Knockdown of circular RNA (CircRNA)_001896 inhibits cervical cancer proliferation and stemness in vivo and in vitro

Objective:Previous studies indicated that aberrant circular RNA(circRNA)expression affects gene expression regulatory networks,leading to the aberrant activation of tumor pathways and promoting tumor cell growth.However,the expression,clinical significance,and effects on cell propagation,invasion,and dissemination of circRNA_001896 in cervical cancer(CC)tissues remain unclear.Methods:The Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)datasets(GSE113696 and GSE102686)were used to examine differential circRNA expression in CC and adjacent tissues.The expression of circRNA_001896 was detected in 72 CC patients usingfluorescence quantitative PCR.Correlation analysis with clinical pathological features was performed through COX multivariate and univariate analysis.The effect of circRNA_001896 downregulation on CC cell propagation was examined using the cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)test,clonogenic,3D sphere formation,and in vivo tumorigenesis assays.Results:Intersection of the GSE113696 and GSE102686 datasets revealed an increased expression of four circRNAs,including circRNA_001896,in CC tissues.Fluorescence quantitative PCR confirmed circRNA_001896 as a circular RNA.High expression of circRNA_001896 was considerably associated with lymph node metastasis,International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians(FIGO)stage,tumor diameter,and survival period in CC patients.Proportional hazards model(COX)univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that circRNA_001896 expressions are a distinct risk factor affecting CC patients’prognosis.Cellular functional experiments showed that downregulating circRNA_001896 substantially suppressed CC cell growth,colony formation,and 3D sphere-forming ability.In vivo,tumorigenesis analysis in nude mice demonstrated that downregulating circRNA_001896 remarkably reduced the in vivo proliferation capacity of CC cells.Conclusion:CircRNA_001896 is highly expressed in CC tissues and is substantially related to lymph node metastasis,FIGO stage,tumor size,and survival period in patients.Moreover,downregulating circRNA_001896 significantly inhibits both in vivo and in vitro propagation of CC cells.Therefore,circRNA_001896 might be used as a biomarker for targeted therapy in cervical cancer.

Subgroups of peripheral immune effector cells in cervical cancer patients are more sensitive to radiation therapy than chemotherapy

Background:CD8 positive T lymphocytes and natural killer(NK)cells in the peripheral blood of cervical cancer patients exhibit varying sensitivities to radiotherapy and chemotherapy.Methods:A total of 50 healthy peoples and 60 cervical cancer patients were recruited.The patients with cervical cancer were separated into two groups:radiation and chemotherapy,and blood sample were collected before and after treatment.Data on the proportion of CD8 positive T lymphocytes and NK cells were gathered for analytical evaluation.Results:Compared to healthy individuals,patients with cervical cancer exhibit a reduced proportion of CD8 positive T cells within their peripheral blood.And for patients with cervical cancer,radiation therapy has been found to be more effective than chemotherapy in increasing the proportion of CD8 positive T lymphocytes and NK cells.Conclusions:These results suggest that radiation therapy increases the levels of CD8 positive T lymphocytes and NK cells within the peripheral blood of patients with cervical cancer.The study hypothesis that the changes in the percentage of CD8 positive T lymphocytes may serve as a potential indicator for predicting treatment efficacy.

Expression of Bmi-1,P16,and CD44v6 in Uterine Cervical Carcinoma and Its Clinical Significance

Objective Bmi-1, a putative proto-oncogene, is a core member of the polycomb gene family, which is expressed in many human tumors. The p16 protein negatively regulated cell proliferation, whereas CD44v6 is associated with proliferation as an important protein. Additionally, CD44v6 is an important nuclear antigen closely correlated to tumor metastasis. Tlle present study aims to investigate the expression and significance of Bmi-1, p16, and CD44v6 in uterine cervical carcinoma （UCC）. Methods A total of 62 UCC, 30 cervical neoplasic, and 20 normal cervical mucosal tissues were used ill the current study. The expression of Bmi-1, p16, and CD44v6 in these tissues was determined using immunohistochemical assay. The relationships among the expression of these indices, the clinicopathologic features of UCC, and the survival rate of UCC patients were also discussed. The correlation between Bmi-1 protein expression and p16 or CD44v6 protein in UCC was analyzed. Results The expression of Bmi-l, p16, and CD44v6 was significantly high in cervical carcinoma compared with that in tlle cervical neoplasia and normal colorectal mucosa （P〈0.05）. The over-expression of Bmi-1 protein in UCC was apparently related to the distant metastasis （P〈0.01） and the tumor, nodes and metastasis-classification, i.e. the TNM staging, World Health Organization （P〈0.05）. Nevertheless, the positive expression of p16 protein in UCC was not significantly associated with the clinicopathologic features （P〉0.05）. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the over-expression of Bmi-1 significantly decreased the survival rate of UCC patients （P〈0.05）. A strong correlation indicated that there was statistical significance between the expression of Bmi-1 and CD44V6 proteins in UCC （r=0.419, P=0.001）. Conclusions The over-expression of Bmi-1 and CD44v6 protein closely correlate to the tumorigenesis, metastasis, and prognosis of UCC. Bmi-I and CD44v6 may be used to predict the prognosis of cervical carcinoma. Bmi-1 may indirectly regulate the expression of CD44v6 in UCC patients. The positive expression of p16 protein is possibly associated with the tumorigenesis, but not with the metastasis or prognosis of UCC.

