Development and cross‑national investigation of a model explaining participation in WHO‑recommended and placebo behaviours to prevent COVID‑19 infection

To protect themselves from COVID-19, people follow the recommendations of the authorities, but they also resort to placebos. To stop the virus, it is important to understand the factors underlying both types of preventive behaviour. This study examined whether our model (developed based on the Health Belief Model and the Transactional Model of Stress) can explain participation in WHO-recommended and placebo actions during the pandemic. Model was tested on a sample of 3346 participants from Italy, Japan, Poland, Korea, Sweden, and the US. It was broadly supported: objective risk and cues to action showed both direct and indirect (through perceived threat) associations with preventive behaviours. Moreover, locus of control, decision balance, health anxiety and preventive coping moderated these relationships. Numerous differences were also found between countries. We conclude that beliefs about control over health and perceived benefits of actions are critical to the development of interventions to improve adherence to recommendations

Effects of scenario‐based attribution on collective emotions and stigma toward persons with COVID‐19: A cross‐sectional survey

Abstract Background and Aims During this COVID‐19 pandemic, many people experience and share emotions such as fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, and disgust, which can be regarded as collective emotions. This study investigated the effects of scenario‐based attribution for serious diseases on collective emotions and social stigma. Methods Participants were 297 healthy adults who met two conditions: (1) not having tested positive for COVID‐19 (including their family members or close friends) and no experience of self‐quarantine; and (2) not having been diagnosed with lung cancer, and not having family members or close friends diagnosed with it. Three hundred participants were recruited, through a company conducting online surveys. A total of 297 data sets were analyzed, excluding data supplied by three participants who might have responded unreliably to the filler question. Scenarios were recorded according to attribution type (internal vs. external) and disease (COVID‐19 vs. lung cancer). A 2 × 2 factorial design was used, whereby participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Results The COVID‐19 condition showed higher scores on the perceived risk and fear of the disease compared to the lung cancer one. The COVID‐19/internal attribution condition showed the highest scores for fear and anger toward scenario characters, and the lung cancer/external attribution condition showed higher sympathy scores than other conditions. Although attribution to COVID‐19 was not directly related to social stigma, it could evoke negative emotions toward infected people. Conclusion The findings suggest that attributions of serious diseases such as COVID‐19 to infected persons can influence collective emotions and the level of social stigma associated with the disease. Attention to the collective emotions and stigma associated with disease is a key component for communities and countries to recover from and respond to its impacts

A preliminary evaluation of the training effects of a didactic and simulation-based psychological first aid program in students and school counselors in South Korea

<div><p>The present study aimed to examine the training effects of a didactic and simulation-based psychological first aid (PFA) program. Based on the competency-based model, the study sought to examine whether the PFA training would enhance knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Study 1 examined the training effects of the PFA program in a sample of undergraduate and graduate students in psychology. Study 2 was conducted with school counselors. In both studies, all participants completed a one-day PFA workshop with a 3-hour didactic lecture and a 3-hour simulation-based practice. Assessments were conducted prior to the didactic lecture and upon completion of the simulation-based practice. In study 1, an examination of pre- and posttest comparisons indicated that the training significantly improved students’ PFA knowledge and perceived competence in PFA skill. In study 2, the same PFA training significantly improved school counselors’ PFA knowledge, perceived competence in PFA skill, perceived preparedness and confidence to provide psychological assistance for future disasters, but their perceived willingness to participate in psychological assistance did not significantly change after the training. This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the effectiveness of the PFA training program using a combined method of didactic and simulation-based practice for disaster mental health providers in Korea.</p></div

Pre- and posttest changes on each measure of the student sample (N = 37).

<p>Pre- and posttest changes on each measure of the student sample (N = 37).</p

Characteristics of the school counselor sample (N = 73).

<p>Characteristics of the school counselor sample (N = 73).</p

Characteristics of the student sample (N = 37).

<p>Characteristics of the student sample (N = 37).</p

Pre- and posttest changes on each measure of the school counselor sample (N = 73).

<p>Pre- and posttest changes on each measure of the school counselor sample (N = 73).</p

Integrated mRNA-microRNA profiling of human NK cell differentiation identifies MiR-583 as a negative regulator of IL2Rγ expression.

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune effector cells that protect against cancer and some viral infections. Until recently, most studies have investigated the molecular signatures of human or mouse NK cells to identify genes that are specifically expressed during NK cell development. However, the mechanism regulating NK cell development remains unclear. Here, we report a regulatory network of potential interactions during in vitro differentiation of human NK cells, identified using genome-wide mRNA and miRNA databases through hierarchical clustering analysis, gene ontology analysis and a miRNA target prediction program. The microRNA (miR)-583, which demonstrated the largest ratio change in mature NK cells, was highly correlated with IL2 receptor gamma (IL2Rγ) expression. The overexpression of miR-583 had an inhibitory effect on NK cell differentiation. In a reporter assay, the suppressive effect of miR-583 was ablated by mutating the putative miR-583 binding site of the IL2Rγ 3' UTR. Therefore, we show that miR-583 acts as a negative regulator of NK cell differentiation by silencing IL2Rγ. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive database of genome-wide mRNA and miRNA expression during human NK cell differentiation, offering a better understanding of basic human NK cell biology for the application of human NK cells in immunotherapy

FoxM1 Promotes Stemness and Radio-Resistance of Glioblastoma by Regulating the Master Stem Cell Regulator Sox2

<div><p>Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and most lethal brain tumor. As current standard therapy consisting of surgery and chemo-irradiation provides limited benefit for GBM patients, novel therapeutic options are urgently required. Forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) transcription factor is an oncogenic regulator that promotes the proliferation, survival, and treatment resistance of various human cancers. The roles of FoxM1 in GBM remain incompletely understood, due in part to pleotropic nature of the FoxM1 pathway. Here, we show the roles of FoxM1 in GBM stem cell maintenance and radioresistance. ShRNA-mediated FoxM1 inhibition significantly impeded clonogenic growth and survival of patient-derived primary GBM cells with marked downregulation of Sox2, a master regulator of stem cell phenotype. Ectopic expression of Sox2 partially rescued FoxM1 inhibition-mediated effects. Conversely, FoxM1 overexpression upregulated Sox2 expression and promoted clonogenic growth of GBM cells. These data, with a direct binding of FoxM1 in the Sox2 promoter region in GBM cells, suggest that FoxM1 regulates stemness of primary GBM cells via Sox2. We also found significant increases in FoxM1 and Sox2 expression in GBM cells after irradiation both <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> orthotopic tumor models. Notably, genetic or a small-molecule FoxM1 inhibitor-mediated FoxM1 targeting significantly sensitized GBM cells to irradiation, accompanying with Sox2 downregulation. Finally, FoxM1 inhibition combined with irradiation in a patient GBM-derived orthotopic model significantly impeded tumor growth and prolonged the survival of tumor bearing mice. Taken together, these results indicate that the FoxM1-Sox2 signaling axis promotes clonogenic growth and radiation resistance of GBM, and suggest that FoxM1 targeting combined with irradiation is a potentially effective therapeutic approach for GBM.</p></div