Some types of papilloma virus might prevent cervical cancer

Certain types of papilloma virus might actually prevent cervical cancer, according to a new study by researchers from The University of Manchester

2013-04-10

(Press-News.org) Certain types of papilloma virus might actually prevent cervical cancer, according to a new study by researchers from The University of Manchester. There are over 100 different types of human papilloma virus (HPV). Cervical cancer is known to be caused by infection with approximately 14 so-called "high-risk" types of this virus. Researchers from Manchester looked at the different types of HPV found in cervical smears and invasive cervical cancers from HIV positive and HIV negative women in Kenya. They found high numbers of a specific type of HPV (type 53) in normal cervical smears from HIV positive women, but this was rarely found in HIV negative women. This sub-type was also never found in cervical cancers from either HIV positive or negative women. Dr Ian Hampson, a Senior Lecturer in Viral Oncology from The University of Manchester who lead the study, said: "It is well known that HIV increases the number of different types of HPV found in any one patient which implies that HIV opens the door for infection with multiple types of HPV. If only high-risk types are present these will undoubtedly accelerate progression to cancer whereas if other types (eg type 53) are also present they may actually compete with the high-risk types to inhibit progression to cervical cancer." There are 270,000 deaths from cervical cancer globally each year with 85% of these occurring in countries with low resources. In Kenya it is the most common malignancy accounting for between 18 and 23 per cent of all diagnosed cases of cancer. The study looked at women at samples taken from women in Kenya and results were analysed at The University of Manchester's Viral Oncology Laboratories based at the Saint Mary's Hospital. Completed by Dr Ian Hampson, Dr Lynne Hampson and Dr Innocent Orora Maranga the results have been published in The Open Virology Journal. Dr Hampson said the study suggested one possible explanation for why, in spite of a large increase in the numbers of HPV infections in HIV positive African women, there was not a corresponding increase in numbers of cases of cervical cancer. This could also explain why another African study had actually shown the risk of developing one specific type of cervical cancer actually dropped in HIV-positive women, he said. The researchers now plan to do more research in this area. "Our study was quite small and more research with larger sample numbers is now needed," Dr Hampson said. "We also need to work out exactly how one type of HPV might suppress the cancer causing properties of another. If it can be proved that HPV type 53 can inhibit the cancer-causing properties of other high-risk types of HPV, this could potentially form the basis of a simple biological therapy to prevent this disease. This could be extremely useful in low resource countries who cannot afford expensive HPV vaccines." ### Notes to Editors: The work was published in the Open Virology Journal and was funded by the Humane Research Trust, The Janice Cholerton Post Graduate Support Fund, The Caring Cancer Trust, The Cancer Prevention Research Trust and United in Cancer UK. Dr Maranga was part-funded by awards from the International Atomic Energy Association and Wellbeing of Women. To view the article, please click here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3594704/ For further information contact or to request an interview with Dr Hampson, please contact: Alison Barbuti
Media Relations
Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences
The University of Manchester
Tel: 0161 275 8383
Email: alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk

The University of Manchester The University of Manchester, a member of the Russell Group, is one of the largest and most popular universities in the UK. It has 20 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance. According to the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, The University of Manchester is one of the country's major research institutions, rated third in the UK in terms of 'research power'. The University had an annual income of £809 million in 2010/11. (http://www.manchester.ac.uk)

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a leading provider of specialist healthcare services in Manchester, treating more than a million patients every year. Its eight specialist hospitals (Manchester Royal Infirmary, Saint Mary's Hospital, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, University Dental Hospital of Manchester and Trafford Hospitals) are home to hundreds of world class clinicians and academic staff committed to finding patients the best care and treatments. (http://www.cmft.nhs.uk) END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

IU study: Feelings of power can diffuse effects of negative stereotypes

2013-04-10

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- New research from social psychologists at Indiana University Bloomington suggests that feeling powerful might protect against the debilitating effects of negative stereotypes. "If you can make women feel powerful, then maybe you can protect them from the consequences of stereotype threat," IU social psychologist Katie Van Loo said. In new work, Van Loo and Robert Rydell, social psychologists in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the IU College of Arts and Sciences, brought the study of these two social forces -- power and stereotypes ...

Redesigned material could lead to lighter, faster electronics

2013-04-10

COLUMBUS, Ohio—The same material that formed the first primitive transistors more than 60 years ago can be modified in a new way to advance future electronics, according to a new study. Chemists at The Ohio State University have developed the technology for making a one-atom-thick sheet of germanium, and found that it conducts electrons more than ten times faster than silicon and five times faster than conventional germanium. The material's structure is closely related to that of graphene—a much-touted two-dimensional material comprised of single layers of carbon atoms. ...

