bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prophylactic treatment of flea-infested cats with an imidacloprid/flumethrin collar to forestall infection with Dipylidium caninum
Authors: Fourie Josephus J , Crafford Dionne , Horak Ivan G , Stanneck Dorothee
Published: August 2012

Background

The objective of the study was to determine the sustained effectiveness of 10% imidacloprid (w/w) and 4.5% flumethrin (w/w) incorporated in a slow-release matrix collar in preventing Dipylidium caninum infection in cats following repeated laboratory-infestations with fleas infected with metacestodes.

Methods

Efficacy against infection with D. caninum was evaluated by infesting 16 cats with the flea Ctenocephalides felis felis infected with metacestodes of the tapeworm. Medicated collars were fitted to 8 of the cats and infestation of each cat with 200 fleas from a suitably infected batch commenced 7 days later and continued at weekly intervals until Day 28. Efficacy against fleas was evaluated 24 h after each infestation. Infection of the cats with D. caninum was verified by daily examination of the cats’ faeces and immediate surroundings for proglottids from Day 21 to Day 60. Calculation of the prophylactic effectiveness of the collars in preventing infection of the cats with D. caninum was based on the difference in the geometric mean number of scoleces recovered from the gastrointestinal tracts of collared compared to untreated cats at necropsy on Day 61.

Results

Efficacy of the collars against infestation of the cats with fleas was 99.9% on Day 7 and 100% at each subsequent weekly assessment. Infection of the fleas with metacestodes was ≥40% in 7 to 13 day old fleas, but progressively decreased thereafter. At necropsy all the control cats were infected with D. caninum and harboured between 19 and 346 scoleces with a geometric mean of 58.3. A single treated cat was infected and harboured 2 scoleces. Effective prevention of infection with D. caninum, based on a comparison of the geometric mean numbers of scoleces recovered from control and treated cats, was 99.7%.

Conclusion

The insecticidal components of the medicated collars are capable of rapidly eliminating newly-acquired infestations of fleas that are infected with the metacestodes of D. caninum, thus preventing infection with the cestode in collared cats.
Simultaneous production of isopropanol, butanol, ethanol and 2,3-butanediol by Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 engineered strains
Authors: Collas Florent , Kuit Wouter , Clément Benjamin , Marchal Rémy , López-Contreras Ana M , Monot Frederic
Published: August 2012

Isopropanol represents a widely-used commercial alcohol which is currently produced from petroleum. In nature, isopropanol is excreted by some strains of Clostridium beijerinckii, simultaneously with butanol and ethanol during the isopropanol butanol ethanol (IBE) fermentation. In order to increase isopropanol production, the gene encoding the secondary-alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme from C. beijerinckii NRRL B593 (adh) which catalyzes the reduction of acetone to isopropanol, was cloned into the acetone, butanol and ethanol (ABE)-producing strain C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824. The transformants showed high capacity for conversion of acetone into isopropanol (> 95%). To increase isopropanol production levels in ATCC 824, polycistronic transcription units containing, in addition to the adh gene, homologous genes of the acetoacetate decarboxylase (adc), and/or the acetoacetyl-CoA:acetate/butyrate:CoA transferase subunits A and B (ctfA and ctfB) were constructed and introduced into the wild-type strain. Combined overexpression of the ctfA and ctfB genes resulted in enhanced solvent production. In non-pH-controlled batch cultures, the total solvents excreted by the transformant overexpressing the adh, ctfA, ctfB and adc genes were 24.4 g/L IBE (including 8.8 g/L isopropanol), while the control strain harbouring an empty plasmid produced only 20.2 g/L ABE (including 7.6 g/L acetone). The overexpression of the adc gene had limited effect on IBE production. Interestingly, all transformants with the adh gene converted acetoin (a minor fermentation product) into 2,3-butanediol, highlighting the wide metabolic versatility of solvent-producing Clostridia.
Pooled-DNA sequencing identifies novel causative variants in PSEN1, GRN and MAPT in a clinical early-onset and familial Alzheimer's disease Ibero-American cohort
Authors: Jin Sheng Chih , Pastor Pau , Cooper Breanna , Cervantes Sebastian , Benitez Bruno A , Razquin Cristina , Goate Alison ,   Ibero-American Alzheimer Disease Genetics Group Researchers, Cruchaga Carlos
Published: August 2012

Introduction

Some familial Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases are caused by rare and highly-penetrant mutations in APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2. Mutations in GRN and MAPT, two genes associated with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), have been found in clinically diagnosed AD cases. Due to the dramatic developments in next-generation sequencing (NGS), high-throughput sequencing of targeted genomic regions of the human genome in many individuals in a single run is now cheap and feasible. Recent findings favor the rare variant-common disease hypothesis by which the combination effects of rare variants could explain a large proportion of the heritability. We utilized NGS to identify rare and pathogenic variants in APP, PSEN1, PSEN2, GRN, and MAPT in an Ibero-American cohort.

Methods

We performed pooled-DNA sequencing of each exon and flanking sequences in APP, PSEN1, PSEN2, MAPT and GRN in 167 clinical and 5 autopsy-confirmed AD cases (15 familial early-onset, 136 sporadic early-onset and 16 familial late-onset) from Spain and Uruguay using NGS. Follow-up genotyping was used to validate variants. After genotyping additional controls, we performed segregation and functional analyses to determine the pathogenicity of validated variants.

