Is Buying Local Food a Sustainable Practice? A Scoping Review of Consumers’ Preference for Local Food

Access to healthy food and the introduction of sustainable nutrition practices are two important issues today. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to food security but it has also provided opportunities for local food production. The discussion on local food has been gaining attention in recent years, but there is still a lack of clear understanding of the term ‘local food’ in the literature. The relationship between local food and sustainability issues is still unclear and has various connotations. This discordance leads to further discussions on whether buying local food should be considered a sustainable behavior and whether consumer preference for local food can be perceived as a sustainable practice. A scoping literature review was conducted in order to fill this gap and to shed light on the main tendencies of the scientific literature regarding this topic. The outcomes of the research revealed three dimensions of ‘local food’ definitions in the literature: geographical, geopolitical, and organic; while the problem of a unified local food definition remains open. The studied literature did not show any sound evidence for sustainability attributes in the definition of local food and consumer perception of local food

The willingness to pay in the food sector. Testing the hypothesis of consumer preferences for some made in Italy products

Previous publications have shown that Italian consumers are willing to pay a premium price for certain categories of Made in Italy products. The premium price has proven to be higher in the food sector. This study provides an extensive literature review on the topic and aims to test a hypothesis regarding consumer preferences towards some Made in Italy food products of mass consumption (olive oil, meat and fish), with specific reference to the value systems that influence the purchase. This paper studies the correlation between the potential willingness to pay a premium price for the mentioned products and the characteristics of consumers' sample. The results obtained confirm the willingness to pay for Made in Italy products and correlate the willingness to pay a premium price with the level of education of the respondents to the questionnaire. Thus, these findings show that consumers with a higher educational level tend to make more sustainable food choices and by doing so lean toward a sustainable lifestyle

Concepts, narratives, metaphors and simulacra as a reflection of the contextual model of management in Media

В статье доказывается основная идея философии современности о том, что контекст формирует восприятие реальности. В системе управления это подтверждается ориентацией на модель дизайнера и властный дискурс в СМИ в противовес ментальной модели пользователя. Стратегический дискурс через призму SEO-анализа показал нивелирование фрейма результата, как главной идеи указанных текстов и как доказательства транслируемой в СМИ контекстуальной модели управления.The article proves the basic idea of the philosophy of modernity that the context forms the perception of reality. In the control system, this is confirmed by the orientation to the designer’s model and the imperious discourse in the media in contrast to the mental model of the user. Strategic discourse through the prism of SEO— analysis showed the leveling of the result frame as the main idea of these texts and as a proof of the contextual management model broadcast in the media

PSYCHOLOGY OF CONSUMER CHOICE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON PRICING IN MARKET CONDITIONS

The schemes of the decision-making process of an individual when consuming various goods and services using the components of economic psychology have been considered. Relevant from the point of view of economic psychology characteristics of buyer behavior that have a direct impact on his attitude to the price level of a product or service and on his reaction when the price changes for them have been presented and reviewed. The used “models” of consumer behavior of motivation, explaining not only the purchase by him of this product, but also his decision to have this product have been shown. Building models of purchase motivation allows manufacturers not only to explain consumer behavior, but also to influence it. Knowing all these nuances and skilful use of them, manufacturers have the opportunity significantly facilitate the pricing process for their goods and make a more accurate calculation of the “fair” price, which will not alienate the consumer. Two global approaches to segmentation of the consumer market have been considered, the use of which allows the manufacturer to assess the company’s competitiveness, assess the market size, and assess the customer’s commitment

New interaction paradigm of ecological, social and economic structures of human activity

Realities of the XXI century demand searching and grounding measures on changing economic, political, and the main thing, ideological institutions that determine trends of evolution and managing vital human activity at national and over-national levels. Using synergetic approach, the authors made an attempt to synthesize conclusions and main theses of neo-institutionalism theory, onto-psychology, as well as results of biological evolution for determining the way to overcome global ecological crisis at nano-level and to form a model of the mankind's optimal evolution on the base of principle "priorities through parities", using DNAsymbol as a code of survival, through co-evolution of economy and ecology. The main problem, existing even in economically developed countries, is the realization of the fact that the paradigm of the stationary economy is the only condition for the mankind's survival. To solve this problem serious transformation of ideological institutions is necessary, at the expense of comprehensive and based on onto-psychological methods program of ecological literacy, that should harmonically blend with the presented by the authors triads of state strategic management and achieving the goal of development. It is the transformation of the national matrix, content and direction of which are set in order to ensure a balance of interests of all participants in ecological and economic development, will lay the necessary rules, both formal and informal, in the style of human behavior, social groups, the national economy. Realization of the program ecological literacy within the national policy on ecological development of the regions is one of the most important conditions for a natural, not imposed from the outside, prepare to use the paradigm of a sustainable economy as the basis of economic, political and ideological institutions of modern society, which is primarily the formation of a new paradigm of human device - devices nano-level decision-making, consumer behavior

