Life Sciences Commons^™

The Use Of Female Sexuality In Australian Alcohol Advertising: Public Policy Implications Of Young Adults' Reactions To Stereotypes, Sandra C. Jones, Amanda Reid

Sandra Jones

Coinciding with the rise of raunch culture, a new female stereotype has emerged in advertising - the lusty, busty exhibitionist who exudes sexual power and confidence. Previous research has generally found that women react less positively to female sexual images in alcohol advertising than males, but different sexual stereotypes have not been explicitly examined. The present study utilizes different types of sexual appeals in three televised advertisements for alcohol brands and investigates the relationship between types of sexual imagery and attitude to the advertisement, stated reasons for (dis)liking the advertisement and purchase intention (PI) among 268 Australian university students. Surprisingly, …

Evidence That Distinct States Of The Integrin Alpha6beta1 Interact With Laminin And An Adam, M. S. Chen, E. A. Almeida, A. P. Huovila, Y. Takahashi, Leslie M. Shaw, Arthur M. Mercurio, J. M. White

Arthur M. Mercurio

Integrins can exist in different functional states with low or high binding capacity for particular ligands. We previously provided evidence that the integrin alpha6beta1, on mouse eggs and on alpha6-transfected cells, interacted with the disintegrin domain of the sperm surface protein ADAM 2 (fertilin beta). In the present study we tested the hypothesis that different states of alpha6beta1 interact with fertilin and laminin, an extracellular matrix ligand for alpha6beta1. Using alpha6-transfected cells we found that treatments (e.g., with phorbol myristate acetate or MnCl2) that increased adhesion to laminin inhibited sperm binding. Conversely, treatments that inhibited laminin adhesion increased sperm binding. …

Transcriptional Activation Of Integrin Beta6 During The Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Defines A Novel Prognostic Indicator Of Aggressive Colon Carcinoma, Richard C. Bates, David I. Bellovin, Courtney Brown, Elizabeth Maynard, Bingyan Wu, Hisaaki Kawakatsu, Dean Sheppard, Peter Oettgen, Arthur M. Mercurio

Arthur M. Mercurio

We used a spheroid model of colon carcinoma to analyze integrin dynamics as a function of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process that provides a paradigm for understanding how carcinoma cells acquire a more aggressive phenotype. This EMT involves transcriptional activation of the beta6 integrin subunit and a consequent induction of alphavbeta6 expression. This integrin enhances the tumorigenic properties of colon carcinoma, including activation of autocrine TGF-beta and migration on interstitial fibronectin. Importantly, this study validates the clinical relevance of the EMT. Kaplan-Meier analysis of beta6 expression in 488 colorectal carcinomas revealed a striking reduction in median survival time of …

The Activation Dependent Adhesion Of Macrophages To Laminin Involves Cytoskeletal Anchoring And Phosphorylation Of The Alpha 6 Beta 1 Integrin, Leslie M. Shaw, Jeanne M. Messier, Arthur M. Mercurio

Arthur M. Mercurio

Macrophages require activation with either PMA (Mercurio, A. M., and L. M. Shaw. 1988. J. Cell Biol. 107:1873-1880) or interferon-gamma (Shaw, L. M., and A. M. Mercurio. 1989. J. Exp. Med. 169:303-308) to adhere to a laminin substratum. In the present study, we identified an integrin laminin receptor on macrophages and characterized cellular changes that occur in response to PMA activation that facilitate laminin adhesion. A monoclonal antibody (GoH3) that recognizes the integrin alpha 6 subunit (Sonnenberg, A., H. Janssen, F. Hogervorst, J. Calafat, and J. Hilgers. 1987. J. Biol. Chem. 262:10376-10383) specifically inhibited adhesion to laminin-coated surfaces. This antibody …

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Is An Endogenous Inhibitor Of Snail Transcription: Implications For The Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Robin E. Bachelder, Sang-Oh Yoon, Clara Franci, Antonio Garcia De Herreros, Arthur M. Mercurio

Arthur M. Mercurio

We report that the activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is necessary for the maintenance of the epithelial architecture. Pharmacological inhibition of its activity or reducing its expression using small interfering RNAs in normal breast and skin epithelial cells results in a reduction of E-cadherin expression and a more mesenchymal morphology, both of which are features associated with an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Importantly, GSK-3 inhibition also stimulates the transcription of Snail, a repressor of E-cadherin and an inducer of the EMT. We identify NFkappaB as a transcription factor inhibited by GSK-3 in epithelial cells that is relevant for Snail expression. …

Release Of Camp Gating By The Alpha6beta4 Integrin Stimulates Lamellae Formation And The Chemotactic Migration Of Invasive Carcinoma Cells, Kathleen L. O'Connor, Leslie M. Shaw, Arthur M. Mercurio

