Biomedical reports最新文献

{"title":"Association of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA gene mutations with clinicopathological features, prognosis and ring finger protein 215 expression in patients with colorectal cancer","authors":"Jing-Bo Wu, Xiao-Jing Li, Hui Liu, Yong-Juan Liu, Xiu-Ping Liu","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1686","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2023.1686","url":null,"abstract":"The relationships of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA gene mutations with the clinicopathological features and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) in patient are lacking. Furthermore, the role of ring finger protein 215 (RNF215) in CRC patients with KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA mutations remains unclear. In the present study, 182 surgical resection specimens from patients with primary CRC for retrospective analysis, were collected. KRAS/NRAS/BRAF/PIK3CA gene mutations were confirmed by an amplification‑refractory mutation system. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted to confirm KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA protein expression. RNF215 expression in patients with CRC was evaluated using TIMER 2.0 database and IHC. The individual mutation rates of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA were 40.7% (74/182), 4.4% (8/182), 4.4% (8/182) and 3.3% (6/182), respectively. The KRAS exon 2 mutation rate was the highest (61.5%, 64/104), and these mutations mainly occurred at codons 12 and 13. KRAS/NRAS/BRAF/PIK3CA wild‑type CRC patients had significantly longer overall survival and disease‑free survival than mutated KRAS/NRAS/BRAF/PIK3CA CRC patients (P<0.05). Overall, 45.4% (5/11) of patients with PIK3CA mutations had concomitant KRAS mutations. The KRAS/NRAS/BRAF/PIK3CA gene mutation rate in patients with lymph node metastasis (76.1%, 35/46) was significantly higher than that in patients without lymph node metastasis (50.8%, 69/136) (P=0.0027). There were no significant differences in IHC expression between patients with and without KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA mutations (P>0.05). The TIMER 2.0 analysis showed that RNF215 expression was significantly higher in the mutated BRAF group than in the wild‑type BRAF group in CRC (P<0.05). In conclusion, KRAS is the most commonly mutated gene, and KRAS mutations may be a poor prognostic factor for patients with CRC. KRAS wild‑type patient resistance may be related to PIK3CA gene mutations, although this needs further verification in larger cohorts. BRAF mutations may be associated with RNF215 expression in patients with CRC.","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"40 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135813321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diagnostic accuracy of optic nerve sheath diameter on ultrasound for the detection of increased intracranial pressure in patients with traumatic brain injury: A systematic review and meta‑analysis","authors":"Weiting Chen, Xia Zhang, Xiuxiu Ye, Pan Ying","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2023.1685","url":null,"abstract":"The timely diagnosis and treatment of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) reduces morbidity rates and prevents mortality. The aim of the present systematic review and meta‑analysis was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) vs. standard invasive ICP measurements in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for studies including adult patients with TBI with suspected elevated ICP, and the sonographic ONSD measurements were compared with those from a standard invasive method. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies‑2 tool by two independent authors. A bivariate random effects model was used to summarize the pooled sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). A total of eight prospective studies with 222 patients with TBI were included. The pooled sensitivity was 0.82 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75‑0.88], the specificity was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.71‑0.90) and the DOR was 17.75 (95% CI, 7.02‑44.83) with partial evidence of heterogeneity. The accuracy of the area under the summary ROC was 0.87. An ultrasound‑determined elevated ICP has reasonable performance indicators with high sensitivity and specificity in patients with TBI. As such, this method may be a useful complementary monitoring tool in acute care.","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"1 ","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136068062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polydatin alleviates sepsis‑induced acute lung injury via downregulation of Spi‑B","authors":"Qingwu Liao, Fang Li, Mingming Xue, Wenan Chen, Zhengang Tao, Yuejiao Song, Ying Yuan","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1684","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2023.1684","url":null,"abstract":"Sepsis‑induced acute lung injury (ALI) is related to the dysregulation of inflammatory responses. Polydatin supplement was reported to exhibit anti‑inflammatory effects in several diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the role of polydatin in sepsis‑induced ALI. A cecum ligation and puncture (CLP)‑induced mouse ALI model was established first and the pathological changes of lung tissues were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Meanwhile, to mimic sepsis‑induced ALI <em>in vitro</em>, pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Pro‑inflammatory cytokines levels were measured in lung tissues and PMVECs using ELISA. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR was used to measure the mRNA levels of Spi‑B in lung tissues and PMVECs. Moreover, the expression levels of Spi‑B, p‑PI3K, p‑Akt, and p‑NF‑κB in lung tissues and PMVECs were determined using western blotting. The data revealed that polydatin attenuated CLP‑induced lung injury and inhibited sepsis‑induced inflammatory responses in mice. Furthermore, polydatin significantly inhibited the expression of Spi‑B, p‑PI3K, p‑Akt, and p‑NF‑κB in lung tissues of mice subjected to CLP‑induced ALI, while this phenomenon was reversed through Spi‑B overexpression. Consistently, the anti‑inflammatory effect of polydatin was abolished by Spi‑B overexpression. Taken together, the current findings revealed that polydatin alleviated sepsis‑induced ALI via the downregulation of Spi‑B.","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"52 4","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136382025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sleep apnea syndrome associated with gonadal hormone imbalance (Review)","authors":"Cristian Cojocaru, Elena Cojocaru, Luiza-Simona Pohaci‑Antonesei, Catalin-Alexandru Pohaci‑Antonesei, Stefan Dumitrache‑Rujinski","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1683","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2023.1683","url":null,"abstract":"Patients with obstructive sleep apnea exhibit an increased risk of developing gonadal disorders. Because a notable number of people worldwide have sleep respiratory and reproductive disorders, it is essential to recognize the association between local upper airway dysfunction and its gonadal effects. Repeated breathing pauses cause sleep fragmentation, disorganization of sleep cycles and stages, sympathetic activation, intermittent hypoxemia and systemic inflammation. Nocturnal intermittent hypoxemia has a direct central effect on neurotransmitters, with disturbances in the normal production of hypothalamic‑pituitary hormones. Awakenings and micro‑awakenings at the end of apneic episodes produce a central stress responsible for hormonal changes and subsequent endocrine imbalances. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) on gonadal hormonal homeostasis and its consequences. Recognizing and understanding how local upper airway dysfunction causes gonadal imbalance may facilitate better care for patients with OSAS. Although there may be a direct relationship between sleep‑disordered breathing and gonadal function mediated by hormones via the hypothalamic-pituitary‑gonadal axis, to date, current therapies have not been effective.","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135113209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Linear and non‑linear indices of vagal nerve in relation to sex and inflammation in patients with Covid‑19.","authors":"Luba Hunakova,&nbsp;Peter Sabaka,&nbsp;Milan Zvarik,&nbsp;Iveta Mikolaskova,&nbsp;Yori Gidron,&nbsp;Maria Bucova","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1662","DOIUrl":"10.3892/br.2023.1662","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hyperinflammation is one of the most important pathophysiological risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19). Low vagal neuro-immune modulation can lead into this kind of immune dysregulation. The association between vagal activity, sex and inflammatory markers were investigated in patients with Covid-19. A total of 19 patients with Covid-19 were included in the present study. Vagus nerve activity was indexed by heart rate variability (HRV) derived from electrocardiogram at hospital admission. Linear HRV parameters included the root mean square of successive RR interval differences (RMSSD) and high-frequency HRV (HF-HRV), while non-linear parameters included 2 UV%. Immune/inflammatory parameters included C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic inflammatory index (SII), and procalcitonin (PCT). It has been revealed that both linear HRV indices HF-HRV and RMSSD, are significantly negatively correlated with CRP and IL-6, independent of age. The non-linear index of 2 UV% is significantly negatively correlated with NLR and SII, which reflect subtle changes in the response of immunocompetent cells. Patients that received high-flow nasal oxygen therapy had significantly higher IL-6 and CRP levels and lower levels of HF-HRV and RMSSD. These patients also had a significantly longer length of stay in hospital (LOS) than patients receiving low-flow oxygen therapy. Men had higher plasma PCT levels and longer LOS in hospital than women, and PCT statistically explained (mediated) the association between sex and LOS. The present study showed different correlations of linear and non-linear vagal indexes of HRV and inflammatory markers in patients with Covid-19. Significant sex differences in certain inflammatory markers were also observed, which may very well verify previous findings of poor prognosis in men with Covid-19. HRV reflects a continuous interaction between the sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nervous systems, which are affected by mental or physical stress, and certain disease states. The increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic vagal tone contribute to a higher risk of diseases associated with inflammation, cardiovascular disease, cancer, pulmonary diseases and other pathologies, including infectious diseases such as Covid-19. The present study showed that higher RMSSD (a marker of vagal activity) in Covid-19 patients is associated with lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers, a lower need for treatment and is negatively correlated with intensive care unit admission, leading to a shorter hospital stay. These findings support the idea that activation of vagus nerve may help certain Covid-19 patients by reducing the cytokine storm and excessive inflammation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"19 5","pages":"80"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/37/41/br-19-05-01662.PMC10565716.