Results

We identified a novel G to T transition (g.38816G>T) in exon 6 of PSEN1 in a sporadic early-onset AD case, resulting in a previously described pathogenic p.L173F mutation. A pathogenic p.L392V mutation in exon 11 was found in one familial early-onset AD case. We also identified a novel CC insertion (g.10974_10975insCC) in exon 8 of GRN, which introduced a premature stop codon, resulting in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. This GRN mutation was associated with lower GRN plasma levels, as previously reported for other GRN pathogenic mutations. We found two variants in MAPT (p.A152T, p.S318L) present only in three AD cases but not controls, suggesting that these variants could be risk factors for the disease.

Conclusions

We found pathogenic mutations in PSEN1, GRN and MAPT in 2.33% of the screened cases. This study suggests that pathogenic mutations or risk variants in MAPT and in GRN are as frequent in clinical AD cases as mutations in APP, PSEN1 and PSEN2, highlighting that pleiotropy of MAPT or GRN mutations can influence both FTD and AD phenotypic traits.
Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase III Cross-Over Study Evaluating the Oral Neurokinin-1 Antagonist Aprepitant in Combination With a 5HT3 Receptor Antagonist and Dexamethasone in Patients With Germ Cell Tumors Receiving 5-Day Cisplatin Combination Chemotherapy Regimens: A Hoosier Oncology Group Study
Authors: Albany Costantine , Brames Mary J. , Fausel Christopher , Johnson Cynthia S. , Picus Joel , Einhorn Lawrence H.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Aprepitant, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (5HT3-RA), and dexamethasone are standard antiemetic therapy for prevention of single-day, cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III cross-over study that compared aprepitant to placebo combined with standard antiemetic prophylaxis (a 5HT3-RA and dexamethasone) in patients receiving 5 days of cisplatin combination chemotherapy for testicular cancer.

Patients and Methods

Patients receiving two consecutive identical courses of a 5-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned to aprepitant 125 mg on day 3 and 80 mg per day on days 4 through 7 or to placebo with the initial course and crossover to the opposite treatment with the second course. The primary objective was complete response (CR). Secondary end points were emetic episodes (acute and delayed), nausea measurement based on a visual analog scale (VAS), and patient-stated preference after the second study cycle.

Results

In all, 71 patients were screened for the study and 69 were evaluable. Thirty-five patients were randomly assigned to receive aprepitant and 34 to receive placebo for the first course. Forty-two percent achieved CR with aprepitant compared with 13% with placebo (P < .001). Eleven patients (16.2%) had at least one emetic episode during the aprepitant cycle versus 32 patients (47.1%) with placebo. Thirty-eight patients preferred the aprepitant cycle whereas 11 preferred placebo (P < .001). There was no statistical difference in VAS for nausea, but it was numerically superior with aprepitant. There was no toxicity with aprepitant compared with placebo.

Conclusion

There was a significant improvement in CR rate with aprepitant combined with a 5HT3-RA and dexamethasone. Patient preference strongly favored the aprepitant cycle.
Epigenetic Therapy Using Belinostat for Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter Phase I/II Study With Biomarker and Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Tumors From Patients in the Mayo Phase II Consortium and the Cancer Therapeutics Research Group
Authors: Yeo Winnie , Chung Hyun C. , Chan Stephen L. , Wang Ling Z. , Lim Robert , Picus Joel , Boyer Michael , Mo Frankie K.F. , Koh Jane , Rha Sun Y. , Hui Edwin P. , Jeung Hei C. , Roh Jae K. , Yu Simon C.H. , To Ka F. , Tao Qian , Ma Brigette B. , Chan Anthony W.H. , Tong Joanna H.M. , Erlichman Charles , Chan Anthony T.C. , Goh Boon C.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Epigenetic aberrations have been reported in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study of patients with unresectable HCC and chronic liver disease, epigenetic therapy with the histone deacetylase inhibitor belinostat was assessed. The objectives were to determine dose-limiting toxicity and maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), to assess pharmacokinetics in phase I, and to assess activity of and explore potential biomarkers for response in phase II.

Patients and Methods

Major eligibility criteria included histologically confirmed unresectable HCC, European Cooperative Oncology Group performance score ≤ 2, and adequate organ function. Phase I consisted of 18 patients; belinostat was given intravenously once per day on days 1 to 5 every 3 weeks; dose levels were 600 mg/m2 per day (level 1), 900 mg/m2 per day (level 2), 1,200 mg/m2 per day (level 3), and 1,400 mg/m2 per day (level 4). Phase II consisted of 42 patients. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS), and the main secondary end points were response according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and overall survival (OS). Exploratory analysis was conducted on pretreatment tumor tissues to determine whether HR23B expression is a potential biomarker for response.

Results

Belinostat pharmacokinetics were linear from 600 to 1,400 mg/m2 without significant accumulation. The MTD was not reached at the maximum dose administered. Dose level 4 was used in phase II. The median number of cycles was two (range, one to 12). The partial response (PR) and stable disease (SD) rates were 2.4% and 45.2%, respectively. The median PFS and OS were 2.64 and 6.60 months, respectively. Exploratory analysis revealed that disease stabilization rate (complete response plus PR plus SD) in tumors having high and low HR23B histoscores were 58% and 14%, respectively (P = .036).

