Determinants of brand loyalty in the apparel industry : a developing country perspective

Abstract: The study aims to investigate the determinants of brand loyalty in the apparel industry of Botswana. A descriptive quantitative design was followed, and data were collected from respondents using a self-administered questionnaire. A structured equation modelling technique was used to validate the hypotheses. The results indicated an array of positive significant relationships between brand awareness, brand image, brand trust, and brand loyalty. Additionally, brand commitment significantly moderated the influence of brand trust on brand loyalty. Therefore, it is important for the management of apparel brands to cultivate the levels of brand awareness, brand image, brand trust, and brand commitment in order to strengthen brand loyalty and, in turn, contribute to the longevity of apparel brands in Botswana

Influence of HER2 expression on prognosis in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer—results from an international, multicenter analysis coordinated by the AGMT Study Group

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with poor prognosis, and new treatment options are urgently needed. About 34%-39% of primary TNBCs show a low expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2-low), which is a target for new anti-HER2 drugs. However, little is known about the frequency and the prognostic value of HER2-low in metastatic TNBC. Patients and methods: We retrospectively included patients with TNBC from five European countries for this international, multicenter analysis. Triple-negativity had to be shown in a metastatic site or in the primary breast tumor diagnosed simultaneously or within 3 years before metastatic disease. HER2-low was defined as immunohistochemically (IHC) 1+ or 2+ without ERBB2 gene amplification. Survival probabilities were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated by Cox regression models. Results: In total, 691 patients, diagnosed between January 2006 and February 2021, were assessable. The incidence of HER2-low was 32.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 28.5% to 35.5%], with similar proportions in metastases (n = 265; 29.8%) and primary tumors (n = 425; 33.4%; P = 0.324). The median overall survival (OS) in HER2-low and HER2-0 TNBC was 18.6 and 16.1 months, respectively (HR 1.00; 95% CI 0.83-1.19; P = 0.969). Similarly, in multivariable analysis, HER2-low had no significant impact on OS (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.79-1.13; P = 0.545). No difference in prognosis was observed between HER2 IHC 0/1+ and IHC 2+ tumors (HR 0.89; 95% CI 0.69-1.17; P = 0.414). Conclusions: In this large international dataset of metastatic TNBC, the frequency of HER2-low was 32.0%. Neither in univariable nor in multivariable analysis HER2-low showed any influence on OS.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Examination of the Effects of Heterogeneous Organization of RyR Clusters, Myofibrils and Mitochondria on Ca2+ Release Patterns in Cardiomyocytes

Spatio-temporal dynamics of intracellular calcium, [Ca2+]i, regulate the contractile function of cardiac muscle cells. Measuring [Ca2+]i flux is central to the study of mechanisms that underlie both normal cardiac function and calcium-dependent etiologies in heart disease. However, current imaging techniques are limited in the spatial resolution to which changes in [Ca2+]i can be detected. Using spatial point process statistics techniques we developed a novel method to simulate the spatial distribution of RyR clusters, which act as the major mediators of contractile Ca2+ release, upon a physiologically-realistic cellular landscape composed of tightly-packed mitochondria and myofibrils.We applied this method to computationally combine confocal-scale (~ 200 nm) data of RyR clusters with 3D electron microscopy data (~ 30 nm) of myofibrils and mitochondria, both collected from adult rat left ventricular myocytes. Using this hybrid-scale spatial model, we simulated reaction-diffusion of [Ca2+]i during the rising phase of the transient (first 30 ms after initiation). At 30 ms, the average peak of the simulated [Ca2+]i transient and of the simulated fluorescence intensity signal, F/F0, reached values similar to that found in the literature ([Ca2+]i 1 μM; F/F0 5.5). However, our model predicted the variation in [Ca2+]i to be between 0.3 and 12.7 μM (~3 to 100 fold from resting value of 0.1 μM) and the corresponding F/F0 signal ranging from 3 to 9.5. We demonstrate in this study that: (i) heterogeneities in the [Ca2+]i transient are due not only to heterogeneous distribution and clustering of mitochondria; (ii) but also to heterogeneous local densities of RyR clusters. Further, we show that: (iii) these structureinduced heterogeneities in [Ca2+]i can appear in line scan data. Finally, using our unique method for generating RyR cluster distributions, we demonstrate the robustness in the [Ca2+]i transient to differences in RyR cluster distributions measured between rat and human cardiomyocytes

Cox proportional hazards deep neural network identifies peripheral blood complete remission to be at least equivalent to morphologic complete remission in predicting outcomes of patients treated with azacitidine - a prospective cohort study by the AGMT

