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

High Interstitial Fluid Pressure Is Associated with Tumor-Line Specific Vascular Abnormalities in Human Melanoma Xenografts

PURPOSE: Interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) is highly elevated in many solid tumors. High IFP has been associated with low radiocurability and high metastatic frequency in human melanoma xenografts and with poor survival after radiation therapy in cervical cancer patients. Abnormalities in tumor vascular networks have been identified as an important cause of elevated tumor IFP. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tumor IFP and the functional and morphological properties of tumor vascular networks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A-07-GFP and R-18-GFP human melanomas growing in dorsal window chambers in BALB/c nu/nu mice were used as preclinical tumor models. Functional and morphological parameters of the vascular network were assessed from first-pass imaging movies and vascular maps recorded after intravenous bolus injection of 155-kDa tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate-labeled dextran. IFP was measured in the center of the tumors using a Millar catheter. Angiogenic profiles of A-07-GFP and R-18-GFP cells were obtained with a quantitative PCR array. RESULTS: High IFP was associated with low growth rate and low vascular density in A-07-GFP tumors, and with high growth rate and high vascular density in R-18-GFP tumors. A-07-GFP tumors showed chaotic and highly disorganized vascular networks, while R-18-GFP tumors showed more organized vascular networks with supplying arterioles in the tumor center and draining venules in the tumor periphery. Furthermore, A-07-GFP and R-18-GFP cells differed substantially in angiogenic profiles. A-07-GFP tumors with high IFP showed high geometric resistance to blood flow due to high vessel tortuosity. R-18-GFP tumors with high IFP showed high geometric resistance to blood flow due to a large number of narrow tumor capillaries. CONCLUSIONS: High IFP in A-07-GFP and R-18-GFP human melanoma xenografts was primarily a consequence of high blood flow resistance caused by tumor-line specific vascular abnormalities

Role of Fractalkine/CX3CR1 Interaction in Light-Induced Photoreceptor Degeneration through Regulating Retinal Microglial Activation and Migration

Background: Excessive exposure to light enhances the progression and severity of some human retinal degenerative diseases. While retinal microglia are likely to be important in neuron damage associated with these diseases, the relationship between photoreceptor damage and microglial activation remains poorly understood. Some recent studies have indicated that the chemokine fractalkine is involved in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases. The present study was performed to investigate the cross-talk between injured photoreceptors and activated retinal microglia, focusing on the role of fractalkine and its receptor CX3CR1 in light-induced photoreceptor degeneration. Methodology/Principal Findings: Both in vivo and in vitro experiments were involved in the research. In vivo, Sprague– Dawley rats were exposed to blue light for 24 hours. In vitro, the co-culture of primary retinal microglia and a photoreceptor cell line (661W cell) was exposed to blue light for five hours. Some cultures were pretreated by the addition of anti-CX3CR1 neutralizing antibody or recombinant fractalkine. Expression of fractalkine/CX3CR1 and inflammatory cytokines was detected by immunofluorescence, real-time PCR, Western immunoblot analysis, and ELISA assay. TUNEL method was used to detect cell apoptosis. In addition, chemotaxis assay was performed to evaluate the impact of soluble fractalkine on microglial migration. Our results showed that the expression of fractalkine that was significantly upregulated after exposure to light, located mainly at the photoreceptors. The extent of photoreceptor degeneration and microglial migratio

Morphological, cytological and embryological characterization of F1 A. cepa x A. roylei hybrids

Abstract In the previous study we obtained a population of interspecific F1 A. cepa × A. roylei hybrids. In this study, in comparison to the parental species: A. cepa and A. roylei, the F1 hybrids were evaluated in terms of plant morphology, pollen viability, microsporogenesis and female gametophyte. Most of the morphological characters of the F1 hybrids were intermediate as compared to those of both parental accessions. In pollen mother cells (PMCs) of the F1 hybrids abnormalities were observed in meiosis as well as at the tetrad stage. Pollen viability of F1 A. cepa × A. roylei hybrids was reduced to 30.1%. In the F1 hybrids, 45.8% of the analyzed ovules showed developmental disturbances, whereas in 26.7% of the ovules necrotic processes were observed.</jats:p