Conclusion

Epigenetic therapy with belinostat demonstrates tumor stabilization and is generally well-tolerated. HR23B expression was associated with disease stabilization.
Adjuvant Therapy With Fluorouracil and Oxaliplatin in Stage II and Elderly Patients (between ages 70 and 75 years) With Colon Cancer: Subgroup Analyses of the Multicenter International Study of Oxaliplatin, Fluorouracil, and Leucovorin in the Adjuvant Treatment of Colon Cancer Trial
Authors: Tournigand Christophe , André Thierry , Bonnetain Franck , Chibaudel Benoist , Lledo Gérard , Hickish Tamas , Tabernero Josep , Boni Corrado , Bachet Jean-Baptiste , Teixeira Luis , Gramont Aimery de
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Oxaliplatin combined with fluoropyrimidine improves survival in patients with stage III colon cancer. However, adjuvant chemotherapy with oxaliplatin is controversial in stage II and elderly patients.

Patients and Methods

We performed subgroup analyses of stage II and elderly patients randomly assigned fluorouracil with leucovorin (FL) ± oxaliplatin (FOLFOX4) in the Multicenter International Study of Oxaliplatin/Fluorouracil/Leucovorin in the Adjuvant Treatment of Colon Cancer study. Comorbidities, severe adverse events, second cancers, management of relapse and death as a result of causes than other colon cancer were studied.

Results

Two thousand two hundred forty-six patients were enrolled. Overall, 899 patients had stage II disease, including 330 low-risk and 569 high-risk patients. A total of 315 patients were ages 70 to 75 years. For stage II patients, the hazard ratio (HR) for comparing FOLFOX4 with FL was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.62 to 01.14) for disease-free survival (DFS), 0.70 (95% CI, 0.49 to 0.99) for time to recurrence (TTR), and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.70 to 1.41) for overall survival (OS). There was no interaction between treatment and stage or age. Low-risk stage II patients did not benefit from oxaliplatin. In high-risk stage II patients, the HR comparing FOLFOX4 with FL was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.51 to 1.01) for DFS, 0.62 (95% CI, 0.41 to 0.92) for TTR, and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.61 to 1.36) for OS. In elderly patients, the HR comparing FOLFOX4 with FL was 0.93 (95% CI, 0.64 to 1.35) for DFS, 0.72 (95% CI, 0.47 to 1.11) for TTR, and 1.10 (95% CI, 0.73 to 1.65) for OS.

Conclusion

The results of these subset analyses show no statistically significant benefit (OS and DFS) for the addition of oxaliplatin to FL as adjuvant treatment for either stage II and elderly patients.
Partitioning the heart: mechanisms of cardiac septation and valve development
Authors: Lin Chien-Jung , Lin Chieh-Yu , Chen Chen-Hao , Zhou Bin , Chang Ching-Pin
Published: August 2012

Heart malformations are common congenital defects in humans. Many congenital heart defects involve anomalies in cardiac septation or valve development, and understanding the developmental mechanisms that underlie the formation of cardiac septal and valvular tissues thus has important implications for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of congenital heart disease. The development of heart septa and valves involves multiple types of progenitor cells that arise either within or outside the heart. Here, we review the morphogenetic events and genetic networks that regulate spatiotemporal interactions between the cells that give rise to septal and valvular tissues and hence partition the heart.
Segregation of eye and antenna fates maintained by mutual antagonism in Drosophila
Authors: Wang Cheng-Wei , Sun Y. Henry
Published: August 2012

A general question in development is how do adjacent primordia adopt different developmental fates and stably maintain their distinct fates? In Drosophila melanogaster, the adult eye and antenna originate from the embryonic eye-antenna primordium. These cells proliferate in the larval stage to form the eye-antenna disc. The eye or antenna differs at mid second instar with the restricted expression of Cut (Ct), a homeodomain transcriptional repressor, in the antenna disc and Eyeless (Ey), a Pax6 transcriptional activator, in the eye disc. In this study, we show that ey transcription in the antenna disc is repressed by two homeodomain proteins, Ct and Homothorax (Hth). Loss of Ct and Hth in the antenna disc resulted in ectopic eye development in the antenna. Conversely, the Ct and Hth expression in the eye disc was suppressed by the homeodomain transcription factor Sine oculis (So), a direct target of Ey. Loss of So in the eye disc caused ectopic antenna development in the eye. Therefore, the segregation of eye and antenna fates is stably maintained by mutual repression of the other pathway.
Principles of branch dynamics governing shape characteristics of cerebellar Purkinje cell dendrites
Authors: Fujishima Kazuto , Horie Ryota , Mochizuki Atsushi , Kengaku Mineko
Published: August 2012