Genetic determinants of the development and course of membranous nephropathy

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in adults and is classified as either primary (idiopatic) or secondary MN according to underlying etiology (the later result from some known disease such as systemic autoimmune diseases, infections, malignancies, drugs, etc). In recent years, phospholipase A2 receptor 1 (PLA2R) and thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing 7A (THSD7A) were identified as two major podocytic antigens involved in the pathogenesis of idiopatic MN (IMN). And the discovery of circulating antibodies specific for these target antigens has transformed the diagnostic workup and significally improved management of IMN. However why do such antibodies develop is not conclusively established. The role of underlying genetic factors is discussed. The review presents the results of recent studies, that have shown significant associations of specific genetic factors (particularly human leucocyte antigen class II and PLA2R1 genes) with IMN

Neurogenic dysfunction of the lower urinary tract in infectious and inflammatory diseases of the spine: is there a correlation with clinical and radiological variants of myelopathy? Preliminary result of the analysis of a single-center cohort

Objective. To study the relationship between clinical and radiation variants of myelopathy and types of the neurogenic dysfunction of the lower urinary tract in patients with infectious spondylitis. Material and Methods. A single-center cohort observational study was conducted with the analysis of medical records and a prospective examination of 20 patients with infectious spondylitis complicated by neurogenic dysfunction of the lower urinary tract. Results. Infectious spondylitis can be complicated by the development of various urodynamic disorders, including neurogenic detrusor hyperactivity (30 %), its combination with detrusor-sphincter dissinergia (30 %) and a decrease in detrusor contractility (40 %). In 50 % of patients, an urodynamic examination revealed an increase in detrusor pressure of more than 40 cm water. There was no connection between the development of any type of lower urinary tract dysfunction and MRI types of myelopathy according to Vendatam, as well as between the level of spinal cord compression and the severity of neurological disorders according to AIS. Conclusion. The results of the study do not confirm the existence of a relationship between the various characteristics of myelopathy in infectious spondylitis and the results of urodynamic examination. The limitation of the reliability of the results is the small number of observations. Studies with a larger sample are required to assess the relationship between the clinical and radiation characteristics of myelopathy and variants of neurogenic dysfunction of the lower urinary tract in patients with infectious spondylitis

Тенденции в эндопротезировании крупных суставов у пациентов с ревматическими заболеваниями: опыт специализированного травматолого-ортопедического отделения

Total knee and hip arthroplasty (TKA and THA respectively) is frequently used in severe structural changes in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Objective: to evaluate the dynamics of the number of TKA of THA in patients with OA and RA treated in the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics of V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology.Material and methods. The analysis of 11-year period (from 2012 to 2022) of surgical activity of the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics of V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology.Results and discussion. Within the mentioned period, 2955 TKA and THA were performed in 1590 patients with OA and 1365 with RA. From 2012 to 2018, the number of surgeries in patients with OA and RA was approximately the same, but since 2019 there has been a significant increase in the number of total arthroplasties (TA) in OA. The median delta (Δ) of the number of TKA and THA performed annually over 11 years was 13.5 [-17.5; 75.7] in patients with OA and 2.5 [-10.25; 25.0] in patients with RA (p=0.032).Conclusion. In the last 11 years there was no significant dynamics in the number of TKA and THA in patients with RA. At the same time, there is a statistically significant increase in the number of TA in patients with OA, which is in line with the global trend.Тотальное эндопротезирование (ТЭ) коленного сустава (КС) и тазобедренного (ТБС) суставов широко используется при их тяжелых структурных изменениях у больных остеоартритом (ОА) и ревматоидным артритом (РА).Цель исследования – оценить динамику числа ТЭ КС и ТБС у пациентов с ОА и РА, находившихся на стационарном лечении в травматолого-ортопедическом отделении ФГБНУ «Научно-исследовательский институт ревматологии им. В.А. Насоновой» (НИИР им. В.А. Насоновой).Материал и методы. Проведен анализ хирургической активности травматолого-ортопедического отделения НИИР им. В.А. Насоновой за 11 лет (2012–2022 гг.).Результаты и обсуждение. За указанный период было выполнено 2955 ТЭ КС и ТБС у 1590 – больных ОА и 1365 – РА. С 2012 г. по 2018 г. число операций, проведенных пациентам с ОА и РА, было примерно одинаковым, однако с 2019 г. отмечается значительный рост числа ТЭ при ОА. Медиана дельты (Δ) числа выполнявшихся ежегодно ТЭ КС и ТБС за 11 лет у больных ОА составила 13,5 [-17,5; 75,7], у больных РА – 2,5 [-10,25; 25,0], p=0,032.Заключение. За последние 11 лет не отмечено существенной динамики числа ТЭ КС и ТБС у больных РА. В то же время число ТЭ у больных ОА статистически значимо увеличивается, что соответствует общемировой тенденции

Использование мезенхимных стволовых клеток в терапии туберкулеза

This review presents data from 29 publications on the use of mesenchymal stem cells in the therapy of tuberculosis of various localizations. It also describes some mechanisms of interaction between mesenchymal stem cells and M. tuberculosis.В обзоре представлены данные из 29 источников литературы, посвященных использованию мезенхимных стволовых клеток в терапии туберкулеза различной локализации. Также описаны некоторые механизмы взаимодействия мезенхимных стволовых клеток с M. tuberculosis