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Inhalation of molecular hydrogen (H2) gas ameliorates oxidative stress-induced acute injuries in the brain. Consumption of water nearly saturated with H2 also prevents chronic neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease in animal and clinical studies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the remarkable effect of a small amount of H2 remain unclear. Here, we investigated the effect of H2 on mitochondria in cultured human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. H2 increased the mitochondrial membrane potential and the cellular ATP level, which were accompanied by a decrease in the reduced glutathione level and an increase in the superoxide level. Pretreatment with H2 suppressed H2O2-induced cell death, whereas post-treatment did not. Increases in the expression of anti-oxidative enzymes underlying the Nrf2 pathway in H2-treated cells indicated that mild stress caused by H2 induced increased resistance to exacerbated oxidative stress. We propose that H2 functions both as a radical scavenger and a mitohormetic effector against oxidative stress in cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 150 types of Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been isolated from numerous cutaneous and/or mucosal lesions. Flat wart samples on the face from 36 immunocompetent patients were collected and screened for HPV. From one sample, we cloned a putative novel genotype. The novel type consisted of 7779 bp in length with a GC content of 47.1%, containing open reading frames for putative early proteins (E1, E2, E4, E6, and E7) and two late proteins (L1 and L2). Homology searches and phylogenetic analyses indicated that it belonged to Alphapapillomavirus (Alpha-PV) species 2 and most closely resembled HPV 3. The virus fulfilled the definition of a novel type, and was named HPV 160 by the Reference Center for Papillomaviruses. The putative E7 protein of HPV 160 as well as HPV 29, 77, and 78 contained the Leu-X-Cys-X-Glu pRB-binding motif but other Alpha-PV species 2 (HPV 3, 10, 28, 94, 117, and 125) did not have this conserved motif. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]