Detection of high-risk subtypes of human papillomavirus in cervical swabs: routine use of the Digene Hybrid Capture assay and polymerase chain reaction analysis.

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are major causative agents in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer, and more than twenty types are associated with its development. With the introduction of liquid-based preparation systems, it is envisaged that large-scale HPV testing will be established in the near future. Preliminary studies demonstrate the accessibility of these samples for DNA testing using both the Digene Hybrid Capture assay (DHCA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. This study aims to assess the validity and sensitivity of the DHCA system to detect high-risk HPV DNA, using two sets of HPV consensus primers (Gp5+/Gp6+ and MY09/MY11) in tandem with routine assessment of cervical smear and biopsy samples. Results indicate that the combination of DHCA and PCR detects more high-grade lesions than does the DHCA alone. DHCA-negative cases were categorised by subsequent PCR amplification into low-grade HPV-negative (12/16) cervical lesions and high-grade HPV-positive (7/9) cervical lesions. Gp5+/Gp6+ primers were less sensitive in detecting HPV-positive samples than was the MY09/MY11 primer set. These results support the use of high-risk HPV testing by DHCA, with subsequent analysis of DHCA-negative samples by PCR using the MY09/MY11 primers.

Antigenic characterization of Nephrops norvegicus (L.) hepatopancreas cells.

During this work structural, differentiation and proliferation antigenic markers developed for mammals were applied in paraffin sections of Nephrops norvegicus (L.) hepatopancreas. The purpose was to establish standards for the characterization of invertebrate cells in vitro. Antibody concentration was optimized for quantification of cell proliferation. There are no antibodies specific for crustaceans on the market. An avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase method was used to visualize cell antigen expression. The immunocytochemical results indicate that the epithelium in the Nephrops hepatopancreas digestive tubules does express cytokeratins and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. The results of this work indicate that some mammalian antibodies cross-react with crustacean epitopes. This may facilitate cell characterization of cell types cultured in vitro.

Variations in immunohistochemical detection of p53 protein overexpression in cervical carcinomas with different antibodies and methods of detection.

Immunocytochemical detection of p53 protein products in paraffin sections is possible with a number of antisera, monoclonal and polyclonal. Few corroborative results amongst different laboratories have been published due to variations in the antibodies, the fixation protocols, and the immunocytochemical methods applied. Antigen unmasking methods employing microwaves or proteolytic enzymes add to the disparity in the percentage of positive cases reported. In this study, paraffin sections of 55 cases of cervical carcinoma were immunostained with monoclonal antibodies p53-DO7 and p53-1801 (a) without section pretreatment, (b) with pronase digestion, and (c) with microwave antigen retrieval in citric acid buffer. Specimens fixed in buffered formalin required antigen unmasking to show positive staining. Pronase digestion caused false-negative immunostaining. Microwave pretreatment with p53-DO7 yielded 100 per cent positivity for p53 proteins but only 7/55 cases with more than 50 per cent positive cells. Monoclonal antibody p53-DO7 detected more positive cases than p53-1801. Immunostaining with antibodies to p53 proteins must be interpreted cautiously as variations in fixation, antibodies, and section pretreatment will significantly affect results.