Lomholtkessler2701
For the Indian sample, both SEM analysis and the ANN model revealed that the impact of perceived susceptibility on the adoption of the protective measure is stronger than that of cues to action. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are also discussed toward the end.The application of land use regression (LUR) modeling for estimating air pollution exposure has been used only rarely in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This is generally due to a lack of air quality monitoring networks in the region. Low cost air quality sensors developed locally in sub-Saharan Africa presents a sustainable operating mechanism that may help generate the air monitoring data needed for exposure estimation of air pollution with LUR models. The primary objective of our study is to investigate whether a network of locally developed low-cost air quality sensors can be used in LUR modeling for accurately predicting monthly ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution in urban areas of central and eastern Uganda. Secondarily, we aimed to explore whether the application of machine learning (ML) can improve LUR predictions compared to ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. We used data for the entire year of 2020 from a network of 23 PM2.5 low-cost sensors located in urban municipalities of easteing and improving air quality monitoring in resource-constrained settings of sub-Saharan Africa. These low-cost sensors, in conjunction with non-parametric ML algorithms, may provide a rapid path forward for PM2.5 exposure assessment and to spur air pollution epidemiology research in the region.Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with poor prognosis and resistance to chemoradiotherapy, is the most common histological type of lung cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new and more effective treatment strategy for NSCLC. Nur77, an orphan member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, induces apoptosis in cancer cells including NSCLC cells, by high expression and translocation to mitochondria. Small molecules trigger expression and mitochondrial localization of Nur77 may be an ideal anti-cancer drug candidate. Here, we report malayoside, a cardiac glycoside in the extract of Antiaris toxicaria Lesch., had different sensitivities to NSCLC cells. Malayoside induced apoptosis in NCI-H460 cells. Meanwhile, malayoside induced Nur77 expression and mitochondrial localization, and its induction of apoptosis was Nur77-dependent. To investigate the molecular mechanism of malayoside inducing Nur77 and apoptosis, we found that malayoside activated MAPK signaling pathway, including both ERK and p38 phosphorylation. The suppression of MAPK signaling activation inhibited the expression of Nur77 and apoptosis induced by malayoside. Our studies in nude mice showed that malayside potently inhibited the growth of tumor cells in vivo. Furthermore, the anti-cancer effect of malayosidwas in vivo was also related to the elevated expression of Nur77, p-ERK, and p-p38 proteins. Our results suggest that malayoside possesses an anti-NSCLC activity in vitro and in vivo mainly via activation of MAPK-Nur77 signaling pathway, indicating that malayoside is a promising chemotherapeutic candidate for NSCLC.MET, the receptor of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), is a driving factor in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and also a proven drug target for cancer treatment. To improve the activity and to investigate the mechanisms of action of Apigenin (APG), novel derivatives of APG with improved properties were synthesized and their activities against Caki-1 human renal cancer cell line were evaluated. It was found that compound 15e exhibited excellent potency against the growth of multiple RCC cell lines including Caki-1, Caki-2 and ACHN and is superior to APG and Crizotinib. Subsequent investigations demonstrated that compound 15e can inhibit Caki-1 cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Mechanistically, 15e directly targeted the MET kinase domain, decreased its auto-phosphorylation at Y1234/Y1235 and inhibited its kinase activity and downstream signaling. Importantly, 15e had inhibitory activity against mutant MET V1238I and Y1248H which were resistant to approved MET inhibitors Cabozantinib, Crizotinib or Capmatinib. In vivo tumor graft study confirmed that 15e repressed RCC growth through inhibition of MET activation. These results indicate that compound 15e has the potential to be developed as a treatment for RCC, and especially against drug-resistant MET mutations.Cholesterol has been implicated in the pathophysiology and progression of several cancers now, although the mechanisms by which it influences cancer biology are just emerging. Two likely contributing mechanisms are the ability for cholesterol to directly regulate signaling molecules within the membrane, and certain metabolites acting as signaling molecules. One such metabolite is the oxysterol 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), which is a primary metabolite of cholesterol synthesized by the enzyme Cytochrome P450 27A1 (CYP27A1). Physiologically, 27HC is involved in the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis and contributes to cholesterol efflux through liver X receptor (LXR) and inhibition of de novo cholesterol synthesis through the insulin-induced proteins (INSIGs). 27HC is also a selective modulator of the estrogen receptors. An increasing number of studies have identified its importance in cancer progression of various origins, especially in breast cancer. In this review, we discuss the physiological roles of 27HC targeting these two nuclear receptors and the subsequent contribution to cancer progression. We describe how 27HC promotes tumor growth directly through cancer-intrinsic factors, and indirectly through its immunomodulatory roles which lead to decreased immune surveillance and increased tumor invasion. This review underscores the importance of the cholesterol metabolic pathway in cancer progression and the potential therapeutic utility of targeting this metabolic pathway.Although some cell types may be defined anatomically or by physiological function, a rigorous definition of cell state remains elusive. Here, we develop a quantitative, imaging-based platform for the systematic and automated classification of subcellular organization in single cells. We use this platform to quantify subcellular organization and gene expression in >30,000 individual human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, producing a publicly available dataset that describes the population distributions of local and global sarcomere organization, mRNA abundance, and correlations between these traits. While the mRNA abundance of some phenotypically important genes correlates with subcellular organization (e.g., the beta-myosin heavy chain, MYH7), these two cellular metrics are heterogeneous and often uncorrelated, which suggests that gene expression alone is not sufficient to classify cell states. Instead, we posit that cell state should be defined by observing full distributions of quantitative, multidimensional traits in single cells that also account for space, time, and function.
