Jing Ma

Substance P is overexpressed in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and promoted proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells <em>in vitro</em>

This study aimed to investigate the expression and function of substance P in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer tissues and adjacent tissues of 20 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma in our hospital were collected. The expression of substance P was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Cervical squamous cell carcinoma line SiHa was treated with different concentrations of substance P. The proliferation of SiHa cells was detected by EdU assay, and the invasion ability of SiHa cells was detected by transwell assay. The phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and the expression of MMP9 were detected by Western blot analysis. The results showed that substance P was expressed in the cytoplasm and some cell membranes of cervical squamous cell carcinoma cells. The expression of substance P in cervical cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in the adjacent tissues. Compared with the control group, substance P significantly promoted the proliferation and invasion of SiHa cells in a concentration dependent manner and activated the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and upregulated the expression of MMP9 in SiHa cells. In conclusion, substance P is highly expressed in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and can promote cervical cancer cell proliferation and invasion. The mechanism is related to the activation of ERK1/2 pathway to upregulate MMP9.

WIF1 was downregulated in cervical cancer due to promoter methylation

Wnt inhibitory factor 1 (WIF1) is frequently downregulated in a variety of cancer due to promoter methylation. However, the methylation status of the WIF1 promoter in cervical cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which WIF1 promoter methylation contributes to cervical cancer development. The expression of WIF1 in cervical cancer tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry. The methylation status of the WIF1 promoter in cervical cancer cells was detected by methylation specific PCR. WIF1 mRNA levels and protein levels were detected by PCR and Western blot analysis. We found that WIF1 expression was low in cervical cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal cervical tissues. The WIF1 promoter was methylated in the cervical cancer SiHa cell line but not in the normal cervical epithelial cell line Ect1. Correspondingly, WIF1 mRNA levels and protein levels were significantly lower in SiHa cells than in Ect1 cells. Treatment with 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine (AZA) led to the upregulation of WIF1 mRNA and protein levels in SiHa cells, but the effects were abrogated by treatment with WIF1 siRNA. In addition, AZA treatment induced apoptosis and inhibited the invasion of SiHa cells, and the effects were abrogated by WIF1 siRNA. The protein levels of survivin, c-myc and cyclinD1 were significantly lower in SiHa cells treated with AZA, but their levels were upregulated after treatment with WIF1 siRNA. In conclusion, the methylation of the WIF1 promoter leads to the downregulation of WIF1 and the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cervical cancer cells. WIF1 is a tumor suppressor that is inactivated in cervical cancer.

A national survey on HPV vaccination status among 42,800 female physicians and nurses in China, 2021

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is the most effective method to prevent cervical cancer. This study aimed to investigate the status of HPV vaccination and associated factors among Chinese females. Between January and March 2021, we conducted a large national survey among female doctors and nurses in 181 public tertiary hospitals across all 31 provinces of China. In the survey, we asked three questions: "Have you ever received an HPV vaccination? If yes, what type and in which year?" We described and compared the proportion of vaccination coverage according to occupation, age, geographic region, education, marital status, among other factors. Among 42,800 participants, 6185 (14.45 %) reported receiving HPV vaccination. Physicians showed a slightly higher vaccination rate (2064/13,804; 14.95 %) than nurses (4121/28,996, 14.21 %). Factors significantly associated with higher vaccination rates included younger age, being never married or divorced, higher education, better self-reported health status, residing in the western region, working in Obstetrics and Gynecology or Surgery departments, working at cancer hospitals, and being nulliparous. Regarding vaccine types, the 4-valent vaccine accounted for 50.3 %, followed by the 9-valent (33.7 %), imported 2-valent (16.0 %). Understanding the characteristics of the likelihood of receiving HPV vaccination among female physicians and nurses in China indicates their awareness of the risk for cervical cancer, which could help us better develop primary prevention strategies.