibility was 100%, specificity was 99.6%, the positive predictive value was 99.5% and negative predictive values were 100%. The results demonstrated high performance characteristics, opening a new perspective of dried whole blood spot utilization in HIV screening diagnosis.