UNC researchers engineer 'protein switch' to dissect role of cancer's key players

2013-04-10

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have "rationally rewired" some of the cell's smallest components to create proteins that can be switched on or off by command. These "protein switches" can be used to interrogate the inner workings of each cell, helping scientists uncover the molecular mechanisms of human health and disease. In the first application of this approach, the UNC researchers showed how a protein called Src kinase influences the way cells extend and move, a previously unknown role that is consistent ...

Co-Q10 deficiency may relate to concern with statin drugs, higher risk of diabetes

2013-04-10

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A laboratory study has shown for the first time that coenzyme Q10 offsets the cellular changes that are linked to a side-effect of some statin drugs - an increased risk of adult-onset diabetes. Statins are some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the world, able to reduce LDL, or "bad" cholesterol levels, and the risk of heart attacks or other cardiovascular events. However, their role in raising the risk of diabetes has only been observed and studied in recent years. The possibility of thousands of statin-induced diabetics is a growing concern, ...

Forum tackles the rising costs, challenges and diminished outcomes associated with treating obese patients for orthopaedic conditions

2013-04-10

The obesity epidemic in America and its impact on musculoskeletal health, as well as related treatment outcomes and costs, was discussed during the AAOS Now forum, "Obesity, Orthopaedics and Outcomes," at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) at McCormick Place in Chicago. "From 1960 to 2000, the rate of obesity more than doubled in the United States," said Frank B. Kelly, MD, AAOS Now editorial board member and forum moderator. "By 2010, more than 72 million of U.S. adults were obese, and no state had an obesity rate of less ...

New therapy for fragile X chromosome syndrome discovered

2013-04-10

This press release is available in Spanish. Researchers at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and the Achucarro neurosciences centre have discovered a new therapy for the fragile X chromosome syndrome. This new therapy proposes the modulation of the cerebral endocannabinoid system in order to ameliorate the symptoms of the disease. "Clearly, a cure as such is not going to be achieved, as it involves a disease of genetic origin, but the fact that, by manipulating in a certain way at a cerebral level in order to obtain an improvement in the symptoms of the disease ...

Metagenomics used to identify organisms in outbreaks of serious infectious disease

2013-04-10

Researchers have been able to reconstruct the genome sequence of an outbreak strain of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC), which caused over 50 deaths in Germany, using an approach known as metagenomics which bypasses the need for growing bacteria in the lab. An international team coordinated by Mark Pallen, Professor of Microbial Genomics at Warwick Medical School, was able to reconstruct the genome sequence through the direct sequencing of DNA extracted from microbiologically complex samples. The study, published in a genomics-themed issue of JAMA on 10 April, ...

1 in 5 seniors on risky meds; more in US South

2013-04-10

More than 1 in 5 seniors with Medicare Advantage plans received a prescription for a potentially harmful "high risk medication" in 2009, according to a newly published analysis by Brown University public health researchers. The questionable prescriptions were significantly more common in the Southeast region of the country, as well as among women and people living in relatively poor areas. The demographic trends in the analysis, based on Medicare data from more than 6 million patients, suggest that differences in the rates of prescription of about 110 medications deemed ...

X-rays reveal coexisting structures in glass

2013-04-10

This press release is available in German. The craft of glassmaking extends way back in time. It was over five-thousand years ago when mankind learned how to make glass. Even prior to this discovery, humans had been using naturally occurring glass for tool making. Despite this long and rich history and widespread use of glass, surprisingly little is known about the interplay between the mechanical properties of glasses and their inner structures. For the first time, researchers from Amsterdam University (The Netherlands) and DESY have now monitored subtle structural ...

Eating solid food early sets marmosets on path to obesity

2013-04-10

SAN ANTONIO (April 10, 2013) — Baby marmoset monkeys that began eating solid food earlier than their peers were significantly more likely to be obese at 1 year of age, scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute found. This early life obesity resulted in metabolic damage such as insulin resistance and poor blood sugar control, a companion study showed. Marmosets on track for obesity appeared to be more efficient in their feeding behavior. "Although all animals consumed the same amount of ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Insilico Medicine and Taigen achieves license agreement to develop and commercialize AI-driven PHD inhibitor for anemia of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)