Arthur M. Mercurio

The alpha6beta4 integrin promotes carcinoma in-vasion by its activation of a phosphoinositide 3-OH (PI3-K) signaling pathway (Shaw, L.M., I. Rabinovitz, H.H.-F. Wang, A. Toker, and A.M. Mercurio. Cell. 91: 949-960). We demonstrate here using MDA-MB-435 breast carcinoma cells that alpha6beta4 stimulates chemotactic migration, a key component of invasion, but that it has no influence on haptotaxis. Stimulation of chemotaxis by alpha6beta4 expression was observed in response to either lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) or fibroblast conditioned medium. Moreover, the LPA-dependent formation of lamellae in these cells is dependent upon alpha6beta4 expression. Both lamellae formation and chemotactic migration are inhibited or "gated" by …

Distribution Of Health Care Expenditures For Hiv-Infected Patients, Ray Y. Chen, Neil A. Accortt, Andrew O. Westfall, Michael J. Mugavero, James L. Raper, Gretchen A. Cloud, Beth K. Stone, Jerome Carter, Stephanie Call, Maria Pisu, Jeroan J. Allison, Michael S. Saag

Jeroan J. Allison

BACKGROUND: Health care expenditures for persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United State determined on the basis of actual health care use have not been reported in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.

METHODS: Patients receiving primary care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham HIV clinic were included in the study. All encounters (except emergency room visits) that occurred within the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital System from 1 March 2000 to 1 March 2001 were analyzed. Medication expenditures were determined on the basis of 2001 average wholesale price. Hospitalization expenditures were determined on …

Trends In Aids-Defining And Non-Aids-Defining Malignancies Among Hiv-Infected Patients: 1989-2002, Roger Bedimo, Ray Y. Chen, Neil A. Accortt, James L. Raper, Carol Linn, Jeroan J. Allison, John Dubay, Michael S. Saag, Craig J. Hoesley

Jeroan J. Allison

In a comparison of rates of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining malignancies (ADMs) for 1989-1996 versus 1997-2002, we found a decrease in ADMs (rate ratio, 0.31; P<.0001) and a significant increase in non-AIDS-defining malignancies (non-ADMs; rate ratio, 10.87; P<.0002). The mean CD4 cell count was lower among patients with ADMs than among those with non-ADMs. A longer duration of survival during highly active antiretroviral therapy might explain the increasing incidence of non-ADMs.

Temporal Trends In Cardiogenic Shock Complicating Acute Myocardial Infarction, Robert J. Goldberg, Navid A. Samad, Jorge L. Yarzebski, Jerry H. Gurwitz, Carol Bigelow, Joel M. Gore

Jorge L. Yarzebski

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available on trends in the incidence of and mortality due to cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction. We studied the incidence of cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction and in-hospital death rates among patients with this condition in a single community from 1975 through 1997. METHODS: We conducted an observational study of 9076 residents of metropolitan Worcester, Massachusetts, who were hospitalized with confirmed acute myocardial infarction in all local hospitals during 11 one-year periods between 1975 and 1997. Our study included periods before and after the advent of reperfusion therapy. RESULTS: The incidence of cardiogenic shock …

Factors Related To Declining Luteal Function In Women During The Menopausal Transition, Nanette Santoro, Sybil L. Crawford, Bill Lasley, J. L. Luborsky, Karen A. Matthews, Daniel Mcconnell, John F. Randolph, Ellen B. Gold, Gail A. Greendale, S. G. Korenman, Lynda H. Powell, Mary Fran R. Sowers, Gerson Weiss

Sybil L. Crawford

CONTEXT: Reproductive hormones are incompletely characterized during the menopause transition (MT). Hypothesis: Increased anovulation and decreased progesterone accompany progress through the MT. DESIGN: The Daily Hormone Study (DHS) of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) included 848 women aged 43-53 yr at baseline who collected daily urine for one cycle or up to 50 d annually for 3 yr. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: LH, FSH, estrone conjugates, and pregnanediol glucuronide levels were assessed. Cycles were classified by presumed luteal (ovulatory) status and bleeding. Hormones were related to time in study, age, menopausal status, and selected variables. RESULTS: Ovulatory-appearing …

Design And Methods For A Randomized Clinical Trial Treating Comorbid Obesity And Major Depressive Disorder, Kristin L. Schneider, Jamie S. Bodenlos, Yunsheng Ma, Barbara C. Olendzki, Jessica Oleski, Philip A. Merriam, Sybil L. Crawford, Ira S. Ockene, Sherry L. Pagoto

Sybil L. Crawford

BACKGROUND: Obesity is often comorbid with depression and individuals with this comorbidity fare worse in behavioral weight loss treatment. Treating depression directly prior to behavioral weight loss treatment might bolster weight loss outcomes in this population, but this has not yet been tested in a randomized clinical trial. METHODS AND DESIGN: This randomized clinical trial will examine whether behavior therapy for depression administered prior to standard weight loss treatment produces greater weight loss than standard weight loss treatment alone. Obese women with major depressive disorder (N = 174) will be recruited from primary care clinics and the community and randomly …