Genotoxicity evaluation of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) in exfoliated cervical cells using the micronucleus (MN) test

Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether any relationships exist between the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) and micronuclei or other nuclear anomalies, including condensed chromatin, karyorrhexis, and karyolysis, on the cervical epithelium in young women. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted. The study population comprised healthy women aged ≤40 years who were referred for birth control. Cervical smears that were obtained from 18 women before and three months after LNG-IUS insertion were tested for micronuclei and other nuclear anomaliesusing the micronucleus test. Results: The results revealed no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in the frequency of micronucleated exfoliated cervical mucosa cells after LNG-IUS exposure. However, LNG-IUS was able to increase other nuclear alterations closely related to cytotoxicity. Conclusions: Data indicated that exposure to LNG-IUS may not be a factor in inducing chromosomal damage, but it can promote cytotoxicity.

Cytokines profiles in cervical mucosa in patients with cervical high-risk human papillomavirus infection

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to detect the expression of local cytokines in cervical mucosa between patients with transient and persistent HR-HPV infection with or without CIN. Methodology: A total of 150 patients who were diagnosed as HR-HPV infection in Tianjin Central Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology from January 2016 to December 2016 were included in this study. The expression levels of 9 cytokines in 150 patients with HR-HPV infection, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-12p70, IL-21, interferon (IFN)-γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, were simultaneously measured by using a multiplex immunoassay. Moreover, HR-HPV genotype was performed by using pyrosequencing. The association between cytokines and HPV genotype was also investigated. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in IL-1β level between patients with HPV transient infection and HPV persistent infection (p = 0.041). There were statistically significant differences in the levels of IL-1β, IL-10, IL-21 and TNF-α between patients with low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) (p = 0.011, p = 0.008, p = 0.046 and p = 0.019, respectively). Conclusions: Pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and TNF-α, and Th2 type cytokines, IL-10 and IL-21, became stronger in cervical mucosa with the progression of CIN. IL-1β may be advantageous for HR-HPV persistent infection.

Dark Proteome Database: Studies on Dark Proteins

The dark proteome, as we define it, is the part of the proteome where 3D structure has not been observed either by homology modeling or by experimental characterization in the protein universe. From the 550.116 proteins available in Swiss-Prot (as of July 2016), 43.2% of the eukarya universe and 49.2% of the virus universe are part of the dark proteome. In bacteria and archaea, the percentage of the dark proteome presence is significantly less, at 12.6% and 13.3% respectively. In this work, we present a necessary step to complete the dark proteome picture by introducing the map of the dark proteome in the human and in other model organisms of special importance to mankind. The most significant result is that around 40% to 50% of the proteome of these organisms are still in the dark, where the higher percentages belong to higher eukaryotes (mouse and human organisms). Due to the amount of darkness present in the human organism being more than 50%, deeper studies were made, including the identification of ‘dark’ genes that are responsible for the production of so-called dark proteins, as well as the identification of the ‘dark’ tissues where dark proteins are over represented, namely, the heart, cervical mucosa, and natural killer cells. This is a step forward in the direction of gaining a deeper knowledge of the human dark proteome.

Dark Proteome Database: Studies on Dark Proteins

The dark proteome as we define it, is the part of the proteome where 3D structure has not been observed either by homology modeling or by experimental characterization in the protein universe. From the 550.116 proteins available in Swiss-Prot (as of July 2016) 43.2% of the Eukarya universe and 49.2% of the Virus universe are part of the dark proteome. In Bacteria and Archaea, the percentage of the dark proteome presence is significantly less, with 12.6% and 13.3% respectively. In this work, we present the map of the dark proteome in Human and in other model organisms. The most significant result is that around 40%- 50% of the proteome of these organisms are still in the dark, where the higher percentages belong to higher eukaryotes (mouse and human organisms). Due to the amount of darkness present in the human organism being more than 50%, deeper studies were made, including the identification of ‘dark’ genes that are responsible for the production of the so-called dark proteins, as well as, the identification of the ‘dark’ organs where dark proteins are over represented, namely heart, cervical mucosa and natural killer cells. This is a step forward in the direction of the human dark proteome.