Hope, risk perception and propensity to indebtedness

Hope is an important construct in marketing, once it is an antecedent of important marketing variables, such as trust, expectation and satisfaction (MacInnis & de Mello, 2005, Almeida, Mazzon & Botelho, 2007). Specifically, the literature suggests that hope can play an important influence on risk perception (Almeida, 2010, Almeida et al., 2007, Fleming, 2008, MacInnis & de Mello, 2005) and propensity to indebtedness (Fleming, 2008). Thus, this thesis aims to investigate the relations among hope, risk perception related to purchasing and consumption and propensity to indebtedness, by reviewing the existing literature and conducting two empirical researches. The first of them is a laboratory experiment, which accessed hope and risk perception of getting a mortgage loan. The second is a survey, investigating university students’ propensity to get indebted to pay for their university tuition, analyzed through the method of Structural Equations Modeling (SEM). These studies found that hope seems to play an important role on propensity to indebtedness, as higher levels of hope predicted an increase in the propensity to accept the mortgage loan, independent of actual risks, and an increase in the propensity of college students to get indebted to pay for their studies. In addition, the first study suggests that hope may lead to a decrease in risk perception, which, however, has not been confirmed by the second study. Finally, this research offers some methodological contributions, due to the fact that it is the first study using an experimental method to study hope in Brazil and, worldwide, it is the first study investigating the relation among hope, risk perception and propensity to indebtedness, which proved to be important influences in consumer behavior

Labor supply, risk aversion and economic refrom in China

Economic reform in China has created a small, but fast-growing private sector that has spurred rapid productivity growth. Growth of the private sector is predicated upon continued labor movements away from state-run industries and into private firms. This paper presents a theory of labor market sectoral choice demonstrating that three factors determine private sector labor supply-the difference in wages between the state and private sectors, private sector wage risk and risk aversion. Estimation of the model using survey data provides strong support for the theory. We find that the riskiness of private sector earnings has a greater effect in discouraging workers from taking jobs in private firms than the wage premi um has in attracting workers.

Evidence on the relationship between incentives and exogenous risk

Theoretical models on moral hazard provide competing predictions on the incentive-risk relationship. These predictions are derived under the assumptions of homogeneous agents and exogenous risk. However, the existing empirical evidence does not account for risk-aversion heterogeneity and risk endogeneity. This paper uses a well-built database on tenancy contracts to address these issues. Detailed information on cropping activities is used to measure the exogenous risk. Risk-aversion heterogeneity and other self-selection problems are addressed through a portfolio schedule and a subsample of farmers who simultaneously own and sharecrop different farms. This controlled exercise finds a direct relation between incentives and exogenous risk.

DNA damage in patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery under inhalation or intravenous anesthesia

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

No relationship between subchronic fluoride intake and DNA damage in Wistar rats

Fluoride has been widely used in dentistry because it is an effective caries prophylactic agent. However, excess fluoride may represent a hazard to human health, especially by causing injury on the genetic apparatus. Genotoxicity tests form an important part of cancer research and risk assessment of potential carcinogens. In the current study, the potential DNA damage associated with exposure to fluoride was assessed by the single cell gel ( comet) assay in peripheral blood, oral mucosa and brain cells in vivo. Male Wistar rats were exposed to sodium fluoride (NaF) at a 0, 7 and 100 ppm dose for drinking water during 6 weeks. The results pointed out that NaF did not contribute to the DNA damage in all cellular types evaluated as depicted by the mean tail moment and tail intensity. These findings are clinically important since they represent an important contribution to the correct evaluation of the potential health risk associated with dental agents exposure. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Smoking and Periodontal Disease: Clinical Evidence for an Association

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Serum homocysteine and physical exercise in patients with Parkinson's disease

Background: Hyperhomocysteinemia is a major risk factor for cerebral and peripheral vascular diseases, as well as cortical and hippocampal injury, including an increased risk of dementia and cognitive impairment. Elevated serum homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations are common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who have been treated with levodopa; however, physical exercises can help reduce Hcy concentrations. The aim of the present study was to compare serum Hcy levels in patients with PD who partook in regular physical exercises, sedentary PD patients, and healthy controls.Methods: Sixty individuals were enrolled in the present study across three groups: (i) 17 patients who did not partake of any type of exercise; (ii) 24 PD patients who exercised regularly; and (iii) 19 healthy individuals who did not exercise regularly. All participants were evaluated by Hoehn and Yahr scale, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and Schwab and England scale (measure daily functionality). The serum levels of Hcy were analyzed by blood samples collected of each participant. An analysis of variance and a Tukey's post hoc test were applied to compare and to verify differences between groups. Pearson's correlation and stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to consider the association between several variables.Results: Mean plasma Hcy concentrations in individuals who exercised regularly were similar to those in the healthy controls and significantly lower than those in the group that did not exercise at all (P = 0.000). In addition, patients who did not exercise were receiving significantly higher doses of levodopa than those patients who exercised regularly (P = 0.001). A positive relationship between levodopa dose and Hcy concentrations (R(2) = 0.27; P = 0.03) was observed in patients who did not exercise, but not in those patients who exercised regularly (R(2) = 0.023; P = 0.15).Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that, even with regular levodopa therapy, Hcy concentrations in PD patients who exercise regularly are significantly lower than in patients who do not exercise and are similar Hcy concentrations in healthy controls.

