BACKGROUND: Cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC), the most common subtype of cervical cancer, is primarily caused by the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and genetic susceptibility. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has been widely used in CESC research to uncover the diversity of cell types and states within tumor tissues, enabling a detailed study of the tumor microenvironment (TME). This technology allows precise mapping of HPV infection in cervical tissues, providing valuable insights into the initiation and progression of HPV-mediated malignant transformation. METHODS: We performed the scRNA-seq to characterize gene expression in tumor tissues and paired adjacent para-cancerous tissues from four patients with early-stage CESC using the 10× Genomics platform. The HPV infection and its subtypes were identified using the scRNA data and viral sequence mapping, and trajectory analyses were performed using HPV+ or HPV- cells. Interactions between different types of keratinized cells and their interactions with other cell types were identified, and pathways and specificity markers were screened for proliferating keratinized cells. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was used to verify the prognostic correlation between tumor-specific PI3+S100A7+ keratinocyte infiltration and CESC, and the localization relationship between PI3+S100A7+ keratinocytes and macrophages was verified by immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: Various types of keratinocytes and fibroblasts were the two cell types with the most significant differences in percentage between the tumor tissue samples and paired adjacent non-cancerous tissue samples in the early stages of CESC. We found that PI3+S100A7+ keratinocytes were associated with early HPV-positive CESC, and PI3+S100A7+ keratinocytes were more abundant in tumors than in adjacent normal tissues in the TCGA-CESC dataset. Analysis of clinical information revealed that the infiltration of PI3+S100A7+ keratinocytes was notably higher in tumors with poor prognosis than in those with good prognosis. Additionally, multiplex immunofluorescence analysis showed a specific increase in PI3+S100A7+ expression within tumor tissues, with PI3+S100A7+ keratinocytes and CD163+ macrophages being spatially very close to each other. In the analysis of cell-cell interactions, macrophages exhibited strong crosstalk with PI3+S100A7+ proliferating keratinocytes in HPV-positive CESC tumors, mediated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF), CCL2, CXCL8, and IL10, highlighting the dynamic and tumor-specific enhancement of macrophage-keratinocyte interactions, which are associated with poor prognosis and immune modulation. Using CIBERSORTx, we discovered that patients with high infiltration of both PI3+S100A7+ proliferating keratinocytes and macrophages had the shortest overall survival. In the analysis of cell-cell interactions, PI3+S100A7+ proliferating keratinocytes and macrophages were found to be involved in highly active pathways that promote differentiation and structure formation, including cytokine receptor interactions, the Nuclear Factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling pathway, and TNF signaling pathway regulation. Further subtyping of fibroblast populations identified four subtypes. The C1 group, characterized by its predominance in tumor tissues, is a subtype enriched with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), whereas the C3 group is primarily enriched in adjacent non-cancerous tissues and consists of undifferentiated cells. Moreover, the distinct molecular and cellular differences between HPV16- and HPV66-associated tumors were demonstrated, emphasizing the unique tumor-promoting mechanisms and microenvironmental influences driven by each HPV subtype. CONCLUSIONS We discovered a heterogeneous population of keratinocytes between tumor and adjacent non-cancerous tissues caused by HPV infection and identified macrophages and specific CAFs that play a crucial role during the early stage in promoting the inflammatory response and remodeling the cancer-promoting TME. Our findings provide new insights into the transcriptional landscape of early-stage CESC to understand the mechanism of HPV-mediated malignant transformation in cervical cancer.
Humans ; Female ; Papillomavirus Infections/genetics* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology* ; Keratinocytes/metabolism* ; Single-Cell Analysis/methods* ; Tumor Microenvironment/genetics*

Objective:To explore the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection membrane protein (LMP) 1 or LMP2 specific T cell immune response and clinical significance in stage III-IVa nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), aiming to provide ideas and evidence for immunotherapy in NPC.Methods:Fifty-nine NPC patients admitted to the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February 2018 to October 2020 for primary treatment were collected. Peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs) were stimulated by LMP antigen. Intracellular cytokine staining and flow cytometry were applied to study the expression levels of IL-2, IL-13, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) from CD4 + T and CD8 + T cells, and then analyzed in conjunction with clinical factors. Results:The positive rates of total PBMCs to LMP1 and LMP2 in NPC patients were different. The positive rate of LMP1 specific CD4 + T cells was statistically higher in stage T 3-T 4 NPC than that in stage T 1-T 2 (51.0% vs. 10.0%, P=0.042). There were also differences in the expression of cytokines between LMP1 and LMP2, CD4 +T cells and CD8 +T cells. Survival analysis showed the 2-year and 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were 91.5% and 88.2%, and the 2-year and 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 83.3% and 75.3%. Univariate analysis suggested that smoking history, male and LMP1 stimulated IL-13 positive expression in CD4 + T cells affected the disease progression ( P=0.026, 0.045 and 0.006); multivariate analysis showed LMP1 stimulated IL-13 positive expression in CD4 + T cells and smoking history were the independent prognostic factors affecting PFS ( P=0.017, 0.019). Conclusions:LMP1 and LMP2 generate specific T-cell immune response in PBMCs of NPC patients, with differential expression in two T-cell subsets. LMP1 and LMP2 specific T cell immune response is associated with primary tumor size and metastatic lymph node volume. LMP1 stimulated IL-13 positive expression in CD4 + T cells and smoking history affects the disease progression.

Advances in novel drugs, therapies, and genetic techniques have revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of cancers, substantially improving cancer patients' prognosis. Although rare tumors account for a non-negligible number, the practice of precision medicine and development of novel therapies are largely hampered by many obstacles. Their low incidence and drastic regional disparities result in the difficulty of informative evidence-based diagnosis and subtyping. Sample exhaustion due to difficulty in diagnosis also leads to a lack of recommended therapeutic strategies in clinical guidelines, insufficient biomarkers for prognosis/efficacy, and inability to identify potential novel therapies in clinical trials. Herein, by reviewing the epidemiological data of Chinese solid tumors and publications defining rare tumors in other areas, we proposed a definition of rare tumor in China, including 515 tumor types with incidences of less than 2.5/100 000 per year. We also summarized the current diagnosis process, treatment recommendations, and global developmental progress of targeted drugs and immunotherapy agents on the status quo. Lastly, we pinpointed the current recommendation chance for patients with rare tumors to be involved in a clinical trial by NCCN. With this informative report, we aimed to raise awareness on the importance of rare tumor investigations and guarantee a bright future for rare tumor patients.
Humans ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Biomarkers ; Prognosis ; Oceans and Seas ; China/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVE:To prepare Levofloxacin and triamcinolone acetonide double-loaded ophthalmic gel. METHODS:Us-ing levofloxacin hydrochloride and triamcinolone acetonide as main components,carbopol-940P as base material,HPMC K4M as tackifier,Levofloxacin and triamcinolone acetonide double-loaded ophthalmic gel was prepared. Using dissolution time as index, the contents of carbopol-940P and HPMC K4M were determined by single factor test,and dissolution time,viscosity and the con-tents of 2 main components were also determined. RESULTS:The concentrations of carbopol-940P and HPMC K4M were 0.4%and 1.2%,separately. The dissolution time was more than 24 h and viscosity was 1 142.67 Pa·s. The content of levofloxacin hydro-chloride was 97.3% of labelled amount (RSD=0.84%,n=3),and that of triamcinolone acetonide was 92.97% of labelled amount(RSD=1.32%,n=3). CONCLUSIONS:Levofloxacin and triamcinolone acetonide double-loaded ophthalmic gel has been prepared successfully.