Today, individual's self-disclosure on the social network sites (SNS) have become a prevalent phenomenon. This study proposes a research model for investigating the beneficial effects of individual's ...self-disclosure on the social network sites (SNS). In this study, social support and online social well-being are seen as the beneficial effects of individual's self-disclosure on the SNS. Furthermore, this study examines whether self-disclosure increases social support and online social well-being. For developing a more parsimonious research model, this study chose self-disclosure and social support as second-order constructs. Self-disclosure is devised as a formative second-order construct that includes five components: amount, depth, honesty, intent, and valence. Social support is used as a reflective second-order construct comprising two factors: informational support and emotional support. In addition, this research also proposes that social support increase online social well-being. Further, online social well-being is hypothesized to positively affect the continuance intention in relation to the SNS. Data collected from 333 Facebook users provided support for all the hypotheses. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and suggestions are made for future research.
•This research proposes two beneficial effects of individual's self-disclosure: social support and online social well-being.•Self-disclosure has a positive, significant effect on social support and online social well-being.•Social support has a significant, positive effect on online social well-being.•Online social well-being has a strong effect on the individual's continuance intention toward the SNS.
The dynamic cell–cell communication is essential for tissue homeostasis in normal physiological circumstances and contributes to a diversified tumor microenvironment. Although exosomes are ...extracellular vesicles that actively participate in cell–cell interaction by shutting cellular components, impacts of tumor exosomes in the context of cancer stemness remain elusive. Here, we expand colorectal cancer stem cells (CRCSCs) as cancer spheroids and demonstrate that the β‐catenin/Tcf‐4‐activated RAB27B expression is required for the secretion of CRCSC exosomes. In an exosomal RNA sequencing analysis, a switch of exosomal RNA species from retrotransposons to microRNAs (miRNAs) is identified upon expanding CRCSCs. miRNA‐146a‐5p (miR‐146a) is the major miRNA in CRCSC exosomes and exosomal miR‐146a promotes stem‐like properties and tumorigenicity by targeting Numb in recipient CRC cells. Among 53 CRC patients, those with abundant exosomal miR‐146a expression in serum exhibits higher miR‐146aHigh/NumbLow CRCSC traits, an increased number of tumor‐filtrating CD66(+) neutrophils and a decreased number of tumor‐infiltrating CD8(+) T cells. Our study elucidates a unique mechanism of tumor exosome‐mediated stemness expansion.
What's new?
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is composed of heterogeneous tumor cells and host cells interacting with each other to promote disease progression. However, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to monitor the cancer stem cells (CSCs)‐host interplay are lacking. Here, the authors explore the role of tumor exosomes in cancer stemness and demonstrate that RAB27B‐assisted secretion of miRNA‐dominant exosomes is one critical feature of CSCs. Importantly, they show that colorectal cancer stem cells release miR‐146a‐loaded oncogenic exosomes for reprogramming non‐CSC cells and demonstrate the clinical relevance of exosomal miR‐146a in predicting the TME of CRC patients.
To investigate the effectiveness of a school-based program promoting outdoor activities in Taiwan for myopia prevention and to identify protective light intensities.
Multi-area, cluster-randomized ...intervention controlled trial.
A total 693 grade 1 schoolchildren in 16 schools participated. Two hundred sixty-seven schoolchildren were in the intervention group and 426 were in the control group.
Initially, 24 schools were randomized into the intervention and control groups, but 5 and 3 schools in the intervention and control groups, respectively, withdrew before enrollment. A school-based Recess Outside Classroom Trial was implemented in the intervention group, in which schoolchildren were encouraged to go outdoors for up to 11 hours weekly. Data collection included eye examinations, cycloplegic refraction, noncontact axial length measurements, light meter recorders, diary logs, and questionnaires.
Change in spherical equivalent and axial length after 1 year and the intensity and duration of outdoor light exposures.
The intervention group showed significantly less myopic shift and axial elongation compared with the control group (0.35 diopter D vs. 0.47 D; 0.28 vs. 0.33 mm; P = 0.002 and P = 0.003) and a 54% lower risk of rapid myopia progression (odds ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.28-0.77; P = 0.003). The myopic protective effects were significant in both nonmyopic and myopic children compared with controls. Regarding spending outdoor time of at least 11 hours weekly with exposure to 1000 lux or more of light, the intervention group had significantly more participants compared with the control group (49.79% vs. 22.73%; P < 0.001). Schoolchildren with longer outdoor time in school (≥200 minutes) showed significantly less myopic shift (measured by light meters; ≥1000 lux: 0.14 D; 95% CI, 0.02-0.27; P = 0.02; ≥3000 lux: 0.16 D; 95% CI, 0.002-0.32; P = 0.048).