Cellular responses in the Malpighian tubules of Scaptotrigona postica (Latreille, 1807) exposed to low doses of fipronil and boric acid

Studies of sub-lethal effects of pesticide residues on stingless bees are scarce and morphological analysis of organs would add information to toxicological analysis in order to clarify the continuous exposure of Scaptotrigona postica to insecticides. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphology and histochemistry of the Malpighian tubules (excretory organ) of S. postica exposed to fipronil or boric acid to detect cellular responses that indicate toxicity or adaptative mechanisms to stress induced by exposure of worker bees to low doses of these chemical compounds. Newly emerged bees were submitted to toxicological bioassays and morphological analyses by optical microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy, as well as histochemical methods, were performed to detect proteins and glycoconjugates. Additionally, immunohistochemical detection of DNA fragmentation and HSP70 (70-kDa Heat shock protein) were performed to detect cell death and stress response, respectively. Statistical analysis, for the bioassays conducted with ingestion of contaminated diet with boric acid at 0.75% (w/w) or with fipronil at 0.1μg/kg of food, showed that the survival of bees that ingested the contaminated diets were significantly different to the survival rate presented by the control group (P<0.0001). Although some characteristics indicative of initiation of cell death were observed, the cells remained metabolically active in the processes of excretion and inactivation of chemical compounds. The data from this study reinforce the importance of research on sublethal effects of low doses of pesticides on bees in an attempt to assess a possible realistic dose and evaluate the risk assessment of stingless bee S. postica foraging in the vicinity of cultivated fields and/or in green urban areas. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Dose-Dependent Effects and Reversibility of the Injuries Caused by Nandrolone Decanoate in Uterine Tissue and Fertility of Rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its associated risk factors in Brazilian postmenopausal women

Objective To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in postmenopausal women.Methods A cross-sectional study was carried involving 188 women (age >= 45 years and amenorrhea >= 12 months) attending the outpatient unit in south-eastern Brazil. Exclusion criteria were liver disease (hepatitis B and C, cholestatic disease, liver insufficiency), use of drugs that affect liver metabolism; alcoholics; AIDS or cancer history; and morbid obesity. NAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound. Clinical, anthropometric (body mass index, waist circumference) and biochemical variables were measured.Results Of the 188 women, 73 (38.8%) had NAFLD. Blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were significantly higher in NAFLD patients when compared with women without NAFLD (control group) (p < 0.05). HOMA-IR values indicated insulin resistance only in the NAFLD group (6.1 +/- 4.6 vs. 2.4 +/- 1.4 in control group, p < 0.05). Metabolic syndrome was detected in 93.1% of the women affected by NAFLD, and 46.1% of the control group (p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, adjusted for age and weight, the variables considered at risk for the development of NAFLD, were: high waist circumference (odds ratio (OR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.13), insulin resistance (OR 3.81, 95% CI 2.01-7.13), and presence of metabolic syndrome (OR 8.68, 95% CI 3.3-24.1).Conclusion NAFLD showed a high prevalence among postmenopausal women. The presence of metabolic syndrome, abdominal obesity and IR were indicators of risk for the development of NAFLD.

Relationship between race and clinical characteristics, extent of disease, and response to chemotherapy in patients with low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia

Objective. To evaluate the potential effects of race on clinical characteristics, extent of disease, and response to chemotherapy in women with postmolar low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN).Methods. This non-concurrent cohort study was undertaken including patients with FIGO-defined postmolar low-risk GTN treated with comparable doses and schedules of chemotherapy at the New England Trophoblastic Disease Center (NETDC) between 1973 and 2012. Racial groups investigated included whites, African American and Asians. Information on patient characteristics and response to chemotherapy (need for second line chemotherapy, reason for changing to an alternative chemotherapy, number of cycles/regimens, need for combination chemotherapy, and time to hCG remission) was obtained.Results. Of 316 women, 274 (86.7%) were white, 19 (6%) African American, and 23 (7.3%) Asian. African Americans were significantly younger than white and Asian women (p = 0.008). Disease presentation, and extent of disease, including antecedent molar histology, median time to persistence, median hCG level at persistence, rate of D&C at persistence, presence of metastatic disease, and FIGO stage and risk score were similar among races. Need for second line chemotherapy (p = 0.023), and median number of regimens (p = 0.035) were greater in Asian women than in other races.Conclusions. Low-risk GTN was more aggressive in Asian women, who were significantly more likely to need second line chemotherapy and a higher number of chemotherapy regimens to achieve complete remission than women of African American and Asian descent. Further studies involving racial differences related to clinical, biological and environmental characteristics are needed. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Cissus quadrangularis Linn exerts dose-dependent biphasic effects: osteogenic and anti-proliferative, through modulating ROS, cell cycle and Runx2 gene expression in primary rat osteoblasts

