Introduction. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is dysbiosis associated with an increased risk of several sexually transmitted infections. It is primarily diagnosed via Gram staining, although molecular analyses have presented higher diagnostic accuracy.Aim. This study aimed to evaluate the molecular epidemiology of BV in asymptomatic women to determine its association with several commensal and pathogenic micro-organisms of the genitalia.Methodology. The prevalence of BV was investigated through semiquantitative assessment of 201 women recruited during their routine gynaecological inspection at an outpatient clinic in Tabasco, Mexico.Results. Women with BV showed an increased prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (P=0.021) and Mycoplasma hominis (P=0.001). Of the BV-associated micro-organisms, Gardnerella vaginalis was significantly associated with C. trachomatis (P=0.005) and/or Ureaplasma parvum (P=0.003), whereas Atopobium vaginae and Megasphaera type 1 correlated significantly with Mycoplasma hominis (P=0.001). No significant association was observed between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and BV, although there was increased prevalence of HPV59, HPV73, HPV52 and HPV58 in women displaying cervical cytological abnormalities.Conclusion. Identification of BV-associated micro-organisms via molecular analysis may help to distinguish recurrent cases from new infections and identify micro-organisms potentially associated with pharmacological resistance.

Increased homocysteine (Hcy) levels have been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Passive DNA demethylation has been suggested as one of the mechanisms implicated in the development of these conditions, and most studies have investigated this relationship in older adult populations. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between corporal composition and biochemical and haematological indicators with plasma homocysteine levels and genome-wide methylation (Alu, LINE-1, and SAT2) in a population of healthy young adults (median age, 18 years). We showed that the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia was significantly higher in men (18.5%) than in women (6.6%) (P = 0.034). Increased Hcy level was substantially associated with higher levels of body mass index and visceral fat in females, whereas in males, it was significantly associated with reduced red cell distribution width and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and increased low-density lipoprotein/HDL ratio. Hypomethylation of Alu was significantly associated with reduced levels of HDL-C (<40.0 mg dL^–1), whereas hypomethylation of LINE-1 and SAT2 was significantly associated with higher levels of skeletal muscle (<39.3%) in males. These results highlight the participation of hormonal factors in regulating Hcy metabolism, primarily in the female population, whereas changes in DNA methylation observed in males might be associated with the consumption of a protein diet with high levels of methionine, independent of increased Hcy levels.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is constituted by a great diversity of highly dynamic cell populations, each of which contributes ligands, receptors, soluble proteins, mRNAs, and miRNAs, in order to regulate cellular activities within the TME and even promote processes such as angiogenesis or metastasis. Intravasated platelets (PLT) undergo changes in the TME that convert them into tumor-educated platelets (TEP), which supports the development of cancer, angiogenesis, and metastasis through the degranulation and release of biomolecules. Several authors have reported that the deregulation of PF4, VEGF, PDGF, ANG-1, WASF3, LAPTM4B, TPM3, and TAC1 genes participates in breast cancer progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis. The present work aimed to analyze the expression levels of this set of genes in tumor tissues and platelets derived from breast cancer patients by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR) assays, in order to determine if there was an expression correlation between these sources and to take advantage of the new information to be used in possible diagnosis by liquid biopsy. Data from these assays showed that platelets and breast cancer tumors present similar expression levels of a subset of these genes’ mRNAs, depending on the molecular subtype, comorbidities, and metastasis presence.