Evaluating the Association between Human Papillomavirus and Vulvar Cancer:A Comprehensive Analysis Using Bradford Hill Criteria

Background:The role of human papillomavirus(HPV)in the development of vulvar cancer(VC)has been widely studied,but findings have been inconsistent.Despite numerous meta-analyses exploring the potential link between HPV and VC,the association remains controversial due to inherent limitations in meta-analytic methods.Objectives:To address this controversy,the study aims to investigate the potential link between HPV and VC using the Bradford Hill criteria,which offer a more comprehensive framework for establishing causation.Methodology:The study began by extracting all relevant studies on the association between HPV and VC from the PubMed database.The potential links were then assessed by examining the data using the major postulates of the Bradford Hill criteria.To ensure the reliability of the findings,the methodologies of the identified studies were critically evaluated to account for possible false-negative and false-positive results.Results:The assessment of previous studies against the Bradford Hill criteria revealed that the major postulates were not fulfilled.Conclusion:Based on the findings,it can concluded that there is no causal association between HPV and VC.

Comprehensively analyzing the genetic alterations,and identifying key genes in ovarian cancer

Though significant improvements have been made in the treatment methods for ovarian cancer(OC),the prognosis for OC patients is still poor.Exploring hub genes associated with the development of OC and utilizing them as appropriate potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets is highly valuable.In this study,the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified from an independent GSE69428 Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)dataset between OC and control samples.The DEGs were processed to construct the protein-protein interaction(PPI)network using STRING.Later,hub genes were identified through Cytohubba analysis of the Cytoscape.Expression and survival profiling of the hub genes were validated using GEPIA,OncoDB,and GENT2.For exploring promoter methylation levels and genetic alterations in hub genes,MEXPRESS and cBioPortal were utilized,respectively.Moreover,DAVID,HPA,TIMER,CancerSEA,ENCORI,DrugBank,and GSCAlite were used for gene enrichment analysis,subcellular localization analysis,immune cell infiltration analysis,exploring correlations between hub genes and different diverse states,lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA co-regulatory network analysis,predicting hub gene-associated drugs,and conducting drug sensitivity analysis,respectively.In total,8947 DEGs were found between OC and normal samples in GSE69428.After STRING and Cytohubba analysis,4 hub genes including TTK(TTK Protein Kinase),(BUB1 mitotic checkpoint serine/threonine kinase B)BUB1B,(Nucleolar and spindle-associated protein 1)NUSAP1,and(ZW10 interacting kinetochore protein)ZWINT were selected as the hub genes.Further,it was validated that these 4 hub genes were significantly up-regulated in OC samples compared to normal controls,but overexpression of these genes was not associated with overall survival(OS).However,genetic alterations in those genes were found to be linked with OS and disease-free(DFS)survival.Moreover,this study also revealed some novel links between TTK,BUB1B,NUSAP1,and ZWINT overexpression and promoter methylation status,immune cell infiltration,miRNAs,gene enrichment terms,and various chemotherapeutic drugs.Four hub genes,including TTK,BUB1B,NUSAP1,and ZWINT,were revealed as tumor-promotive factors in OC,having the potential to be utilized as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for OC management.