There is growing concern over the emergence of damaging compulsive use patterns among some users of social networking sites (SNSs), in particular of mobile social media. Although previous studies argue that mindfulness has a protective effect on compulsive behaviors, to date, no study has analyzed the underlying mechanisms by which mindfulness reduces compulsive SNS usage. This study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between mindfulness, self-esteem, social anxiety, compulsive mobile SNS usage, and derived stress in the context of the use of the mobile social media application, WhatsApp™.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe tetraspanin CD9 has been shown to interact with different members of the β1 and β3 subfamilies of integrins, regulating through these interactions cell adhesion, migration and signaling. Based on confocal microscopy co-localization and on co-immunoprecipitation results, we report here that CD9 associates with the β2 integrin LFA-1 in different types of leukocytes including T, B and monocytic cells. This association is resistant to stringent solubilization conditions which, together with data from chemical crosslinking, in situ Proximity Ligation Assays and pull-down experiments, suggest a primary/direct type of interaction mediated by the Large Extracellular Loop of the tetraspanin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeritoneal dissemination is a frequent metastatic route for cancers of the ovary and gastrointestinal tract. Tumour cells metastasize by attaching to and invading through the mesothelial cell (MC) monolayer that lines the peritoneal cavity. Metastases are influenced by carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a cell population that derives from different sources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFALCAM/CD166 is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion molecules (Ig-CAMs) which mediates intercellular adhesion through either homophilic (ALCAM-ALCAM) or heterophilic (ALCAM-CD6) interactions. ALCAM-mediated adhesion is crucial in different physiological and pathological phenomena, with particular relevance in leukocyte extravasation, stabilization of the immunological synapse, T cell activation and proliferation and tumor growth and metastasis. Although the functional implications of ALCAM in these processes is well established, the mechanisms regulating its adhesive capacity remain obscure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndoglin is a TGF-β co-receptor expressed in endothelial cells, where it plays a crucial role in angiogenesis, cardiovascular development and vascular remodeling. In humans, mutations in the endoglin gene give rise to Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia type 1 (HHT1), an autosomal dominant disorder associated with vascular lesions in skin, mucosa and internal organs. So far, endoglin cDNA has been sequenced in several species from mammals, amphibians and birds.
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