Country of origin effect on products from Mainland China in Hong Kong

This study examines the effect of the country of origin cue on Hong Kong consumers’ purchasing of products from the two countries—China and Japan. The research findings suggest that the country of origin and brand image are the important evaluative criteria for Hong Kong consumer. There are three main objectives in the report. First is to explore the overall image of Mainland Chinese products in Hong Kong market. The other is to assess the impact of the country of origin on Mainland Chinese products in Hong Kong market. Last, we make some suggestions for improving the image of Mainland Chinese products in Hong Kong market. The literature review and survey give the picture of the image of Mainland Chinese products in other markets. Overall, Mainland Chinese products have a negative image in those markets. The country of origin effect influences the country image so much, there has a negative image towards China. Hong Kong people view Mainland Chinese products as old-fashioned, cheap and unattractive. To alleviate that, the Chinese businesses could improve their marketing strategies in Hong Kong, especially the marketing mix. They could change the product designs and packages with good brand names, put more emphasis on promotions and advertising, and improving the advertisements to adapt to the tastes of Hong Kong consumers. In addition, they could increase the number of retail channels that are more convenient for consumers to get information and easier to find the products. The low price of China brand products in Hong Kong gives people “cheap” and “low-class” impression. So, Mainland Chinese firms should raise the quality of products in order to set a higher price in Hong Kong market

Risk Assessment of Ocular Hypertension and the Use of Medication

Ocular hypertension (OHT) is the only known modifiable risk factor of glaucoma development. Intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering therapy reduces the risk of glaucoma development. The 5-year risk of glaucoma conversion is <10% for untreated OHT patients. Cost-effectiveness analyses suggested that it is not cost-effective to treat all patients with OHT. Treatment should be targeted towards the higher-risk group—namely, patients with older age, a higher level of IOP, a thinner central corneal thickness (CCT), a larger vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR) and a smaller pattern standard deviation (PSD) value on visual field (VF) test. These risk factors were established by the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) and the European Glaucoma Prevention Study (EGPS). However, there is significant variability in the measurement of the currently known risk factors, especially if the assessment is taken from a longitudinal perspective. This can lead to overtreatment or under-treatment: the former exposing the patient to unnecessary side effects of IOP-lowering eye drops and the latter putting the patient at risk of developing glaucoma. The advancement of new VF algorithm and ocular imaging can lead to the identification of new approaches to risk stratification and, thus, more specific treatment for OHT patients

Legacy and social media respectively influence risk perceptions and protective behaviors during emerging health threats: A multi-wave analysis of communications on Zika virus cases.

ObjectiveBoth legacy media, such as television and newspapers, and online social media are potentially important but incompletely understood sources of information in the face of emerging public health risks. This research aimed to understand media effects on risk perceptions and behaviors concerning the Zika virus in the United States.MethodsWe analyzed a multi-wave nationally representative survey (N = 29,062) and the volume of communications in social and legacy media (i.e., legacy media data from news sources and databases, N = 2,660 and social media data from Twitter, N = 1,605,752) in the United States between April and October 2016, dates coinciding with the early cases of local transmission of Zika in the United States (i.e., 25 weeks). The present study conducted econometric analyses (i.e., Granger causality tests) to assess the associations of legacy and social media coverage with risk perceptions and protective behaviors in the total sample and specific groups separated by pregnancy status/intent, geographic region, income, education level, age, and ethnicity.ResultsThe results from the overall sample suggested that changes in the volume of information in legacy and social media (i.e., Twitter) were followed by different changes in community risk perceptions and protective behaviors. Specifically, social media coverage correlated with the level of risk perceptions, whereas the legacy media coverage correlated with the level of protective behaviors. Analyses across different subpopulations, including those of different pregnancy status/intent, geographic Zika risk, income, education level, age, and ethnicity, replicated the social media associations with risk perceptions in most cases. However, legacy media and protective behaviors were linked only in some vulnerable subpopulations (e.g., the less-educated populations).ConclusionUnderstanding how media coverage relates to Zika risk perceptions and protective behaviors will help to facilitate effective risk communications by healthcare professionals and providers, particularly when a health risk emerges

EDN1 Lys198Asn is Associated with Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose: We tested the hypothesis that genetic variants in vasoactive and angiogenic factors regulating the retina vasculature contribute to the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods: A case-control study was performed to study the genetic association between DR and polymorphic variants of EDN1 (Lys198Asn), LTA (IVS1–80C>A, IVS1–206G>C, IVS1–252>G), eNOS (Glu298Asp), and ITGA2 (BgI II) in a Chinese population with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A well defined population with type 2 diabetes, consisting of 127 controls and 216 DR patients, was recruited. Results: A higher frequency of the Asn/Asn genotype of EDN1 was found in individuals with at least 10 years of diabetes and no retinopathy (controls) compared with DR patients with any duration of diabetes (DR: 2.3%; control: 11.0%; p=0.0002). The Asn allele was also more frequent in controls than DR patients (DR: 16.4%; control: 29.5%; p=0.007). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the Asn/Asn genotype was the factor most significantly associated with reduced risk of DR (odds ratio=0.19; 95% CI: 0.07-0.53; p=0.002) and with late onset of diabetes (Asn/Asn: 59 years; Lys/Lys + Lys/Asn: 53 years; p=0.02). Moreover, the Lys/Lys genotype was more common among patients with nonproliferative (75.7%) than proliferative DR (56.9%; p=0.008). The distributions of Lys198Asn alleles in hypertension did not differ from normotensive subjects. No associations between DR and polymorphisms of LTA, eNOS, or ITGA2 were detected, and there were no detectable gene-gene or gene-environmental interactions among the polymorphisms.Conclusions The Asn/Asn genotype of EDN1 was associated with a reduced risk of DR and with delayed onset of type 2 diabetes

