Human Papillomavirus (HPV) genotype 18 variants in patients with clinical manifestations of HPV related infections in Bilbao, Spain

Background:Human papillomavirus (HPV) variants differ in their biological and chemical properties, and therefore, may present differences in pathogenicity. Most authors classified variants based on the phylogenetic analysis of L1 region. Nevertheless, recombination in HPV samples is becoming a usual finding and thus, characterizing genetic variability in other regions should be essential. Objectives:We aimed to characterize the genetic variability of HPV 18 in 5 genomic regions: E6, E7, E4, L1 and the Upstream Regulatory Region (URR), working with both single infection and multiple HPV infection samples. Furthermore, we aimed to assess the prevalence of HPV 18 variants in our region and look for possible existence of recombination as well as analyze the relationship between these variants and the type of lesion. Methods: From 2007 to 2010, Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control Department analyzed 44 samples which were positive for HPV 18. Genetic variability was determined in PCR products and variants were assigned to European, Asian-amerindian or African lineage. Recombination and association of variants with different types of lesion was studied. Results: Genetic analysis of the regions revealed a total of 56 nucleotide variations. European, African and Asian-amerindian variants were found in 25/44 (56.8%), 10/44 (22.7%) and 5/44 (11.4%) samples, respectively. We detected the presence of recombinant variants in 2/44 (4.5%) cases. Samples taken from high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (H-SIL) only presented variants with specific-african substitutions. Conclusions: Multiple HPV infection, non-european HPV variants prevalence and existence of recombination are considered risk factors for HPV persistence and progression of intraepithelial abnormalities, and therefore, should be taken into consideration in order to help to design and optimize diagnostics protocols as well as improve epidemiologic studies. Our study is one of the few studies in Spain which analyses the genetic variability of HPV18 and we showed the importance of characterizing more than one genomic region in order to detect recombination and classify HPV variants properly

Adaburuaren eta orbelaren euri interzepzioa haritzean (Quercus robur) eta intsinis pinuan (Pinus radiata)

Zuhaitz adaburuaren interzepzioak oihanpera prezipitazio osoaren frakzio bat soilik pasatzea eragiten du, gainerakoa lurrunketaz galtzen baita. Oihanpera pasatzen den ur horren parte bat ere lurzoruko orbelak interzeptatzen du. Espezie arteko konparaketa bat egiteko asmoz, adaburuaren eta orbelaren euri interzepzioa neurtu zen haritzean (Quercus robur) eta pinuan (Pinus radiata), sei euriteetako datuak aintzat hartuz (hiru neguan eta beste hiru udaberrian, haritzak hostoak zituenean). Horrez gain, laborategian bi orbel moten ur-erretentzio ahalmen maximoa (S) neurtu zen. Adaburuaren interzepzioa % 37koa izan zen haritzean eta % 24koa pinuan. Haritzean interzepzioa handiagoa izan zen udaberrian neguan baino, pinuan berdina izan zen bitartean. Azken honetan Hosto Azalera Indizearen (Leaf Area Index, LAI) balio altuago batek interzepzio altuagoa eragin zuen, haritzean erlazio hori behatu ez zelarik neurturiko LAI balioak homogeneoegiak zirelako seguruenik. Orbelaren interzepzioak prezipitazio osoaren % 2,1 eta % 1,5 suposatu zuen haritzean eta pinuan hurrenez hurren. Orbelaren gain eroritako ur kantitatea (throughfall) handitzean, interzepzioa handitu zen, maximo batera heldu arte (2,5 mm kg-1 m2-koa haritzean eta 1,8 mm kg-1 m2-koa pinuan). Adaburu motak, berriz, ez zuen eragin esangarririk izan, haritz azpian, pinu azpian eta klaroetan orbelak antzeko interzepzioa aurkeztu zuelarik. Ur-erretentzio ahalmen maximoa haritzean handiagoa izan zen, 4,7 eta 5,6 mm kg-1 m2 artekoa pinuaren 2,8 eta 3,1 mm kg-1 m2 arteko balioen aurrean. Pinuaren balio horiek antzekoak izan ziren orbel geruzaren sakonera edozein zela ere, baina haritzean, orbel sakonera handiagoarekin balio baxuagoak lortu ziren. Bi espezieen artean behaturiko ezberdintasunek iradokitzen dute harizti naturalak pinu landaketez ordezkatzeak ziklo hidrologikoa aldaraz dezakeela.

Novel Evidence hat Attributing Affectively Salient Signal to Random Noise Is Associated with Psychosis

We wished to replicate evidence that an experimental paradigm of speech illusions is associated with psychotic experiences. Fifty-four patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) and 150 healthy subjects were examined in an experimental paradigm assessing the presence of speech illusion in neutral white noise. Socio-demographic, cognitive function and family history data were collected. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was administered in the patient group and the Structured Interview for Schizotypy-Revised (SIS-R), and the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) in the control group. Patients had a much higher rate of speech illusions (33.3% versus 8.7%, ORadjusted: 5.1, 95% CI: 2.3-11.5), which was only partly explained by differences in IQ (ORadjusted: 3.4, 95% CI: 1.4-8.3). Differences were particularly marked for signals in random noise that were perceived as affectively salient (ORadjusted: 9.7, 95% CI: 1.8-53.9). Speech illusion tended to be associated with positive symptoms in patients (ORadjusted: 3.3, 95% CI: 0.9-11.6), particularly affectively salient illusions (ORadjusted: 8.3, 95% CI: 0.7-100.3). In controls, speech illusions were not associated with positive schizotypy (ORadjusted: 1.1, 95% CI: 0.3-3.4) or self-reported psychotic experiences (ORadjusted: 1.4, 95% CI: 0.4-4.6). Experimental paradigms indexing the tendency to detect affectively salient signals in noise may be used to identify liability to psychosis.