Dendritic cells (DCs) constitute a part of the tumour microenvironment, but we are still far from understanding their complex role in immune response to the tumour. This study aimed to investigate the density of DCs expressing CD1a, CD83, CD123, DC-LAMP3 (CD208) and DC-SIGN (CD209) in breast cancer. The correlations between DC density and molecular subtype of breast cancer, its hormone receptor status, spatial location and their associations with clinical and pathological prognostic factors were evaluated. We have shown that intratumoural CD1a+ cells were significantly associated with progression-free survival. For LAMP3+ and CD123+ DCs, higher cell densities were associated with non-luminal as compared to luminal cancer phenotype. In contrast, dense CD83+ DC infiltrate was observed in luminal tumours. The number of CD1a+ DCs in both locations was the highest in luminal B/HER2+ cancers. The highest positive cell count of LAMP3+ cells was observed in the triple-negative subtype in both locations. We found higher numbers of LAMP3+ DCs both intratumourally and at the invasive margin, as well as CD123+ DCs intratumourally in tumours with negative expression of oestrogen or progesterone receptors. Our study demonstrates associations between DC subpopulations and histological and clinical characteristics, as well as molecular subtypes in breast carcinoma.

Breast cancer remains one of the most important health problems worldwide. The family of steroid receptors (SRs), which comprise estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), androgen (AR), glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors, along with a receptor for a secosteroid—vitamin D, play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the disease. They function predominantly as nuclear receptors to regulate gene expression, however, their full spectrum of action reaches far beyond this basic mechanism. SRs are involved in a vast variety of interactions with other proteins, including extensive crosstalk with each other. How they affect the biology of a breast cell depends on such factors as post-translational modifications, expression of coregulators, or which SR isoform is predominantly synthesized in a given cellular context. Although ER has been successfully utilized as a breast cancer therapy target for years, research on therapeutic application of other SRs is still ongoing. Designing effective hormone therapies requires thorough understanding of the molecular function of the SRs. Over the past decades, huge amount of data was obtained in multiple studies exploring this field, therefore in this review we attempt to summarize the current knowledge in a comprehensive way.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) often coexist, but implications of the co-occurrence of two disorders have not yet been established. The objective is to conclude whether SCH with present or absent anti-thyroid antibodies (ATA) impacts on the PCOS phenotype and alters biochemical or clinical parameters. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary reference center. Clinical and biochemical parameters of women with PCOS were analyzed. Results: A total of 367 women with PCOS were included in the study, 114 (31.1%) of whom were diagnosed with SCH and 16 (4.4%) with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT). Among all parameters studied, the strongest relationship with SCH was confirmed for insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. SCH was an independent risk factor for insulin resistance. In SCH the additional presence of ATA did not exacerbate the metabolic disorders. There was no significant association of any PCOS phenotype with SCH, nor with the presence of circulating ATA. There was no significant difference in hormonal parameters and mFerriman–Gallwey scale score between women with PCOS with and without SCH. Conclusions: SCH alters metabolic, but not hormonal, parameters in PCOS. The diagnosis of SCH does not exclude the diagnosis of PCOS. The potential effect of positive ATA was insignificant.

The introduction of human papillomavirus vaccines revolutionized cervical cancer prevention. Our research hypothesis is that HPV vaccination affects the remission of HPV in cervical swabs. We provide a prospective, ongoing, 24-month, non-randomized study in HPV-positive women. We enrolled 60 patients with positive HPV swabs from the cervix (fifty-one vaccinated with the nine-valent vaccine against HPV and nine unvaccinated). Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we determined IgG class antibodies of HPV in the patients’ serums. Persistent HPV infection after vaccination was significantly less frequent in the nine-valent vaccinated group (23.5%) compared to the control group (88.9%; p < 0.001). Antibody level after vaccination was significantly higher in the vaccinated patients compared to the control group. The reactive antibody level was seen in the case of all patients in the vaccinated group and one-third of the unvaccinated group (33.3%, n = 3). The vaccination of HPV-positive patients may increase the chance of HPV remission in cervical swabs and may be a worthwhile element of secondary prevention in HPV-positive patients.

Recent years have brought great focus on the development of drug delivery systems based on extracellular vesicles (EVs). Considering the possible applications of EVs as drug carriers, the isolation process is a crucial step. To solve the problems involved in EV isolation, we developed and validated a new EV isolation method—low-vacuum filtration (LVF)—and compared it with two commonly applied procedures—differential centrifugation (DC) and ultracentrifugation (UC). EVs isolated from endothelial cell culture media were characterized by (a) Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), (b) Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), (c) Western blot and (d) Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Additionally, the membrane surface was imaged with Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM). We found that LVF was a reproducible and efficient method for EV isolation from conditioned media. Additionally, we observed a correlation between ATR-FTIR spectra quality and EV and protein concentration. ESEM imaging confirmed that the actual pore diameter was close to the values calculated theoretically. LVF is an easy, fast and inexpensive EV isolation method that allows for the isolation of both ectosomes and exosomes from high-volume sources with good repeatability. We believe that it could be an efficient alternative to commonly applied methods.

The prevalence and distribution of oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in women who underwent screening for cervical cancer in the Wielkopolska region, Poland, were assessed, and the correlation of genotypes with the histological results was evaluated. Cervical samples were collected from 2969 women for cervical cancer screening. Participants were screened by liquid-based cytology and HPV genotyping (n = 1654) and referred to colposcopy and punch biopsy (n = 616) if recommended. HPV genotypes 16, 31, 52, 66, 53, and 51 are the most frequent types in the studied population. Genotypes 16 and 31 account for nearly one-fifth of the infections of diagnosed HPV infections. HPV 16, 31, and 52 are found in nearly 80% of premalignant HSIL lesions (CIN 2 and CIN 3). That leads to the conclusion that vaccination programs should cover as many types of HPV as possible and shows the urgent need to vaccinate the Polish population with a 9-valent vaccine.