Clinical Significance of CENP-H Expression in Uterine Cervical Cancer

Objective This work aims to investigate the expression pattern and clinicopathologic significance of centromere protein H(CENP-H) in uterine cervical cancer(UCC). Methods The level of CENP-H expression in the paraffin sections of 62 UCC cases was determined by the SP immunohistochemical method,with complete clinicopathologic data in all cases.Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate the prognostic and diagnostic significance of CENP-H using SPSS13.0 software package. Results Immunohistochemical assay showed strong CENP-H expression in 61.29% (38/62) of the paraffin-embedded cervical cancer tissues.Statistical analysis revealed a strong correlation between the CENP-H expression and the clinical classification(P=0.038) of the cervical carcinoma.The expression increased with rise of the stages.The analysis of Cox proportional hazards regression model suggested that CENP-H expression(P=0.002) and tumor stage(P=0.001) were independent prognostic markers for the survival of UCC patients.The survival analysis showed that the survival rate was significantly lower in patients with high expression of CENP-H than in those with low expression of CENP-H(P=0.001). Conclusions CENP-H is likely to be a valuable marker for carcinogenesis and progression of UCC.It might be used as the important diagnostic and prognostic marker for cervical carcinoma patients,especially for those at early stage.

Uterine Cervical Melanocytic Tumours—A Single Institution Experience with Review of Literature

Primary melanocytic tumours of the uterine cervix are rare. These include blue nevi and malignant melanoma. Blue nevi are benign melanocytic lesions which occur as incidental finding. Primary cervical melanomas are rare mucosal melanomas with aggressive behaviour. In small biopsies, they can mimic poorly differentiated carcinomas. Here we present the cases of melanocytic tumours reported from our institute during the last 6 years

Relationship between Circulating Plasma Galectin-3 Levels and T-Cell Activation during Cervical Cancer Chemotherapy

Objective: Despite the existence of several therapeutic strategies, the management of cervical cancer remains challenging. Our region has very little data on the interaction between the immune system and the clinical response to chemotherapy. This work examines plasma levels of galectin-3 (Gal-3) and percentages of activated T cells in patients with cervical cancer treated with chemotherapy and investigates if there is a relationship between the rates of these two elements. Methods: We compared data from 37 patients with cervical cancer undergoing chemotherapy and 42 controls with normal cervical cytology. Plasma Gal-3 concentrations were assessed by ELISA and expression of activation markers by T cells (CD69 and HLA-DR) was assessed by flow cytometry at three different time points during chemotherapy. Results: Our results showed that patients had a significantly higher concentration of Gal-3 compared to controls (4.025 vs. 1.340, p 0.001), similarly, they had a significantly high percentage of activated lymphocytes (2.610 vs. 0.731;p 0.0001). According to the response to treatment, patients with no response to treatment had a lower concentration of circulating Gal-3 but had approximately the same percentage of activated CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes as patients with a partial or total response. In addition, we found a positive correlation between the Gal-3 level and CD4 T cells expressing the activation marker CD69 (p 0.05;rho = 0.44). Conclusion: In conclusion, our results show that there would be a relationship between circulating galectin-3 and the percentage of peripheral CD4+CD69+ cells in cervical cancer.