Anal infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes 16 and 18 and anal cancer are overrepresented in men who have sex with men (MSM). This study investigated HPV prevalence in young MSM before and after the implementation of a school-based quadrivalent HPV (genotypes 6, 11, 16, and 18) vaccination programme for boys in Australia in 2013.
In this repeated cross-sectional study, MSM aged 16-20 years were recruited from two successive birth cohorts via sexual health clinics and the community in Melbourne, Australia. buy ABBV-744 The first cohort was before the implementation of gender-neutral vaccination (HYPER1 study, done in 2010-12, NCT01422356), and the second was the post-vaccination cohort (HYPER2 study, done in 2017-18, NCT03000933). Men who self-identified as being same-sex attracted were enrolled, and those recruited via the HYPER2 study had to be resident in Australia since 2013 to ensure eligibility. Study procedures were done in the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. A clinician-collected anal swabased gender-neutral HPV vaccination programme. The fall in anal HPV16 and 18 may lead to a reduction in the incidence of anal cancer.
Merck and the Australian Government Department of Health.
Merck and the Australian Government Department of Health.The intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii must scavenge cholesterol and other lipids from the host to facilitate intracellular growth and replication. Enzymes responsible for neutral lipid synthesis have been identified but there is no evidence for enzymes that catalyze lipolysis of cholesterol esters and esterified lipids. Here, we characterize several T. gondii serine hydrolases with esterase and thioesterase activities that were previously thought to be depalmitoylating enzymes. We find they do not cleave palmitoyl thiol esters but rather hydrolyze short-chain lipid esters. Deletion of one of the hydrolases results in alterations in levels of multiple lipids species. We also identify small-molecule inhibitors of these hydrolases and show that treatment of parasites results in phenotypic defects reminiscent of parasites exposed to excess cholesterol or oleic acid. Together, these data characterize enzymes necessary for processing lipids critical for infection and highlight the potential for targeting parasite hydrolases for therapeutic applications.Toxoplasma gondii translocates effector proteins into its host cell to subvert various host pathways. T. gondii effector TgIST blocks the transcription of interferon-stimulated genes to reduce immune defense. Interferons upregulate numerous genes, including protein kinase R (PKR), which induce necrosome formation to activate mixed-lineage-kinase-domain-like (MLKL) pseudokinase and induce necroptosis. Whether these interferon functions are targeted by Toxoplasma is unknown. Here, we examine secreted effectors that localize to the host cell nucleus and find that the chronic bradyzoite stage secretes effector TgNSM that targets the NCoR/SMRT complex, a repressor for various transcription factors, to inhibit interferon-regulated genes involved in cell death. TgNSM acts with TgIST to block IFN-driven expression of PKR and MLKL, thus preventing host cell necroptotic death and protecting the parasite's intracellular niche. The mechanism of action of TgNSM uncovers a role of NCoR/SMRT in necroptosis, assuring survival of intracellular cysts and chronic infection.Persistent and intermittent fecal shedding, hallmarks of Salmonella infections, are important for fecal-oral transmission. In the intestine, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STm) actively invades intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and survives in the Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV) and the cell cytosol. Cytosolic STm replicate rapidly, express invasion factors, and induce extrusion of infected epithelial cells into the intestinal lumen. Here, we engineered STm that self-destruct in the cytosol (STmCytoKill), but replicates normally in the SCV, to examine the role of cytosolic STm in infection. Intestinal expansion and fecal shedding of STmCytoKill are impaired in mouse models of infection. We propose a model whereby repeated rounds of invasion, cytosolic replication, and release of invasive STm from extruded IECs fuels the high luminal density required for fecal shedding.