INFLUENCE OF MANUFACTURER SIGNATURE ON STORE BRANDS' LOYALTY AND PURCHASE INTENTION

ABSTRACT With today's trend toward higher store concentration, building strong store brands has become a priority for many retailing companies. This study aims to analyze the differences in store brands' purchasing likelihood between store brands with a manufacturer identification - a manufacturer signature - and store brands with no information about the manufacturer, as well as the moderating role of the manufacturer signature on store brands' purchase intention. We carried out multiple group analysis through structural equation modeling. Our findings suggest that store brand image has the most significant influence on loyalty and purchase intention for both types of store brands. Moreover, and contrary to our expectations, we did not find empirical support for the moderating role of manufacturer signature on store brands' purchasing likelihood.

Evaluating the use of in-store measures in retail food stores and restaurants in Brazil

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To assess inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity of retail food store, open-air food market, and restaurant observation tools adapted to the Brazilian urban context.METHODS This study is part of a cross-sectional observation survey conducted in 13 districts across the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2010-2011. Food store and restaurant observational tools were developed based on previously available tools, and then tested it. They included measures on the availability, variety, quality, pricing, and promotion of fruits and vegetables and ultra-processed foods. We used Kappa statistics and intra-class correlation coefficients to assess inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities in samples of 142 restaurants, 97 retail food stores (including open-air food markets), and of 62 restaurants and 45 retail food stores (including open-air food markets), respectively. Construct validity as the tool’s abilities to discriminate based on store types and different income contexts were assessed in the entire sample: 305 retail food stores, 8 fruits and vegetable markets, and 472 restaurants.RESULTS Inter-rater and test-retest reliability were generally high, with most Kappa values greater than 0.70 (range 0.49-1.00). Both tools discriminated between store types and neighborhoods with different median income. Fruits and vegetables were more likely to be found in middle to higher-income neighborhoods, while soda, fruit-flavored drink mixes, cookies, and chips were cheaper and more likely to be found in lower-income neighborhoods.CONCLUSIONS The measures were reliable and able to reveal significant differences across store types and different contexts. Although some items may require revision, results suggest that the tools may be used to reliably measure the food stores and restaurant food environment in urban settings of middle-income countries. Such studies can help .inform health promotion interventions and policies in these contexts.

Video-assisted pericardioscopy. How to improve diagnostic efficacy in pericardial effusions

OBJECTIVE: To assess, in a prospective way, the experience with video-assisted pericardioscopy obtained in patients with pericardial effusion of unclear etiology in the preoperative period. METHODS: From January 1998 to June 2000, 20 patients were operated upon with the aid of video-assisted pericardioscopy. On echocardiography, 17 of these patients had significant pericardial effusion, and 3 had moderate pericardial effusion. Video-assisted pericardioscopy was performed through a small incision of the Marfan type. RESULTS: The diagnosis of pericardial effusion was established as follows: idiopathic in 9 (45%) patients, neoplastic in 4 (20%), resulting from hypothyroidism in 3 (15%), tuberculous in 2 (10%), due to cholesterol in 1 (5%), and chylopericardial in 1 (5%). The biopsy was positive in 30% of the patients, and the etiology could not be defined in 45% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Video-assisted pericardioscopy proved to be a method with low morbidity and a high index of diagnostic positivity. A high percentage of pericardial effusions are caused by viral infections, which are not diagnosed through current methods, being, therefore, classified as idiopathic.

Video assisted resections. Increasing access to minimally invasive liver surgery?

Objective: To evaluate perioperative outcomes, safety and feasibility of video-assisted resection for primary and secondary liver lesions. Methods : From a prospective database, we analyzed the perioperative results (up to 90 days) of 25 consecutive patients undergoing video-assisted resections in the period between June 2007 and June 2013. Results : The mean age was 53.4 years (23-73) and 16 (64%) patients were female. Of the total, 84% were suffering from malignant diseases. We performed 33 resections (1 to 4 nodules per patient). The procedures performed were non-anatomical resections (n = 26), segmentectomy (n = 1), 2/3 bisegmentectomy (n = 1), 6/7 bisegmentectomy (n = 1), left hepatectomy (n = 2) and right hepatectomy (n = 2). The procedures contemplated postero-superior segments in 66.7%, requiring multiple or larger resections. The average operating time was 226 minutes (80-420), and anesthesia time, 360 minutes (200-630). The average size of resected nodes was 3.2 cm (0.8 to 10) and the surgical margins were free in all the analyzed specimens. Eight percent of patients needed blood transfusion and no case was converted to open surgery. The length of stay was 6.5 days (3-16). Postoperative complications occurred in 20% of patients, with no perioperative mortality. Conclusion : The video-assisted liver resection is feasible and safe and should be part of the liver surgeon armamentarium for resection of primary and secondary liver lesions.

Modulation of store-operated Ca2+ entry by cyclic-ADP-ribose

Store-operated Ca2+ entry plays an important role in Ca2+ homeostasis in cells but the mechanisms of control of these channels are not completely understood. We describe an investigation of the role of the CD38-cyclic-ADP-ribose (cADPR)-ryanodine-channel (RyR) signaling pathway in store-operated Ca2+ entry in human smooth muscle. We observed that human myometrial cells have a functional store-operated Ca2+ entry mechanism. Furthermore, we observed the presence of transient receptor potential 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 ion channels in human myometrial cells. Store-operated Ca2+ transient was inhibited by at least 50-70% by several inhibitors of the RyR, including ryanodine (10 µM), dantrolene (10 µM), and ruthenium red (10 µM). Furthermore, the cell permeable inhibitor of the cADPR-system, 8-Br-cADPR (100 µM), is a potent inhibitor of the store-operated entry, decreasing the store operated entry by 80%. Pre-incubation of cells with 100 µM cADPR and the hydrolysis-resistant cADPR analog 3-deaza-cADPR (50 µM), but not with ADP-ribose (ADPR) leads to a 1.6-fold increase in the store-operated Ca2+ transient. In addition, we observed that nicotinamide (1-10 mM), an inhibitor of cADPR synthesis, also leads to inhibition of the store-operated Ca2+ transient by 50-80%. Finally, we observed that the transient receptor potential channels, RyR, and CD38 can be co-immunoprecipitated, indicating that they interact in vivo. Our observations clearly implicate the CD38-cADPR-ryanodine signaling pathway in the regulation of store-operated Ca2+ entry in human smooth muscle cells.

STIM1/Orai1-mediated store-operated Ca2+ entry: the tip of the iceberg

Highly efficient mechanisms regulate intracellular calcium (Ca2+) levels. The recent discovery of new components linking intracellular Ca2+ stores to plasma membrane Ca2+ entry channels has brought new insight into the understanding of Ca2+ homeostasis. Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) was identified as a Ca2+ sensor essential for Ca2+ store depletion-triggered Ca2+ influx. Orai1 was recognized as being an essential component for the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. Together, these proteins participate in store-operated Ca2+ channel function. Defective regulation of intracellular Ca2+ is a hallmark of several diseases. In this review, we focus on Ca2+ regulation by the STIM1/Orai1 pathway and review evidence that implicates STIM1/Orai1 in several pathological conditions including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, among others.