Neurons develop dendritic arbors in cell type-specific patterns. Using growing Purkinje cells in culture as a model, we performed a long-term time-lapse observation of dendrite branch dynamics to understand the rules that govern the characteristic space-filling dendrites. We found that dendrite architecture was sculpted by a combination of reproducible dynamic processes, including constant tip elongation, stochastic terminal branching, and retraction triggered by contacts between growing dendrites. Inhibition of protein kinase C/protein kinase D signaling prevented branch retraction and significantly altered the characteristic morphology of long proximal segments. A computer simulation of dendrite branch dynamics using simple parameters from experimental measurements reproduced the time-dependent changes in the dendrite configuration in live Purkinje cells. Furthermore, perturbation analysis to parameters in silico validated the important contribution of dendritic retraction in the formation of the characteristic morphology. We present an approach using live imaging and computer simulations to clarify the fundamental mechanisms of dendrite patterning in the developing brain.
Pre-eclampsia and long-term maternal health
Authors: Williams David
Published: August 2012

Pre-eclampsia is a syndrome of pregnancy, defined by the gestational-onset of hypertension and proteinuria, which resolves postpartum. This definition does not consider the variable multiorgan involvement of a syndrome that can include seizures, fulminating hepatic necrosis and a consumptive coagulopathy. These disparate clinical features are a consequence of an accelerated but transient metabolic syndrome with widespread maternal endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. A trigger to this maternal state is the relatively ischaemic placenta. As pregnancy progresses, the concentration of vaso-toxic factors released by the relatively ischaemic placenta gradually builds up in the maternal circulation. Those predisposed to endothelial dysfunction, e.g. women with risk factors for cardiovascular disease, are more sensitive to these placental derived factors and will develop pre-eclampsia before natural onset of labour. A woman's vulnerability to pre-eclampsia is therefore composed of a unique balance between her pre-existing maternal endothelial and metabolic health and the concentration of placental derived factors toxic to maternal endothelium. Delivery of the placenta remains the only cure.

Years later, women who had pre-eclampsia are at increased risk of chronic hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, thromboembolism, hypothyroidism and even impaired memory. This article describes how a brief, usually single episode of this acute pregnancy syndrome might both identify those vulnerable to chronic disease in later life and in some cases initiate chronic disease.
Do Investment Banks' Relationships with Investors Impact Pricing? The Case of Convertible Bond Issues
Authors: Henderson Brian J. , Tookes Heather
Published: August 2012

This study examines the role of repeat interactions between placement agents (investment banks) and investors in the initial pricing of convertible bonds. Under the assumption that attracting repeat investors can reduce search frictions in primary issue markets, we test the hypothesis that banks' relationships with investors actually allow more favorable pricing for issuing firms (in contrast to the “favoritism” hypothesis, under which banks use underpricing to reward favored clients). In the empirical analysis we also allow for a potentially important alternative channel through which search frictions might impact initial pricing: expected after-market liquidity. Using a sample of 601 Rule 144A issues for the years 1997–2007, we document robust negative relationships between at-issue discounts and both types of frictions. Our findings suggest that search frictions play a meaningful role in initial convertible bond pricing and, specifically, that intermediaries can add substantial value through repeated interactions with investors.

This paper was accepted by Brad Barber, finance.
The Effect of a Lean Quality Improvement Implementation Program on Surgical Pathology Specimen Accessioning and Gross Preparation Error Frequency
Authors: Smith Maxwell L. , Wilkerson Trent , Grzybicki Dana M. , Raab Stephen S.
Published: August 2012

Few reports have documented the effectiveness of Lean quality improvement in changing anatomic pathology patient safety. We used Lean methods of education; hoshin kanri goal setting and culture change; kaizen events; observation of work activities, hand-offs, and pathways; A3-problem solving, metric development, and measurement; and frontline work redesign in the accessioning and gross examination areas of an anatomic pathology laboratory. We compared the pre- and post-Lean implementation proportion of near-miss events and changes made in specific work processes. In the implementation phase, we documented 29 individual A3-root cause analyses. The pre- and postimplementation proportions of process- and operator-dependent near-miss events were 5.5 and 1.8 (P < .002) and 0.6 and 0.6, respectively. We conclude that through culture change and implementation of specific work process changes, Lean implementation may improve pathology patient safety.
Prognostic Relevance of c-Myc and BMI1 Expression in Patients With Glioblastoma
Authors: Cenci Tonia , Martini Maurizio , Montano Nicola , D’Alessandris Quintino G. , Falchetti Maria Laura , Annibali Daniela , Savino Mauro , Bianchi Federico , Pierconti Francesco , Nasi Sergio , Pallini Roberto , Larocca Luigi Maria
Published: August 2012

Although the c-Myc oncogene is frequently deregulated in human cancer, its involvement in the pathogenesis of glioblastoma is not clear. We conducted immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of c-Myc, polycomb ring finger oncogene (BMI1), and acetylation of the lysine 9 (H3K9Ac) of histone 3 in 48 patients with glioblastoma who underwent surgery followed by radiotherapy and temozolomide treatment. The expression of c-Myc, BMI1, and H3K9ac was correlated with clinical characteristics and outcome. We found that overexpression of c-Myc was significantly associated with that of BMI1 (P = .009), and that patients who harbored glioblastomas overexpressing c-Myc and BMI1 showed significantly longer overall survival (P < .0001 and P = .0009, respectively). Our results provide the first evidence of the prognostic value of c-Myc and associated genes in patients with glioblastoma. The favorable effect of c-Myc and BMI1 expression on survival is likely mediated by the sensitization of cancer cells to radiotherapy and temozolomide through the activation of apoptotic pathways.
Prolonged Expression of Puma in Cholinergic Amacrine Cells During the Development of Rat Retina
Authors: Wakabayashi Taketoshi , Kosaka Jun , Mori Tetsuji , Yamada Hisao
Published: August 2012

