Search

Although several oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) susceptibility loci have been identified, most previous studies lacked detailed information on human papillomavirus (HPV) status. We conduct a genome-wide analysis by HPV16 serology status in 4,002 oral cancer cases (OPC and oral cavity cancer (OCC)) and 5,256 controls. We detect four susceptibility loci pointing to a distinct genetic predisposition by HPV status. Our most notable finding in the HLA region, that is now confirmed to be specific of HPV(+)OPC risk, reveal two independent loci with strong protective effects, one refining the previously reported HLA class II haplotype association. Antibody levels against HPV16 viral proteins strongly implicate the protective HLA variants as major determinants of humoral response against L1 capsid protein or E6 oncoprotein suggesting a natural immune response against HPV(+)OPC promoted by HLA variants. This indicates that therapeutic vaccines that target E6 and attenuate viral response after established HPV infections might protect against HPV(+)OPC. © 2021, The Author(s).

Background: The increasing incidence of oropharyngeal cancer in many developed countries has been attributed to human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) infections. Recently, HPV16 E6 serology has been identified as a promising early marker for oropharyngeal cancer. Therefore, characterization of HPV16 E6 seropositivity among individuals without cancer is warranted. Methods: A total of 4,666 controls were pooled from several studies of cancer and HPV seropositivity, all tested within the same laboratory. HPV16 E6 seropositive controls were classified as having (i) moderate [mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) ≥ 484 and

Two dihydropyrazoles (RH 3421 and RH 5529) were examined for their effects on release of [ 3 H]GABA from superfused synaptosomes isolated from guinea pig central nervous system. Both compounds reduced the spontaneous release of [ 3 H]GABA from resting synaptosomes. RH 3421 and RH 5529 inhibited veratridine-induced release of neurotransmitter at low concentrations and in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory potency was greater for RH 3421 (IC 50 = 40 n M ) than RH 5529 (IC 50 = 450 n M ). In addition, both dihydropyrazoles markedly decreased the release of [ 3 H]GABA evoked by the α-cyanopyrethroid deltamethrin and scorption ( Leiurus quinquestriatus ) venom. At 10 μ M , RH 3421 failed to influence 25 m M potassium-induced release of [ 3 H]GABA, although significant inhibitory effects were observed with RH 5529 at this concentration. Our results demonstrate that presynaptic sites sensitive to the action of dihydropyrazoles exist in mammalian central nervous system. RH 3421 and RH 5529, like tetrodotoxin, are potent inhibitors of both spontaneous release of neurotransmitter and the transmitter releasing effects of sodium channel activators in guinea pig cortex. RH 3421 is highly selective in this respect while RH 5529 is less specific and at high concentrations perturbs an additional mechanism involved in transmitter secretion.

Staphylococcus aureus is a widespread pathogen causing infections in different animal species. The extensive use of antibiotics, particularly methicillin, causes the rise of antibiotic-resistant strains (MRSA). In order to verifiy the epidemiology and genetic relatedness among MRSA and sensible strains (MSSA), an accurate fingerprinting technique, the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), was carried out. The isolates were cultured, subdivided on MRSA and MSSA and submitted for the genomic DNA extraction that was utilized for AFLP. The data were analysed for genetic similarity using the Dice coefficient. The results of genomic analysis among MRSA and MSSA and within them revealed that the major component of variation was due to variation within strains (82.12%), while variance among strains was lower (17.88%). The low level of genomic similarity found among S. aureus strains implies high level of genetic diversity. Different similarity was found as well in alla strains independently of the source.

This paper investigates the ability of macrophages and of non-typically phagocitic cells such as fibroblasts to internalize 51Cr-labelled C. albicans in presence or in absence of lectin concanavalin A (Con A). The results obtained demonstrate that fibroblasts are also able to internalize C. albicans and that this property is potentiated by the presence of Con A. Lectin modifies only the phenotype of the fibroblast, which, poorly attached to the substrate, is globular in shape. Despite reduced cellular spreading, phagocytosis is stimulated by the lectin. In both cell populations, changes in the organization of some cytoskeletal proteins such as tubulin, actin and alpha-actinin are evident during the C. albicans infection; such rearrangements are more evident and longlasting in the fibroblasts treated with Con A.

