INTRODUCTIONGestational hypertension (GH) is a common disorder during pregnancy that can progress to preeclampsia and cause various subsequent fatal complications. A cluster of enzymes, called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and its specific inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), have been reported to be involved in the pathophysiology of GH. The purpose of this study was to examine circulating levels of MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in pregnant women who had GH and those who were normotensive.

METHODSIn a case-control study, the total levels of MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in the sera of 108 pregnant patients were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. 54 patients with GH (test group) and 64 normotensive pregnant women (control group) were included in the study.

RESULTSWhile MMP-9 levels showed a high level of expression in the GH group (p = 0.085), TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 levels showed low levels of expression for the same. Weak positive correlations were found on correlation analysis between maternal age and TIMP-1 in the GH group (r = 0.278, p < 0.05), and between gestational age and TIMP-2 in the control group (r = 0.318, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONOur findings suggest that MMP-9 may be involved in the pathophysiology of GH. It may be of value to further evaluate MMP-9 as a potential biomarker for predicting preeclampsia in pregnant women.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; blood ; diagnosis ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; blood ; Pregnancy ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; blood ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; blood ; Young Adult

Objective: To elucidate the cytotoxic effect of the secondary metabolites of Barrientosiimonas humi (B. humi) on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells and its underlying mechanisms of action. Methods: The extract was obtained from the fermentation of B. humi and fractionation of the crude extract was conducted via column chromatography. Cytotoxicity of the B. humi extract was determined by using MTT assay and real-time cellular analysis. Morphological changes, cell cycle profiles, mode of cell death, and caspase expressions of control and treated breast cancer cells were determined. Results: The ethyl acetate extract isolated from B. humi was cytotoxic against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. One of the dichloromethane (DCM) fractions, designated as DCM-F2, exhibited the strongest activity among all the fractions and thereby was selected for further studies. DCM-F2 had selective cytotoxicity on target cells by inducing apoptosis, particularly in the early stage, and cell cycle arrest. Treated cells caused inhibition of cell cycle progression at 72 h leading to a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the G0/G1 population. DCM-F2 treated MDA-MB-231 cells showed caspase-dependent apoptosis, whereas DCM-F2 treated MCF-7 cells showed a caspase-independent apoptosis pathway. Five compounds were successfully isolated from B. humi. Cyclo (Pro-Tyr) was the most cytotoxic and selective compound against MCF-7 cells. Conclusions: B. humi ethyl acetate extract exhibits significant cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells via induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.

Purpose: Human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype and age distribution of HPV infection were crucial for the national vaccination and screening program planning. However, there was a limited study providing these data in the normal cervix population. This study aimed to explore the HPV genotypes profile of women with clinically normal cervix based on Visual Inspection of Acetic Acid (VIA) test. Materials and Methods: A 7-year cross-sectional study was conducted from 2012 to 2018 in private and public health care centers in Jakarta. Subjects were recruited consecutively. Data were collected by anamnesis, VIA, and HPV DNA test using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR; SPF10-DEIA-LiPA25) method. HPV genotyping procedures include DNA extraction, PCR (SPF10-DEIA-LiPA25) using the HPV XpressMatrix kit (PT KalGen DNA, East Jakarta, Indonesia), and hybridization. The IBM SPSS ver. 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) were used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 1,397 subjects were collected. Positive HPV-DNA tests were found in 52 subjects (3.7%); 67% were single and 33% were multiple HPV infections. HPV 52 was the most frequently detected HPV genotype, followed by HPV 39, 16, 18 74, 44, 31, 54, and 66, respectively. The highest HPV infections in this population were in the 31–40 and 41–50 years old group. Conclusion This study suggested beneficial screening for women aged 31–50 years old. Instead of “original” nonavalent (HPV 16, 18, 6, 11, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58), the different “nonavalent” formula for HPV vaccines protecting against HPV 16, 18, 6, 11, 31, 39, 44, 52, 74 might be useful for Indonesian population. However, further multicenter studies with a huge sample size are still needed.

Introduction: Sex shapes immune response with possible consequence on tumor immune escape. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) predominates in males while ovarian cancer (OC) occurs in females. NK cells essential for tumor killing may have male preponderance. Association of sex, NK cell activity and malignancies is unclear. We hypothesize that sex differentially affects KIR expressions in sex-biased cancers. Method: Expression of inhibitory (KIR2DL1-5 and KIR3DL1-3) and activating (KIR2DS1-2 and 4-5 and KIR3DS1) genes in B-, T-cell ALL, OC and normal controls were determined by reverse-transcription polymerase-chain-reaction. Result: All normal males (but not females) expressed the framework genes and generally maintained haplotype A, except KIR3DL1. Normal females expressed more activating KIRs. Frequencies of KIR2DL1, 2DL4 and 2DS2 were significantly reduced among ovarian cancer patients. Sex difference in frequencies of KIR expression was not detected in ALL as majority were undetectable except framework gene KIR3DL2, was more frequent among T-ALL. Conclusion: Cancers may be associated with reduced KIR expression and influence of sex requires investigation.