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Cureus May 2024Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are responsible for sexually transmitted infections, and some of these viruses have oncogenic potential. The HPV vaccine is due to be...
INTRODUCTION
Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are responsible for sexually transmitted infections, and some of these viruses have oncogenic potential. The HPV vaccine is due to be introduced in Cameroon in September 2019. Our study looked at the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of the population and healthcare professionals regarding cervical cancer and its vaccine prevention. This approach provides a solid basis for, among other things, developing a clear communication strategy for the introduction of the vaccine.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of introducing the HPV vaccine in Cameroon among key stakeholders including health workers and parents.
METHODS
From March to May 2019, we conducted a qualitative and quantitative descriptive study in six health districts in the Centre Region. A total of 257 study participants were recruited, including 168 parents and 89 health professionals; 60 interviews were also conducted, 30 with parents and 30 with health professionals. The quantitative data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0 (Released 2011; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States); for the qualitative analysis, we carried out repeated readings of the transcribed interviews. This work enabled us to identify the significant themes emerging from the interviewees' discourse.
RESULTS
The vast majority of healthcare professionals claim to be aware of cervical cancer (93.3%), but only 15.7% of female healthcare professionals claim to have ever carried out a screening test. A significant proportion of these professionals have actual experience of cervical cancer. Among parents, knowledge of this cancer also appears to be relatively high for a lay audience (54.2%), with a low screening rate (7.1%). Awareness of the HPV vaccine as a cervical cancer prevention tool was very low: 14.9% among parents and 44.9% among healthcare professionals. In addition, we found that information about the existence of an HPV vaccine was still very low among parents (83.9% had never heard of it); 43.8% of healthcare professionals had been informed about the vaccine at their training school. As regards acceptance of the HPV vaccine, the quantitative and qualitative results point in the same direction. The majority of parents are in favor of a campaign and access to this new vaccine via the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). However, many of them (94.6%) explained that they wanted more information before making a decision.
CONCLUSION
Informing and raising public awareness of cervical cancer, the HPV vaccine, and vaccine safety are essential measures to encourage public support for the HPV vaccination campaign.
PubMed: 38903277
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.60723 -
BMC Cancer Jun 2024Despite the availability of effective vaccines, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake remains low in most resource-limited settings including Nigeria. Mobile health... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of mobile health technologies on human papillomavirus vaccination uptake among mothers of unvaccinated girls aged 9-14 years in Lagos, Nigeria (mHealth-HPVac): study protocol of a randomised controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
Despite the availability of effective vaccines, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake remains low in most resource-limited settings including Nigeria. Mobile health technology (mHealth) has the potential to empower patients to manage their health, reduce health disparities, and enhance the uptake of HPV vaccination.
AIM
The "mHealth-HPVac" study will assess the effects of mHealth using short text messages on the uptake of HPV vaccination among mothers of unvaccinated girls aged 9-14 years and also determine the factors influencing the uptake of HPV vaccination among these mothers.
METHODS
This protocol highlights a randomised controlled trial involving women aged 25-65 years who will be enrolled on attendance for routine care at the General Outpatient clinics of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria between July and December 2024. At baseline, n = 123 women will be randomised to either a short text message or usual care (control) arm. The primary outcome is vaccination of the participant's school-age girl(s) at any time during the 6 months of follow-up. The associations between any two groups of continuous variables will be assessed using the independent sample t-test for normally distributed data, or the Mann-Whitney U test for skewed data. For two groups of categorical variables, the Chi-square (X2) test or Fisher's exact test will be used, as appropriate. Using the multivariable binary logistic regression model, we will examine the effects of all relevant sociodemographic and clinical variables on HPV vaccination uptake among mothers of unvaccinated but vaccine-eligible school-age girls. Statistical significance will be reported as P < 0.05.
DISCUSSION
The mHealth-Cervix study will evaluate the impact of mobile technologies on HPV vaccination uptake among mothers of unvaccinated but vaccine-eligible school-age girls in Lagos, Nigeria as a way of contributing to the reduction in the wide disparities in cervical cancer incidence through primary prevention facilitated using health promotion to improve HPV vaccination uptake.
REGISTRATION
PACTR202406727470443 (6th June 2024).
Topics: Humans; Female; Papillomavirus Vaccines; Adolescent; Nigeria; Child; Adult; Papillomavirus Infections; Telemedicine; Mothers; Vaccination; Middle Aged; Text Messaging; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Aged; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Human Papillomavirus Viruses
PubMed: 38902718
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12538-6 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Several studies have emphasised how positive and negative human papillomavirus (HPV+ and HPV-, respectively) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has...