The school-based outdoor promotion program effectively reduced the myopia change in both nonmyopic and myopic children. Outdoor activities with strong sunlight exposure may not be necessary for myopia prevention. Relatively lower outdoor light intensity activity with longer time outdoors, such as in hallways or under trees, also can be considered.
Breast cancer causes metabolic alteration, and volatile metabolites in the breath of patients may be used to diagnose breast cancer. The objective of this study was to develop a new breath test for ...breast cancer by analyzing volatile metabolites in the exhaled breath. We collected alveolar air from breast cancer patients and non-cancer controls and analyzed the volatile metabolites with an electronic nose composed of 32 carbon nanotubes sensors. We used machine learning techniques to build prediction models for breast cancer and its molecular phenotyping. Between July 2016 and June 2018, we enrolled a total of 899 subjects. Using the random forest model, the prediction accuracy of breast cancer in the test set was 91% (95% CI: 0.85-0.95), sensitivity was 86%, specificity was 97%, positive predictive value was 97%, negative predictive value was 97%, the area under the receiver operating curve was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.99-1.00), and the kappa value was 0.83. The leave-one-out cross-validated discrimination accuracy and reliability of molecular phenotyping of breast cancer were 88.5 ± 12.1% and 0.77 ± 0.23, respectively. Breath tests with electronic noses can be applied intraoperatively to discriminate breast cancer and molecular subtype and support the medical staff to choose the best therapeutic decision.
Contrary to all the 2‐D models, where the reconnection x‐line extent is infinitely long, we study magnetic reconnection in the opposite limit. An internal x‐line asymmetry along the current direction ...develops because of the transport of reconnected magnetic flux by electrons beneath the ion kinetic scale, resulting in a suppression region identified in Liu et al. (2019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JA026539). In this letter, we incorporate the length scale of this suppression region ≃10di to quantitatively model the reduction of the reconnection rate and the maximum outflow speed observed in the short x‐line limit. The average reconnection rate drops because of the limited active region (where the current sheet thins down to the electron inertial scale) within an x‐line. The outflow speed reduction correlates with the decrease of the J × B force, that can be modeled by the phase shift between the J and B profiles, also as a consequence of the flux transport.
Plain Language Summary
Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process that is responsible for releasing the magnetic energy during substorms of planetary magnetotails. Previous studies of magnetic reconnection usually take the two‐dimensional (2‐D) approach, which assumes that reconnection is uniform in the third direction out of the 2‐D reconnection plane. However, observations suggest that reconnection can be limited in the third direction, such as reconnection at Mercury's magnetotail. It turns out that reconnection can be suppressed when reconnection region is very limited in the third direction. Under the guidance of a series of 3‐D kinetic simulations, in this work, we write down quantitative models to describe how the reconnection rate and reconnection outflow speed drop in this limit. Notably, these two quantities are most essential in defining the well‐being of magnetic reconnection, which can tell us when reconnection shall be suppressed. The models are formulated by considering the transport of reconnected magnetic flux in the third direction, which can weaken the driver of the reconnection process.
Key Points
The reconnection rate and outflow speed in 3‐D reconnection with a limited x‐line extent are quantitatively modeled
The key length scale of the suppression region ≃10di due to the flux transport by electrons is incorporated to develop our models
The phase shift between the J and B profiles at the outflow region reduces the outflow speed in the short x‐line limit
The characteristics of magnetic reconnection with a finite x‐line length are studied using three‐dimensional (3D) particle‐in‐cell (PIC) simulations. We simulate two cases: anti‐parallel reconnection ...and guide field reconnection. In both cases, reconnection is triggered by an initial perturbation that is localized in the current direction, and then, an active reconnection region extending around 20 ion inertia length along the current direction is developed. In both cases, the electron inertia term plays an important role in balancing the reconnection electric field near the two edges of the x‐line along the current direction. On the ion drifting side, ions are heated while electron heating is not significant; while on the electron drifting side, electrons are heated while ion heating is weak. In the anti‐parallel case, the out‐of‐plane Hall magnetic field on the ion and electron drifting side of the reconnection region shows reversed polarization, while in the guide field case, the in‐plane Hall electric field shows reversed polarization. These features can be used as identifications for reconnection with a finite x‐line length during observations in the magnetotail, they also provide an estimation of the satellite location in the dawn‐dusk direction of the reconnection region.