During development of the nervous system, large numbers of neurons are overproduced and then eliminated by programmed cell death. Puma is a BH3-only protein that is reported to be involved in the initiation of developmental programmed cell death in rodent retinal neurons. The expression and cellular localization of Puma in retinal tissues during development are not, however, well known. Here the authors report the expression pattern of Puma during retinal development in the rat. During the period of programmed cell death in the retina, Puma was expressed in some members of each retinal neuron, including retinal ganglion cells, amacrine cells, bipolar cells, horizontal cells, and photoreceptor cells. Although the developmental programmed cell death of cholinergic amacrine cells is known to be independent of Puma, this protein was expressed in almost all their dendrites and somata of cholinergic amacrine cells at postnatal age 2 to 3 weeks, and it continued to be detected in cholinergic dendrites in the inner plexiform layer for up to 8 weeks after birth. These results suggest that Puma has some significant roles in retinal neurons after eye opening, especially that of cholinergic amacrine cells, in addition to programmed cell death of retinal neurons before eye opening.
Automated 22-kD Growth Hormone–Specific Assay without Interference from Pegvisomant
Authors: Manolopoulou Jenny , Alami Younes , Petersenn Stephan , Schopohl Jochen , Wu Zida , Strasburger Christian J , Bidlingmaier Martin
Published: August 2012

BACKGROUND

Large variability exists among different growth hormone (GH) assays owing to differences in calibration, antibody specificity, isoform recognition, and interference from GH binding protein (GHBP). The GH receptor antagonist Pegvisomant presents a new challenge because Pegvisomant interferes with many GH assays. A recent consensus conference established criteria for standardization and evaluation of GH assays. Following consensus recommendations, we developed a new GH assay on an automated analyzer (IDS-iSYS, Immunodiagnostic Systems).

METHODS

A monoclonal antibody not cross-reacting with Pegvisomant was combined with a monoclonal antibody specific for 22-kD GH. Isoform specificity and interference from GHBP was tested and compared to that seen in 2 existing automated GH assays (Siemens Immulite, Diasorin Liaison). We also compared GH concentrations measured by the 3 assays for healthy volunteers and patients with acromegaly receiving different treatments. Using the iSYS assay, we also established nadir GH values during oral glucose load and analyzed changes in endogenous GH during Pegvisomant treatment.

RESULTS

Analytical and functional sensitivities were 0.01 μg/L and 0.04 μg/L, with a dynamic range from 0.04 to 100 μg/L. Intraassay CVs were 2%–4%, whereas interassay CVs were 5%–7% at GH concentrations between 1.7 and 27.5 μg/L. The assay was specific for 22-kD GH and not affected by GHBP. The presence of Pegvisomant, which leads to a negative bias on the Immulite and dramatic overestimation of GH on the Liaison, had no impact on the iSYS GH assay.

CONCLUSIONS

The new assay fulfils recent consensus recommendations and presents a useful new tool for reliable measurement of GH.
Sex Hormone–Binding Globulin and Risk of Clinical Diabetes in American Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Chen Brian H , Brennan Kathleen , Goto Atsushi , Song Yiqing , Aziz Najib , You Nai-chieh Y , Wellons Melissa F , Manson JoAnn E , White Donna L , Butch Anthony W , Liu Simin
Published: August 2012

BACKGROUND

Recent prospective studies have shown a strong inverse association between sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations and risk of clinical diabetes in white individuals. However, it remains unclear whether this relationship extends to other racial/ethnic populations.

METHODS

We evaluated the association between baseline concentrations of SHBG and clinical diabetes risk in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. Over a median follow-up of 5.9 years, we identified 642 postmenopausal women who developed clinical diabetes (380 blacks, 157 Hispanics, 105 Asians) and 1286 matched controls (777 blacks, 307 Hispanics, 202 Asians).

RESULTS

Higher concentrations of SHBG at baseline were associated with a significantly lower risk of clinical diabetes [relative risk (RR), 0.15; 95% CI, 0.09–0.26 for highest vs lowest quartile of SHBG, adjusted for BMI and known diabetes risk factors]. The associations remained consistent within ethnic groups [RR, 0.19 (95% CI, 0.10–0.38) for blacks; RR, 0.17 (95% CI, 0.05–0.57) for Hispanics; and 0.13 (95% CI, 0.03–0.48) for Asians]. Adjustment for potential confounders, such as total testosterone (RR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.07–0.19) or HOMA-IR (RR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.14–0.48) did not alter the RR substantially. In addition, SHBG concentrations were significantly associated with risk of clinical diabetes across categories of hormone therapy use (never users: RRper SD = 0.42, 95% CI, 0.34–0.51; past users: RRper SD = 0.53;, 95% CI, 0.37–0.77; current users: RRper SD = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.46–0.69; P-interaction = 0.10).

