Media Exposure and Risk Perception as Predictors of Engagement in COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior Across Two Cultures

Purpose: This study examined the psychological and social factors that affect the performance of preventive behaviors toward COVID-19, by testing a model based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Our model featured media exposure and social networking site (SNS) involvement, and we tested it in two highly contrasted cultures regarding COVID-19 attitudes: U.S. and Japan. Method: An online survey collected 300 samples for each culture. Participation was voluntary, for monetary compensation through crowd-sourcing platforms. Findings: Overall, the results showed a good fit of our TPB model in each culture. Media exposure was a major predictor of risk perception in both cultures, while engagement in SNS predicted intention to perform preventive behavior for the Japanese only, and personal hygiene was found to be a significant predictor of protective behavior once again only for the Japanese. Implications and Value: While there were differences in the variables affecting preventive behaviors, overall, our proposed model proved to be robust across both cultures. Implications were made on differences between tight and loose cultures, as represented by Japan and the US, regarding COVID-19 preventive attitudes

Expression of Robo4 in the fibrovascular membranes from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and its role in RF/6A and RPE cells

Purpose: Robo4, a member of the roundabout (Robo) family, acts as a neuronal guidance receptor and plays some role in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. This study investigated the effect of Robo4 on the formation of fibrovascular membranes (FVMs) from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and its roles in choroid-retina endothelial (RF/6A) and human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Methods: RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to determine the levels of mRNA and the presence and distribution of Robo4 in FVMs. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology was used to knock down Robo4 expression and to study its effects on RF/6A and RPE cells in vitro. Cell proliferation, migration, spreading, cycling, and apoptosis were assessed with MTT assay, Boyden chamber assay, immunocytochemistry, and flow cytometry. Tube formation by RF/6A on Matrigel was also analyzed. Results: The level of Robo4 mRNA was high in FVMs. Robo4 was expressed in the vessels and fibrous-like tissue co-immunostained for CD31 and GFAP, respectively. Robo4 siRNA knockdown inhibited cell proliferation and migration. Tube formation by RF/6A cells was also disturbed. Under hypoxic conditions, more apoptotic cells were evident among the knockdown cells than among the control cells (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Robo4 may play a role in the formation of FVMs. Silencing the expression of Robo4 in RF/6A and RPE cells inhibited their proliferation and reduced their tolerance of hypoxic conditions, suggesting physiologic functions of Robo4 in the cells of the retina.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000267136400001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Biochemistry & Molecular BiologyOphthalmologySCI(E)PubMed15ARTICLE112-131057-10691

Effects of oil-in-water based nanolubricant containing TiO2 nanoparticles in hot rolling of 304 stainless steel

Energy saving and improvement of product quality are of crucial importance in hot rolling of 304 stainless steel. In this paper, oil-in-water (O/W) based nanolubricants containing TiO2 nanoparticles were developed to reduce the rolling force and improve the surface quality of rolled 304 stainless steel product. Practical hot rolling tests with and without application of lubricant were conducted to systematically investigate the effects of the developed O/W based nanolubricants on the rolling force, surface roughness, oxide scale thickness and tribological behaviour. The obtained results indicate that the nanoparticles can enter the deform zone with oil droplets to take a lubrication effect. The optimal lubrication effect can be achieved when the O/W (1% oil mass fraction) based nanolubricant with a TiO2 mass fraction of 1.5% was applied. The novel nanolubricant has a great potential to be applied in the hot steel rolling, to realise the cost-effective and environmental-friendly manufacturing process

Identification of potential shared gene signatures between gastric cancer and type 2 diabetes: a data-driven analysis

BackgroundGastric cancer (GC) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) contribute to each other, but the interaction mechanisms remain undiscovered. The goal of this research was to explore shared genes as well as crosstalk mechanisms between GC and T2D.MethodsThe Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database served as the source of the GC and T2D datasets. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were utilized to identify representative genes. In addition, overlapping genes between the representative genes of the two diseases were used for functional enrichment analysis and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. Next, hub genes were filtered through two machine learning algorithms. Finally, external validation was undertaken with data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.ResultsA total of 292 and 541 DEGs were obtained from the GC (GSE29272) and T2D (GSE164416) datasets, respectively. In addition, 2,704 and 336 module genes were identified in GC and T2D. Following their intersection, 104 crosstalk genes were identified. Enrichment analysis indicated that “ECM-receptor interaction,” “AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications,” “aging,” and “cellular response to copper ion” were mutual pathways. Through the PPI network, 10 genes were identified as candidate hub genes. Machine learning further selected BGN, VCAN, FN1, FBLN1, COL4A5, COL1A1, and COL6A3 as hub genes.Conclusion“ECM-receptor interaction,” “AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications,” “aging,” and “cellular response to copper ion” were revealed as possible crosstalk mechanisms. BGN, VCAN, FN1, FBLN1, COL4A5, COL1A1, and COL6A3 were identified as shared genes and potential therapeutic targets for people suffering from GC and T2D

Protective effect of paeoniflorin against oxidative stress in human retinal pigment epithelium in vitro

