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The pervasive social bias of perceiving outgroup members as less than human can contribute to discrimination and intergroup harm. Given the strong influence of our emotional states on how we perceive others, we theorized that pro-social emotions may offer a route to ameliorating ethnic outgroup dehumanization. In particular, witnessing exemplary moral acts elicits self-transcending and pro-social affective reactions referred to as moral elevation. In two experiments (Ntot =714), we examined the effect of induced moral elevation on ethnic outgroup dehumanization, relative to effects of a neutral baseline and a positive affect control condition. Dehumanization was assessed via endorsements of animalistic traits attributed to members of commonly dehumanized outgroups in the US, including Muslims and African-Americans. Across both studies, moral elevation significantly reduced dehumanization, whereas positive affect alone did not. Furthermore, Study 2 showed that the effect of moral elevation on dehumanization was mediated by a sense of superordinate identity (i.e., shared humanity). Taken together, these findings point to the power of witnessing moral acts for helping us fully recognize the humanity of others.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all domains of human life, including the economic and social fabric of societies. One of the central strategies for managing public health throughout the pandemic has been through persuasive messaging and collective behaviour change. To help scholars better understand the social and moral psychology behind public health behaviour, we present a dataset comprising of 51,404 individuals from 69 countries. This dataset was collected for the International Collaboration on Social & Moral Psychology of COVID-19 project (ICSMP COVID-19). This social science survey invited participants around the world to complete a series of moral and psychological measures and public health attitudes about COVID-19 during an early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (between April and June 2020). The survey included seven broad categories of questions: COVID-19 beliefs and compliance behaviours; identity and social attitudes; ideology; health and well-being; moral beliefs and motivation; personality traits; and demographic variables. We report both raw and cleaned data, along with all survey materials, data visualisations, and psychometric evaluations of key variables.

Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

Despite the popularity of social media, the psychological processes that drive people to engage in it remain poorly understood. The authors applied a computational modeling approach to data from multiple social media platforms to show that engagement can be explained by mechanisms of reward learning.

Do habits play a role in our social impressions? To investigate the contribution of habits to the formation of social attitudes, we examined the roles of model-free and model-based reinforcement learning in social interactions – computations linked in past work to habit and planning, respectively. Participants in this study learned about novel individuals in a sequential reinforcement learning paradigm, choosing financial advisors who led them to high- or low-paying stocks. Results indicated that participants relied on both model-based and model-free learning, such that each type of learning was expressed in both advisor choices and post-task self-reported liking of advisors. Specifically, participants preferred advisors who could provide large future rewards as well as advisors who had provided them with large rewards in the past. Although participants relied more heavily on model-based learning overall, they varied in their use of model-based and model-free learning strategies, and this individual difference influenced the way in which learning related to self-reported attitudes: among participants who relied more on model-free learning, model-free social learning related more to post-task attitudes. We discuss implications for attitudes, trait impressions, and social behavior, as well as the role of habits in a memory systems model of social cognition.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22067-6

A high time-resolved monitoring campaign of bulk deposition of PAHs and metals was conducted near the industrial area and at an urban background site in province of Taranto (Italy) in order to evaluate the impact of the biggest European steel plant. The deposition fluxes of the sum of detected PAHs at the industrial area ranged from 92 to 2432 ng m−2d−1. In particular the deposition fluxes of BaP, BaA, and BkF were, on average, 10, 14, and 8 times higher than those detected at the urban background site, respectively. The same finding was for metals. The deposition fluxes of Ni (19.8 µg m−2 d−1) and As (2.2 µg m−2 d−1) at the industrial site were about 5 times higher than those at the urban background site, while the deposition fluxes of Fe (57 mg m−2d−1) and Mn (1.02 mg m−2d−1) about 31 times higher. Precipitation and wind speed played an important role in PAH deposition fluxes. Fe and Mn fluxes at the industrial site resulted high when wind direction favored the transport of air masses from the steel plant to the receptor site. The impact of the industrial area was also confirmed by IP/(IP + BgP), IP/BgP, and BaP/BgP diagnostic ratios.

