Association of cervical carcinogenesis risk with HPV16 E6 and E7 variants in the Taizhou area, China.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 accounts for a larger share of cervical cancer and has been a major health problem worldwide for decades. The progression of initial infection to cervical cancer has been linked to viral sequence properties; however, the role of HPV16 variants in the risk of cervical carcinogenesis, especially with longitudinal follow-up, is not fully understood in China.

Methods: We aimed to investigate the genetic variability of HPV16 E6 and E7 oncogenes in isolates from cervical exfoliated cells.

A rare Down syndrome foetus with de novo 21q;21q rearrangements causing false negative results in non-invasive prenatal testing: a case report.

Background: Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) has been established as a routine prenatal screening to assess the risk of common foetal aneuploidy disorder (trisomy 21, 18, and 13). NIPT has high sensitivity and high specificity, but false positive and false negative results still exist. False negative NIPT results involving Down syndrome are rare, but have a high clinical impact on families and society.

[Application of combined fluorescence in situ hybridization and karyotype analysis for the diagnosis of Robertsonian translocation type trisomy 21].

Objective: To assess the value of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) combined with chromosomal analysis for the detection of Robertsonian translocation type trisomy 21 in amniotic fluid cells.

Methods: Amniotic fluid samples from pregnant women requesting prenatal diagnosis were cultivated. Metaphase cells were prepared for G-banding karyotype analysis.

Immunological aspects of human amniotic fluid cells: implication for normal pregnancy.

Amniotic fluid cells (AFCs) are routinely obtained and expanded in vitro for prenatal diagnosis; nevertheless current knowledge about their properties is limited. The detailed mechanisms underlying normal pregnancies are yet to be discovered. The goal of this study was to identify the immunological aspects of AFCs including cytokine production and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) expression, and to discuss its implication for pregnancy.

Possible roles of KIR2DL4 expression on uNK cells in human pregnancy.

Problem: To investigate possible roles of the natural killer (NK) cell receptor killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)2DL4 expressed on uterine NK (uNK) cells during pregnancy, we investigated KIR2DL4 expression on uNK cells isolated from patients with early recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and normal early pregnancy women, and functions of KIR2DL4 was analyzed in vitro. METHODS OF THE STUDY: Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis was introduced to detect KIR2DL4 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression on uNK cells. Cytotoxicity and cytokine production as the result of interaction of KIR2DL4 and its ligand human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G were analyzed in vitro with lactic dehydrogenase releasing method and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively.

[Study on NB4 cell apoptosis induced by trichosanthin].

In order to study the influence of trichosanthin (TCS) on apoptosis and growth inhibition of human NB4 cells in vitro, the expression of annexin V and the change of DeltaPsim of NB4 cells induced by TCS was analyzed by FACS, and MTT assay was adopted to measure the growth inhibition ratio of NB4 cells treated with TCS. Apoptosis was assayed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The results showed the higher concentration of TCS and the longer the acting time, the stronger growth inhibition of NB4 cells.