Objectives: This report highlights phytoconstituents present in Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) extract and examines biphasic (proliferative and anti-proliferative) effects of its extract on bone cell proliferation, differentiation, mineralization, ROS generation, cell cycle progression and Runx2 gene expression in primary rat osteoblasts. Materials and methods: Phytoconstituents were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Osteoblasts were exposed to different concentrations (10-100g/ml) of CQ extract and cell proliferation and cell differentiation were investigated at different periods of time. Subsequently, intracellular ROS intensity, apoptosis and matrix mineralization of osteoblasts were evaluated. We performed flow cytometry for DNA content and real-time PCR for Runx2 gene expression analysis.Results: CQ extract's approximately 40 bioactive compounds of fatty acids, hydrocarbons, vitamins and steroidal derivatives were identified. Osteoblasts exposed to varying concentrations of extract exhibited biphasic variation in cell proliferation and differentiation as a function of dose and time. Moreover, lower concentrations (10-50g/ml) of extract slightly reduced ROS intensity, although they enhanced matrix mineralization, DNA content in S phase of the cell cycle, and levels of Runx2 expression. However, higher concentrations (75-100g/ml) considerably induced the ROS intensity and nuclear condensation in osteoblasts, while it reduced mineralization level, proportion of cells in S phase and Runx2 level of the osteogenic gene.Conclusions: These findings suggest that CQ extract revealed concentration-dependent biphasic effects, which would contribute notably to future assessment of pre-clinical efficacy and safety studies.

Quality and dose optimization in hand computed radiography

The objective of the present study was to optimize a radiographic technique for hand examinations using a computed radiography (CR) system and demonstrate the potential for dose reductions compared with clinically established technique. An exposure index was generated from the optimized technique to guide operators when imaging hands. Homogeneous and anthropomorphic phantoms that simulated a patient's hand were imaged using a CR system at various tube voltages and current settings (40-55 kVp, 1.25-2.8 mAs), including those used in clinical routines (50 kVp, 2.0 mAs) to obtain an optimized chart. The homogeneous phantom was used to assess objective parameters that are associated with image quality, including the signal difference-to-noise ratio (SdNR), which is used to define a figure of merit (FOM) in the optimization process. The anthropomorphic phantom was used to subjectively evaluate image quality using Visual Grading Analysis (VGA) that was performed by three experienced radiologists. The technique that had the best VGA score and highest FOM was considered the gold standard (GS) in the present study. Image quality, dose and the exposure index that are currently used in the clinical routine for hand examinations in our institution were compared with the GS technique. The effective dose reduction was 67.0%. Good image quality was obtained for both techniques, although the exposure indices were 1.60 and 2.39 for the GS and clinical routine, respectively.

Effluent volume and dialysis dose in CRRT: time for reappraisal

The results of several studies assessing dialysis dose have dampened the enthusiasm of clinicians for considering dialysis dose as a modifiable factor influencing outcomes in patients with acute kidney injury. Powerful evidence from two large, multicenter trials indicates that increasing the dialysis dose, measured as hourly effluent volume, has no benefit in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). However, some important operational characteristics that affect delivered dose were not evaluated. Effluent volume does not correspond to the actual delivered dose, as a decline in filter efficacy reduces solute removal during therapy. We believe that providing accurate parameters of delivered dose could improve the delivery of a prescribed dose and refine the assessment of the effect of dose on outcomes in critically ill patients treated with CRRT.

Mapping of risk and susceptibility of shallow-landslide in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil

In the city of Sao Paulo, where about 11 million people live, landslides and flooding occur frequently, especially during the summer. These landslides cause the destruction of houses and urban equipment, economic damage, and the loss of lives. The number of areas threatened by landslides has been increasing each year. The objective of this article is to analyze the probability of risk and susceptibility to shallow landslides in the Limoeiro River basin, which is located at the head of the Aricanduva River basin, one of the main hydrographic basins in the city of Sao Paulo. To map areas of risk, we created a cadastral survey form to evaluate landslide risk in the field. Risk was categorized into four levels based on natural and anthropogenic factors: R1 (low risk), R2 (average risk), R3 (high risk), and R4 (very high risk). To analyze susceptibility to shallow landslides, we used the SHALSTAB (Shallow Landsliding Stability) mathematical model and calculated the Distribution Frequency (DF) of the susceptibility classes for the entire basin. Finally, we performed a joint analysis of the average Risk Concentration (RC) and Risk Potential (RP). We mapped 14 risk sectors containing approximately 685 at-risk homes, more than half of which presented a high (R3) or very high (R4) probability of risk to the population. In the susceptibility map, 41% of the area was classified as stable and 20% as unconditionally unstable. Although the latter category accounted a smaller proportion of the total area, it contained a concentration (RC) of 41% of the mapped risk areas with a risk potential (RP) of 12%. We found that the locations of areas predicted to be unstable by the model coincided with the risk areas mapped in the field. This combination of methods can be applied to evaluate the risk of shallow landslides in densely populated areas and can assist public managers in defining areas that are unstable and inappropriate for occupation. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.