Recent advances in prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination: a review of key literature published between September 2017 and September 2018.

Prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines represent a revolutionary approach in preventing and potentially eliminating HPV-related cancers. Overwhelming real-life data are confirming the high efficacy and exceptional safety profile of all three prophylactic HPV vaccines currently available, which was previously shown in pivotal clinical trials. In this review, we summarized and discussed in our opinion the most influential peer-reviewed literature published between September 2017 and September 2018; that is, during the 2017/2018 school year in Slovenia.

Progress in prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in 2016: A literature review.

Prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine represents a revolutionary step forward in preventing HPV-related cancers, especially cervical carcinoma. Alongside appropriate screening, it has the potential to dramatically reduce cervical cancer incidence and even eradicate it. Following extensive evaluations in clinical trials, the first decade of routine HPV vaccine use provides overwhelming evidence of the vaccines' safety and their real-life effectiveness.

Prevalence, genotype distribution, and risk factors for hepatitis C infection among HIV-infected individuals in Slovenia: a 1986-2013 update.

Introduction: Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy, chronic hepatitis C has become one of the leading causes of non-AIDS-related morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV infection. Two previous Slovenian nationwide studies published in 2002 and 2009 showed a very low prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Slovenian HIV-infected individuals (14.5% and 10.

Human papillomavirus prevalence and type-distribution, cervical cancer screening practices and current status of vaccination implementation in Central and Eastern Europe.

We present a review of current cervical cancer screening practices, the implementation status of vaccination against human papillomaviruses (HPV) and available data concerning the burden of HPV infection and HPV type-specific distribution in 16 Central and Eastern European countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia. Since published data were relatively scarce, two detailed surveys were conducted during August-October 2011 and in January 2013 to obtain relevant and updated information. The mean prevalence of HPV infection in 8610 women with normal cervical cytology from the region was 12.

Genomic diversity of low-risk human papillomavirus genotypes HPV 40, HPV 42, HPV 43, and HPV 44.

In order to investigate the genomic diversity of low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes, a total of 108 isolates of HPV 40, HPV 42, HPV 43, or HPV 44, obtained from anal swabs or tissue specimens of patients with anogenital warts, and cervical swabs of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of different grades, were analyzed. The characterization of genomic variants was established by sequencing one third of the viral genome and analysis of three different genomic regions: L1, LCR, and E6. Maximum variant divergence accounted for 0.

Current status of human papillomavirus vaccination implementation in central and eastern Europe.

We present a review of the current implementation status of vaccination against human papillomaviruses (HPV) and available data concerning the burden of HPV infection and HPV type-specific distribution in 16 central and eastern European countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. At least one current HPV prophylactic vaccine is registered in all central and eastern European countries except Montenegro. Six counties-Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Romania, Slovenia, and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-have integrated the HPV vaccination into their national immunization program and currently provide routine vaccination free of charge to the primary target population.

Cervical cancer screening practices in central and eastern Europe in 2012.

The burden of cervical cancer in central and eastern Europe is generally higher compared to western or northern Europe due to a history of mostly opportunistic cervical cancer screening practices and due to the strong influence of political and economic changes in post-communist transition. This article describes the current cervical cancer screening practices, organizational plans for the future, and main obstacles that need to be overcome in 16 countries in central and eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Unfortunately, only a few countries have managed to establish an organized and well-functioning cervical cancer screening program in recent years, whereas most countries in the region are still struggling with implementation-related issues of organized cervical cancer screening.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and HPV type distribution in cervical, vulvar, and anal cancers in central and eastern Europe.

Introduction: High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) play the leading etiological role in the development of cervical, anal, and vaginal cancers and a substantial proportion of penile, vulvar, and oropharyngeal (tonsillar) cancers.

Methods: The article summarizes the results of the most important studies that examined tissue specimens of cervical, anal, and vulvar carcinoma from 16 central and eastern European countries for the presence of HPV DNA.

Results: Twenty-eight eligible studies were identified.

Comparative evaluation of the Abbott RealTime High Risk HPV test and INNO-LiPA HPV Genotyping Extra test for detecting and identifying human papillomaviruses in archival tissue specimens of head and neck cancers.

Introduction: The Abbott RealTime is a novel real-time PCR assay designed for concurrent individual genotyping of HPV16 and HPV18 and pooled detection of 12 HPV genotypes: HPV31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68 in cervical swab specimens. In this study, the performance of RealTime for detecting HPV in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of head and neck cancers was compared to the Innogenetics INNO-LiPA assay, which allows identification of 28 HPVs, including all 14 covered by RealTime.

Methods: A total of 60 FFPE tissue specimens obtained from the same number of patients with histologically confirmed cancer of the oral cavity or oropharynx were included in the study.

