Health impact and cost-effectiveness of implementing gender-neutral vaccination with the 9-valent HPV vaccine in Hong Kong.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause several diseases, including cancers, in both sexes. In January 2020, the Hong Kong government launched a school-based vaccination program for girls 10-12 years of age with the 9-valent HPV (9vHPV) vaccine for the prevention of HPV-related diseases; however, boys were not included. The current study estimated the potential health and economic impact of a routine gender-neutral vaccination (GNV) approach compared with the current female-only vaccination (FOV) strategy.

The impact and cost-effectiveness of 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine in adolescent females in Hong Kong.

Introduction: In Hong Kong (HK), a single-cohort vaccination program for 10-12-year-old girls with the 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (9vHPV; types 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58) has been launched. This study assessed the public health impact and cost-effectiveness of implementing routine 9vHPV vaccination (12-year-olds) with or without catch-up 9vHPV vaccination (13-18-year-olds) in HK.

Methods: The health impact and costs of implementing routine 9vHPV vaccination with or without catch-up vaccination over a 100-year time horizon were evaluated using a validated HPV-type transmission dynamic model adapted to the HK population; analyses were performed from a healthcare payer perspective.

Unsupervised feature disentanglement for video retrieval in minimally invasive surgery.

In this paper, we propose a novel method of Unsupervised Disentanglement of Scene and Motion (UDSM) representations for minimally invasive surgery video retrieval within large databases, which has the potential to advance intelligent and efficient surgical teaching systems. To extract more discriminative video representations, two designed encoders with a triplet ranking loss and an adversarial learning mechanism are established to respectively capture the spatial and temporal information for achieving disentangled features from each frame with promising interpretability. In addition, the long-range temporal dependencies are improved in an integrated video level using a temporal aggregation module and then a set of compact binary codes that carries representative features is yielded to realize fast retrieval.

Dissection of Aberration for Cervical Adenocarcinoma Outcomes.

Personalized treatment of genetically stratified subgroups has the potential to improve outcomes in many malignant tumors. This study distills clinically meaningful prognostic/predictive genomic marker for cervical adenocarcinoma using signature genomic aberrations and single-point nonsynonymous mutation-specific droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Mutations in E542K, E545K, or H1047R were detected in 41.

Short-Form Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin (sfTSLP) Is the Predominant Isoform Expressed by Gynaecologic Cancers and Promotes Tumour Growth.

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial cell derived cytokine belonging to the IL-7 family and a key initiator of allergic inflammation. Two main isoforms of TSLP, classified as long- (lfTSLP) and short-form (sfTSLP), have been reported in human, but their expression patterns and role(s) in cancers are not yet clear. mRNA expression was examined by isoform-specific RT-PCR and RNA in situ hybridisation.

Paclitaxel Induces Immunogenic Cell Death in Ovarian Cancer via TLR4/IKK2/SNARE-Dependent Exocytosis.

Emerging evidence shows that the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs is reliant on their capability to induce immunogenic cell death (ICD), thus transforming dying tumor cells into antitumor vaccines. We wanted to uncover potential therapeutic strategies that target ovarian cancer by having a better understanding of the standard-of-care chemotherapy treatment. Here, we showed in ovarian cancer that paclitaxel induced ICD-associated damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMP, such as CALR exposure, ATP secretion, and HMGB1 release) and elicited significant antitumor responses in tumor vaccination assays Paclitaxel-induced TLR4 signaling was essential to the release of DAMPs, which led to the activation of NF-κB-mediated CCL2 transcription and IkappaB kinase 2-mediated SNARE-dependent vesicle exocytosis, thus exposing CALR on the cell surface.

A collaborative robotic uterine positioning system for laparoscopic hysterectomy: Design and experiments.

Background: Uterus manipulation is a lengthy and tedious task that is usually performed by a human assistant during laparoscopic hysterectomy. Note that the performance of the assistant may decrease with time. Moreover, under this approach, the primary surgeon does not have direct control over the uterus position.

Liquid biopsy of HPV DNA in cervical cancer.

Background: A blood test to serve as a tumor marker for cervical cancer would be useful to clinicians to guide treatment and provide an early signal for recurrence. The development of droplet digital PCR has enabled the detection of HPV DNA in patient serum, providing a potential marker for cervical cancer.

Objectives: To report on a blood-based test for HPV-specific E7 and L1 genes, which may serve as a tumor marker to guide treatment and detect early recurrence in cervical cancer.

Liquid biopsy of PIK3CA mutations in cervical cancer in Hong Kong Chinese women.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common female cancer worldwide. The prognosis for women with advanced-stage or recurrent cervical cancer remains poor and response to treatment is variable. Standardized management protocols leave little room for individualization.

Osteopontin Fragments with Intact Thrombin-Sensitive Site Circulate in Cervical Cancer Patients.

We investigated whether circulating osteopontin (OPN) could be used as a biomarker for cervical cancer. We employed a monoclonal antibody (mAb 659) specific for the unique and intact thrombin-sensitive site in OPN using an inhibition ELISA. We found significantly higher levels of OPN in 33 cervical cancer patients in both the plasma (mean +/- SD, 612 +/- 106 ng/mL) and serum (424 +/- 121 ng/mL) compared to healthy subjects [409 +/- 56 ng/mL, from 31 plasma samples (P < 0.

Ad Hoc Influenza Vaccination During Years of Significant Antigenic Drift in a Tropical City With 2 Seasonal Peaks: A Cross-Sectional Survey Among Health Care Practitioners.

