Background: Vaginal dysbiosis characterized by depleted lactobacilli is usually correlated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical carcinogenesis, but the effect of the Lactobacillus genus and represented species on this process remains unclear. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases were searched up to February 15, 2019. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a fixed-effect model and Review Manager (version 5.3) for Mac. Results: Eleven studies comprising 1230 cases were included. Lactobacillus spp. was associated with the decreased detection of high-risk subtype (hr)HPV infection (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.48–0.87, I2 = 6%), cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.34–0.83, I2 = 0%), and cervical cancer (CC) (OR = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.04–0.36, I2 = 0%). At the level of Lactobacillus species, Lactobacillus crispatus, but not Lactobacillus iners, was correlated with the decreased detection of hrHPV infection (OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.31–0.79, I2 = 10%) and CIN (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.29–0.88, I2 = 0%). Conclusions: Cervicovaginal Lactobacillus spp. is associated with the decreased detection of hrHPV infection, CIN, and CC; L. crispatus may be the critical protective factor.

Objective: Sepsis remains a major cause of neonatal death. To better characterize the inflammatory response during neonatal sepsis, we compared the differences in serum cytokines and chemokines between full-term neonates with sepsis and without infection. Methods: We enrolled 40 full-term neonates with sepsis and 26 full-term neonates without infection as controls between October 2016 and June 2018. Forty cytokines /chemokines in serum were analyzed using the Luminex Bead Immunoassay System. Results: Our results showed that serum IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IL-1β, MIF, CXCL13, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL5, CXCL6, CXCL16, CCL27, CCL2, CCL8, CCL3, CCL20, CCL23, and CX3CL1 levels were significantly increased in neonates with sepsis compared to those in the control group (all p< 0.05). The levels of serum CCL20, and IL-17 were higher in late-onset sepsis (LOS) than those in early-onset sepsis (EOS) (all p< 0.05). Conversely, serum CXCL16 was lower in LOS than that in EOS (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings revealed that excessive pro-inflammatory cytokines might be involved in neonatal sepsis. In addition, chemokines significantly increased the recruitment of immune cells after infection to participate in the anti-infection defense of neonates, but this could lead to damage.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effect of postsurgical vaginal microbiome (VM) on high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection and the risk of disease recurrence in patients surgically treated for cervical cancer (CC) or intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Methods: 207 women who underwent surgical treatment for CC or CIN at the Department of Gynecologic Oncology of the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China from November 2016 to October 2023 were included. The patients' clinical data, including age, surgical modality, and diagnosis at time of index surgery, were collected retrospectively and analyzed. Associations between postsurgical VM indices, hrHPV infection, cervical cytology, and recurrence were also evaluated. Results: Patient age, surgical modality (whether complete excision of the cervix was performed), and diagnosis at time of index surgery (cervical dysplasia vs. cervical carcinoma) showed no significant association with postsurgical hrHPV infection, cervical cytology, or disease recurrence. However, postsurgical VM imbalance was significantly associated with hrHPV infection status (OR = 4.640, 95 % CI = 2.085-10.460, P < 0.001), abnormal cervical cytology (OR = 3.994, 95 % CI = 1.154-13.826, P = 0.020), and disease recurrence (OR = 3.789, 95 % CI = 1.091-13.154, P = 0.026). Among the specific VM indices, a vaginal pH above 4.5 (OR = 4.570, 95 % CI = 1.640-12.690, P = 0.002), a lactobacilli proportion below 50 % (OR = 3.938, 95 % CI = 1.299-11.934, P = 0.010), and the presence of aerobic vaginitis (AV, OR = 2.425, 95 % CI = 0.996-5.901, P = 0.046) were risk factors for postsurgical recurrence. Conclusion: Postsurgical VM imbalance, especially abnormal indices, such as a pH above 4.5, a lactobacilli proportion below 50 %, and the presence of AV, was associated with an increased risk of postsurgical recurrence in patients who underwent surgical treatment for CIN and CC. Monitoring and potentially intervening in the VM may improve the prognosis of these patients.

NCOA5 has been identified as a crucial factor in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study investigates the expression of NCOA5 in HCC, revealing its significant overexpression in tumor tissues compared to healthy liver tissues, as evidenced by analysis of the TCGA dataset and RT-qPCR in patient samples. Higher NCOA5 levels correlate with poor overall survival, highlighting its role as a prognostic indicator. Furthermore, our findings suggest that elevated NCOA5 is associated with resistance to sorafenib, a common chemotherapeutic agent for HCC, as shown through analysis of publicly available datasets and the establishment of sorafenib-resistant HCC cell lines. Mechanistically, NCOA5 appears to inhibit ferroptosis in HCC cells by modulating glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) levels. Knockdown of NCOA5 sensitizes resistant cell lines to sorafenib and induces ferroptosis by decreasing GPX4 expression. Additionally, NCOA5 regulation of GPX4 is mediated through the transcription factor MYC. In vivo studies further validate that targeting NCOA5 enhances the efficacy of sorafenib in resistant HCC models by promoting ferroptosis. Collectively, these findings underscore the potential of NCOA5 as a therapeutic target to overcome drug resistance in HCC, providing insights into its role in modulating treatment responses and patient prognosis.

Objective: To investigate the expression of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells receptor-1 (TREM-1) in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and its correlation with Galactomannan, IFNγ, IL-6 and IL-10 in Aspergillus infected mice. Methods: Cyclophosphamide(CTX) was intraperitoneally injected and fumigatus spore suspension was inhaled by nose to establish the immunocompromised invasive pulmonary aspergillosis(IPA) mouse model.Healthy controls, immunocompromised only and IPA only groups were also established. Each group had 6 mice. After inoculation, mice were sacrificed. Lung tissue specimens, BALF, and plasma samples were collected. Plasma and BALF soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1), Galactomannan, IFNγ, IL-6, and IL-10 were detected by ELISA. Results: Positive Aspergillus fumigatus was found by tissue culture in the lung. Infiltration of inflammatory cells, blood congestion and interstitial lung tissue injury were observed in histological sections of both IPA and immunocompromised IPA mice. Compared to IPA group [(453.78±74.18) ng/L, P<0.001; (10.21±1.46) ng/L, P<0.001] and control group [(245.16±65.85) ng/L, P<0.001; (6.60±3.74) ng/L, P<0.001], the plasma and BALF sTREM-1 significantly increased in immunocompromised IPA group [(1 537.64±359.52) ng/L; (20.12±2.72) ng/L]. Compared to control group, both the BALF sTREM-1 in IPA group (P=0.041) and the plasma and BALF Galactomannan, IFNγ, IL-6, and IL-10 levels in IPA and immunocompromised IPA groups were significantly higher (P<0.01). Pearson correlation analysis showed that plasma and BALF sTREM-1 were significantly correlated with Galactomannan (r=0.83, P<0.001; r=0.82, P<0.001), IFNγ (r=0.79, P<0.001; r=0.61, P<0.01), IL-6 (r=0.81, P<0.001; r=0.66, P<0.01), and IL-10 (r=0.70, P=0.001; r=0.54, P=0.02). Conclusions: Plasma and BALF sTREM-1 appears highly expressed in Aspergillus infected mice. sTREM-1 in mice plasma and BALF is closely correlated with Galactomannan, IFNγ, IL-6, and IL-10 levels, which suggests that sTREM-1 has great diagnostic value during invasive fungal infection.