Several studies have emphasised how positive and negative human papillomavirus (HPV+ and HPV-, respectively) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has distinct molecular profiles, tumor characteristics, and disease outcomes. Different radiomics-based prediction models have been proposed, by also using innovative techniques such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Although some of these models reached encouraging predictive performances, there evidence explaining the role of radiomic features in achieving a specific outcome is scarce. In this paper, we propose some preliminary results related to an explainable CNN-based model to predict HPV status in OPSCC patients. We extracted the Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) of pre-treatment CT images related to 499 patients (356 HPV+ and 143 HPV-) included into the OPC-Radiomics public dataset to train an end-to-end Inception-V3 CNN architecture. We also collected a multicentric dataset consisting of 92 patients (43 HPV+ , 49 HPV-), which was employed as an independent test set. Finally, we applied Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) technique to highlight the most informative areas with respect to the predicted outcome. The proposed model reached an AUC value of 73.50% on the independent test. As a result of the Grad-CAM algorithm, the most informative areas related to the correctly classified HPV+ patients were located into the intratumoral area. Conversely, the most important areas referred to the tumor edges. Finally, since the proposed model provided additional information with respect to the accuracy of the classification given by the visualization of the areas of greatest interest for predictive purposes for each case examined, it could contribute to increase confidence in using computer-based predictive models in the actual clinical practice.
Topics: Humans; Oropharyngeal Neoplasms; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Neural Networks, Computer; Papillomavirus Infections; Male; Female; Papillomaviridae; Middle Aged; Aged; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; Tumor Burden; Human Papillomavirus Viruses
PubMed: 38902523
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65240-9 -
Retrovirology Jun 2024Retroviruses exploit host proteins to assemble and release virions from infected cells. Previously, most studies focused on interacting partners of retroviral Gag... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Retroviruses exploit host proteins to assemble and release virions from infected cells. Previously, most studies focused on interacting partners of retroviral Gag proteins that localize to the cytoplasm or plasma membrane. Given that several full-length Gag proteins have been found in the nucleus, identifying the Gag-nuclear interactome has high potential for novel findings involving previously unknown host processes. Here we systematically compared nuclear factors identified in published HIV-1 proteomic studies and performed our own mass spectrometry analysis using affinity-tagged HIV-1 and RSV Gag proteins mixed with nuclear extracts. We identified 57 nuclear proteins in common between HIV-1 and RSV Gag, and a set of nuclear proteins present in our analysis and ≥ 1 of the published HIV-1 datasets. Many proteins were associated with nuclear processes which could have functional consequences for viral replication, including transcription initiation/elongation/termination, RNA processing, splicing, and chromatin remodeling. Examples include facilitating chromatin remodeling to expose the integrated provirus, promoting expression of viral genes, repressing the transcription of antagonistic cellular genes, preventing splicing of viral RNA, altering splicing of cellular RNAs, or influencing viral or host RNA folding or RNA nuclear export. Many proteins in our pulldowns common to RSV and HIV-1 Gag are critical for transcription, including PolR2B, the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), and LEO1, a PAF1C complex member that regulates transcriptional elongation, supporting the possibility that Gag influences the host transcription profile to aid the virus. Through the interaction of RSV and HIV-1 Gag with splicing-related proteins CBLL1, HNRNPH3, TRA2B, PTBP1 and U2AF1, we speculate that Gag could enhance unspliced viral RNA production for translation and packaging. To validate one putative hit, we demonstrated an interaction of RSV Gag with Mediator complex member Med26, required for RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription. Although 57 host proteins interacted with both Gag proteins, unique host proteins belonging to each interactome dataset were identified. These results provide a strong premise for future functional studies to investigate roles for these nuclear host factors that may have shared functions in the biology of both retroviruses, as well as functions specific to RSV and HIV-1, given their distinctive hosts and molecular pathology.
Topics: Humans; HIV-1; Gene Products, gag; Cell Nucleus; Nuclear Proteins; gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; Rous sarcoma virus; Proteomics; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Virus Replication; Host Microbial Interactions; Mass Spectrometry
PubMed: 38898526
DOI: 10.1186/s12977-024-00645-y -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024The increasing incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is primarily due to human papillomavirus, and understanding the tumor biology caused by the...
