The role of store brand love in online shopping behavior. An application of the S-O-R model to the online fashion retailing

The paper aims to enhance the knowledge on the phenomenon of brand love in the fashion online retailing context. It builds on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model in order to identify the determinants of store brand love and its impact on patronage intention and store loyalty. By including price, assortment, global service and communication as stimuli, the adopted theoretical framework may shed light on the mechanism underlying the formation process of love toward the store brand and its role in the consumer’s decision-making process. Data were collected through an online survey with a sample of 323 Italian consumers. Results showed that assortment, global service and price convenience act as stimuli for brand love, which in turn is capable of positively influence patronage intention and store loyalty. At the theoretical level, the study supports the adequacy of the S-O-R model for explaining the role of store brand love in the online consumer decision-making process. From a managerial perspective, the findings highlight the factors that practitioners can leverage to increase store brand love and, consequently, loyalty and purchase intention

#InstaMind: teachers’ beliefs on educational technology to promote seamless technology integration in early education

BackgroundThe digital revolution has deeply affected every aspect of our daily lives, including education, transforming how we learn and teach. In Italy, this transformation has occurred naturally for the alpha generation, born in the era in which technology is an integral part of their education. Conversely, for teachers who are not digital natives, adapting to this technological era is a considerable challenge. This challenge is increasing for Italian teachers working with preschoolers. Indeed, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, such technologies were sparsely utilized within early education. This study aims to explore Italian teachers’ beliefs through internal factors—i.e., self- efficacy, outcome expectations, and interest, toward the integration of educational technology in teaching.MethodsTo this end, the standardized Intrapersonal Technology Integration Scale was selected to measure the Italian teachers’ beliefs. The study includes 180 teachers working with the alpha generation, which encompasses children currently attending pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and primary education.ResultsThe results obtained from the comparison among the three groups of teachers (pre- kindergarten, kindergarten, and primary education) on the internal factors are manifold. Mainly, although all teachers are interested in educational technologies, there is a reluctance and low self-efficacy perception to use them with preschoolers. Specifically, pre-kindergarten teachers perceive themselves as less effective and satisfied using such technologies than kindergarten and primary teachers. Moreover, greater teachers’ age and greater teaching experience predict a lower level of perceived self-efficacy and outcome expectations, highlighting resistance toward technological change. All results and their implications are detailed in this text.DiscussionThis study suggests focusing on perceived self-efficacy, offering customized training to enhance it, exploiting the teachers’ interest, enriching teachers’ knowledge through scientific dissemination seminars, and using an effective method. To conclude, understanding teachers’ beliefs is a challenge to better meet the needs of the digital-native generation and harness the potential of educational technologies in childhood education

Association of CYP2D6 genotype and tamoxifen metabolites with breast cancer recurrence in a low-dose trial

Low-dose tamoxifen halves recurrence in non-invasive breast cancer without significant adverse events. Some adjuvant trials with tamoxifen 20 mg/day had shown an association between low endoxifen levels (9–16 nM) and recurrence, but no association with CYP2D6 was shown in the NSABP P1 and P2 prevention trials. We studied the association of CYP2D6 genotype and tamoxifen metabolites with tumor biomarkers and recurrence in a randomized phase III trial of low-dose tamoxifen. Median (IQR) endoxifen levels at year 1 were 8.4 (5.3–11.4) in patients who recurred vs 7.5 (5.1–10.2) in those who did not recur (p = 0.60). Tamoxifen and metabolites significantly decreased C-reactive protein (CRP, p < 0.05), and a CRP increase after 3 years was associated with higher risk of recurrence (HR = 4.37, 95% CI, 1.14–16.73, P = 0.03). In conclusion, endoxifen is below 9 nM in most subjects treated with 5 mg/day despite strong efficacy and there is no association with recurrence, suggesting that the reason for tamoxifen failure is not poor drug metabolism.publishedVersio

Acromegaly as an expression of a rare disease: description of an unusual clinical case of Carney Complex