Identical human papillomavirus (HPV) genomic variants persist in recurrent respiratory papillomatosis for up to 22 years.

Seventy initial and 125 follow-up tissue specimens of laryngeal papillomas, obtained from 70 patients who had had recurrent respiratory papillomatosis for from 1-22 years, were investigated for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA and HPV E5a, LCR and/or full-length genomic variants. HPV-6 was found in 130/195, HPV-11 in 63/195, and HPV-6/HPV-11 in 2/195 samples. Within 67/70 (95.

Short communication: prevalence of HIV type 1 transmitted drug resistance in Slovenia: 2005-2010.

Slovenia is a small European country with a total of 547 HIV-infected individuals cumulatively reported by the end of 2011. However, the estimated incidence rate of HIV infections increased from 7.0 per million in 2003 to 26.

Classification and nomenclature system for human Alphapapillomavirus variants: general features, nucleotide landmarks and assignment of HPV6 and HPV11 isolates to variant lineages.

Background: Papillomaviruses constitute a family of viruses that can be classified into genera, species and types based on their viral genome heterogeneity. Currently circulating infectious human Alphapapillomaviruses (alpha-PVs) constitute a set of viral genomes that have evolved from archaic times and display features of host co-speciation. Viral variants are more recently evolved genomes that require a standardized classification and nomenclature.

Pre-vaccination genomic diversity of human papillomavirus genotype 6 (HPV 6): a comparative analysis of 21 full-length genome sequences.

Comparative analysis of 21 full-length genome sequences of human papillomavirus genotype 6 (HPV 6): 18 determined in this study and three sequences available in nucleotide sequence databases, revealed more than 98% nucleotide similarity to the HPV 6 prototype isolate. The minimum and maximum genomic distance between the full-length genomic variants and the prototype sequence was three nucleotide substitutions, and 122 nucleotide substitutions and three insertions, respectively. Detailed sequence analysis of early viral genes E7, E1, E2 and E4, late viral gene L2, and three non-classic non-coding genomic regions (NNCR) revealed the existence of at least four E7, twelve E1, eleven E2, six E4, eleven L2, two NNCR1, two NNCR2, and three NNCR3 genomic variants.

Prevaccination genomic diversity of human papillomavirus genotype 11: a study on 63 clinical isolates and 10 full-length genome sequences.

Prevaccination genomic diversity of human papillomavirus genotype 11 (HPV 11) was established by sequencing 40% of the genome of 63 clinical isolates obtained from an ethnogeographically closed Caucasian cohort, and full-length genome sequencing of the ten most divergent isolates. In the study, which included the largest number of isolates to date, by analyzing pooled L1, LCR, E6, E5a, and E5b sequences (3,217 bp) of an individual isolate, a total of 23 genomic variants were identified, of which three (5 isolates) and twenty (58 isolates) corresponded to prototypic and non-prototypic variant groups, respectively. Several novel, potentially important mutations are described.

Detection and typing of low-risk human papillomavirus genotypes HPV 6, HPV 11, HPV 42, HPV 43 and HPV 44 by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism.

A novel PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay (PCR-RFLP) was developed for sensitive detection and reliable differentiation of five low-risk human papillomavirus (lr-HPV) genotypes: HPV 6, HPV 11, HPV 42, HPV 43 and HPV 44, as well as differentiation of prototypic and non-prototypic HPV 6 genomic variants. The assay is based on the amplification of a 320-bp fragment of the HPV E1 gene and subsequent analysis of PCR-products with BsaJI and HinFI. Testing on plasmid standards showed that PCR-RFLP enabled simple and reliable identification and differentiation of five targeted lr-HPV genotypes and could detect reproducibly down to 10 copies of viral genome equivalents per PCR.

Blood-stained letter received by HIV/AIDS reference laboratory in 1993--a historical case report.

We describe an interesting historical case of a blood-stained letter received in 1993 by Slovenian HIV/AIDS Reference Laboratory. According to the statement of the sender, the letter was spotted with HIV-infected blood. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with two gag and env primer sets excluded the presence of HIV proviral DNA in the spot punches obtained from the dried blood spots.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) in tissue specimens of oral squamous cell papillomas and normal oral mucosa.

Background: The etiology of oral squamous cell papillomas (OSCP) is still unresolved.

Materials And Methods: The presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) was examined, using PCR and three different consensus primers, in tissue specimens obtained from 49 patients with OSCP and 49 tissue specimens of histologically-normal oral mucosa obtained from the same number of individuals, who matched the patients with OSCP in age, gender and localization of the obtained tissue specimens.

Results: Amplifiable DNA was recovered from 44 out of 49 and 45 out of 49 tissue specimens of OSCP and normal oral mucosa, respectively.