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41189936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associations of leptin receptors and miRNA polymorphisms with susceptibility to hypertension.","authors":"Young Ree Kim,&nbsp;Seung-Ho Hong","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1661","DOIUrl":"10.3892/br.2023.1661","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Leptin receptors (LEPR) are located in the central nervous system and other tissues including adipocytes and endothelial cells, where they play a key role in mediating the effects of leptin. MicroRNA (miR/miRNA)-27a and miR-155 have been shown to play an important role in the regulation of LEPR expression and are differentially expressed in various diseases. Therefore, the present study analyzed potential associations of LEPR deletion/insertion (Del/Ins), miR-27aA>G (rs895819) and miR-155T>A (rs767649) polymorphisms with a predisposition to hypertension (HTN). Genotyping was performed by a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Frequencies of LEPR Del/Ins and miRNA gene polymorphisms in patients diagnosed with HTN (n=232) and randomly selected healthy controls (n=247) were assessed. The present study found that Del/Ins and Ins/Ins genotypes and the Ins allele of the LEPR Del/Ins polymorphism were associated with a decreased risk of HTN compared with controls, whereas the miR-27aA>G rs895819 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of HTN. Combined genotype and allele analyses for LEPR Del/Ins and two miRNA polymorphisms revealed an association with an increased risk or a decreased risk of HTN. Furthermore, stratification analysis revealed that HTN risk factors were associated with waist circumference (WC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) values in LEPR Del/Ins polymorphism. They were also associated with body mass index, WC, triglyceride and HDL-C values in miR-27aA>G polymorphism. The present study revealed a combined effect of LEPR Del/Ins and miR-27aA>G polymorphisms on the risk of HTN in Koreans, suggesting that these gene polymorphisms could be potential markers for predicting HTN risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"19 5","pages":"79"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10565717/pdf/br-19-05-01661.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41189935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The diagnostic or prognostic values of FADD in cancers based on pan‑cancer analysis.","authors":"Chenyu Wang, Xianglai Jiang, Qiqi Zhao, Zhiyuan Xie, Hui Cai","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1659","DOIUrl":"10.3892/br.2023.1659","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Previous studies have determined that aberrant expression of the fas-associated death domain (FADD) contributes to the development of cancer. However, no pan-cancer analysis has been reported to explore the relationship between FADD and various cancers. Multiple databases were screened to identify cancer datasets for the present study and to validate the expression of FADD in various tumors. The association of FADD alteration with cancer prognosis, clinical features and tumor immunity was also evaluated. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was utilized to confirm the expression of FADD in breast, colon, liver and gastric cancer cells. Analysis of Gene Expression Omnibus database and The Cancer Genome Atlas database indicated that FADD was highly expressed in breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA), cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), esophageal carcinoma (ESCA), kidney renal clear cell carcinoma, kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and prostate adenocarcinoma, whereas RT-qPCR results revealed that FADD was highly expressed in breast cancer and colon cancer. Further analyses demonstrated that FADD expression was significantly altered in ESCA, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC), lung squamous cell carcinoma and BRCA. FADD expression was observed to be a risk factor of the overall survival in patients with HNSC, LIHC and LUAD as demonstrated by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. The results of the present study demonstrated that FADD is highly expressed in numerous malignancies and can be utilized as a biomarker for the diagnosis of BRCA, COAD, LIHC and stomach adenocarcinoma. Moreover, FADD expression is a predictive risk factor for the development of HNSC, LIHC and LUAD and can potentially be used as a prognostic marker for these cancers.</p>","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"19 5","pages":"77"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/d8/4b/br-19-05-01659.PMC10565789.