The increasing incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is primarily due to human papillomavirus, and understanding the tumor biology caused by the virus is crucial. Our goal was to investigate the proteins present in the serum of patients with OPSCC, which were not previously studied in OPSCC tissue. We examined the difference in expression of these proteins between HPV-positive and -negative tumors and their correlation with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival. The study included 157 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples and clinicopathological data. Based on the protein levels in the sera of OPSCC patients, we selected 12 proteins and studied their expression in HPV-negative and HPV-positive OPSCC cell lines. LRG1, SDR16C5, PIP4K2C and MVD proteins were selected for immunohistochemical analysis in HPV-positive and -negative OPSCC tissue samples. These protein´s expression levels were compared with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival to investigate their clinical relevance. LRG1 expression was strong in HPV-negative whereas SDR16C5 expression was strong in HPV-positive tumors. Correlation was observed between LRG1, SDR16C5, and PIP4K2C expression and patient survival. High expression of PIP4K2C was found to be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival and expression correlated with HPV-positive tumor status. The data suggest the possible role of LRG1, SDR16C5 and PIP4K2C in OPSCC biology.
Topics: Humans; Male; Oropharyngeal Neoplasms; Female; Middle Aged; Aged; Papillomavirus Infections; Glycoproteins; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Biomarkers, Tumor; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; Papillomaviridae; Adult; Prognosis; Cell Line, Tumor
PubMed: 38898137
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64823-w -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of human papillomavirus (HPV) and self-sampling among adult women.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of human papillomavirus (HPV) and self-sampling among adult women.
METHODS
The cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study included adult women at Shanghai Pudong Hospital from October 14, 2022, to March 31, 2023. The questionnaire contained demographic information, knowledge, attitude and practice dimensions. Factors associated with KAP and self-sampling were identified by multivariate logistic regression.
RESULTS
A total of 1843 valid questionnaires were collected. The average knowledge, attitude, and practice score was 10.09 ± 5.60, 26.76 ± 3.80, and 6.24 ± 2.20, respectively. Urban residents (estimate = 0.705, < 0.001), suburban residents (estimate = 0.512, < 0.001), as well as individuals with undergraduate degrees and higher (estimate = 0.535, < 0.001), were associated with good knowledge, while individuals lacking a history of HPV infection (estimate = -0.461, 0.001) and married individuals (estimate = -0.185, < 0.001) were less likely to have good knowledge. Higher knowledge scores (estimate = 0.087, 0.001) and individuals with undergraduate education and above (estimate = 1.570, 0.001) were associated with a positive attitude. Being married (estimate = 0.291, 0.049) was associated with good practice, whereas not engaging in sexual activity (estimate = -0.959, 0.001) or lacking a history of HPV infection (estimate = -0.499, 0.011) were associated with unfavorable practices. Minorities (OR = 2.787, = 0.038) and individuals with multiple sexual partners (OR = 2.297 for two partners, OR = 2.767 for three or more partners, = 0.020 and = 0.022) were positively associated with self-sampling. However, higher knowledge (OR 0.952, 0.026) and attitude scores (OR 0.929, 0.015) were negatively associated with self-sampling.
CONCLUSION
Demographic and behavioral factors significantly influenced KAP scores and self-sampling behaviors regarding HPV. Urban residency, higher education levels, positive attitudes, and minority status correlated with favorable outcomes, while factors like marriage and lack of sexual activity were associated with less favorable practices.
Topics: Humans; Female; Cross-Sectional Studies; Adult; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Papillomavirus Infections; Surveys and Questionnaires; China; Middle Aged; Papillomaviridae; Young Adult; Adolescent; Human Papillomavirus Viruses
PubMed: 38894985
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1377343 -
Cancers May 2024Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Kaposi sarcoma human virus (KSHV), human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV, HCV), human T-lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1), and...
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Kaposi sarcoma human virus (KSHV), human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV, HCV), human T-lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1), and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) are the seven human oncoviruses reported so far. While traditionally viewed as a benign virus causing mild symptoms in healthy individuals, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been recently implicated in the pathogenesis of various cancers, spanning a wide range of tissue types and malignancies. This perspective article defines the biological criteria that characterize the oncogenic role of HCMV and based on new findings underlines a critical role for HCMV in cellular transformation and modeling the tumor microenvironment as already reported for the other human oncoviruses.
PubMed: 38893091
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16111970 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 2024The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is frequently found in endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) from patients with heart failure, but the detection of EBV-specific DNA has not been...