CONCLUSIONS

In this prospective study of postmenopausal women, we observed a robust, inverse relationship between serum concentrations of SHBG and risk of clinical diabetes in American blacks, Hispanics, and Asians/Pacific Islanders. These associations appeared to be independent of sex hormone concentrations, adiposity, or insulin resistance.
Constraints to Building and Deploying Marketing Capabilities by Emerging Market Firms in Advanced Markets
Authors: Kaufmann Lutz , Roesch Jan-Frederik
Published: August 2012

Firms can achieve a competitive advantage across different institutional environments by building and deploying marketing capabilities (MCs)—that is, their ability to sense and meet customers’ demands. However, internationalizing emerging markets firm have preferred different sources of competitive advantage thus far. Drawing from marketing research and the resource-based view of the firm, this article investigates the antecedents for building and deploying MCs by Chinese firms in Europe. Using a qualitative research approach, the authors find that deficiencies in motivation, opportunity, and ability constrain these firms from shifting to more marketing-driven business models. The authors also identify the underlying reasons for each of these antecedents, including causal ambiguity and inertia. The derived theoretical framework specifies the constraining effects of different levels of motivation, opportunity, and ability on the building and deployment of MCs in firms from emerging markets as they evolve from one stage of international marketing to another.
Mapping the Play of Organizational Identity in Foreign Market Adaptation
Authors: Cayla Julien , Peñaloza Lisa
Published: August 2012

While organizational identity can be a powerful tool for mobilizing and directing organizational members, the authors’ findings demonstrate that it can also constrain the process of foreign market adaptation. Drawing from extensive ethnographic fieldwork in India, where they followed several multinational companies, they show how well-entrenched and enduring identities can obstruct the learning and strategic adjustments that are necessary to appeal to consumers in a new market environment. By explaining how organizational identity comes into play as a frame of reference and guiding principle, orienting managers in their efforts to preserve the character of their firm as it expands and globalizes, this research offers new insights into foreign market learning and adaptation. The authors extend this analysis to provide valuable recommendations to managers for making organizational identity a more explicit component of global marketing strategy.
Why do Customers Get more than They Need? How Organizational Culture Shapes Product Capability Decisions
Authors: Lukas Bryan A. , Whitwell Gregory J. , Heide Jan B.
Published: August 2012

The capability level of a product that a firm provides to a customer is an important marketing decision. In the extant literature, the normative heuristic for this decision is one of matching—of providing product capability levels that meet customer needs. However, industry evidence suggests that supplier firms routinely make product decisions that lead to “overshot” customers, whereby customers receive products with capabilities that exceed their requirements. The authors demonstrate how a supplier firm's organizational culture can cause overshooting scenarios and how these effects can be attenuated to the extent that the focal firm's basic values also reflect a customer orientation.
Do Customers and Employees Enjoy Service Participation? Synergistic Effects of Self- and Other-Efficacy
Authors: Yim Chi Kin (Bennett) , Chan Kimmy Wa , Lam Simon S.K.
Published: August 2012

Extant research confirms the importance of value cocreation through customer participation (CP), but relatively little is known about whether and how it creates an enjoyable experience for customers and service employees and the consequential outcomes of this positive affective experience. This study applies the concept of flow as an overarching framework and draws theoretical support from social cognitive theory, particularly its extension (i.e., the conceptual model of relational efficacy beliefs), to examine how customers and employees derive enjoyment from CP conditional on their perceived efficacy of themselves (self-efficacy [SE]) and their partners (other-efficacy [OE]) in financial services. Empirical results from 223 client–financial adviser dyads confirm that participation enjoyment, in addition to economic and relational values, mediates the impact of CP on participants’ satisfaction evaluations, with SE positively moderating CP's impact on participation enjoyment. The synergistic effect of SE and OE on participation enjoyment also differs for clients versus financial advisers: Even incongruent levels of SE and OE can enhance participation enjoyment as long as they help validate role expectations of the respective participants.
Defining, Measuring, and Managing Business Reference Value
Authors: Kumar V. , Petersen J. Andrew , Leone Robert P.
Published: August 2012

It is common for business-to-business firms to use references from client firms when trying to influence prospects to become new customers. In this study, the authors define the concept of business reference value (BRV) as the ability of a client's reference to influence prospects to purchase and the degree to which it does so. They develop a three-step method to compute BRV for a given client using a retrospective reported measure of reference value. Next, they use data from a financial services and a telecommunications firm to identify and empirically test the drivers of BRV. These drivers fall into four categories: (1) length of client relationship, (2) client firm size, (3) reference media format, and (4) reference congruency. Next, the authors empirically show that clients that have the highest BRV are not the same as the clients that have the highest customer lifetime value. They also show that an average client that is high on BRV has significantly different characteristics from the average client that is low on BRV. Finally, they derive implications for managing BRV.
Modeling Credit Card Share of Wallet: Solving the Incomplete Information Problem
Authors: Chen Yuxin , Steckel Joel H.
Published: August 2012