Wodopójki (Hydrachnidia) lobeliowego jeziora Kąpka (płn.-zach. Polska)

Lobelian lakes are clean, oligotrophic, usually non-flow-through lakes, characterized by a small size and the presence of specific flora (Lobelia dortmanna, Isoëtes lacustris, litorella uniflora, Myriophyllum alterniflorum). This type of lakes has been very rarely studied with regard to water mite fauna living in them. The aim of the present study was to partially fill the considerable existing gap in data by studying the distribution of water mites (Hydrachnidia) in the basin of a lobelian lake (Kąpka Lake) situated in Western Pomerania. The research was conducted during the period from May to August 2011, at monthly intervals. The samples were collected from the depths: 0.1 – 5–6 m. in total, 3271 specimens representing 53 water mite species were collected from the whole Kąpka Lake. The most abundant species included the following (in decreasing order): Limnesia maculata, Hygrobates longipalpis, Lebertia porosa, Forrelia liliacea, Mideopsis orbicularis, Limnesia connata, and Limnochares aquatica. the phenology of the species and their abundance in the Kąpka Lake were characterized by one peak of abundance in the month of July. At every depth of the Kąpka Lake, Limnesia maculata was a dominant species.Jeziora lobeliowe są czystymi, z reguły nieprzepływowymi jeziorami oligotroficznymi o niewielkiej powierzchni oraz specyficznej florze (Lobelia dortmanna, Isoëtes lacustris, litorella uniflora, Myriophyllum alterniflorum). Jeziora tego typu były bardzo rzadko badane pod kątem charakterystyki zasiedlającej je fauny wodopójek. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest częściowe uzupełnienie tej wyraźnej luki na podstawie badań rozmieszczenia wodopójek (Hydrachnidia) w misie jeziornej jeziora lobeliowego (Kąpka) położonego na Pomorzu zachodnim. Badania przeprowadzono w okresie od maja do sierpnia w 2011 roku w miesięcznych odstępach. Połowów dokonano na głębokościach od 0,1 do 5–6 m. Łącznie na terenie Jeziora Kąpka zebrano 3271 osobników należących do 53 gatunków wodopójek. Do najliczniejszych gatunków należały w kolejności: Limnesia maculata , Hygrobates longipalpis, Lebertia porosa, Forrelia liliacea, Mideopsis orbicularis, Limnesia connata, Limnochares aquatica. Fenologia gatunków i ich liczebności w Jeziorze Kąpka charakteryzowała się jednym szczytem w miesiącu lipcu. na każdej głębokości Jeziora Kąpka gatunkiem dominującym była Limnesia maculata

Late Holocene environmental reconstruction of St. Michiel saline lagoon, Curacao (Dutch Antilles)

From the 18th International Radiocarbon Conference held in Wellington, New Zealand, September 1-5, 2003.Two sediment cores collected from the saline lagoon St. Michiel on Curaçao (Dutch Antilles) preserve a approximately 5000-yr record of environmental change. Investigation of radiocarbon-dated sections by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is based on faunal assemblage analyses, sediment mineralogy, and the interpretation of sedimentary facies. The cores recovered from different parts of the lagoon demonstrate different development. Initially, in the proximal part of the lagoon (core STM-2), the sediment accumulated in a coastal, semi-protected bay with strong marine influence, whereas the distal part (STM-1) was dominated by chemical precipitation (gypsum, aragonite). By about 3500-3400 BP, connection with the open sea became very limited due to the gradual formation of a coral rubble barrier at the coastline. Subsequently, the record reveals undisturbed sedimentation in the highly restricted shallow lagoon. Around 1100-1000 BP, biological and sedimentological records indicate a change to less evaporitic conditions. Stages of increased salinity are intercalated with intervals of episodic freshening due to increased runoff and precipitation. The authors demonstrate that since permanent human settlements were established on the island about 1100 BP, the watershed has undergone intensive deforestation, especially during the European colonization at the beginning of the 16th century. Deforestation resulting from agriculture and construction caused increased erosion, which was translated to increased sediment accumulation rates and a shift in lagoon sedimentation from almost entirely endogenic to mostly detrital.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202