The atmosphere is a carrier on which some natural and anthropogenic organic and inorganic chemicals are transported, and the wet and dry deposition events are the most important processes that remove those chemicals, depositing it on soil and water. A wide variety of different collectors were tested to evaluate site-specificity, seasonality and daily variability of settleable particle concentrations. Deposition fluxes of POPs showed spatial and seasonal variations, diagnostic ratios of PAHs on deposited particles, allowed the discrimination between pyrolytic or petrogenic sources. Congener pattern analysis and bulk deposition fluxes in rural sites confirmed long-range atmospheric transport of PCDDs/Fs. More and more sophisticated and newly designed deposition samplers have being used for characterization of deposited mercury, demonstrating the importance of rain scavenging and the relatively higher magnitude of Hg deposition from Chinese anthropogenic sources. Recently biological monitors demonstrated that PAH concentrations in lichens were comparable with concentrations measured in a conventional active sampler in an outdoor environment. In this review the authors explore the methodological approaches used for the assessment of atmospheric deposition, from the analysis of the sampling methods, the analytical procedures for chemical characterization of pollutants and the main results from the scientific literature.

Odour impacts are assessed according to two principal approaches: evaluation and estimation of the pollutant relapse on the territory and monitoring through standard methodologies. In particular, odour monitoring is characterized by a great complexity due principally to the strict association of odour pollution to human perception. The standardized methodology for the determination of odour concentration is represented by an instrumental sensory technique, the dynamic olfactometry, that is affected by some limitations. This methodology provides punctual odour concentration data and it does not allow to perform continuous and field measurements, useful for monitoring the industrial processes causing odour emissions. The need of carrying out a continuous monitoring having been encouraged the use of an odour surrogate monitoring, performed by specific or not specific instruments (chemical analysers or electronic noses). The surrogate measurements employment is based on the fact that the ratio of surrogate concentration to odour units must be relatively constant and known. This paper focuses on the development of a multiparametric system for the evaluation of odour impact caused by an industrial source. The system has been tested during olfactometric monitoring campaigns conducted at the industrial site, coupling the results of electronic noses. The purpose of the research work has been to find an indicator for the odour emissions produced by the examined industrial site, and to correlate it with odour concentrations. This study has allowed to demonstrate the real applicability of not specific instruments to odour continuous monitoring, useful to detect a change of state in operating conditions of industrial processes and control it.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) drive cellular turnover in the hematopoietic system by balancing self-renewal and differentiation. In the adult bone marrow (BM), these cells are regulated by a complex cellular microenvironment known as "niche," which involves dynamic interactions between diverse cellular and non-cellular elements. During blood cell maturation, lineage branching is guided by clusters of genes that interact or counteract each other, forming complex networks of lineage-specific transcription factors. Disruptions in these networks can lead to obstacles in differentiation, lineage reprogramming, and ultimately malignant transformation, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Zinc Finger Protein 521 (Znf521/Zfp521), a conserved transcription factor enriched in HSCs in both human and murine hematopoiesis, plays a pivotal role in regulating HSC self-renewal and differentiation. Its enforced expression preserves progenitor cell activity, while inhibition promotes differentiation toward the lymphoid and myeloid lineages. Transcriptomic analysis of human AML patient samples has revealed upregulation of ZNF521 in AMLs with the t(9;11) fusion gene MLL-AF9. In vitro studies have shown that ZNF521 collaborates with MLL-AF9 to enhance the growth of transformed leukemic cells, increase colony formation, and activate MLL target genes. Conversely, inhibition of ZNF521 using short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) results in decreased leukemia proliferation, reduced colony formation, and induction of cell cycle arrest in MLL-rearranged AML cell lines. In vivo experiments have demonstrated that mZFP521-deficient mice transduced with MLL-AF9 experience a delay in leukemia development. This review provides an overview of the regulatory network involving ZNF521, which plays a crucial role in controlling both HSC self-renewal and differentiation pathways. Furthermore, we examine the impact of ZNF521 on the leukemic phenotype and consider it a potential marker for MLL-AF9 + AML., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: Not applicable. Informed consent: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen-presenting cells involved in promoting and controlling immune responses. Different subsets of DC, named tolerogenic (tol)DC, play a critical role in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and in fostering tolerance. These unique skills make tolDC especially attractive for strategies aimed at re-establishing/inducing tolerance in immune-mediated conditions. The generation of potent tolDC in vitro from peripheral blood monocytes has seen remarkable advancements. TolDC modulate T cell dynamics by favoring regulatory T cells (Tregs) and curbing effector/pathogenic T cells. Among the several methods developed for in vitro tolDC generation, IL-10 conditioning has been proven to be the most efficient, as IL-10-modulated tolDC were demonstrated to promote Tregs with the strongest suppressive activities. Investigating the molecular, metabolic, and functional profiles of tolDC uncovers essential pathways that facilitate their immunoregulatory functions. This Review provides an overview of current knowledge on the role of tolDC in health and disease, focusing on IL-10 production, functional characterization of in vitro generated tolDC, molecular and metabolic changes occurring in tolDC induced by tolerogenic agents, clinical applications of tolDC-based therapy, and finally new perspectives in the generation of effective tolDC., (© 2024 The Author(s). FEBS Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.)

