Human papillomavirus prevalence and genotype distribution among Turkish women with or without cervical lesion

Context: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main cause of cervical cancer, but the risk is associated with the various HPV genotypes which may be found in women with or without clinical findings. Aims: We aimed to identify HPV prevalence and genotype distribution in women with or without cervical lesions admitted to Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinics of one of the largest private hospitals in Istanbul between 2013 and 2017. Subjects and Methods: In the present study, cervical cytobrush samples collected from 2464 women with different cytological conditions, and investigated for the presence of HPV, and the different genotypes. Results were evaluated based on the HPV positivity in different cytological findings, and ages. Furthermore, distribution of high-risk (HR) and low-risk (LR) genotypes in different groups was investigated. Results: Among all participants, 1925 (78.1%) was with the normal cytological condition, 354 (14.4%) with ASC-US; 151 (6.1%) with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), and 34 (1.4%) with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). Our results showed that 649 out of 2464 patients (26.3%) were positive, and 1815 (73.7%) were negative for the presence of HPV. Among 649 positive patients, 223 (34.3%) were found positive for more than one genotype. HPV 16 was found the most common HR-HPV type in ASC-US and LSIL whereas HPV 18 was the most common in HSIL. HPV 6 was found the most common LR-HPV type in ASC-US and LSIL whereas HPV 11 was the most common in HSIL. 26.9% of women <50 years old, and 22.3% of women ?50 years old was positive for HPV. The most common HR-HPV genotype was 16 in both groups with (19%) or without (17%) abnormal cytology. Conclusions: We concluded that HPV prevalence and genotype distribution in women with or without clinical findings is an important predictor of cervical cancer.

Allergic rhinitis in Rosa domescena cultivators: a novel type of occupational allergy?

After the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis due to Rosa domescena was suspected in one subject with skin prick and nasal provocation tests, we recruited all other workers employed in rose cultivation in Yakaören village, Isparta. From May 2000 to July 2000 (exposure period 'time of rose handling'), we studied 600 individuals employed in rose cultivation. A questionnaire was administered by a physician, and skin testing was done by a nurse on 75 individuals suffering from asthma and/or rhinitis. Sera from these 75 subjects were available for immunologic testing. The diagnosis of atopy against rose was based on the presence of work-related symptoms, positive skin prick test (SPT) with rose extracts, and positive RAST. While no subject reported asthmatic symptoms, twenty of them reported either rhino-conjunctivitis, rhinitis or both on exposure to Rosa domescena. Fourteen of these subjects had increased specific IgE levels to Rosa domescena. Eleven (78.5%) also had a positive skin reaction to Rosa domescena. Out of the six negative sera with normal specific IgE levels to rose, only two (33.3%) had positive skin reactivity. No subject had significant daily peak expiratoy flow rate (PEFR) variations. We conclude that exposure to Rosa domescena may represent a risk for allergic rhinitis. The possibility of an occupational rose allergy should therefore be taken into consideration in the subjects working in rose cultivation.