The current gold standard of response assessment in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is morphologic complete remission (CR) and CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi), both of which require an invasive BM evaluation. Outside of clinical trials, BM evaluations are only performed in ~50% of patients during follow-up, pinpointing a clinical need for response endpoints that do not necessitate BM assessments. We define and validate a new response type termed "peripheral blood complete remission" (PB-CR) that can be determined from the differential blood count and clinical parameters without necessitating a BM assessment. We compared the predictive value of PB-CR with morphologic CR/CRi in 1441 non-selected, consecutive patients diagnosed with MDS (n = 522; 36.2%), CMML (n = 132; 9.2%), or AML (n = 787; 54.6%), included within the Austrian Myeloid Registry (aMYELOIDr; NCT04438889). Time-to-event analyses were adjusted for 17 covariates remaining in the final Cox proportional hazards (CPH) model. DeepSurv, a CPH neural network model, and permutation-based feature importance were used to validate results. 1441 patients were included. Adjusted median overall survival for patients achieving PB-CR was 22.8 months (95%CI 18.9-26.2) versus 10.4 months (95%CI 9.7-11.2) for those who did not; HR = 0.366 (95%CI 0.303-0.441; p < .0001). Among patients achieving CR, those additionally achieving PB-CR had a median adjusted OS of 32.6 months (95%CI 26.2-49.2) versus 21.7 months (95%CI 16.9-27.7; HR = 0.400 [95%CI 0.190-0.844; p = .0161]) for those who did not. Our deep neural network analysis-based findings from a large, prospective cohort study indicate that BM evaluations solely for the purpose of identifying CR/CRi can be omitted

Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Bovine Mastitis in Eight Countries: Genotypes, Detection of Genes Encoding Different Toxins and Other Virulence Genes

Staphylococcus aureus is recognized worldwide as one of the major agents of dairy cow intra-mammary infections. This microorganism can express a wide spectrum of pathogenic factors used to attach, colonize, invade and infect the host. The present study evaluated 120 isolates from eight different countries that were genotyped by RS-PCR and investigated for 26 different virulence factors to increase the knowledge on the circulating genetic lineages among the cow population with mastitis. New genotypes were observed for South African strains while for all the other countries new variants of existing genotypes were detected. For each country, a specific genotypic pattern was found. Among the virulence factors, fmtB, cna, clfA and leucocidins genes were the most frequent. The sea and sei genes were present in seven out of eight countries; seh showed high frequency in South American countries (Brazil, Colombia, Argentina), while sel was harboured especially in one Mediterranean country (Tunisia). The etb, seb and see genes were not detected in any of the isolates, while only two isolates were MRSA (Germany and Italy) confirming the low diffusion of methicillin resistance microorganism among bovine mastitis isolates. This work demonstrated the wide variety of S. aureus genotypes found in dairy cattle worldwide. This condition suggests that considering the region of interest might help to formulate strategies for reducing the infection spreading

COVID-19 infection in adult patients with hematological malignancies: a European Hematology Association Survey (EPICOVIDEHA)

Background: Patients with hematological malignancies (HM) are at high risk of mortality from SARS-CoV-2 disease 2019 (COVID-19). A better understanding of risk factors for adverse outcomes may improve clinical management in these patients. We therefore studied baseline characteristics of HM patients developing COVID-19 and analyzed predictors of mortality. Methods: The survey was supported by the Scientific Working Group Infection in Hematology of the European Hematology Association (EHA). Eligible for the analysis were adult patients with HM and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 observed between March and December 2020. Results: The study sample includes 3801 cases, represented by lymphoproliferative (mainly non-Hodgkin lymphoma n = 1084, myeloma n = 684 and chronic lymphoid leukemia n = 474) and myeloproliferative malignancies (mainly acute myeloid leukemia n = 497 and myelodysplastic syndromes n = 279). Severe/critical COVID-19 was observed in 63.8% of patients (n = 2425). Overall, 2778 (73.1%) of the patients were hospitalized, 689 (18.1%) of whom were admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Overall, 1185 patients (31.2%) died. The primary cause of death was COVID-19 in 688 patients (58.1%), HM in 173 patients (14.6%), and a combination of both COVID-19 and progressing HM in 155 patients (13.1%). Highest mortality was observed in acute myeloid leukemia (199/497, 40%) and myelodysplastic syndromes (118/279, 42.3%). The mortality rate significantly decreased between the first COVID-19 wave (March–May 2020) and the second wave (October–December 2020) (581/1427, 40.7% vs. 439/1773, 24.8%, p value < 0.0001). In the multivariable analysis, age, active malignancy, chronic cardiac disease, liver disease, renal impairment, smoking history, and ICU stay correlated with mortality. Acute myeloid leukemia was a higher mortality risk than lymphoproliferative diseases. Conclusions: This survey confirms that COVID-19 patients with HM are at high risk of lethal complications. However, improved COVID-19 prevention has reduced mortality despite an increase in the number of reported cases.EPICOVIDEHA has received funds from Optics COMMITTM (COVID-19 Unmet Medical Needs and Associated Research Extension) COVID-19 RFP program by GILEAD Science, United States (Project 2020-8223)

Preliminary safety and efficacy of first-line pertuzumab combined with trastuzumab and taxane therapy for HER2-positive locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer (PERUSE).