Despite the powerful technologies that have enabled the assembly of transactional databases and the processing of information about individual customers and their buying patterns, database marketers have been limited by what is known as the “incomplete information problem”—that is, marketers have incomplete information about a customer's behavior in the product category of interest. A company's transactional database can only be built from customers' transactions with that company. Any transactions that have been made with other companies are missing. The authors present a modeling approach designed to solve the incomplete information problem. They use transactions conducted with a single supplier in that category to infer consumers' behavior with other suppliers in that category. In particular, armed with prior knowledge of the parametric form of consumer interpurchase time distributions, they uncover elements of the stochastic process that dictates which supplier a consumer chooses on a particular purchase occasion. The authors focus on interpurchase times because they form the core of the incomplete information problem. If a company uses its observed interpurchase times to estimate interpurchase times in the category for a specific consumer, its estimate will be biased upward. Combined with the model developed in this study, a familiar analysis of transaction profitability can be used to build a new type of lifetime value: lifetime category value of the customer.
Influence of Warm versus Cool Temperatures on Consumer Choice: A Resource Depletion Account
Authors: Cheema Amar , Patrick Vanessa M.
Published: August 2012

Across five studies, the authors demonstrate that warm (vs. cool) temperatures deplete resources, increase System 1 processing, and influence performance on complex choice tasks. Real-world lottery data (pilot study) and a lab experiment (Study 1) demonstrate the effect of temperature on complex choices: People are less likely to make difficult gambles in warmer temperatures. Study 2 implicates resource depletion as the underlying process; warm temperatures lower cognitive performance for nondepleted people but do not affect the performance of depleted people. Study 3 illustrates the moderating role of task complexity to show that warm temperatures are depleting and decrease willingness to make a difficult product choice. Study 4 juxtaposes the effects of depletion and temperature to reveal that warm temperatures hamper performance on complex tasks because of the participants’ increased reliance on System 1 (heuristic) processing.
A Reference Price Theory of the Endowment Effect
Authors: Weaver Ray , Frederick Shane
Published: August 2012

The common finding that selling prices exceed buying prices (the so-called endowment effect) is typically explained by the assumptions that consumers evaluate potential transactions with respect to their current holdings and that the owners of a good regard its potential loss to be more significant than nonowners regard its potential acquisition. In contrast to this “pain-of-losing” account, the authors propose that the endowment effect reflects a reluctance to trade on terms that appear unfavorable with respect to salient reference prices. In six experiments (and eight more summarized in appendixes), the authors show that manipulations that reduce the gap between valuations and reference prices reduce or eliminate the endowment effect. These results suggest that the endowment effect is often best construed as an aversion to bad deals rather than an aversion to losing possessions.
Role of Reference Price on Price and Quantity: Insights from Business-to-Business Markets
Authors: Bruno Hernan A. , Che Hai , Dutta Shantanu
Published: August 2012

The authors study the role of reference price in a setting in which both the price and the quantity are set through personal interaction during the transaction process, such as in business-to-business markets. Most studies on reference price in the marketing research literature focus on consumer packaged goods, for which prices are typically fixed during the shopping trip and the transaction does not involve personal interaction with a salesperson. In this study, the authors study the effect of reference price on the quantity purchased and also on the pricing outcome of the transaction. They estimate a simultaneous equation system of both pricing and quantity purchased. The findings are as follows: (1) Reference price effects exist on quantity purchased and on the transaction pricing outcome in business-to-business market transactions, (2) business customers react asymmetrically to price increases and price decreases, and (3) salespeople have their own reference prices that affect the transaction price. The authors also find that customer experience with the salesperson might exacerbate the loss aversion effect. They conclude by discussing the underlying reasons behind these findings and their managerial implications.
It's Not Whether you Win or Lose, It's how you Play the Game? the Role of Process and Outcome in Experience Consumption
Authors: Yang Xiaojing , Mao Huifang , Peracchio Laura A.
Published: August 2012

Many firms attempt to enhance experience consumption by facilitating the consumption outcome (i.e., the end state achieved, such as the final score of a basketball game) and the consumption process (i.e., the course through which the end is achieved, such as how the game is played). The authors propose that the roles of outcome and process in the evaluation of experience consumption are dependent not only on consumers’ role in the experience (participant vs. spectator) but also on their self-construal (independent vs. interdependent). As a spectator (e.g., watching a game), independents’ (vs. interdependents') experience consumption evaluations are more likely to be influenced by outcome, while interdependent (vs. independent) consumers are more likely to be affected by process. The reverse is true when consumers assume the role of a participant in the experience (e.g., playing a game). The authors’ theorizing is supported across three studies.
The Best of Both Worlds? Effects of Attribute-Induced Goal Conflict on Consumption of Healthful Indulgences
Authors: Belei Nina , Geyskens Kelly , Goukens Caroline , Ramanathan Suresh , Lemmink Jos
Published: August 2012