Crosstalk between cell fate and survival pathways during uterine cervical carcinoma progression: a molecular and clinical perspective

The development of uterine cervical cancer is primarily attributed to infection by high-risk human papillomaviruses(HR-HPVs).E5,E6 and E7,the three early oncoproteins of HR-HPVs,have been implicated in initiation and progression of cervical cancer.The intricate molecular mechanisms that orchestrate aberrant cellular transformations to establish carcinoma of the cervical epithelium following viral infections are poorly understood.Here,we discuss how deregulation of three major cell fate regulatory pathways,Hedgehog,Wnt and Notch,and cell survival strategies involving EGFR signaling and G1/S checkpoint contribute towards cervical cancer development and progression.Further exploration of protein interaction database has revealed several genes that are involved in cervical cancer initiation and progression,and the two crucial"driver"genes,MYC and CTNNB1(β-catenin),have been identified as major players in protein-protein interaction network.GSK3βemerged as the key mediator of crosstalk between Hedgehog,Wnt and Notch signaling pathways.GSK3βregulates cytoplasmic stabilization and nuclear translocation ofβ-catenin,which further impacts the expression of MYC,critical for cell cycle progression.Collectively,our analyses suggest that combinatorial therapeutic targeting of these proteins may be more effective in blocking cervical cancer initiation and progression.

The Establishment and Characterization of a Continuous Cell Line of Mouse Cervical Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE To establish a murine uterine cervical cancer cell line and to define its biological characters. METHODS Transplanted tumor tissue was used for in vitro primary culture of U14 cervical carcinoma cells. After 20 passages, we examined its morphology, chromosomes, tumorigenicity and produced a growth curve. CK was detected by immunohistochemistry, the cell cycle determined by flow cytometry and the metastatic potential assessed in 615 and C57BL/c mice. We also transfected the cells with the pEGFP-N1 plasmid. RESULTS A newly established murine cell line was passaged 50 times over a period of 10 months. The cells grow as a partially suspended culture, and are immunohistochemically CK（＋）. The cell line is characterized by a hypotetraploid karyotype, a chromosomal number of 64-68 and a doubling time of 21.8 h. Exponential growth occurs by the third and forth day of culture. Cell cycle analysis showed G1 34%, G2 26%, and 40% in the S phase. The tumorigenicity was 100% upon implantation. No mycoplasma contamination was detected. A monoclonal continuous U14-GFP cell strain which was 100% GFP （＋） was also produced. CONCLUSION We successfully established a new murine cervical U14 carcinoma cell line and an U14-GFP monoclonal strain. These cell lines are ideal for combined in vivo and in vitro tumor research.

Quantitative Detection of Screening for Cervical Lesions with ThinPrep Cytology Test

OBJECTIVE To investigate the available parameters in gynecological screening for cervical lesions by liquid-based cytology technology （ThinPrep Cytology Test, TCT） and The Bethesda System （TBS）, also with computer image analysis. METHODS With application of the image analysis system, all grades of cervical lesion cells were detected quantitatively and sorted in atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance （ASCUS）, atypical squamous cells-cannot exclude HSIL （ASC-H）, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion （LSIL）, high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion （HSIL） and cervical squamous cell carcinoma （SCC） with the mean optical density （MOD）, average grey （AG）, positive units （PU）, and nucleus to cytoplasmic ratio （N： C）. Differences between each group of cells were compared and analyzed statistically. RESULTS Apart from four stereologic parameters in LSIL and HSIL groups there were no differences among them, in the other groups, there was statistically significant in differences between MOD, AG and PU values. Differences between them in the ratio of nucleus to cytoplasm were highly statistically significant. CONCLUSION Stereological indexes may serve as a screening tool for cervical lesions. The image analysis system is expected to become a new means of cytological assisted diagnosis.

A preliminary study of genes related to concomitant chemoradiotherapy resistance in advanced uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Background Tumor intrinsic chemoradiotherapy resistance is the primary factor in concomitant chemoradiotherapy failure in advanced uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma. This study aims to identify a set of genes and molecular pathways related to this condition.

Uterine cervical carcinoma treated with chemoradiotherapy: impact of three-month MRI follow-up on clinical management and outcome