Abstract: Immunosuppression, commonly accompanied by persistent inflammation, is a key feature in the later phase of sepsis. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. Dendritic cells (DCs), specifically tolerogenic DCs (tolDCs), play a crucial role in this process by regulating immune responses through inducing T cell anergy and releasing anti-inflammatory cytokines. Nevertheless, the existing cell models are inadequate for investigating tolDCs during the immunosuppressive phase of sepsis. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a novel in vitro model to generate tolDCs under chronic inflammatory conditions. We have successfully generated tolDCs by exposing them to sublethal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 72 h while preserving cell viability. Considering that IL-10-induced tolDCs (IL-10-tolDCs) are well-established models, we compared the immunological tolerance between LPS-tolDCs and IL-10-tolDCs. Our findings indicated that both LPS-tolDCs and IL-10-tolDCs exhibited reduced expression of maturation markers, whereas their levels of inhibitory markers were elevated. Furthermore, the immunoregulatory activities of LPS-tolDCs and IL-10-tolDCs were found to be comparable. These dysfunctions include impaired antigen presenting capacity and suppression of T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation. Notably, compared with IL-10-tolDCs, LPS-tolDCs showed a reduced response in maturation and cytokine production upon stimulation, indicating their potential as a better model for research. Overall, in comparison with IL-10-tolDCs, our data suggest that the immunological dysfunctions shown in LPS-tolDCs could more effectively elucidate the increased susceptibility to secondary infections during sepsis. Consequently, LPS-tolDCs have emerged as promising therapeutic targets for ameliorating the immunosuppressed state in septic patients., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by the Shock Society.)

In continuously progressive tumor tissues, the causes of cellular stress are multiple: metabolic alterations, nutrient deprivation, chronic inflammation and hypoxia. To survive, tumor cells activate the stress response program, a highly conserved molecular reprogramming proposed to cope with challenges in a hostile environment. Not only cancer cells are affected, but stress responses in tumors also have a profound impact on their normal cellular counterparts: fibroblasts, endothelial cells and infiltrating immune cells. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the interaction between cancer and immune cells, especially in difficult conditions of cellular stress. A growing literature indicates that knowledge of the molecular pathways activated in tumor and immune cells under stress conditions may offer new insights for possible therapeutic interventions. Counter-regulating the stress caused by the presence of a growing tumor can therefore be a weapon to limit disease progression. Here, we review the main pathways activated in cellular stress responses with a focus on immune cells present in the tumor microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proximal tubule endocytosis is essential to produce protein-free urine as well as to regulate system-wide metabolic pathways, such as the activation of Vitamin D. We have determined that the proximal tubule expresses an endolysosomal membrane protein, protein spinster homolog1 (Spns1), which engenders a novel iron conductance that is indispensable during embryonic development. Conditional knockout of Spns1 with a novel Cre-LoxP construct specific to megalin-expressing cells led to the arrest of megalin receptor-mediated endocytosis as well as dextran pinocytosis in proximal tubules. The endocytic defect was accompanied by changes in megalin phosphorylation as well as enlargement of lysosomes, confirming previous findings in Drosophila and Zebrafish. The endocytic defect was also accompanied by iron overload in proximal tubules. Remarkably, iron levels regulated the Spns1 phenotypes because feeding an iron-deficient diet or mating Spns1 knockout with divalent metal transporter1 knockout rescued the phenotypes. Conversely, iron-loading wild-type mice reproduced the endocytic defect. These data demonstrate a reversible, negative feedback for apical endocytosis and raise the possibility that regulation of endocytosis, pinocytosis, megalin activation, and organellar size and function is nutrient-responsive. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: Spns1 mediates a novel iron conductance essential during embryogenesis. Spns1 knockout leads to endocytic and lysosomal defects, accompanied by iron overload in the kidney. Reversal of iron overload by restricting dietary iron or by concurrent knockout of the iron transporter, DMT1 rescued the endocytic and organellar defects and reverted markers of iron overload. These data suggest feedback between iron and proximal tubule endocytosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goji berry is acknowledged for its notable medicinal attributes and elevated free radical scavenger properties. Nevertheless, its susceptibility to mechanical injuries and biological disorders reduces the commercial diffusion of the fruit. A hyperspectral imaging system (HSI) was employed to identify common defects in the Vis-NIR range (400–1000 nm). The sensorial evaluation of visual appearance was used to obtain the reference measurement of defects. A supervised classification model employing PLS-DA was developed using raw and pre-processed spectra, followed by applying a covariance selection algorithm (CovSel). The classification model demonstrated