Alejandra Valdivia

Absence of human papillomavirus sequences in epithelial breast cancer in a Mexican female population.

The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in breast cancer is controversial. We evaluated 118 breast carcinomas and two paraffin-embedded tissues of lesions of the nipple of Mexican patients for HPV sequences. No carcinoma sample exhibited koilocytosis, in contrast to lesions of the nipple. We subjected purified DNAs to PCR employing two HPV16/E6 or GP5/6 primer set oligonucleotides. Results showed that HPV DNA sequences were absent in the breast tissues. Absence of HPV in breast carcinoma failed to support an association between HPV infection and this carcinoma.

Low frequency of human papillomavirus infection in conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma of Mexican patients

BackgroundThe relationship between Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection and conjunctiva cancer is controversial. HPV detection will provide more information about the role of this infectious agent in the biology of conjunctiva cancer. In the present study, DNA extracted and purified from 36 Conjunctival Squamous Cell Carcinomas (CSCC) was evaluated by PCR for HPV DNA sequences. The results were correlated with the clinical and histopathological variables.ResultsThe results showed that HPV DNA was present in 8 CSCC samples (22%); HPV16 was the sole type detected. Significant association was found between HPV detection and the limbus tumor subtype (p = 0.03). All the samples were non-metastatic squamous cell carcinoma.ConclusionsThe HPV presence in CSCC from Mexican patients is not a common event.

The neurofibromin 1 type I isoform predominance characterises female population affected by sporadic breast cancer: preliminary data

Aims Neurofibromin 1 (NF1) as a tumour suppressor gene can give rise to several transcripts by an alternative splicing event, generated at least for CELF cofactors. At present, the NF1 isoforms and CELF splicing transcripts in sporadic breast cancer are unknown. The aim of the authors was to detect NF1 gene expression, the NF1 isoform ratio and the CELF transcripts present in sporadic breast cancer. Methods Neurofibromin and RAS expression were analysed on tissue microarrays containing sporadic breast cancer (n=22), benign lesions (n=18, including six fibroadenomas, six fibrocystic changes and six ductal hyperplasias) and normal breast tissue (n=6) by immunohistochemistry assay. NF1 and CELF 3–6 RNA expression was performed by end point reverse transcription-PCR in the breast samples. Results NF1 and RAS expression in breast tissues showed no differential expression by immunohistochemistry results. Interestingly, the authors observed a shift transition in the isoform transcripts, from type II in normal breast tissue to type I isoform in breast carcinomas. CELF cofactor expression failed to be related with the shift transition of NF1 in breast tissues. Conclusions These data suggest that there is a tendency for an NF1 expression shift transition from type II to type I isoform, which could comprise a significant event in the development and progression of sporadic breast cancer. This shift transition may not be related with CELF cofactors.

Hox B4 as potential marker of non-differentiated cells in human cervical cancer cells

BackgroundCervical cancer (CC) is a common malignancy in women worldwide. Cervical tumorigenesis involves a multistep process in which accumulations of genetic alterations are present. Homeotic genes, such as HOX gene re-expression, have been reported in a wide variety of tumors.MethodsIn order to know the role of HOX B4 gene expression in CC, in the present study, two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, and time-of-flight mass spectrometry were used for differential screening of protein expression in CC. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on the cervical tissue microarray (TMA) to detect the Hox B4 protein.ResultsHox B4 peptide was detected among 15 increased spots differentially observed in CC. Using TMA, Hox B4 protein was also immunodetected in the nuclei of cervical epithelial tumor cells, while in normal cervical epithelium, it was absent. Interestingly, it was possible to detect the Hox B4 protein in the precursor lesions.ConclusionsHox B4 protein is present in the precursor lesions as CC cells, suggesting that Hox B4 could be a protein related to the neoplastic state (non-differentiated cells) of human cervical epithelium.

Prevalence of refractive errors in Mexican patients with keratoconus

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress.com/permissions.php Clinical Optometry 2015:7 39–44 Clinical Optometry Dovepress

HPV Could be a Potential Factor of Survival in Laryngeal Cancer: a Preliminary Study in Mexican Patients

Introduction: In Head and Neck (HN) cancer, the High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (hr HPV) infection has been associated in about 40% of these tumors. The hr HPV infection is one of the etiological factors of several epithelial tumors; however, its association with the prognosis has not yet been established for patients with Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LSCC). On the other hand, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is a molecular marker widely studied in cancer and its overexpression has been associated with poor prognosis in some types of cancer, including the HN cancer. In the present study, we analyzed EGFR expression and HPV detection in a cohort of Mexican patients with LSCC and define their association with clinical-pathological and survival parameters. Methods: EGFR expression analysis was performed by immunohistochemistry assay. A tissue array was constructed based on 30 paraffin-embedded tissue samples. HPV detection was performed by PCR. The results were then compared with the clinical-pathological variables and outcome measures (Kaplan Meier and Cox analysis). Results: High expression of EGFR was observed in 43% of the samples and 20% of HPV detection. The statistical analyses provided evidence of disassociation between clinical-pathological parameters and EGFR expression, but there was an association with poor prognosis. Interestingly, HPV detection is slightly associated with good prognosis. Conclusion: Both, EGFR overexpression and HPV presence could be associated with an unfavorable prognosis in patients with LSCC, independently of other clinical-pathological factors.