Aim:The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of MRI performed three months after treatment on further follow-up interventions and outcome in patients with uterine cervical carcinoma treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy.Methods:Sixty consecutive women diagnosed with uterine cervical cancer FIGO 2009 stage IB1-IVA during 2011-2012 treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy/radiotherapy with curative intent at the Department of Gynaecological Oncology at Karolinska University Hospital were retrospectively included.A review of MRI reports and medical records with focus on follow-up interventions associated to imaging was performed.Results:On follow-up MRI three months post treatment,29/60 women had complete remission(mrCR),24/60 women had partial remission(mrPR)and 7/60 had progressive disease(mrPD).In patients with mrCR,no additional procedures were performed.The group with mrPR had 27 additional MRIs,3 PET/CT examinations and 9 biopsy procedures,none leading to diagnosis of residual tumour.Locoregional control rate was 96%after 6.5 months(median).No patient had cervical relapse only;2/53 had cervical relapse in combination with non-regional lymph nodes and distant relapse.There was no statistically significant difference in overall survival between patients with mrCR and mrPR(HR=2.2,P=0.21).Conclusion:Patients with residual changes on MRI at three months post treatment have a low risk for locoregional recurrence.If this is not recognised,follow-up MRI results in unnecessary additional procedures with low impact on treatment outcome.Further studies are needed regarding the most appropriate imaging modality and timing of post-treatment evaluation.

The delay, symptoms, and survival of Ivorian adolescent girls and young adults with uterine cervical cancer

Objective:To generate data on the nature and duration of cervical cancer symptoms,risk factors for delayed consultation,and diagnosis of adolescent and young adult groups in Cote d'Ivoire.Methods:This is a hospital-based cross-sectional study,conducted from July 2012 to May 2018,at the Department of Gynecology of the Yopougon teaching hospital in Cote d’Ivoire.The inclusion criteria were those who were under 40 years of age at the time of diagnosis with oral and written consent.Those whose information was more than 10%insufficient for the standards were excluded from the study.The survey files standardized anonymous pre-established data collected using medical records followed by phone calls.Results:The average age of the participants was 34±4.95 years with a minimum of 21 years.The mean parity per woman was 3.49±3.54.34.9%were HIV positive.The median patient delay was 122 days with a long delay in 84.62%of patients.The median time to total diagnosis was 209 days with a longer total delay in diagnosis of 87.18%.41%of patients honored their treatment,68.75%of which had received surgery,and 31.25%of which had received chemotherapy.The 5-year survival rate was 65%.Conclusion:The Ivorian health system must focus on primary and secondary prevention,the only guarantee to decrease the morbidity and mortality indicators linked to cervical cancer.

Prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection in different cervical lesion among organized health-examination women in Shanghai, China

Background Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer among women worldwide. Human papillomavirus （HPV） plays a central role in the etiology of cervical cancer. It is important to describe the prevalence of HPV infection in different types of cervical lesions and to explore the relation between HPV viral load and the severity of cervical lesions. Methods To describe the HPV infection prevalence and viral load in different age groups, we retrospectively investigated 6405 cases of women who were organized by their units to take health-examination. They were given Hybrid Capture II tests between January 2005 and December 2006. The correlation between HPV viral load and pathology was assessed. Results Overall HPV infection prevalence was 29.1% （1864/6405）, while in women 18-20 years old it was 54.4% （31/57）, the highest among all age groups. After declining rapidly, HPV prevalence stabilized at about 30.0% in women aged 30 and older. Of the 6405 women, 1483 women had a colposcopic biopsy and 33.2% （492/1483） were positive for HPV DNA. Twenty-one percent of women with a normal diagnosis （238/1095） had HPV infection, a statistically significantly lower prevalence than in women with cervical lesions, including those with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia （68.8% in CIN1,66.7% in CIN2, and 76.5% in CIN3） or with cervical cancer （94.1%）. The correlation coefficient between viral load and cervical lesion severity was 0.134, which was not statistically significant （P=0.075）. Viral load values in women with CINs and cervical cancer were calculated, and no significant differences were identified. Conclusions The prevalence of high-risk HPV infection among women attending hospitals for health-examination in Shanghai is similar to the worldwide rate. HPV viral load can distinguish cervical lesions from normal individuals but cannot adequately predict the severity of cervical lesions.

Overexpression of Bcl-2 partly inhibits apoptosis of human cervical cancer SiHa cells induced by arsenic trioxide

OBJECTIVE: To study the biological effect of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on human cervical cancer SiHa cells and SiHa cells overexpressing bcl-2 gene. METHODS: SiHa cells with overexpression of Bcl-2 (SiHa-Bcl2 cells) were established by transfecting SiHa cells with Bcl-2 expression vector. The sensitivities of SiHa and SiHa-Bcl2 cells to As2O3 were determined using MTT (Thiazolyl blue) reduction and colony forming ability assay, morphological analysis, flow cytometric analysis, DNA agarose gel electrophoresis, in situ cell death detection (TUNEL), Northern blot, RT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: As2O3 inhibited the growth of SiHa cells and induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis of the cells. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis revealed that As2O3 induced SiHa cell apoptosis possibly via inhibiting the expression of HPV16 E7 and decreasing the expression of c-myc. However, we found that SiHa-Bcl2 cells partly resisted As2O3 induced apoptosis, which might be related to the prevention of the down-regulation of HPV16 E7 and c-myc gene expression. Nevertheless, As2O3 at a high concentration could still induce apoptosis of SiHa-Bcl2 cells mainly via decreasing Bcl-2 expression and slightly inhibiting viral gene expression. CONCLUSION: As2O3 is an inducer of the apoptosis of human cervical carcinoma cells and the cells overexpressing Bcl-2 can partly resist As2O3 induced apoptosis, but the exact mechanism is unclear.