superior performance in two classifications distinguishing between sound and defective fruit, achieving an accuracy and sensitivity of 94.9% and 96.9%, respectively. However, when extended to a more complex task of classifying fruit into four categories, the model exhibited reliable results with an accuracy and sensitivity of 74.5% and 77.9%, respectively. These results indicate that a method based on hyperspectral visible-NIR can be implemented for rapid and reliable methods of online quality inspection securing high-quality goji berries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olfactory loss accompanies at least 139 neurological, somatic, and congenital/hereditary conditions. This observation leads to the question of whether these associations are correlations or whether they are ever causal. Temporal precedence and prospective predictive power suggest that olfactory loss is causally implicated in many medical conditions. The causal relationship between olfaction with memory dysfunction deserves particular attention because this sensory system has the only direct projection to memory centers. Mechanisms that may underlie the connections between medical conditions and olfactory loss include inflammation as well as neuroanatomical and environmental factors, and all 139 of the medical conditions listed here are also associated with inflammation. Olfactory enrichment shows efficacy for both prevention and treatment, potentially mediated by decreasing inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension drives the development of concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). However, the relative contribution of pentraxin‐3 (PTX‐3), a novel marker for inflammatory cardiovascular disease, in the hypertrophic response to pressure overload has not been adequately elucidated. We investigated the role of PTX‐3 in the development of LVH in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), untreated and treated with either captopril (an ACE inhibitor) or hydralazine (a non‐specific vasodilator). Three‐month‐old SHR received either 20 mg/kg/day hydralazine (SHR + H, n = 6), 40 mg/kg/day captopril (SHR + C, n = 6), or plain gelatine cubes (untreated SHR, n = 7) orally for 4 months. Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY, n = 7) were used as the normotensive controls. Blood pressure (BP) was measured using the tail‐cuff method. Cardiac geometry and function were determined using M‐mode echocardiography. Circulating concentrations of inflammatory markers were measured in plasma by ELISA. LV fibrosis and cardiomyocyte width were assessed by histology. Relative mRNA expression of PTX‐3 was determined in the LV by RT‐PCR. Untreated SHR exhibited greater systolic BP and relative wall thickness (RWT) compared to WKY. Captopril and hydralazine normalized BP but only captopril reversed RWT in SHR. Circulating PTX‐3 and VCAM‐1 levels were elevated in untreated SHR and reduced with captopril and hydralazine. Circulating PTX‐3 was positively associated with systolic BP but lacked independent relations with indices of LVH. LV relative mRNA expression of PTX‐3 was similar between the groups. PTX‐3 may not be involved in the development of LVH in SHR, but plausibly reflects the localized inflammatory milieu associated with hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising loneliness in the Western world has weakened social networks and reduced interpersonal trust. Concurrently, malign information influence (MII) has become more pervasive. Albin Östervall and Charlotte Wagnsson synthesise literature from multiple fields to argue that loneliness may heighten susceptibility to MII, and that Russia, as a key disseminator of MII, is both exploiting and exacerbating Western loneliness. They explore how these dynamics impact personal and societal MII resilience. ◼ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methamphetamine (METH) is a drug of abuse, which induces behavioral sensitization following repeated doses. Since METH alters blood pressure, in the present study we assessed whether systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively) are sensitized as well. In this context, we investigated whether alterations develop within A1/C1 neurons in the vasomotor center. C57Bl/6J male mice were administered METH (5 mg/kg, daily for 5 consecutive days). Blood pressure was measured by tail-cuff plethysmography. We found a sensitized response both to SBP and DBP, along with a significant decrease of catecholamine neurons within A1/C1 (both in the rostral and caudal ventrolateral medulla), while no changes were detected in glutamic acid decarboxylase. The decrease of catecholamine neurons was neither associated with the appearance of degeneration-related marker Fluoro-Jade B nor with altered expression of α-synuclein. Rather, it was associated with reduced free radicals and phospho-cJun and increased heat shock protein-70 and p62/sequestosome within A1/C1 cells. Blood pressure sensitization was not associated with altered arterial reactivity. These data indicate that reiterated METH administration may increase blood pressure persistently and may predispose to an increased cardiovascular response to METH. These data may be relevant to explain cardiovascular events following METH administration and stressful conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult T cell leukaemia (ATL), caused by infection with human T‐ lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV‐1), is often complicated by hypercalcemia and osteolytic lesions. Therefore, we studied the communication between patient‐derived ATL cells (ATL‐PDX) and HTLV‐1 immortalized CD4+ T