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine whether paeoniflorin (PF) could prevent H(2)O(2)-induced oxidative stress in ARPE-19 cells and to elucidate the molecular pathways involved in this protection. Methods: Cultured ARPE-19 cells were subjected to oxidative stress with H(2)O(2) in the presence and absence of PF. The preventive effective of PF on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell death induced by H(2)O(2) was determined by 2', 7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H(2)DCFDA) fluorescence and 3-(4, 5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The ability of PF to protect RPE cells against ROS-mediated apoptosis was assessed by caspase-3 activity and 4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Furthermore, the protective effect of PF via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway was determined by western blot analysis. Results: PF protected ARPE-19 cells from H(2)O(2)-induced cell death with low toxicity. H(2)O(2)-induced oxidative stress increased ROS production and caspase-3 activity, which was significantly inhibited by PF in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment with PF attenuated H(2)O(2)-induced p38MAPK and extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation in human RPE cells, which contributed to cell viability in ARPE-19 cells. Conclusions: This is the first report to show that PF can protect ARPE-19 cells from the cellular apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. The results of this study open new avenues for the use of PF in treatment of ocular diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), where oxidative stress plays a major role in disease pathogenesis.Biochemistry & Molecular BiologyOphthalmologySCI(E)PubMed1ARTICLE373-783512-35221

Toward accurate cerebral blood flow estimation in mice after accounting for anesthesia

Purpose: To improve the accuracy of cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurement in mice by accounting for the anesthesia effects.Methods: The dependence of CBF on anesthesia dose and time was investigated by simultaneously measuring respiration rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) under four different anesthetic regimens. Quantitative CBF was measured by a phase-contrast (PC) MRI technique. RR was evaluated with a mouse monitoring system (MouseOX) while HR was determined using an ultrashort-TE MRI sequence. CBF, RR, and HR were recorded dynamically with a temporal resolution of 1 min in a total of 19 mice. Linear regression models were used to investigate the relationships among CBF, anesthesia dose, RR, and HR.Results: CBF, RR, and HR all showed a significant dependence on anesthesia dose (p < 0.0001). However, the dose in itself was insufficient to account for the variations in physiological parameters, in that they showed a time-dependent change even for a constant dose. RR and HR together can explain 52.6% of the variations in CBF measurements, which is greater than the amount of variance explained by anesthesia dose (32.4%). Based on the multi-parametric regression results, a model was proposed to correct the anesthesia effects in mouse CBF measurements, specifically CBFcorrected=CBF+0.58RR−0.41HR−32.66Dose. We also reported awake-state CBF in mice to be 142.0 ± 8.8 mL/100 g/min, which is consistent with the model-predicted value.Conclusion: The accuracy of CBF measurement in mice can be improved by using a correction model that accounts for respiration rate, heart rate, and anesthesia dose

Distinct domains of the -opioid receptor control uncoupling and internalization.

ABSTRACT Homologous desensitization of the opioid receptor (OR) can be resolved into distinct processes that include the uncoupling of the OR from its G-protein effectors and internalization of cell surface receptors. Using electrophysiological recordings of OR activation of G-protein-coupled K ϩ channels (K ir 3) in Xenopus laevis oocytes and AtT20 cells, confocal microscopy of receptor localization, and radioligand binding of cell surface receptors, we resolved these desensitization mechanisms to determine the domain of OR important for receptor uncoupling. Activation of OR by saturating concentrations of [D-Ala 2 ,N-Me-Phe 4 ,Gly 5 -ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO), methadone, or fentanyl, but not morphine, produced robust internalization of a green fluorescent protein-tagged OR. A subsaturating concentration of DAMGO (100 nM) did not cause receptor internalization but markedly reduced the subsequent responsiveness of K ir 3 by uncoupling OR. OR desensitization in AtT20 cells was confirmed to be homologous, because desensitization by 100 nM DAMGO was blocked by dominant-negative forms of either G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK) or arrestin, and pretreatment with DAMGO did not affect the K ir 3 response to somatostatin receptor activation. Alanine substitution of a single threonine in the second cytoplasmic loop of the OR (Threonine 180) blocked agonist-dependent receptor uncoupling without affecting receptor internalization. These results suggest that GRK-dependent phosphorylation of OR required threonine 180 for uncoupling but that a different GRK and arrestin-dependent mechanism controlled OR internalization in AtT20 cells

Gene expression atlas of the mouse central nervous system: impact and interactions of age, energy intake and gender

The transcriptional profiles of five regions of the central nervous system (CNS) of mice varying in age, gender and dietary intake were measured by microarray. The resulting data provide insights into the mechanisms of age-, diet- and gender-related CNS plasticity and vulnerability in mammals

Is Asthma Related to Choroidal Neovascularization?

BACKGROUND: Age-related degeneration (AMD) and asthma are both diseases that are related to the activation of the complement system. The association between AMD and asthma has been debated in previous studies. The authors investigated the relationship between AMD and asthma systemically. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The epidemiological study showed that asthma was related to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) subtype (OR = 1.721, P = 0.023). However, the meta-analysis showed there was no association between AMD and asthma. In an animal model, we found more fluoresce in leakage of CNV lesions by FA analysis and more angiogenesis by histological analysis in rats with asthma. Western blot demonstrated an elevated level of C3α-chain, C3α'-chain and VEGF. After compstatin was intravitreally injected, CNV leakage decreased according to FA analysis, with the level of C3 and VEGF protein decreasing at the same time. SIGNIFICANCE: This study first investigated the relationship between AMD and asthma systematically, and it was found that asthma could be a risk factor for the development of AMD. The study may provide a better understanding of the disease, which may advance the potential for screening asthma patients in clinical practice