0000000001037235

AUTHOR

Giuseppa Capra

0000-0002-1407-7282

Oral HPV Infection: Current Strategies for Prevention and Therapy

Infection with High Risk (HR) Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) is the main aetiological agent of Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CSCC) and also associated in a subgroup of other neoplasms, including Oropharyngeal Squamous cell Carcinoma (OPSCC). HPV infection, in genital as in oral mucosa, can also be subclinical or associated with benign proliferative lesions (common warts, condylomas, papillomas) caused mostly by infection with Low Risk (LR)-HPVs. In the last decades, extensive research has resulted in growing knowledge on HPV biology and specifically viral life cycle, biochemical properties of viral proteins and their interaction with the host proteins leading to potential new targets of …

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Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Diagnosis and Control

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)—or sexually transmitted infections (STIs)—are generally acquired through sexual contact [...]

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A NEW CASE OF LOUSE-BORNE RELAPSING FEVER IN SICILY: CASE REPORT AND MINI REVIEW

Body lice transport B. recurrentis from man to man and humans are the only host. The presence of lice in Italy and an increasing number of cases in migrants can contribute to the onset of autochthonous cases. In this paper, we report a new case of Louse-borne Relapsing Fever (LBRF) diagnosed among migrants in Sicily exactly one year after the first case was recorded. We reviewed all cases reported in Europe from February 2016 until now. Our study identified two new cases of LBRF in migrants arrived in Europe: one who came from Somalia and one from Mali. Here we report data on a new case in Sicily. The number of migrants and refugees to transit in Sicily has increased, and this has led to th…

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Detection of oncogenic human papillomavirus genotypes on spermatozoa from male partners of infertile couples

Objective To evaluate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) sperm infection and its correlation with sperm parameters in patients who attended a fertility clinic. Design Cross-sectional clinical study. Setting University-affiliated reproductive medicine clinic. Patient(s) A total of 308 male partners of couples undergoing in vitro fertilization techniques. Intervention(s) Specimens of semen were collected from all patients. Main Outcome Measure(s) Sperm parameters were evaluated according to the World Health Organization manual. The presence of HPV DNA was researched by the combined use of two HPV assays and a highly sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction assay followed by HPV ge…

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Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance-favour reactive compared to atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance-favour dysplasia: association with cervical intraepithelial lesions and human papillomavirus infection.

Abstract Background and objectives: The current study compared the cervical cytological sub-category “atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance-favour reactive (AFR)”, recently recommended to be eliminated by the Bethesda system, to the sub-category “atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance-favour dysplasia (ASC-US)”, in terms of prevalence of coexistent squamous intraepithelial lesions of either low-grade (LSIL) or high-grade (HSIL) and rate of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Study design: One hundred women with AFR and 100 with ASC-US were consecutively included in the study. All patients underwent colposcopy, followed by biopsy when necessary, and were screen…

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Potential impact of a nonavalent HPV vaccine on HPV related low-and high-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions: A referral hospital-based study in Sicily

ABSTRACT While bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines have been used for about 10 years, a nonavalent vaccine against HPV types 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52 and 58 has been recently approved by FDA and EMA and is now commercially available. The objective of our study was to evaluate the potential impact of the nonavalent vaccine on HPV infection and related low- and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL, HSIL), compared to the impact of the quadrivalent vaccine, in a female population living in Sicily (Italy). Low estimates of HPV vaccine impact were calculated as prevalence of HPV 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52 and 58 genotypes, alone or in association, but excluding presence of other HPV ty…

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