The Multifarious Role of Microglia in Brain Metastasis

The immune landscape in brain metastasis is a very heterogeneous framework. Amongst a broad plethora of cells within the tumor microenvironment, the presence of activated microglia has been perfectly described. The innate role of microglial cells is to detect and eliminate any insults that may disturb the regular behavior of the brain. As part of its defensive role, it releases pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines that aim to modulate the inflammatory scenario at the metastatic foci. However, the long term effects that these cells may exert on the metastatic progression is not clear. One of the biggest challenges in the field is to distinguish between brain resident microglial cells and infiltrated bone-marrow derived macrophages. Part of this issue is the fact that both cell types share similar phenotypes. Current studies are based on the modulation of the immune response against cancer cells (immunotherapy). However, most of current clinical trials and newly developed drugs focus on the adaptive immune response (e.g., immune blockade check-points). Additionally, the unique structure of the central nervous system with the presence of the blood-brain barrier have hindered a significant advance in novel therapies against brain metastasis. In this manuscript, we describe current advances in characterization of tumor-associated microglia and macrophages, the importance of microglia during the anti-cancerous response, and the future direction for the development of new strategies against this complex disease

The outer Hebrides Thrust : its structure, mechanism and deformation environment

Imperial Users onl

The Effects of Endogenous and Exogenous Progesterone on Ingroup Affiliative Bias

Millions of women use hormonal contraceptives around the world and though the physical side effects are thoroughly described in the literature and clinical setting, the psychological effects have been largely ignored until recently. Recent studies have found that the use of hormonal contraceptives has an effect on women’s hormones and psychological well-being. The goal of the present research was to expand the current knowledge of the effect of hormonal contraceptives on women’s hormones and social behavior by examining how women with differing levels of progesterone due to menstrual cycle fluctuations (follicular or luteal phase) or using hormonal contraceptives (birth control pill or intrauterine device; IUD) may affect who they categorize into their ingroup or outgroup after undergoing a stressor. Though there was generally no support for my hypotheses, in exploratory analyses we found that White women in the luteal phase or that have a hormonal IUD were significantly less likely to categorize Black targets as outgroup members relative to participants in the follicular phase or that take birth control pills. This finding was specific to Black targets and not the other minority targets (Asian and Latino). We also examined changes in progesterone from before and after the stressor to investigate how the progesterone stress response may be different among the four groups of women. Although we did not find predicted effects with the current sample, this project nevertheless advances the understanding of how women’s psychology and physiology are affected by hormonal contraceptive use

I Was Banging My Head Against a Brick Wall: Exclusionary Power and the Gendering of Sport Organizations

The under-representation of women in sport management has increasingly been recognized by government and nongovernment organizations, and there has been some attempt to redress the imbalance. Research has indicated, however, that the gendering of sport organizations is not simply a numbers\u27 game. The purpose of this study was to analyze the exercise of exclusionary power as an aspect of gender relations within a six member volunteer Board of Directors of an Australian local, grass-roots sport organization. Data were gathered using semistructured interviews, participant observation and documentary evidence over a 15-month period. This study identified that, although numerical under-representation of men or women on this Board was not an issue for either sex, exclusionary power was exercised in a number of overlapping ways which ultimately limited the participation, input, and influence of its female members

Healing: A Theological Perspective on Existential Psychotherapy

Abstract Not Provided

Exploring the obesogenic environment: understanding the health impact of contemporary living.

Obesity exists in the complexity of everyday life and arises from individuals' interactions with the obesogenic environment, different behaviours/dispositions and biological factors. In order to develop better intervention strategies to attenuate obesity prevalence, this research applied an ontological approach to investigating some of the factors and/or underlying preconditions for obesity to occur. Previous research has taken an epistemological approach to the study of obesity and used siloed approaches, which may have assumed knowing what the cause of obesity was, or that its findings were the cause(s) for obesity. In contrast, an ontological approach asks the question of 'what the world or reality must be like for obesity to occur'. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the multiple, interrelated processes with respect to individuals' behaviour, attitudes and dispositions towards food, self and life. Due to the fact that obesity arises from complex origins, the study required a methodology that would account for complexity. Critical realism (CR) was used to explore causal or generative mechanisms (i.e. multiple and interrelated factors) that may be involved and/or contribute to obesity. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods - in the form of semi-structured interviews (SSi) and validated questionnaires - were used to explore how different individuals of various body weights relate to food, self-perceived body image and self-esteem/confidence and orientation to life. CR's modes of inference - namely abduction and retroduction - were then applied in order to understand the underlying preconditions of what reality must be like for obesity to occur. The research additionally attempted to identify demi-regularities (i.e. semi-predictable patterns) among individuals' behaviours/attitudes and/or dispositions towards food, self and life, and also to identify transfactual (i.e. necessary) conditions for obesity to be what it is. The findings from the first part of this study, carried out on a convenience sample of participants, served as a framework for the second part, which focused on individuals 20-40 years old. In the second study, full body scans, anthropometric measurements, body-fat percent and blood samples were collected in order to support theoretical suppositions and the findings from the first study's SSi and questionnaires. The findings from the combined studies showed that individuals with an overall negative embodied disposition towards food (i.e. believing that food is unimportant) experienced the following (instrumental profile): a dissonant relationship with food (i.e. more food-dependent because of stress and/or negative emotions); a more negative sense of self-perception in terms of body image and self-esteem or confidence; a lower salutogenic outlook; lower physical and mental wellbeing, including a higher body-fat percentage and higher levels of proinflammatory biomarkers. In contrast, the studies also showed that individuals with an overall positive embodied disposition towards food (i.e. believing that food is important) experienced the following (aesthetic and, to some extent, disciplined profile): a less dissonant (or entirely non-dissonant) relationship with food; stronger salutogenesis; higher physical and mental wellbeing, including a lower body-fat percentage and lower levels of proinflammatory biomarkers. This study gives insights into how human behaviour and disposition - towards food, self and life - links to overall wellbeing, body-fat and bio-chemical profile. The findings have provided a new way of understanding and thinking about the complexity of obesity, and laid a new path or framework for carrying out further research and studying obesity. Moreover, this research has suggested that intervention strategies must employ a multi-dimensional approach in order to attenuate obesity prevalence, crossing different disciplines - from the natural to the psycho-social sciences. These intervention strategies must also consider a more targeted approach (stratified interventions) for individuals in function of their embodied dispositions: instrumental, discipline or aesthetic

Impact of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill: An Examination of Retention of First Year Students in the Hampton Roads Area

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill has had a tremendous impact on higher education institutions (HEI) across the country. As of 2011, the Veterans Administration (VA) had issued G.I. Bill payments to almost 500,000 veterans. This research examines the effect of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill on student retention in different types of HEIs in the Hampton Roads region of Southeastern Virginia, an area that has a high number of military and military-affiliated residents. Ex post facto data from various institutions have been compared, with a public university, a for-profit college, and a two-year public community college to examine the retention rates of first year students using their Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits between 2009 and 2010. This research contributes to the literature in several ways. First, the G.I. Bill, passed in 1944 has had limited research associated with its usage in colleges and universities (DiRamio, Ackerman, & Mitchell, 2008; Rumann, 2009). Second, with the advent of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, administrators of HEIs and the federal government are examining this law in two ways: the administrators are examining the amount of money coming in from this benefit and the federal government is examining the amount of money coming in from this benefit and the federal government is examining the number of dollars going out to HEIs. Third, research that has been conducted on the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill deals primarily with qualitative data; this quantitative research will provide benchmark areas for other HEIs to compare themselves as the Hampton Roads region is well represented through the use of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill (Stripling, 2010)