Introduction: The Carney complex (CC) is an autosomal dominant syndrome, characterized by multiple endocrine neoplasms, pigmented skin lesions, endocrine hyper-activity and myxomas. Case study: C. E., 71 years old, was addressed to our center in August 1994, following the finding of a sellar enlargement in a skull radiography performed after an accident. A pituitary tomography showed the presence of a lesion extended up to the optic chiasm, a macroadenoma that was treated with transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery. A histological diagnosis of a “GH secreting macroadenoma” was performed. An echocardiographic study highlighted an atrial isolated myxoma that was subsequently removed. A contrast-enhanced abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) excluded adrenal lesions. In 2001, in relation to relapse of Acromegaly, the patient started therapy with somatostatin analogues which was replaced, in 2008, by Pegvisomant to obtain biochemical control of the disease. Conclusions: At the time of initial screening, it is important not to underestimate the possibility that certain clinical features fall within the context of more complex syndromes. The knowledge of how Acromegaly presents itself in relation to CC and its associated characteristics such as cardiac myxoma or typical skin lesions, will help clinicians to timely diagnose this rare disease and treat it appropriately

Case-history: acromegalia evoluta spontaneamente in empty sella con comorbilità attive

L’acromegalia è una patologia rara caratterizzata dalla presenza di un’ipersecrezione di GH, a sua volta sostenuta, nella quasi totalità dei casi, da un adenoma ipofisario. Oltre a esporre il paziente a importanti alterazioni somatiche, essa determina anche la comparsa di complicanze cardiovascolari, metaboliche, osteoarticolari e neoplastiche, riducendo la qualità e l’aspettativa di vita. Tra queste, le più significative sono la cardiomiopatia, osservabile in una percentuale di soggetti che arriva fino al 90% nei casi di lunga durata1, le apnee ostruttive notturne che interessano fino al 70% dei pazienti alla diagnosi, l’ipertensione e il diabete rilevabili, rispettivamente, in circa il 40% e il 30% dei casi2,3. L’ipertensione, come la maggior parte delle forme secondarie, è resistente alla terapia e può essere difficilmente controllabile anche ricorrendo a farmaci appartenenti a più classi terapeutiche. In aggiunta, il rialzo pressorio può risultare severo in una percentuale di casi che arriva fino al 60%4. Uno dei principali meccanismi implicati nella sua patogenesi potrebbe essere legato alle presenza di una sindrome delle apnee ostruttive notturne (OSAS)5. In ogni caso, la prevalenza di complicanze nella popolazione acromegalica è estremamente variabile e influenzata da diversi parametri, quali l’età alla diagnosi, la durata di malattia ecc

Case Report of a Dental Implant with Conometric Abutment–Prosthetic Cap Connection: Advanced High-Resolution Imaging and Peri-Implant Connective Tissue Performance

Background: In recent years, the use of conometric systems to connect dental implant abutments and prosthetic caps has been advocated because they seem to eliminate the side effects reported when using screw- and cement-connected prosthetic restorations. Objectives: The present case study is focused on conometric connection characterization and its performance in terms of the microarchitecture of peri-implant soft tissues by using a cross-linked approach based on optical microscopy and three-dimensional imaging. Methods: Two dental implants were characterized using micro-CT and another identical one was implanted into a patient; the latter was retrieved 45 days later due to changes in prosthetic needs. Afterward, the peri-implant soft tissues were investigated using synchrotron-based phase contrast imaging, histology, and polarized light microscopy. Results: Micro-CT analysis showed perfect adhesion between the abutment and prosthetic cap; histology and polarized light microscopy showed that connective tissue was richly present around the abutment retrieved from the patient. Moreover, the quantitative evaluation of connective tissues using synchrotron imaging, supported by artificial intelligence, revealed that this tissue was rich in mature collagen, with longitudinal and transverse collagen bundles intertwined. The number and connectivity of transverse bundles were consistently greater than those of the longitudinal bundles. Conclusion: It was found that the peri-implant soft tissue was already mature and well organized after only 45 days of implantation, supporting the hypothesis that conometric connections contribute to the significant stabilization of peri-implant soft tissues

Hemostatic Collagen Sponge with High Porosity Promotes the Proliferation and Adhesion of Fibroblasts and Osteoblasts

The use of biomaterial for tissue repair involves the interaction between materials and cells, and the coagulum formation represents the first step of tissue healing. This process is particularly critical in the oral cavity, where the wounds are immediately subjected to the masticatory mechanical stress, saliva invasion, and bacterial attack. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the structural features and the biological activities of a hemostatic collagen sponge on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) and human oral osteoblasts (HOBs). The microstructure of the collagen sponge was characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and histological analysis. The porosity was also calculated. To investigate biological activities, HGFs and HOBs were cultured on the collagen sponges, and their adhesion was observed at SEM on the third day, while cell viability was investigated at the third and seventh days by Tetrazolium (MTT) assay. For osteoblasts seeded on collagen sponge the mineralization ability was also evaluated by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay at the seventh day, and by Alizarin red staining on the 14th. Furthermore, the gene expression of ALP and osteocalcin (OCN) was investigated after 3, 7 and 14 days. SEM images of the sponge without cells showed a highly porous 3D structure, confirmed by the measurement of porosity that was more than 90%. The samples cultured were characterized by cells uniformly distributed and adhered to the sponge surface. Proliferation ended up being promoted, as well as the mineralization ability of the osteoblasts, mainly at the mature stage. In conclusion, this collagen sponge could have a potential use for tissue healing

