The Effects of Sex-Role Attitudes and Group Composition on Men and Women in Groups

The dual impact of group gender composition and sex-role attitudes on self-perceptions and social behavior was explored. Androgynous and stereotyped men and women were placed in groups of skewed sex composition. Subjects\u27 self-descriptions of masculine attributes shifted significantly in the group environment. In some instances, sex role-stereotyped subjects responded most stereotypically when their gender was in the minority in the group. Differences between men and women and between androgynous and stereotyped subjects in sex role-related preferences for group roles and discussion topics were also found

Macrophages in Breast Cancer: Do Involution Macrophages Account for the Poor Prognosis of Pregnancy-Associated Breast Cancer?

Macrophage influx is associated with negative outcomes for women with breast cancer and has been demonstrated to be required for metastasis of mammary tumors in mouse models. Pregnancy-associated breast cancer is characterized by particularly poor outcomes, however the reasons remain obscure. Recently, post-pregnancy mammary involution has been characterized as having a wound healing signature. We have proposed the involution-hypothesis, which states that the wound healing microenvironment of the involuting gland is tumor promotional. Macrophage influx is one of the prominent features of the involuting gland, identifying the macrophage a potential instigator of tumor progression and a novel target for breast cancer treatment and prevention

Restauração e conservação: algumas questões para os conservadores. A perspectiva da conservação de têxteis

O texto discute as idéias e diferentes conotações que os conceitos de conservação e restauração trazem em diferentes idiomas e culturas e as possíveis mudanças conceituais ocorridas nos últimos anos. São discutidas as diferenças de abordagem, procedimentos e objetivos que as duas atividades apresentam, sempre do ponto de vista da conservação de têxteis. Vários exemplos de abordagens distintas, desenvolvidas em função dos tratamentos de têxteis de diferentes naturezas são discutidos em detalhe

HIV/SIV Infection Primes Monocytes and Dendritic Cells for Apoptosis

Subversion or exacerbation of antigen-presenting cells (APC) death modulates host/pathogen equilibrium. We demonstrated during in vitro differentiation of monocyte-derived macrophages and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) that HIV sensitizes the cells to undergo apoptosis in response to TRAIL and FasL, respectively. In addition, we found that HIV-1 increased the levels of pro-apoptotic Bax and Bak molecules and decreased the levels of anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 and FLIP proteins. To assess the relevance of these observations in the context of an experimental model of HIV infection, we investigated the death of APC during pathogenic SIV-infection in rhesus macaques (RMs). We demonstrated increased apoptosis, during the acute phase, of both peripheral blood DCs and monocytes (CD14+) from SIV+RMs, associated with a dysregulation in the balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic molecules. Caspase-inhibitor and death receptors antagonists prevented apoptosis of APCs from SIV+RMs. Furthermore, increased levels of FasL in the sera of pathogenic SIV+RMs were detected, compared to non-pathogenic SIV infection of African green monkey. We suggest that inappropriate apoptosis of antigen-presenting cells may contribute to dysregulation of cellular immunity early in the process of HIV/SIV infection