The method of laser holographic interferometry is utilised for the detection of impact induced damage in graphite-epoxy composites. Damaged specimens, having received three different levels of impact energy, as well as virgin ones are used. Real time holography is applied and the straining of the specimens is achieved by heating. It is observed that as the temperature starts rising (ΔT=1–3°C), irregular fringe patterns of closed shape, indicative of deformation anomalies, begin to form at the impacted areas. Further, the more damaged the specimen, the sooner the appearance of these patterns. In contrast, the virgin specimens always produce fringes consisting of a system of almost parallel lines. Comparison of the interferometric images with the C-scans, obtained from an ultrasonic examination of the same specimens, verifies these results.

We have established an experimental murine model to gain insight into the pathogenicity and clinical features of type IV group B streptococcus (GBS) infections. Adult CD-1 mice were challenged intravenously with 10(7) type IV GBS cells, inducing systemic invasion. Most of the animals were able to clear the infection from the blood, brain, and lungs within 2 weeks and from the spleen and liver within 1 month. However, the animals were unable to clear the microorganism from the joints and kidneys during the 60-day observation period. About 80% of the mice challenged intravenously with type IV GBS manifested early septic arthritis, which evolved from an acute exudative synovitis to permanent lesions characterized by irreversible joint damage and ankylosis. Induction of persistent septic arthritis was dependent on the number and viability of microorganisms inoculated and was unrelated to the strain of type IV GBS and the growth phase of the inoculum. Type-specific antibodies of both immunoglobulin M and G classes could be detected by agglutination and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay from days 7 and 14, respectively; immunoglobulin G antibodies persisted for more than 40 days. Complexes of antibodies and group- and type-specific antigens were detected in mouse sera 24 h after infection and persisted up to day 22. These results were obtained an experimental model of type IV GBS chronic infection with early development of septic arthritis, which could be useful in future studies of pathogenicity and immune mechanisms involved in the host resistance to this microorganism.

A serological study on the antibody level against BK virus in healthy population and respiratory patients in Umbria was performed. Serum samples of 465 healthy people and 155 patients grouped by age, were tested using HAI. 47% of all sera was positive. The epidemiological implications are discussed.

The sialic acid content in hamster cells primarily transformed by adenovirus was found lower than in cells transformed by papovavirus SV40. Intermediate concentrations were shown in a cell strain transformed by an adenovirus-SV40 hybrid. An adenovirus 19 - transformed cell strain derived from the NIL-2 hamster cell line, adapted to unlimited growth in vitro prior to the exposure to the adenovirus, revealed a high content of sialic acid. The concentration of sialic acid in cells transformed by DNA-viruses may depend both on the transforming virus and on the preceding history of the cell line. The tumors revealed more sialic acid than the in vitro cultures derived from the same cell strains. This finding is discussed.

The antibody response (determined using the single radial haemolysis in gel technique) to inactivated whole-virion trivalent influenza vaccine [A/Leningrad/360/86(H3N2), A/Taiwan/5/87 and B/Ann Arbor/1/86], recommended for the 1987-88 winter season in Italy, in 49 elderly (age greater than or equal to 60 years) subjects was compared with the response in 23 young adult (age less than 60 years) volunteers. The subjects were prevalently healthy and a high percentage of young and old people had been repeatedly immunized against influenza in previous years. No significant differences were detected among age groups; moreover, the immune response measured by seroconversion or by a significant rise in antibody titre was constantly low.

The diagnosis of acute Hepatitis A is made when antibodies anti-HAV, of the IgM class, are detected in the blood. The Authors have examined with RIA test (HAVAB-M, Abbott) 298 samples of serum from patients with acute non B hepatitis, non drug abusers, also they had not received blood transfusions; as control they examined 41 sera from patients with hepatitis B, 29 sera from patients with non B hepatitis and drug addiction, 25 sera from patients with transfusional non B hepatitis and 37 sera from healthy persons. From the first group (298 patients) 47% were positive for anti-HAV antibodies IgM class; the greatest incidence of positivity (80%) was detected in the class age 0-10 years. In the control groups only in one serum positivity was evidenced and the patient was 22 years old, drug addicted with non B acute hepatitis and with previous episodes of acute hepatitis.