BACKGROUND: Pertuzumab combined with trastuzumab and docetaxel is the standard first-line therapy for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, based on results from the phase III CLEOPATRA trial. PERUSE was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of investigator-selected taxane with pertuzumab and trastuzumab in this setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the ongoing multicentre single-arm phase IIIb PERUSE study, patients with inoperable HER2-positive advanced breast cancer (locally recurrent/metastatic) (LR/MBC) and no prior systemic therapy for LR/MBC (except endocrine therapy) received docetaxel, paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel with trastuzumab [8\u2009mg/kg loading dose, then 6\u2009mg/kg every 3\u2009weeks (q3w)] and pertuzumab (840\u2009mg loading dose, then 420\u2009mg q3w) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was safety. Secondary end points included overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Overall, 1436 patients received at least one treatment dose (initially docetaxel in 775 patients, paclitaxel in 589, nab-paclitaxel in 65; 7 discontinued before starting taxane). Median age was 54\u2009years; 29% had received prior trastuzumab. Median treatment duration was 16\u2009months for pertuzumab and trastuzumab and 4\u2009months for taxane. Compared with docetaxel-containing therapy, paclitaxel-containing therapy was associated with more neuropathy (all-grade peripheral neuropathy 31% versus 16%) but less febrile neutropenia (1% versus 11%) and mucositis (14% versus 25%). At this preliminary analysis (52 months' median follow-up), median PFS was 20.6 [95% confidence interval (CI) 18.9-22.7] months overall (19.6, 23.0 and 18.1\u2009months with docetaxel, paclitaxel and nab-paclitaxel, respectively). ORR was 80% (95% CI 78%-82%) overall (docetaxel 79%, paclitaxel 83%, nab-paclitaxel 77%). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary findings from PERUSE suggest that the safety and efficacy of first-line pertuzumab, trastuzumab and taxane for HER2-positive LR/MBC are consistent with results from CLEOPATRA. Paclitaxel appears to be a valid alternative taxane backbone to docetaxel, offering similar PFS and ORR with a predictable safety profile. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT01572038

Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells from the Adult Human Spinal Cord Are Multipotent and Self-Renewing and Differentiate after Transplantation

Neural stem/progenitor cell (NSPC) transplantation is a promising therapy for spinal cord injury (SCI). However, little is known about NSPC from the adult human spinal cord as a donor source. We demonstrate for the first time that multipotent and self-renewing NSPC can be cultured, passaged and transplanted from the adult human spinal cord of organ transplant donors. Adult human spinal cord NSPC require an adherent substrate for selection and expansion in EGF (epidermal growth factor) and FGF2 (fibroblast growth factor) enriched medium. NSPC as an adherent monolayer can be passaged for at least 9 months and form neurospheres when plated in suspension culture. In EGF/FGF2 culture, NSPC proliferate and primarily express nestin and Sox2, and low levels of markers for differentiating cells. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) promotes NSPC proliferation and significantly enhances GFAP expression in hypoxia. In differentiating conditions in the presence of serum, these NSPC show multipotentiality, expressing markers of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) significantly enhances neuronal differentiation. We transplanted the multipotent NSPC into SCI rats and show that the xenografts survive, are post-mitotic, and retain the capacity to differentiate into neurons and glia

Further phenotypic characterization of the primitive lineage− CD34+CD38−CD90+CD45RA− hematopoietic stem cell/progenitor cell sub-population isolated from cord blood, mobilized peripheral blood and patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia

The most primitive hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)/progenitor cell (PC) population reported to date is characterized as being Lin−CD34+CD38−CD90+CD45R. We have a long-standing interest in comparing the characteristics of hematopoietic progenitor cell populations enriched from normal subjects and patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). In order to investigate further purification of HSCs and for potential targetable differences between the very primitive normal and CML stem/PCs, we have phenotypically compared the normal and CML Lin−CD34+CD38−CD90+CD45RA− HSC/PC populations. The additional antigens analyzed were HLA-DR, the receptor tyrosine kinases c-kit and Tie2, the interleukin-3 cytokine receptor, CD33 and the activation antigen CD69, the latter of which was recently reported to be selectively elevated in cell lines expressing the Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase. Notably, we found a strikingly low percentage of cells from the HSC/PC sub-population isolated from CML patients that were found to express the c-kit receptor (<1%) compared with the percentages of HSC/PCs expressing the c-kitR isolated from umbilical cord blood (50%) and mobilized peripheral blood (10%). Surprisingly, Tie2 receptor expression within the HSC/PC subset was extremely low from both normal and CML samples. Using in vivo transplantation studies, we provide evidence that HLA-DR, c-kitR, Tie2 and IL-3R may not be suitable markers for further partitioning of HSCs from the Lin−CD34+CD38−CD90+CD45RA− sub-population