High-risk HPV types in Tunisia. A pilot study reveals an unexpectedly high prevalence of types 58 and 82 and lack of HPV 18 among female prostitutes.

"High-risk" HPVs (HR-HPV) have sharply different prevalences and there is evidence to suggest this may vary according to regions. Accurate description of HR-HPV circulation is a key feature for the rational design of prevention and screening campaigns. To gain insight into HR-HPV circulation in Tunisia, a pilot study was carried out on 64 healthy prostitutes working in the Tunis area.

Ectopic deposition of melanin pigments as detoxifying mechanism: a paradigm for basal nuclei pigmentation.

Melanins are UV shielding pigments found in skin and other light exposed tissues. However, a kind of melanin, named neuromelanin (NM), is found in those deep brain loci that degenerate in Parkinson's disease (PD), where no such a function may be imagined. The NM synthetic pathway, different from the one of eumelanin based on tyrosinase, is still obscure as well as its physiological function.

Presence of bovine papillomavirus type 2 DNA and expression of the viral oncoprotein E5 in naturally occurring urinary bladder tumours in cows.

Samples of neoplastic and normal urothelium were obtained from cows originating from areas of southern Italy, a region in which chronic enzootic haematuria is endemic and bracken fern infestation is widespread. Specimens were analysed for bovine papillomavirus type 2 (BPV-2) DNA, BPV-2 E5 expression and telomerase activity. A total of 46 of 60 tumours and 17 of 34 normal bladder mucosa samples harboured BPV-2 DNA.

DNA vaccines against HPV-16 E7-expressing tumour cells.

Background: Genetic immunisation induces the endogenous production of the encoded antigens, which favours their presentation by MHC class I molecules. The E7 protein from "high risk" Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is constitutively expressed in cervical cancer and represents a target for immunotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Several E7-encoding DNA vaccines were constructed including unmodified E7 and E7 fused to ubiquitin or to the Invariant chain in order to increase the presentation of E7-derived peptides by MHC class I or II molecules, respectively.

Tyrosinase protects human melanocytes from ROS-generating compounds.

The effects of two tetrahydroisoquinolines (TIQs), tetrahydropapaveroline (THP) and salsolinol (SAL), on human primary melanocytes were studied. These compounds are naturally occurring alkaloids deriving from the condensation of dopamine with aldehydes. The effects on the viability were studied by treating the cells with variable concentration of THP or SAL; both TIQs were well tolerated up to roughly 30 micro M.

Cytotoxicity of dopamine-derived tetrahydroisoquinolines on melanoma cells.

Tetrahydroisoquinolines (TIQs) are endogenous alkaloid compounds detected in urine, central nervous system and some peripheral tissues in Mammalia. No data are at present available on TIQ levels in skin, although in vitro biochemical evidences indicate that they may undergo auto-oxidation with production of reactive oxygen species or may be enzymatically converted into melanin pigments. The effect of two catechol-bearing TIQs, salsolinol (SAL) and tetrahydropapaveroline (THP), on the viability of melanotic or amelanotic melanoma cell lines was investigated.

HPV16 and HPV18 in genital tumors: Significantly different levels of viral integration and correlation to tumor invasiveness.

The integration of the high-risk HPV16 and HPV18 types into the cell genome is considered an important step in malignant transformation. The relationship between the physical status of the virus and clinical/pathological parameters was studied by type-specific and multiplex PCR for E6, E2, and E1 sequences in 86 genital tumors from different sites, consisting of 69 invasive carcinomas (including 5 microinvasive carcinomas), 9 carcinomas in situ, 6 severe dysplasias, and 2 moderate dysplasias. Forty tumors contained HPV16 (46.