Use of FTA card for dry collection, transportation and storage of cervical cell specimen to detect high-risk HPV

BACKGROUND

The FTA elute micro card, which enable the collection, transport, and archiving of DNA could be an attractive alternative to a liquid based collection system for detection of human papillomavirus (HPV).

OBJECTIVES

To develop a method based on the FTA elute micro card for dry collection of cervical epithelial cell samples, suitable for subsequent PCR-based HPV testing.

STUDY DESIGN

The method was evaluated by a comparison of the DNA collected by cytobrush and the regular FTA elute micro card from 50 cervical cell samples. The method was then used to estimate the DNA amount in 1040 samples applied to the indicating FTA elute micro card.

RESULT

The agreement in HPV positivity between the cytobrush and FTA samples (94%) was excellent (kappa=0.88, 95% CI 0.748-1). All the 1040 samples on the indicating FTA card had sufficient amounts of genomic DNA (>10 copies of a single copy gene) to be suitable for HPV typing. In 53 of the 1040 women the day in the menstrual cycle was noted, and the copy number during follicular phase day 9-13 was found to be statistically significantly lower than for the other three stages in the menstrual cycle (day 4-8, 14, >14) and during menopause.

CONCLUSION

The indicating FTA elute micro card represents a suitable medium for collection of cervical cell samples, although follow-up studies are needed to verify the detection of low frequency HPV types.

Comparison between the Hybrid Capture 2 and the hpVIR real-time PCR for detection of human papillomavirus in women with ASCUS or low grade dysplasia

BACKGROUND

Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is an important part of cervical carcinoma screening, and the most widely used assay for detection of HPV is Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2).

OBJECTIVES

We compare the HC2 with the real-time PCR hpVIR assay for detection of HPV in follow-up smears of 398 women diagnosed with atypical squamous cells of unknown significance (ASCUS) or low grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 1) in their initial smear.

STUDY DESIGN

The two assays target the same set of high-risk (HR) HPVs with exception of HPV68. hpVIR identify individual or groups of HPV types as well as their viral load, while HC2 identify HR HPVs without specification of type.

RESULTS

34% (131/391) of the women were positive with HC2 and 45% (175/391) with hpVIR. 16% (63/391) were positive only with hpVIR and among those with cytology available 6% (3/52) had a CIN 2. The 3% (13/391) of women positive only with HC2 either contained low-risk HPVs or copy numbers below the cut-off for the hpVIR assay.

CONCLUSION

The hpVIR assay has a similar sensitivity and specificity as HC2, but hpVIR detect a higher frequency of high-risk HPV infections.

Regional assignments of NP and MPI on chromosome 7 in pig, Sus scrofa

Fibroblasts from a pig with a spontaneous reciprocal translocation involving chromosome 7, were used to prepare a set of pig-mouse somatic cell hybrids. The isozyme analysis strongly indicated that in pigs, the NP (nucleoside phosphorylase) gene is located on the distal part of the long arm of chromosome 7, (q21----qter), while the MPI (mannose phosphate isomerase) gene is in the region q21----pter. This confirmed previously reported chromosomal assignment of these genes in pigs and that this synteny has been evolutionarily conserved in several different animal species.

Further data on chromosomal assignments of pig enzyme loci LDHA, LDHB, MPI, PEPB and PGM1, using somatic cell hybrids

Clear interspecies differentiation between the chromosomes in pig-mouse somatic cell hybrids was achieved by using the THA-technique for the cytogenetic analysis. The assignments of LDHB and MPI to pig chromosomes nos 5 and 7 respectively, reported previously, were confirmed by analysis of 34 hybrid clones. The LDHA, PEPB and PGM1 genes were assigned to pig chromosomes nos 2, 5 and 6 respectively. Both LDHB and PEPB were indicated to be located on the long arm, except the most proximal part, of pig chromosome no. 5. The proposed synteny between LDHB and PEPB in pigs is in accordance with the synteny observed between these two loci in several other mammalian species.