Therapeutic observation of acupuncture plus navel acupuncture for urinary retention after radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus navel acupuncture for patients with urinary retention after radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. Methods: A total of 64 patients with urinary retention after radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer was divided into a navel acupuncture group (22 cases), an acupuncture group (18 cases) and an acupuncture plus navel acupuncture group (24 cases). All three groups received bladder function training and neuromuscular electrical stimulation. In addition, navel points were combined in the navel acupuncture group. Electroacupuncture was conducted to Qihai (CV 6), Zhongji (CV 3), Dahe (KI 12), Shuidao (ST 28), Ciliao (BL 32) and Huiyang (BL 35) in the acupuncture group. The acupuncture plus navel acupuncture group received both treatments. The catheter was removed after 3 d of treatment. Spontaneous urination, residual urine volume, urinary catheter dependence and recurrence after 3 d, 6 d and 9 d of treatment in each group were observed, respectively. Results: In the acupuncture plus navel acupuncture group, the markedly effective rates after 3 d, 6 d and 9 d of treatment were significantly higher than those in the navel acupuncture group and the acupuncture group;the urinary catheter dependence was lower than that of the other two groups, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05, P<0.01);the spontaneous urination time was shorter than that of the navel acupuncture group and the acupuncture group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05, P<0.01);the residual urine volume was significantly less than that of the navel acupuncture group and the acupuncture group, and the differences were statistically significant (both P<0.01). After the catheter was removed, recurrence was observed from the next day after spontaneous urination was resumed. There were 2 cases of recurrence in the navel acupuncture group, 2 cases in the acupuncture group and 1 case in the acupuncture plus navel acupuncture group. The recurrence rate of the acupuncture plus navel acupuncture group was significantly lower than that of the navel acupuncture group and the acupuncture group (both P<0.01). Conclusion: Acupuncture plus navel acupuncture has satisfactory efficacy for urinary retention after radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. It can significantly shorten the urinary retention time, reduce the patient's dependence on urinary catheter, and reduce the residual urine volume.

Efficacy observation on acupuncture-moxibustion for urinary retention after surgery for cervical cancer

Objective：To observe the efficacy of acupuncture-moxibustion therapy in treating urinary retention after surgery for cervical cancer. Methods：Fifty eligible patients were randomized into a treatment group and a control group by their visiting sequence, 25 in each group. The control group was intervened by indwelling urethral catheter after gynecological surgery; while the treatment group started to receive acupuncture-moxibustion and cupping treatment at the 7th day after surgery, in addition to the intervention given to the control group. The residual urine volume and total effective rate of the two groups were detected. Results：After 7-day treatments, the total effective rate was 92.0% in the treatment group versus 72.0% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant （P〈0.05）. Conclusion：Acupuncture-moxibustion treatment plus cupping based on the conventional intervention is effective for urinary retention after surgery for cervical cancer, worth promoting in clinic.

Effect of acupuncture plus medium-frequency electric stimulation on bladder function after radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer

Objective： To observe the effect of acupuncture plus medium-frequency electric stimulation on bladder function after radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. Methods： A total of 170 patients confirmed by biopsy and surgical pathology and treated with radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer were randomly divided into an acupuncture group, an observation group and a control group by random digital table. Fifty-six cases in the acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture after surgery, one session each day, till the extubation day; 58 cases in the observation group were treated with acupuncture plus medium-frequency electric stimulation after surgery, one session each day, till the extubation day; and 56 cases in the control group didn＇t receive any intervention, and the catheter was retained till the extubation day. On the postoperative day 14, all groups were dealt with catheterization to determine the residual urine volume, in order to observe the occurrence rate of urinary retention and the recovery of bladder function and to compare the differences of the therapeutic effects among the groups. Results： The occurrence rates of urinary retention were respectively 16.1%, 20.7% and 46.4% in the acupuncture group, observation group and control group, with significant differences （P〈0.05）. When comparing the acupuncture group and the observation group with the control group, there were significant differences （both P〈0.05）. In comparison between the acupuncture group and the observation group, there was no significant difference （P〉0.05）. The recovery rates of bladder function in the three group were respectively 42.9%, 60.3% and 41.1% without significant differences （P〉0.05）. Moreover, there were no significant between-group differences （P〉0.05）, but acupuncture plus medium-frequency electric stimulation showed a better tendency. Conclusion： The single application of acupuncture therapy is effective and able to prevent urinary retention after radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. Acupuncture plus medium-frequency electric stimulation can effectively enhance the recovery of bladder function and reduce the residual urine volume in the bladder to the maximum.

