Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake among Nepali People in the UK: A Qualitative Study.

Vaccination saves lives and can be an effective strategy for preventing the spread of the COVID-19, but negative attitudes towards vaccines lead to vaccine hesitancy. This study aimed to explore the factors influencing the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Nepali community in the United Kingdom (UK). This qualitative study included in-depth interviews with 20 people from Nepal living in the UK. Interviews were conducted by a native-Nepali speaker and all interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English before being analysed thematically. Our study found that attitudes towards COVID-19 are generally positive. Nine overlapping themes around barriers to COVID-19 vaccination were identified: (a) rumours and mis/disinformation; (b) prefer home remedies and yoga; (c) religion restriction; (d) concern towards vaccine eligibility; (e) difficulty with online vaccine booking system; (f) doubts of vaccine effectiveness after changing the second dose timeline; (g) lack of confidence in the vaccine; (h) past bad experience with the influenza vaccine; and (i) worried about side-effects. Understanding barriers to the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine can help in the design of better targeted interventions. Public health messages including favourable policy should be tailored to address those barriers and make this vaccination programme more viable and acceptable to the ethnic minority communities in the UK

Matrix stiffness drives epithelial–mesenchymal transition and tumour metastasis through a TWIST1–G3BP2 mechanotransduction pathway

Matrix stiffness potently regulates cellular behavior in various biological contexts. In breast tumours, the presence of dense clusters of collagen fibrils indicates increased matrix stiffness and correlates with poor survival. It is unclear how mechanical inputs are transduced into transcriptional outputs to drive tumour progression. Here we report that TWIST1 is an essential mechano-mediator that promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in response to increasing matrix stiffness. High matrix stiffness promotes nuclear translocation of TWIST1 by releasing TWIST1 from its cytoplasmic binding partner G3BP2. Loss of G3BP2 leads to constitutive TWIST1 nuclear localization and synergizes with increasing matrix stiffness to induce EMT and promote tumour invasion and metastasis. In human breast tumours, collagen fiber alignment, a marker of increasing matrix stiffness, and reduced expression of G3BP2 together predict poor survival. Our findings reveal a TWIST1-G3BP2 mechanotransduction pathway that responds to biomechanical signals from the tumour microenvironment to drive EMT, invasion, and metastasis

Efeito da atividade física no osso normal e na prevenção e tratamento da osteoporose Efectos de la actividad física en huesos normales y en la prevención y tratamiento de osteoporosis Effect of the physical activity on normal bone and on the osteoporosis prevention and treatment

A osteoporose é uma doença cada vez mais diagnosticada em mulheres e homens de todo o mundo. Embora os esteróides sexuais sejam importantes na gênese da osteoporose, a inatividade física constitui um fator de risco. O exercício físico atua no osso por efeito direto, via força mecânica, ou indireto, mediado por fatores hormonais. Mas os mecanismos pelos quais a atividade física melhora a massa óssea ainda não são totalmente conhecidos. Baseando-se nos resultados que demonstram os efeitos benéficos da atividade física no tecido ósseo, a prática de esportes vem sendo cada vez mais indicada na prevenção e até mesmo no tratamento da osteoporose. O objetivo desta revisão é descrever os efeitos da atividade física no tecido ósseo normal e na prevenção e tratamento da osteoporose.<br>La osteoporosis es una enfermedad que cada vez más se diagnostica en mujeres y hombres de todo el mundo. Aunque los esteroides sexuales sean importantes en la génesis de la osteoporosis, la inactividad física constituye un factor de riesgo. El ejercicio físico actúa en el hueso de forma directa, vía fuerza mecánica, o indirecta, mediado por factores hormonales. Sin embargo la patogénesis por la que la actividad física mejora la masa ósea todavía no es totalmente conocida. Con base en los resultados que demuestran los efectos benéficos de la actividad física en el tejido óseo, la práctica de deportes viene siendo indicada cada vez más como medio de prevención y hasta incluso como tratamiento de la osteoporosis. El objetivo de esta revisión es describir los efectos de la actividad física en el tejido óseo normal y en la prevención y tratamiento de la osteoporosis.<br>Osteoporosis has been increasingly diagnosed in women and men worldwide. Although the sexual steroids are important in the genesis of human osteoporosis, it is believed that the lack of physical activity constitutes a risk factor. Physical activity acts on the bone by direct effect via mechanical force, or indirect effect through hormonal factors. However, the mechanism through which physical activity improves the bone mass is not completely known. Sports practice has been increasingly recommended for prevention and even treatment of osteoporosis based on the results that have demonstrated the beneficial effects of physical activity on the bone tissue. The goal of this review is to describe the effects of physical activity in the normal bone tissue and on the osteoporosis prevention and treatment