Marketers commonly assume that health claims attached to otherwise unhealthful food stimulate consumption because such claims offer justification for indulgence and reduce guilt. This article proposes a generalized theory of healthful indulgences, identifying when and why people overconsume versus regulate food intake in response to health claims. Four studies demonstrate that not all health claims are created equal. The authors suggest that the nature of the food attributes the claims emphasize—namely, functional versus hedonic—determines the extent of consumption of the indulgence. Health claims featuring functional attributes (e.g., “extra antioxidants”) trigger high levels of health-goal accessibility, which, together with simultaneously accessible indulgence goals attached to the indulgence, results in goal conflict. This conflict leads to reduced consumption of the food. In contrast, health claims featuring hedonic attributes (e.g., “low fat”) render health goals less accessible while accentuating the pleasure dimension of the food, resulting in lower goal conflict and increased consumption of the food. Implications for the food industry and public policy makers are discussed.
Guilt versus Shame: Coping, Fluency, and Framing in the Effectiveness of Responsible Drinking Messages
Authors: Duhachek Adam , Agrawal Nidhi , Han Dahee
Published: August 2012

This article presents three studies on how the negative emotions of guilt and shame differentially influence the effectiveness of health messages framed as gains or losses. Guilt appeals are more effective when paired with gain frames, whereas shame appeals are more effective when paired with loss frames. These framing effects occur because gain frames facilitate the use of problem-focused coping strategies favored by guilt, whereas loss frames facilitate the use of emotion-focused coping strategies favored by shame. Frames that fit with the emotion facilitate the activation of coping strategies consistent with that emotion and consequently lead to greater fluency and message effectiveness. These effects manifest on intentions to binge drink and time spent viewing alcohol advertising.
The “Response-to-Failure” Scale: Predicting Behavior following Initial Self-Control Failure
Authors: Zemack-Rugar Yael , Corus Canan , Brinberg David
Published: August 2012

Whereas most existing self-control research and scales focus on singular self-control choice, the current work examines sequential self-control behavior. Specifically, this research focuses on behavior following initial self-control failure, identifying a set of key cognitive and emotional responses to initial failure that jointly underlie post-failure behavior. The tendency to experience these responses is captured in a new scale, the Response-to-Failure scale, which the authors develop and test in three consumer domains: eating, spending, and cheating. The results support the use of the same emotional and cognitive factors to predict post-failure behavior across these three domains, providing evidence of the generalizability of the scale structure. The data support the scale's structure, nomological and discriminant validity, and test–retest reliability across five studies. In five additional studies, the scale's predictive validity is demonstrated beyond other existing relevant scales. The authors also develop and test a short form of each domain scale. Finally, the authors discuss the implications for understanding post-failure behavior and suggest practical uses for the scale.
Estimating Causal Installed-Base Effects: A Bias-Correction Approach
Authors: Narayanan Sridhar , Nair Harikesh S.
Published: August 2012

New empirical models of consumer demand that incorporate social effects seek to measure the causal effect of past adopter's behavior—the “installed-base”—on current adoption behavior. Identifying such causal effects is challenging due to several alternative confounds that generate correlation in agents' actions. In the absence of experimental variation, a preferred solution has been to control for these spurious correlations using a rich specification of fixed effects. The authors show that fixed-effects estimators of this sort are inconsistent in the presence of installed-base effects; in simulations, random-effects specifications perform even worse. The analysis reveals the tension the applied empiricist faces in this area: a rich control for unobservables increases the credibility of the reported causal effects, but the incorporation of these controls introduces biases of a new kind in this class of models. The authors present two solutions: a modified version of an instrumental variable approach and a new bias-correction approach, both of which deliver consistent estimates of causal installed-base effects. The empirical application to the adoption of the Toyota Prius Hybrid in California shows evidence for social influence in diffusion and reveals that implementing the bias correction reverses the sign of the measured installed-base effect. The authors also discuss implications of the results for identification of models in marketing involving state dependence in demand, and incorporating discrete games of strategic interaction.
Visual Influence and Social Groups
Authors: McShane Blakeley B. , Bradlow Eric T. , Berger Jonah
Published: August 2012

New car purchases are among the largest and most expensive purchases consumers ever make. While functional and economic concerns are important, the authors examine whether visual influence also plays a role. Using a hierarchical Bayesian probability model and data on 1.6 million new cars sold over nine years, they examine how visual influence affects purchase volume, focusing on three questions: Are people more likely to buy a new car if others around them have recently done so? Are these effects moderated by visibility, the ease of seeing others’ behavior? Do they vary according to the identity (e.g., gender) of prior purchasers and the identity relevance of vehicle type? The authors perform an extensive set of tests to rule out alternatives to visual influence and find that visual effects are (1) present (one additional purchase for approximately every seven prior purchases), (2) larger in areas where others’ behavior should be more visible (i.e., more people commute in car-visible ways), (3) stronger for prior purchases by men than by women in male-oriented vehicle types, (4) extant only for cars of similar price tiers, and (5) subject to saturation effects.
(De)marketing to Manage Consumer Quality Inferences
Authors: Miklós-Thal Jeanine , Zhang Juanjuan
Published: August 2012

Savvy consumers attribute a product's market performance to its intrinsic quality as well as the seller's marketing push. The authors study how sellers should optimize their marketing decisions in response. They find that a seller can benefit from “demarketing” its product, meaning visibly toning down its marketing efforts. Demarketing lowers expected sales ex ante but improves product quality image ex post, as consumers attribute good sales to superior quality and lackluster sales to insufficient marketing. The authors derive conditions under which demarketing can be a recommendable business strategy. A series of experiments confirm these predictions.