CORRECTION Open Access

tumor progression enhances the oncogenic capacity of advanced ovarian cance

Gametogenesis, Embryogenesis, and Fertilization Ecology of Platygyra acuta

Understanding the reproductive biology of dominant coral species in subtropical nonreefal coral communities is critical in providing important information on the processes underlying the distribution limits of coral species and communities. This is the first study that investigates the reproduction cycle, gametogenesis, and fertilization ecology of Platygyra acuta. Results indicated that P. acuta is hermaphroditic and exhibits a single annual gametogenic cycle. Oogenic and spermatogenic cycle occurs for 6-7 months and for 2 months, respectively, prior to annual mass spawning event in May to June in Hong Kong. It took 18 hours for P. acuta to complete embryonic development, develop cilia, and start to rotate. High (>70%) fertilization success can be achieved under a broad range of sperm concentrations from 104 to 107 sperms mL−1. Fertilization success remained consistently high 6 h after spawning, indicating a prolonged viability of its gametes that is much longer than that recorded for other coral species. Significantly higher percentage of fertilization success was recorded in the first of the two consecutive nights of spawning, suggesting differences in the quality of the eggs and/or sperms between days of spawning. These results serve as important baseline information for better understanding of corals in marginal communities

Inorganic Arsenic Poisoning Following An Intentional Overdose Of Realgar-Containing Niu Huang Jie Du Pian: A Case report and Literature Review

Background: Niu Huang Jie Du Pian (NHJDP) is a widely used realgar-containing Chinese medicine remedy. Most brands are composed of eight ingredients: Niuhuang (Calculus Bovis), Xionghuang (realgar), gypsum (calcium sulphate), Dahuang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei), Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae), Jugeng (Platycodon grandiflorum), Bingpian (borneol), and Gancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae uralensis, licorice root). Most users are not aware that Xionghuang (realgar) contains arsenic disulphide [As2S2]. Inorganic arsenic poisoning after therapeutic overdoses has been reported in Chinese literature, but no report of acute, intentional overdose of NHJDP has been published. We report a case of intentional overdose of NHJDP leading to arsenic poisoning. Case Presentation: A 33-year-old woman ingested approximately 100 tablets of NHJDP bought over the counter, along with her usual antidepressants. She presented with somnolence, agitation, epigastric pain and repeated vomiting, compatible with clinical toxicities of NHJDP reported in Chinese literature. At presentation, blood and spot urine arsenic levels were 440.9 and 7,495 nmol/L, respectively. The patient’s condition improved rapidly after admission and chelation therapy was not deemed to be necessary. Discussion: Despite the self-limiting clinical course, the high arsenic level in the patient’s blood and urine raises safety concerns regarding the use of NHJDP in the community. Inconsistencies in the sales regulation of arsenic-containing products, and a lack of product label warning regarding arsenic content, may potentiate inadvertent arsenic poisoning.  Conclusion: Clinician should be aware of the possibility of inorganic arsenic poisoning when treating patients with overdose of Chinese medicine remedies that contain Xionghuang (realgar). Proper product labelling may help reduce inadvertent arsenic poisoning

In vitro methods in autophagy research: Applications in neurodegenerative diseases and mood disorders

BackgroundAutophagy is a conserved physiological intracellular mechanism responsible for the degradation and recycling of cytoplasmic constituents (e.g., damaged organelles, and protein aggregates) to maintain cell homeostasis. Aberrant autophagy has been observed in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington’s Disease (HD), and recently aberrant autophagy has been associated with mood disorders, such as depression. Several in vitro methods have been developed to study the complex and tightly regulated mechanisms of autophagy. In vitro methods applied to autophagy research are used to identify molecular key players involved in dysfunctional autophagy and to screen autophagy regulators with therapeutic applications in neurological diseases and mood disorders. Therefore, the aims of this narrative review are (1) to compile information on the cell-based methods used in autophagy research, (2) to discuss their application, and (3) to create a catalog of traditional and novel in vitro methods applied in neurodegenerative diseases and depression.MethodsPubmed and Google Scholar were used to retrieve relevant in vitro studies on autophagy mechanisms in neurological diseases and depression using a combination of search terms per mechanism and disease (e.g., “macroautophagy” and “Alzheimer’s disease”). A total of 37 studies were included (14 in PD, 8 in AD, 5 in ALS, 5 in %, and 5 in depression).ResultsA repertoire of traditional and novel approaches and techniques was compiled and discussed. The methods used in autophagy research focused on the mechanisms of macroautophagy, microautophagy, and chaperone-mediated autophagy. The in vitro tools presented in this review can be applied to explore pathophysiological mechanisms at a molecular level and to screen for potential therapeutic agents and their mechanism of action, which can be of great importance to understanding disease biology and potential therapeutic options in the context of neurodegenerative disorders and depression.ConclusionThis is the first review to compile, discuss, and provide a catalog of traditional and novel in vitro models applied to neurodegenerative disorders and depression