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is frequently found in endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) from patients with heart failure, but the detection of EBV-specific DNA has not been associated with progressive hemodynamic deterioration. In this paper, we investigate the use of targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) to detect EBV transcripts and their correlation with myocardial inflammation in EBV-positive patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Forty-four HFrEF patients with positive EBV DNA detection and varying degrees of myocardial inflammation were selected. EBV-specific transcripts from EMBs were enriched using a custom hybridization capture-based workflow and, subsequently, sequenced by NGS. The short-read sequencing revealed the presence of EBV-specific transcripts in 17 patients, of which 11 had only latent EBV genes and 6 presented with lytic transcription. The immunohistochemical staining for CD3 T lymphocytes showed a significant increase in the degree of myocardial inflammation in the presence of EBV lytic transcripts, suggesting a possible influence on the clinical course. These results imply the important role of EBV lytic transcripts in the pathogenesis of inflammatory heart disease and emphasize the applicability of targeted NGS in EMB diagnostics as a basis for specific treatment.
Topics: Humans; Herpesvirus 4, Human; Heart Failure; Male; Female; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections; Middle Aged; Myocarditis; Aged; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Myocardium; DNA, Viral; Adult; Biopsy
PubMed: 38892033
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115845 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 2024Recent studies have revealed the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections on the cervicovaginal microbiome; however, few have explored the utility of... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Recent studies have revealed the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections on the cervicovaginal microbiome; however, few have explored the utility of self-collected specimens (SCS) for microbiome detection, obtained using standardised methods for HPV testing. Here, we present a proof-of-concept analysis utilising Oxford Nanopore sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene in paired samples collected either by the patient using an Evalyn Brush or collected by a physician using liquid-based cytology (LBC). We found no significant differences in the α-diversity estimates between the SCS and LBC samples. Similarly, when analysing β-diversity, we observed a close grouping of paired samples, indicating that both collection methods detected the same microbiome features. The identification of genera and species in each sample allowed for their classification into community state types (CSTs). Notably, paired samples had the same CST, while HPV-positive and -negative samples belonged to distinct CSTs. As previously described in other studies, HPV-positive samples exhibited heightened bacterial diversity, reduced abundance, and an increase in genera like or . Altogether, this study showed comparable results between the SCS and LBC samples, underscoring the potential of self-sampling for analysing the microbiome composition in cervicovaginal samples initially collected for HPV testing in the context of cervical cancer screening.
Topics: Humans; Female; Microbiota; Vagina; Papillomavirus Infections; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Cervix Uteri; Specimen Handling; Adult; Proof of Concept Study; Papillomaviridae; Bacteria; Middle Aged
PubMed: 38891924
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115736 -
Cells Jun 2024Primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection which can manifest as infectious mononucleosis (IM) is commonly acquired during childhood. EBV primarily invades B cells...
Primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection which can manifest as infectious mononucleosis (IM) is commonly acquired during childhood. EBV primarily invades B cells leading to a lytic reaction; the control of the infection is handled by natural killer and T cells in immunocompetent individuals. The infection has a wide spectrum of clinical findings and can lead to serious complications in patients with certain underlying immunological dysfunctions. We retrospectively investigated peripheral white blood cell populations' surface marker characteristics in IM using a comprehensive flow cytometry marker panel. Twenty-one cases of IM and seventeen EBV-seropositive cases without IM serving as controls were included. We observed novel alterations in lymphocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte populations. In addition to increased activated cytotoxic T cells and low B cells, we demonstrated high T-large granular lymphocyte (T-LGL) populations in IM cases. Furthermore, despite T cells' increased HLA-DR expression, another activation marker, CD11b, was lower in T-LGL populations. Monocytes showed increased CD16 expression; CD64 was higher in neutrophils. Our findings point to monocyte and neutrophil activation which may account for acute clinical features and may contribute to the understanding of IM immunobiology. Furthermore, they may serve as a useful tool in investigating inherited and post-transplant conditions characterized by deficiencies in controlling EBV infection.
Topics: Humans; Flow Cytometry; Male; Female; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections; Child; Leukocytes; Herpesvirus 4, Human; Adolescent; Adult; Infectious Mononucleosis; Monocytes; Child, Preschool; Neutrophils; Acute Disease; Retrospective Studies; Young Adult
PubMed: 38891094
DOI: 10.3390/cells13110963