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41189938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of the COVID‑19 pandemic on the management and outcomes of patients with traumatic injuries (Review).","authors":"Gheorghe-Jean Boldea,&nbsp;Daniel Cosmin Caragea,&nbsp;Pantelie Nicolcescu,&nbsp;Vlad Pădureanu,&nbsp;Dumitru Rădulescu,&nbsp;Ana Maria Boldea,&nbsp;Ion Georgescu,&nbsp;Eugen Florin Georgescu","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1658","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2023.1658","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, ~10% of the global population was officially affected, resulting in diverse changes, ranging from shopping habits to stringent hospital protocols. This article sought to provide a concise summary of relevant data concerning the interplay between COVID-19 and trauma, encompassing the entire trajectory from presentation to hospital discharge. Throughout the pandemic, there was a noticeable reduction in trauma presentations, while the ranking of injury mechanisms remained largely unchanged. To ensure essential surgical support, protocols were adjusted accordingly. Although there were some less significant changes in injury severity score, hospital length of stay, intensive care unit stay and mortality, the overall patient outcomes appeared to improve. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline in trauma cases and an enhancement in patient outcomes. However, regrettably, certain mechanisms of injury saw an increase in frequency. To cope with the epidemiological context, management strategies were adapted, and unutilized resources were redirected to cater to the care of COVID-19 patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"19 4","pages":"76"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/f1/a6/br-19-04-01658.PMC10511947.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41106953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gastric metastasis in patients with leiomyosarcoma: A case report.","authors":"Teruya Uchiyama,&nbsp;Tomoki Nakamura,&nbsp;Kenta Nakata,&nbsp;Ryohei Adachi,&nbsp;Tomohito Hagi,&nbsp;Kunihiro Asanuma,&nbsp;Akihiro Sudo","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1657","DOIUrl":"10.3892/br.2023.1657","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are very rare tumors, accounting for <1% of all malignancies. Leiomyosarcoma (LMS), accounts for 10-20% of STS. Gastric metastasis of LMS is extremely rare, and only a few cases have been reported. In the present report, two clinical cases of LMS with gastric metastasis. In the present cases, the metastases presented as a solitary lesion and was located in the upper body anterior wall in case 1, and body-greater curvature in case 2. It is debatable whether to perform any local treatment for gastric metastasis due to its poor prognosis. However, the progression of metastatic cancer in the stomach can lead to gastric bleeding, abdominal pain, and dysphagia, which may further shorten survival and decrease a patient's quality of life. Therefore, metastasectomy was performed in the present cases. This should be considered if digestive tract symptoms occur during the treatment of LMS.</p>","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"19 4","pages":"75"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/f2/3d/br-19-04-01657.PMC10511945.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41105518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of <i>Ureaplasma urealyticum</i>, <i>Mycoplasma hominis</i> and <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.","authors":"Ana Cutoiu,&nbsp;Daniel Boda","doi":"10.3892/br.2023.1656","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2023.1656","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of the present study was to assess the prevalence of <i>Ureaplasma urealyticum</i> (<i>U. urealyticum</i>), <i>Mycoplasma hominis</i> (<i>M. hominis</i>) and <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> (<i>C. trachomatis</i>) in a Romanian population considering the presence or absence of genital symptoms. Urethral and vaginal samples were collected from patients presenting at 'Ponderas' Academic Hospital (Bucharest, Romania) from January 2021 to December 2021. A total of 266 samples were obtained from two groups of patients: Symptomatic subjects with urethritis, prostatitis, vaginitis or both urethritis and prostatitis (n=59; 22%), and asymptomatic subjects (n=207; 78%). <i>Mycoplasma</i> and <i>Chlamydia</i> kits were used to assess the presence of <i>U. urealyticum</i> and <i>M. hominis</i>, and <i>C. trachomatis</i>, respectively. The symptomatic subjects comprised 27 patients with urethritis symptoms, of whom 4 (15%) were infected with <i>U. urealyticum</i> and 1 (4%) was infected with <i>C. trachomatis</i>. In addition, 23 (9%) of the patients had prostatitis-like symptoms, which in 3 (13%) of the patients was associated with <i>U. urealyticum</i> and in 1 patient (4%) was associated with <i>C. trachomatis</i>. None of the symptomatic patients were infected with <i>M. hominis</i>. By contrast, 29 (14%) of the asymptomatic patients were discovered to be infected with <i>U. urealyticum</i>, 13 (6%) were coinfected with both Mollicutes and 4 (2%) were infected with <i>C. trachomatis</i>; only 1 patient was positive for <i>M. hominis</i> alone. Two patients (14%) who presented with <i>U. urealyticum</i> and <i>M. hominis</i> coinfection were also infected with <i>C. trachomatis</i>. No patient with <i>U. urealyticum</i> or <i>M. hominis</i> alone was also positive for <i>C. trachomatis</i>. Therefore, the most frequently identified pathogen populating the genital tract in both males and females was <i>U. urealyticum</i>, followed by coinfection with <i>U. urealyticum</i> and <i>M. hominis</i>, and <i>C. trachomatis</i>. As these infections are asymptomatic in numerous cases, this suggests that a thorough screening should be mandatory.</p>","PeriodicalId":8863,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical reports","volume":"19 4","pages":"74"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/78/3e/br-19-04-01656.PMC10511948.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41117667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}