Hydatid fluids were collected in three continents and used as antigens against both human E. granulosus and E. multilocularis hydatidosis-positive sera collected in the same countries, in ELISA. The sensitivity of the antigens was good for all sera examined and this confirms the existence of common antigens, which is particularly marked in the 0.8M fraction of Italian hydatid fluid.

We tested the cyclophosphamide effects against the growth of adenovirus-transformed cells and the subsequent tumor development in the syngeneic host. Cyclophosphamide did not show any effect on the tumor evolution when injected 24 and 6 hours before cell implantation. Cyclophosphamide injected 24 or 39 hours after cell implantation prevented or retarded the tumor growth. In mice bearing palpable tumors, it induced their complete regression in 85,7% of the animals, but did not effect the development of the homograft immunity.

We have studied the effects of infection of fresh murine bone marrow (BM) cells by recombinant retroviruses carrying v-raf and v-myc oncogenes, either alone or in combination. Viruses containing v-raf or v-myc alone failed to induce BM proliferation in 24 out of 27 experiments performed so far, only the J2 virus containing both v-raf and v-myc oncogenes induced BM proliferation. Exogenous growth factors (GF) were not required to sustain the mitogenic effect of J2 virus. Infection with retroviruses carrying only v-raf or v-myc did not induce BM cell growth, indicating that co-expression of the two oncogenes was needed to provide the mitogenic signal(s) for BM proliferation. The kinetics of growth of the J2 virus-infected cells (J2 cells) were characteristically biphasic. The initial burst of proliferation was always followed by a quiescent phase culminating in cell death, which could not be reversed by addition of exogenous GF. In contrast, active proliferation of the quiescent monolayers could be restored by addition of dextran-based beads to the cultures, showing that the growth arrest of J2 cells was a reversible process. J2 cells actively growing in the presence of CT-beads could be expanded and cloned and subsequently grew continuously independent of the CT-beads. Eighteen clones obtained from different infections were all macrophages (M phi) by morphological criteria and all of them expressed the same membrane phenotype compatible with M phi, demonstrating that J2 virus infection leads to immortalization of the same BM-derived monocytic subpopulation. When injected in vivo, J2 cells produced histiocytic tumors in nude mice, but did not grow in immunocompetent syngeneic mice. The cells induced to proliferate in vitro in response to J2 virus infection appeared to be limited to the BM compartment, since spleen cells, thymocytes, peritoneal M phi and liver large granular lymphocytes did not grow in vitro in response to J2 virus. The immortalization of BM cells by J2 virus infection represents a novel reproducible experimental system to deliberately generate M phi lines, which proliferate in response to viral oncogenes and do not require exogenous GF to initiate or to sustain their continuous proliferation.

Background/objectives: The aim of the present study was to validate a short questionnaire on habitual dietary salt intake, to quickly and easily identify individuals whose salt consumption exceeds recommended levels. Subjects/methods: A total of 1131 hypertensive subjects participating in the MINISAL-SIIA study were included in the analysis. Anthropometric indexes, blood pressure, and 24-h urinary sodium excretion (NaU) were measured. A fixed-sequence questionnaire on dietary salt intake was administered. Results: NaU was significantly associated with scores, with a linear association across categories (p for trend 85 mmol/day) and “very high NaU” (NaU > 170 mmol/day) was 86 and 35%, respectively. The score of the questionnaire had a significant ability to detect both “high NaU”—with a specificity of 95% at the score of 10 points—and “very high NaU”—with a specificity of 99.6% at score of 13 points. Conclusions: The main results of the study indicates that a higher score of this short questionnaire is distinctive of habitual high salt consumption in hypertensive patients.