cell lines (HTLV/T) with osteoclasts and their effects on bone mass in mice. Intratibial inoculation of some HTLV/T leads to a profound local decrease in bone mass similar to marrow‐replacing ATL‐PDX, despite the fact that few HTLV/T cells persisted in the bone. To study the direct effect of HTLV/T and ATL‐PDX on osteoclasts, supernatants were added to murine and human osteoclast precursors. ATL‐PDX supernatants from hypercalcemic patients promoted the formation of mature osteoclasts, while those from HTLV/T were variably stimulatory, but had largely consistent effects between human and murine cultures. Interestingly, this osteoclastic activity did not correlate with expression of osteoclastogenic cytokine receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa‐B ligand (RANKL), suggesting an alternative mechanism. HTLV/T and ATL‐PDX produce small extracellular vesicles (sEV), known to facilitate HTLV‐1 infection. We hypothesized that these sEV also mediate bone loss by targeting osteoclasts. We isolated sEV from both HTLV/T and ATL‐PDX, and found they carried most of the activity found in supernatants. In contrast, sEV from uninfected activated T cells had little effect. Analysis of sEV (both active and inactive) by mass spectrometry and electron microscopy confirmed absence of RANKL and intact virus. Viral proteins Tax and Env were only present in sEV from the active, osteoclast‐stimulatory group, along with increased representation of proteins involved in osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. sEV from osteoclast‐active HTLV/T injected over mouse calvaria in the presence of low‐dose RANKL caused more osteolysis than osteoclast‐inactive sEV or RANKL alone. Thus, HTLV‐1 infection of T cells can cause release of sEV with strong osteolytic potential, providing a mechanism beyond RANKL production that modifies the bone microenvironment, even in the absence of overt leukaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently no effective treatment strategy for recurrent/metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma (R/M ACC). Furthermore, recent single-agent and combination immunotherapy trials have failed in unselected ACC cohorts, unlike non-ACC salivary gland cancers. Genomic profiling revealed no actionable targets but NOTCH1 and KDM6A frameshift and CTCF splice site mutations (no MYB/L fusion) with a low tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite stable (MSS) and negative programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) were observed. We recommended an anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) plus anti-Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (anti-CTLA-4) combination based on TMB 2-fold greater-than-median TMB in ACC, tumor harboring multiple immunogenic frameshift or splice site mutations, and PD-L1 negativity. Accordingly, we achieved a complete response in a radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT)-refractory patient with locally recurrent lacrimal gland (LG) ACC and lung metastasis following personalized immunotherapy in combination with integrative therapeutics. Therefore, it is crucial to assess not only conventional immune biomarkers but also patient-specific parameters, especially in "immune-cold" cancer types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teaching students about race and racism is critical to and relevant in psychology classrooms. Objective: We explored whether direct instruction dismantling ideas that race is genetic affects students' race essentialist and other related beliefs. Method: Undergraduate students enrolled in four social psychology courses completed measures of race essentialism and other related beliefs before and after engaging in course-directed activities designed to reduce endorsement of biological essentialist beliefs about race. Results: After class activities, students reported lower levels of general racial essentialist beliefs and estimated that more progress is needed to reduce racial inequality. However, attitudes towards racially minoritized groups or perceived need for anti-racist actions did not shift, and colorblind ideology may have increased. Conclusion: These data provide evidence that essentialism shifts can be accomplished in the psychology classroom, but shifting related beliefs may require additional instruction. Teaching Implications: The class activities described in this research provide a way for instructors to introduce students to a new concept (race essentialism) and change students' beliefs in the genetic underpinning of race. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible flowers are becoming increasingly popular as food products, since they give aroma, color, and visual appeal and are also health-promoting compounds. However, they are a highly perishable product, thus post-harvest technologies are needed to extend their marketability. In this study, active (N2: 100%) and passive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technologies were applied to three edible flower species, namely Begonia grandiflora 'Viking', Tropaeolum majus, and Viola cornuta, stored at 4 °C. Even if the flowers' quality decay occurred differently according to the species, active MAP better maintained petal colors and slowed down the edible flowers' decay than passive MAP by decreasing flower respiration in all three species and sugars consumption in begonia; there was weight loss in nasturtium, and better preserved total phenolic content in begonia and viola. Coupling cold storage with active MAP can be an effective method to extend edible flowers' post-harvest life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]