Key Points
Three‐dimensional kinetic simulations are used to study reconnection with a finite x‐line length
Electron inertia term plays a crucial role at the two edges of x‐line in the current direction
The features of Hall effect, plasma flow, and plasma heating are different between the dawn and dusk side of the x‐line
Cell-cell interactions maintain tissue homeostasis and contribute to dynamic alteration of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Communication between cancer and host cells not only promotes advanced ...disease aggression but also determines therapeutic response in cancer patients. Despite accumulating evidence supporting the role of tumor-infiltrating immunocytes in modulating tumor immunity, the interplay between heterogeneous tumor subpopulations and immunocytes is elusive.
We expanded colorectal cancer stem cells (CRCSCs) as cancer spheroids from the murine colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line CT26 to interrogate tumor-host interactions using a syngeneic tumor model. RNA-sequencing analysis of host cells and tumor exosomes was performed to identify molecular determinants that mediate the crosstalk between CRCSCs and immunocytes. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to validate the clinical significance in CRC patients.
The expanded CT26 cancer spheroids showed increased stemness gene expression, enhanced spheroid and clonogenicity potential, and an elevated tumor-initiating ability, characteristic of CRCSCs. By examining immune cell composition in syngeneic tumor-bearing mice, a systemic increase in CD11b
/Ly6G
/Ly6C
neutrophils was observed in mice bearing CRCSC-derived tumors. An increased secretion of CRCSC exosomes was observed in vitro, and through in vivo tracking, CRCSC exosomes were found to be transported to the bone marrow. Moreover, CRCSC exosomes prolonged the survival of bone marrow-derived neutrophils and engendered a protumoral phenotype in neutrophils. Mechanistically, tumor exosomal tri-phosphate RNAs induced the expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) through a pattern recognition-NF-κB signaling axis to sustain neutrophil survival. CRCSC-secreted CXCL1 and CXCL2 then attracted CRCSC-primed neutrophils to promote tumorigenesis of CRC cells via IL-1β. Moreover, neutrophil depletion using a Ly6G-specific antibody (clone 1A8) attenuated the tumorigenicity of CRCSCs. In human specimens, CRC patients exhibiting an active CRCSC signal (Snail
IL8
) showed elevated tumor infiltration of MPO
neutrophils, and high (in the top 10%) MPO expression predicted poor survival of CRC patients.
This study elucidates a multistep CRCSC-neutrophil interaction during advanced cancer progression. Strategies targeting aberrant neutrophil activation may be developed for combating CSC-related malignancy.
Summary Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer globally, and is the second most common cause of death from cancer worldwide. About three-quarters of newly diagnosed cases in 2008 were from ...Asian countries. With a high mortality-to-incidence ratio, management of gastric cancer is challenging. We discuss evidence for optimum management of gastric cancer in aspects of screening and early detection, diagnosis, and staging; endoscopic and surgical intervention; and the concepts of perioperative, postoperative, and palliative chemotherapy and use of molecularly targeted therapy. Recommendations are formulated on the basis of the framework provided by the Breast Health Global Initiative, using the categories of basic, limited, enhanced, and maximum level. We aim to provide a stepwise strategy for management of gastric cancer applicable to different levels of health-care resources in Asian countries.
Abstract
Background
No reports exist as to neuroprotective effects associated with topical activation of transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8), a noted cold receptor. In the present ...study, we identified whether activating peripheral TRPM8 can be an adjuvant therapy for ischemic stroke.
Methods
Menthol, an agonist of TRPM8, was applied orally or topically to all paws or back of the mouse after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). We used
Trpm8
gene knockout (
Trpm8
−/−
) mice or TRPM8 antagonist and lidocaine to validate the roles of TRPM8 and peripheral nerve conduction in menthol against ischemic stroke.
Results
Application of menthol 16% to paw derma attenuated infarct volumes and ameliorated sensorimotor deficits in stroke mice induced by MCAO. The benefits of topically applied menthol were associated with reductions in oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and infiltration of monocytes and macrophages in ischemic brains. Antagonizing TRPM8 or
Trpm8
knockout dulls the neuroprotective effects of topically application of menthol against MCAO. Immunohistochemistry analyses revealed significantly higher TRPM8 expression in skin tissue samples obtained from the paws compared with skin from the backs, which was reflected by significantly smaller infarct lesion volumes and better sensorimotor function in mice treated with menthol on the paws compared with the back. Blocking conduction of peripheral nerve in the four paws reversed the neuroprotective effects of topical menthol administrated to paws. On the other hand, oral menthol dosing did not assist with recovery from MCAO in our study.
Conclusion
Our results suggested that activation of peripheral TRPM8 expressed in the derma tissue of limbs with sufficient concentration of menthol is beneficial to stroke recovery. Topical application of menthol on hands and feet could be a novel and simple-to-use therapeutic strategy for stroke patients.