Effects of Moxibustion on Hemoglobin and Immunoglobulin in Cervical Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy

Objective： To observe the effects of moxibustion on hemoglobin and immunoglobulin in cervical cancer patients on radiotherapy. Methods： Sixty-six patients with cervical cancer were randomized into a moxibustion group （n=36） and a control group （n=30）, and underwent the same radiotherapy; during the radiotherapy period, the moxibustion group was given moxibustion at Shenque （CV 8） and Sanyinjiao （SP 6）, and the control group was given no other treatment. Agar diffusion method was employed to detect the concentrations of hemoglobin and immunoglobulin in peripheral blood before and after treatment. Results： After eight-week treatment, the concentrations of hemoglobin and immunoglobulin were higher in the moxibustion group than those in the control group, with a significant difference in the concentration of IgG between the two groups （P〈0.01）. Conclusion： Moxibustion can increase the concentrations of hemoglobin and immunoglobulin in cervical cancer patients on radiotherapy to improve the immunity.

Identification of biomarkers for cervical cancer in peripheral blood lymphocytes using oligonucleotide microarrays

Background Oligonucleotide microarrays are increasingly being used to identify gene expression profiles that associated with complex genetic diseases. Peripheral lymphocytes communicate with cells and extracellular matrixes in almost all tissues and organs in human body, suggesting that the gene expression profiles in peripheral lymphocytes may reflect the presence of disease in the body. This study aimed to identify molecular biomarkers for cervical cancer in peripheral blood lymphocytes by using oligonucleotide microarrays. Methods Total RNA was extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes of 24 early stage cervical cancer patients and 18 healthy controls. We used 22K Human Genome microarrays to profile peripheral blood lymphocytes from 4 early stage cervical cancer patients and compared their gene expression profiles with those from 3 healthy controls. Differentially expressed genes would be identified if they had adjusted P values of less than 0.05 and a groupwise average fold change greater than 1.5 or less than 0.67. Then the selected 5 genes were validated in the remaining 20 early stage cervical cancer patients and the 15 healthy controls by using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR）. Results Genes identified by the gene selection program expressed differently between the blood samples of the early stage cervical cancer patients and those of the healthy controls. To validate the gene expression data, 5 genes were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. In three of the 5 identified genes, tenasin-c （TNC）, nuceolin （NCL）, and enolase 2 （EN02） showed a significant up-regulation in the blood samples of the early stage cervical cancer patients versus that of the healthy controls. Conclusions The up-regulation of TNC, NCL, and EN02 in peripheral blood may be used to identify novel blood biomarkers for detecting cervical cancer in a clinically accessible surrogate tissue, and thus to provide a possibility to develop a noninvasive and predictive diagnosis for the disease.

Clinical study on intradermal needle therapy in treating urinary retention after cervical cancer surgery

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of intradermal needle therapy for urinary retention after cervical cancer surgery.Methods:A total of 100 patients with urinary retention after cervical cancer surgery were randomized into a control group and an observation group,with 50 cases in each group.The control group was treated with basic nursing only,and the observation group was treated with additional intradermal needle therapy.Both groups were treated for 2 courses of treatment.The main symptom scores and residual urine volume of the two groups were observed before and after treatment,and the inpatient time,catheter indwelling time and the clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups.Results:The total effective rate was 96.0%in the observation group and 88.0% in the control group,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P<0.05).After treatment,the main symptom scores and residual urine volume in both groups decreased significantly(all P<0.0S),and the scores and residual urine volume in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(all P<0.05).The inpatient time and catheter indwelling time in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group(both P<0.05).Conclusion:Intradermal needle therapy has an obvious effect in improving symptoms of urinary retention after cervical cancer surgery,and the effect is significantly more persistent than that of simple basic nursing.