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Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that modulate essential physiological and pathological signals. Communication between cancer cells that express the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene and those that do not is instrumental to distant metastasis in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In a novel metastasis model, VHL(-) cancer cells are the metastatic driver, while VHL(+) cells receive metastatic signals from VHL(-) cells and undergo aggressive transformation. This study investigates whether exosomes could be mediating metastatic crosstalk. Exosomes isolated from paired VHL(+) and VHL(-) cancer cell lines were assessed for physical, biochemical, and biological characteristics. Compared to the VHL(+) cells, VHL(-) cells produce significantly more exosomes that augment epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration of VHL(+) cells. Using a Cre-loxP exosome reporter system, the fluorescent color conversion and migration were correlated with dose-dependent delivery of VHL(-) exosomes. VHL(-) exosomes even induced a complete cascade of distant metastasis when added to VHL(+) tumor xenografts in a duck chorioallantoic membrane (dCAM) model, while VHL(+) exosomes did not. Therefore, this study supports that exosomes from VHL(-) cells could mediate critical cell-to-cell crosstalk to promote metastasis in RCC.

The transition to adulthood is an underresearched topic for cross-systems youth, defined as young people who have experienced homelessness, child welfare system involvement, and educational challenges. This qualitative study explored processes of resilience in the transition to adulthood for cross-systems youth aged 18 to 24 (n = 20). Analysis of in-depth interviews using a grounded theory open coding process revealed two thematic concepts, striving and dreaming. As illustrated in two case studies, striving was characterized by participants having specific educational and career goals and making strategic choices about programs and resources. In contrast, the dreaming concept indicated participants having little understanding of the steps and resources needed to achieve their goals. Implications for practice include the importance of helping cross-systems youth maintain supportive relationships with families of origin and peers to enhance striving, and the use of motivational interviewing to assist emerging adults in gauging their readiness and motivation to set and pursue goals.

The older adult population in the United States is projected to grow significantly due to improvements in healthcare and sustained population growth. Adults aged 65 and older experience unique risks for, and consequences of, substance misuse. This End Page applies recovery capital theory to outline the distinctive physical, social, human, and community and cultural forms of recovery capital for older adults. Based on this conceptualization, we provide directions for examining recovery from substance use disorders among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media coverage plays an important role in shaping public opinion and approaching solutions to homelessness in the United States and beyond. Scant prior research has shown that stories often highlight individual rather than structural causes and solutions to the issue, while also perpetuating anti-homelessness stigma and stereotypes. However, few studies have looked specifically at the role of photography in media stories about homelessness. In this study, we used content analysis methodology to assess features of 226 photographs accompanying stories about homelessness from U.S. news media outlets in 2019. Our analysis found that presumably homeless people were frequently photographed without eye contact and were not identified by name in captions, and that photographs often featured homelessness paraphernalia (e.g. tents, shopping carts) but rarely depicted affordable housing. These findings affirmed the dehumanizing nature of news photographs about homelessness, and underscore the importance of partnering with the media to raise awareness of stigma and ultimately bring about policy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ability of homeless youth to accumulate resources through their personal relationships with others (i.e. social capital) is often associated with improved outcomes across multiple domains. Despite growing evidence documenting the heterogeneity of homeless youths' relationships, many youth still experience adversities or lack access to resources. Thus, a more comprehensive investigation of homeless youths' sources of social capital and the factors associated with these networks is needed. Objective: This current study aimed: (1) to delineate the composition of social support networks of homeless youth and (2) to identify salient correlates of these different sources of social support. Methods: A sample of 1046 youth, ages 13-24, were recruited from three homeless youth drop-in-centers. Youth completed a computerized self-administered survey and a social network interview. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine whether youths' homelessness backgrounds, victimization experiences, and risky behaviors were associated with different emotional and instrumental forms of social capital. Results: Overall rates of homeless youths' social support from all sources were low. Rates of emotional support were greater than instrumental support, with youth with histories of physical abuse, street victimization, and foster care reporting more emotional support from some sources. Street victimized youth were significantly more likely to report having emotional and instrumental support from all sources of capital. Conclusion: Findings suggest the need for careful consideration of youths' support systems when providing services to homeless youth. Specifically, it may be important to assess the common supports utilized by youth in order to maximize youths' social networks.

The United States' War on Drugs encompasses a body of legislation characterized by punitive approaches to drug control. These policies have resulted in escalating incarceration rates and have extracted a particularly harsh toll on low-income people of color. This article argues that education on the War on Drugs is essential for effective practice with people affected by addictions and is also an important social justice issue. It is thus the responsibility of educators to incorporate a critical examination of drug policy into course work. Strategies for addressing drug policy in social work education are provided, including the use of guest speakers and multimedia presentations, case study assignments that prompt students to examine the intersection of policy and practice, and international drug policy comparisons.

This article reviews themes and changes in the teaching of HIV/AIDS content in social work programs over the first three decades of the epidemic. Social work education in the first decade of the epidemic was largely focused on helping clients in the death and dying process, while medical and pharmaceutical advancements in the mid-1990s drastically altered the roles of social work. As social work education prepares students to face the fourth decade of the AIDS epidemic, three areas of cross-curricular intersection are highlighted: HIV/AIDS as an issue of social, racial, and economic justice; the global AIDS epidemic in the context of international social work; and the social work response to HIV/AIDS in older adults. (Contains 1 table.)

Modern social problems are complex, multifaceted, and challenging to solve. Scholars are increasingly applying the concept of social innovation as a path to addressing social issues. Social innovation is an interdisciplinary framework for producing social change that requires creativity, problem-solving skills, and collaboration across systems. Higher education is progressively understanding the need to provide interdisciplinary educational opportunities for students; however, little is known about the effectiveness and impact of providing interdisciplinary learning experiences grounded in a social innovation framework. This article describes and analyzes an interdisciplinary summer fellowship program focused on social innovation for graduate students in social work, business, and the humanities and social sciences. The program employed multiple pedagogical approaches, including classroom-based instruction, field learning, and interdisciplinary teamwork. We used qualitative and quantitative pre- and post-evaluation student feedback to examine students' learning and overall experiences. We found that the fellowship was a dynamic learning experience, through which students strengthened their communication skills and translated academic concepts into practical ideas. The experience also impacted the students' career trajectories, influencing students to pursue careers that involved working toward social progress in a variety of ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]