Search

In 2017, media coverage of the #MeToo movement brought attention to the pervasive problem of sexual harassment against women, highlighting several prominent American cases including Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and Donald Trump. In survey experiments with nationally representative samples in the United States (N = 2,843), the Netherlands (N = 3,770), and Germany (N = 2,357), we tested how thinking about the American cases influences public opinion towards the issue across countries. As predicted, being reminded of the Weinstein, Cosby, and Trump cases increased the evaluation that sexual harassment is a serious problem in the United States. We further tested how thinking about the U.S. cases influences participants' evaluations of sexual harassment in European countries: Does it pale by comparison to the prominent U.S. cases, or do the cases increase the assessment that harassment is a problem everywhere? All samples evaluated sexual harassment in the European countries as a more serious issue when the U.S. cases were brought to mind, which is compatible with the assumption that sexual harassment is seen as a global gender issue rather than a country‐specific issue. These results provide experimental evidence that attention‐grabbing cases can shift evaluations of a policy issue within and across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activities of compound ethyl 3',4',5'-trimethoxycinnamate on TNF-alpha-induced expression of cell adhesive molecules are evaluated using primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells, which play a key role in controlling various inflammatory dieses. The results indicate that 3',4',5'-trimethoxycinnamate interferes with some earlier steps of the TNF-alpha signaling cascade.

We report here the isolation and characterization of two active principles, ethyl 3',4',5' trimethoxycinnamate (1) and piperine (2), from the combined hexane and chloroform extracts of Piper ion gum. Using primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells, we evaluated the activities of compound 1 on TNF-α-induced expression of cell adhesion molecules, viz., ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin, which play key roles in controlling various inflammatory diseases. Both compounds 1 and 2 inhibited the TNF-α-induced expression of ICAM-1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner; however, the activity of ethyl 3',4',5'-trimethoxycinnamate (1) was ∼1.3 times higher than that of piperine (2). As ethyl 3',4',5'- trimethoxycinnamate (1) has been isolated for the first time from a natural source, Piper longum, and it exhibited higher activity, we carried out further studies on it. To correlate its cell adhesion molecule inhibitory activity with its functional consequences, we showed that it significantly blocked the adhesion of neutrophils to endothelium in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Importantly, the inhibitory effect of cinnamate 1 was found to be reversible. To elucidate its structure-function-activity relationship, we synthesized nine different analogues of ethyl 3',4',5'-trimethoxycinnamate, i.e., compounds 3-11, and compared the ICAM-1 inhibitory activity of compound 1 with those of its synthetic analogues as well as the corresponding acids 12-15. The structure-activity studies indicate that the chain length of the alcohol moiety, substituents in the aromatic ring, and α, β-double bond of the cinnamic acid ester have significant effects on the inhibition of TNF-α-induced expression of ICAM-1 on endothelial cells. These findings have implications in developing compounds with a better therapeutic index against various inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]