Chemsex, sexualized drug use and emotional vulnerability among men who have sex with men (MSM): a one-month survey in a STI/HIV center.

Background: Chemsex, characterized by the intentional use of specific drugs to enhance sexual experiences during group sessions, represents a challenge for the health of some sexually active communities, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM may experience mental health issues associated with chemsex participation. This survey aims to investigate the characteristics, prevalence, and correlates of sexualized drug use (SDU) and chemsex with a focus on the emotional vulnerability associated with chemsex and SDU engagement among MSM at high risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI).

High-resolution anoscopy referral rates adopting different anal cancer screening strategies for men who have sex with men.

The International Anal Neoplasia Society (IANS) has generated recommendations for anal cancer screening, identifying MSM living with HIV (MSM-LWH) ≥35 years and MSM-noHIV ≥45 years as groups to prioritize. Since high-resolution anoscopy (HRA) availability is still limited across Europe, a retrospective study was conducted to estimate the potential HRA referral rates of the STI/HIV center of a European capital city using IANS-recommended strategies. The study included participants in a program for the Surveillance of Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia and anal HPV natural history (SAIN project).

Microbiome analysis in individuals with human papillomavirus oral infection.

Microbiome gained attention as a cofactor in cancers originating from epithelial tissues. High-risk (hr)HPV infection causes oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma but only in a fraction of hrHPV+ individuals, suggesting that other factors play a role in cancer development. We investigated oral microbiome in cancer-free subjects harboring hrHPV oral infection (n = 33) and matched HPV- controls (n = 30).

Analysis of cellular NO-GC expression in the murine heart and lineage determination in angiotensin II-induced fibrosis.

NO-sensitive guanylyl cyclase (NO-GC) is involved in the (patho)physiology of the mammalian heart. However, little is known about the individual cardiac cell types that express NO-GC and the role of the enzyme in cardiac fibrosis. Here, we describe the cellular expression of NO-GC in healthy and fibrotic murine myocardium; these data were compared with scRNA-seq data.

The Expression of HPV-16 E5 Oncoprotein Impacts the Transcript Profiles of FGFR2 and EMT-Related Genes in Preneoplastic Anal Epithelium Lesions.

Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCCA) is a rare Human Papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16)-associated carcinoma whose pathogenesis is still poorly understood. Recent studies based on biopsy and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) approaches have linked the viral episomal status to aggressive SCCA phenotypes, suggesting a potential role of the 16E5 oncoprotein in tumor development. Our previous findings indicated that 16E5 induces Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 (FGFR2) isoform switching, aberrant mesenchymal FGFR2c expression, Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), and cell invasion in various in vitro human keratinocyte models, as well as in the in vivo context of cervical Low-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (LSILs).