Antecedents and outcomes of consumer environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviour

With the intensification of problems relating to the environment, a growing number of consumers are becoming more ecologically conscious in their preferences and purchases of goods. This paper presents the results of a study conducted among 500 Cypriot consumers, focusing on the factors that shape consumer environmental attitudes and behaviour, as well as on the resulting outcomes. The findings confirmed that both the inward and outward environmental attitudes of a consumer are positively influenced by his/her degree of collectivism, long-term orientation, political involvement, deontology, and law obedience, but have no connection with liberalism. The adoption of an inward environmental attitude was also found to be conducive to green purchasing behaviour that ultimately leads to high product satisfaction. On the other hand, an outward environmental attitude facilitates the adoption of a general environmental behaviour, which is responsible for greater satisfaction with life. The findings of the study have important implications for shaping effective company offerings to consumers in target markets, as well as formulating appropriate policies at the governmental level to enhance environmental sensitivity among citizens

Knowledge, attitudes and health outcomes in HIV-infected travellers to the USA.

BACKGROUND: The USA bans entry to non-citizens unless they obtain a waiver visa. AIM: To establish how many people with HIV infection travelled to the USA, whether they were aware of the travel restriction, whether they travelled with a waiver visa and HIV inclusive medical insurance and how they managed with their antiretroviral medication (ARV). DESIGN: Collation of data from cross-sectional studies conducted independently at three different medical centres, Manchester, Brighton and London, using a structured self-completion questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 66.6% (1113 respondents). 349 (31%) had travelled to the USA since testing HIV positive, of whom only 14.3% travelled with a waiver visa. 64% and 62% of the respondents at Manchester and Brighton were aware of the need of a waiver visa. 68.5% (212) were on ARV medication at the time of travel and, of these, 11.3% stopped their medication. Of those taking ARV medication, only 25% took a doctors' letter, 11.7% posted their medication in advance. Of those discontinuing treatment (n=27), 55.5% sought medical advice before stopping, 11 were on NNRTI-based regimen and one developed NNRTI-based mutation. Only 27% took up HIV inclusive medical insurance. Many patients reported negative practical and emotional experiences resulting from travel restrictions. CONCLUSION: The majority of HIV patients travel to the USA without the waiver visa, with nearly half doing so with insufficient planning and advice. A significant minority (11.3%) stop their medication in an unplanned manner, risking the development of drug resistance

Phase 2 Study of Neoadjuvant Treatment with Nov-002 in Combination with Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide Followed By Docetaxel in Patients with HER-2 Negative Clinical Stage II-IIIc Breast Cancer

NOV-002 (a formulation of disodium glutathione disulfide) modulates signaling pathways involved in tumor cell proliferation and metastasis and enhances anti-tumor immune responsiveness in tumor models. The addition of NOV-002 to chemotherapy has been shown to increase anti-tumor efficacy in animal models and some early phase oncology trials. We evaluated the clinical effects of NOV-002 in primary breast cancer, whether adding NOV-002 to standard preoperative chemotherapy increased pathologic complete response rates (pCR) at surgery, and determined whether NOV-002 mitigated hematologic toxicities of chemotherapy and whether levels of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) were predictive of response. Forty-one women with newly diagnosed stages II-IIIc HER-2 negative breast cancer received doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel (AC→T) every 3 weeks and concurrent daily NOV-002 injections. The trial was powered to detect a doubling of pCR rate from 16% to 32% with NOV-002 plus AC→T (α=0.05, β=80%). Weekly complete blood counts were obtained as well as circulating MDSC levels on day 1 of each cycle were quantified. Of 39 patients with 40 evaluable tumors, 16 achieved a pCR (40%), meeting the primary endpoint of the trial. Lower circulating levels of MDSCs at baseline and cycle 8 were associated with a pCR (P=0.02). Concurrent NOV-002 resulted in pCR rates for AC→T chemotherapy higher than previously reported. Patients with lower levels of circulating MDSCs at baseline and on the last cycle of chemotherapy had significantly higher probability of a pCR (p=0.02). Further evaluation of NOV-002 in a randomized study is warranted

Genome‐wide cooperation of EMT transcription factor ZEB 1 with YAP and AP ‐1 in breast cancer

Invasion, metastasis and therapy resistance are the major cause of cancer-associated deaths, and theEMT-inducing transcription factorZEB1 is a crucial stimulator of these processes. While work onZEB1 has mainly focused on its role as a transcriptional repressor, it can also act as a transcriptional activator. To further understand these two modes of action, we performed a genome-wideZEB1 binding study in triple-negative breast cancer cells. We identifiedZEB1 as a novel interactor of theAP-1 factorsFOSL1 andJUNand show that, together with the Hippo pathway effectorYAP, they form a transactivation complex, predominantly activating tumour-promoting genes, thereby synergising with its function as a repressor of epithelial genes. High expression ofZEB1,YAP,FOSL1 andJUNmarks the aggressive claudin-low subtype of breast cancer, indicating the translational relevance of our findings. Thus, our results link critical tumour-promoting transcription factors:ZEB1,AP-1 and Hippo pathway factors. Disturbing their molecular interaction may provide a promising treatment option for aggressive cancer types