The prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus in central Fujian Province during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Global human activities were significantly impacted by the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV infection in Central Fujian Province during the pandemic. METHODS: Cervical samples were collected from 21,612 outpatients and 12,664 females who underwent physical examinations and HPV screening at the People's Hospital of Fujian Province in Fuzhou from April 2020 to April 2023. HPV detection and genotyping were conducted using PCR hybridization. RESULTS: The overall HPV infection rate was 16.1% during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the outpatient group exhibiting a greater infection rate (19.0%) than did the healthy group (12.3%). The top five high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes in both groups were HPV52, HPV53, HPV58, HPV16, and HPV51. Additionally, HPV81 and HPV43 were the two most common low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) genotypes in the patient group, while HPV81 and HPV42 were the two most common LR-HPV genotypes in the healthy group. The highest prevalence of HPV infection was observed in individuals aged ≤ 24 years (28.4%, 95% CI 25.9-30.9), followed by those aged ≥ 55 years (23.6%, 95% CI 21.6-24.7) and other age groups. The prevalence decreased from 23.0% (95% CI 22.4-23.7) in 2018-2019 to 13.8% (95% CI 12.0-15.5) in 2023. CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable insights into the prevalence and genotypes of HPV infection in the female population of Central Fujian Province from 2020 to 2023. The findings indicate that the prevalence of HPV infection in Central Fujian Province remains relatively low compared to the national average. Furthermore, the prevalence of HPV decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, as the pandemic waned, there was potential for an increase in HPV infection rates. Therefore, it is crucial to strengthen HPV screening and vaccination strategies to prevent the potential spread of HPV.

Modified Culture System and Combination of FICTION Could Increase the Detection Rate of Abnormalities in Multiple Myeloma.

OBJECTIVE: Conventional karyotyping of multiple myeloma (MM) is hampered by the low mitotic index of plasma cells (PCs), and low proportion of PCs in some specimens may lead to false negative results in fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) detection. METHODS: Bone marrow cells were cultured in an ordinary medium for 24 h or in a medium containing 10 ng/mL IL-6 and 40 ng/mL GM-CSF for 6 d. Fluorescence immunophenotyping and interphase cytogenetics as a tool for the investigation of neoplasms (FICTION) was also conducted, combining CD138 fluorescent immunophenotype and FISH. RESULTS: Under modified culture conditions, the successful rate of culture and abnormality detection rate during karyotype analysis increased to 86.4% and 40.9%, respectively. The abnormality detection rate of FICTION (89.5%) was significantly higher than that of FISH (60.0%). The genetic abnormality detection rate increased to 92.3% when FICTION and karyotyping were conducted under modified culture conditions. CONCLUSION: The established modified culture system could improve karyotyping quality in MM. Due to its obvious advantages compared with FISH, FICTION is recommended for detecting genetic abnormalities in MM.