Nanoporous Titanium Enriched with Calcium and Phosphorus Promotes Human Oral Osteoblast Bioactivity

Implant surfaces are known to influence the osseointegration process; therefore, their modifications represent an important subject of investigation. On this basis, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the response of human oral osteoblasts (hOBs) to three different GR4 titanium discs: Machined, double-etched (Osteopore), and double-etched, surface-enriched with calcium and phosphorus (CaP) (Nanopore). The superficial topography was investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the sessile drop technique. To test cellular response and osteoinductive properties, the following points were evaluated: (i) proliferation by MTS assay after 2 and 5 days; (ii) adhesion by multiphoton microscopy at day 2; (iii) the interaction with Ti discs by blue toluidine staining at day 5; (iv) alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity by ALP assay after 14 days; (v) calcium deposition by alizarin red staining and by cetylpyridinium chloride after 14 days. The SEM analysis showed that Nanopore and Osteopore surfaces were characterized by the same micro-topography. Nanopore and Osteopore discs, compared to Machined, stimulated higher osteoblast proliferation and showed more osteoinductive properties by promoting the ALP activity and calcium deposition. In conclusion, the CaP treatment on DAE surfaces seemed to favor the oral osteoblast response, encouraging their use for in vivo applications

What Is the Impact of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy on Oral Candidiasis? An In Vitro Study

This study aimed to evaluate the ability of photodynamic therapy, based on the use of a gel containing 5% delta aminolaevulinic acid (ALAD) for 45′ followed by irradiation with 630 nm LED (PDT) for 7′, to eradicate Candida albicans strains without damaging the gingiva. C. albicans oral strains and gingival fibroblasts (hGFs) were used to achieve these goals. The potential antifungal effects on a clinical resistant C. albicans S5 strain were evaluated in terms of biofilm biomass, colony forming units (CFU/mL) count, cell viability by live/dead analysis, and fluidity membrane changes. Concerning the hGFs, viability assays, morphological analysis (optical, scanning electronic (SEM), and confocal laser scanning (CLSM) microscopes), and assays for reactive oxygen species (ROS) and collagen production were performed. ALAD-mediated aPDT (ALAD-aPDT) treatment showed significant anti-biofilm activity against C. albicans S5, as confirmed by a reduction in both the biofilm biomass and CFUs/mL. The cell viability was strongly affected by the treatment, while on the contrary, the fluidity of the membrane remained unchanged. The results for the hGFs showed an absence of cytotoxicity and no morphological differences in cells subjected to ALAD-aPDT expected for CLSM results that exhibited an increase in the thickening of actin filaments. ROS production was augmented only at 0 h and 3 h, while the collagen appeared enhanced 7 days after the treatment

The Effects of 5% 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Gel and Red Light (ALAD-PDT) on Human Fibroblasts and Osteoblasts

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a new photodynamic protocol (ALAD-PDT), consisting of 5% 5-aminolevulinic acid-gel and 630 nm-LED, already used for antibacterial effects in the treatment of periodontitis, on human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) and primary human osteoblasts (HOB). HGF and HOB were incubated with different ALAD concentrations for 45 min, and subsequently irradiated with 630 nm-LED for 7 min. Firstly, the cytotoxicity at 24 h and proliferation at 48 and 72 h were assessed. Then the intracellular content of the protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) of the ROS and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were investigated at different times. Each result was compared with untreated and unirradiated cells as the control. Viable and metabolic active cells were revealed at any concentrations of ALAD-PDT, but only 100-ALAD-PDT significantly enhanced the proliferation rate. The PpIX fluorescence significantly increased after the addition of 100-ALAD, and decreased after the irradiation. Higher ROS generation was detected at 10 min in HGF, and at 30 min in HOB. The activity of the SOD enzyme augmented at 30 min in both cell types. In conclusion, ALAD-PDT not only showed no cytotoxic effects, but had pro-proliferative effects on HGF and HOB, probably via ROS generation