We evaluated the acceptability of an additional ad hoc influenza vaccination among the health care professionals following seasons with significant antigenic drift.Self-administered, anonymous surveys were performed by hard copy questionnaires in public hospitals, and by an on-line platform available to all healthcare professionals, from April 1st to May 31st, 2015. A total of 1290 healthcare professionals completed the questionnaires, including doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals working in both the public and private systems.

Safety and immunogenicity of a 9-valent HPV vaccine in females 12-26 years of age who previously received the quadrivalent HPV vaccine.

Objectives: To assess the safety and immunogenicity of the investigational 9-valent (6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58) HPV (9vHPV) vaccine in prior recipients of a 3-dose regimen of quadrivalent (6/11/16/18) HPV (qHPV) vaccine.

Methods: V503-006 was a randomized, double-blinded, safety/tolerability and immunogenicity study of the 9vHPV vaccine in females 12-26 years of age who were previously vaccinated with qHPV vaccine. Subjects were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive 3 doses of 9vHPV vaccine (n=618) or saline placebo (n=306) at day 1, month 2, and month 6.

Prognostic implication of human papillomavirus types and species in cervical cancer patients undergoing primary treatment.

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types are associated with cervical cancer. It is well established that individual HPV types vary in oncogenicity, but current data on their prognostic implication remain controversial. We examined the association between HPV types/species and the survival of 236 Chinese women aged 26-87 (mean 54.

Genomic aberrations in cervical adenocarcinomas in Hong Kong Chinese women.

Although the rates of cervical squamous cell carcinoma have been declining, the rates of cervical adenocarcinoma are increasing in some countries. Outcomes for advanced cervical adenocarcinoma remain poor. Precision mapping of genetic alterations in cervical adenocarcinoma may enable better selection of therapies and deliver improved outcomes when combined with new sequencing diagnostics.

Geographical distribution and risk association of human papillomavirus genotype 52-variant lineages.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype 52 is commonly found in Asian cases of cervical cancer but is rare elsewhere. Analysis of 611 isolates collected worldwide revealed a remarkable geographical distribution, with lineage B predominating in Asia (89.0% vs 0%-5.

Selection of referent transcript for normalization of gene expression in cervical cytology samples.

Real-time polymerase chain reaction is widely used in gene expression studies but this requires an appropriate referent gene for data normalization. So far, no gold standard is available and the selection has to be empirically validated. The aim of this study was to identify the most stable referent gene in exfoliated cervical cells with different degrees of cervical pathology.

Cancer cell-derived lymphotoxin mediates reciprocal tumour-stromal interactions in human ovarian cancer by inducing CXCL11 in fibroblasts.

We have investigated the role of cytokine lymphotoxin in tumour-stromal interactions in human ovarian cancer. We found that lymphotoxin overexpression is commonly shared by the cancer cells of various ovarian cancer subtypes, and lymphotoxin-beta receptor (LTBR) is expressed ubiquitously in both the cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). In monoculture, we showed that ovarian cancer cells are not the major lymphotoxin-responsive cells.

Virological characteristics of cervical cancers carrying pure episomal form of HPV16 genome.

Objective: Many studies on integration have reported conflicting results regarding the role of HPV integration in cervical cancer. We hypothesized that high viral load and disruption of E2 gene associated with integration of HPV were not the only pathway leading to cancer development.

Methods: This study analysed the viral load and integration status of HPV16, measured the HPV16 E6/E7 mRNA transcript levels, delineated the E2 and LCR sequence variation, and determined the methylation status of two E2 binding sites.

MicroRNA-182 plays an onco-miRNA role in cervical cancer.

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to identify aberrantly expressed miRNAs and investigate their pathogenic roles in cervical cancer.

Methods: miRNA expression was assessed in cervical cancer cell lines, micro-dissected normal cervical epithelium cells and primary cervical carcinoma by TaqMan RT-PCR. Spatial expression of miR-182 in cervical carcinoma and normal cervix was explored by in situ hybridization.

Geographical distribution and oncogenic risk association of human papillomavirus type 58 E6 and E7 sequence variations.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 58 accounts for a notable proportion of cervical cancers in East Asia and parts of Latin America, but it is uncommon elsewhere. The reason for such ethnogeographical predilection is unknown. In our study, nucleotide sequences of E6 and E7 genes of 401 HPV58 isolates collected from 15 countries/cities across four continents were examined.

Laboratory and clinical aspects of human papillomavirus testing.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with a wide spectrum of disease that ranges from self-limited skin warts to life-threatening cancers. Since HPV plays a necessary etiological role in cervical cancer, it is logical to use HPV as a marker for early detection of cervical cancer and precancer. Recent advances in technology enable the development of high-throughput HPV assays of different formats, including DNA-based, mRNA-based, high-risk group-specific and type-specific methods.

Dysregulated microRNAs in the pathogenesis and progression of cervical neoplasm.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in a variety of physiological as well as pathophysiological processes, including carcinogenesis. The aim of this study is to identify a distinct miRNA expression signature for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and to unveil individual miRNAs that may be involved in the development of cervical carcinoma. Expression profiling using quantitative real-time RT-PCR of 202 miRNAs was performed on micro-dissected high-grade CIN (CIN 2/3) tissues and compared to normal cervical epithelium.

Antagonist-mediated down-regulation of Toll-like receptors increases the prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Introduction: Prevalence of an abnormal Papanicolaou smear was significantly increased in lupus patients in cross-sectional studies, associated with a higher prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The nucleic acid-specific Toll-like receptors (TLRs) locate at the endolysosomal compartments and trigger the induction of cytokines for the innate immune response. This study evaluated whether abnormal host innate immune response in lupus patients may enhance HPV persistence.