Postnatal Regulation of Bone Growth by Muscle IGF-1

Interplay between muscle and bone is known to play an important role in growth modifications. Muscle loading from muscle hypertrophy promotes adjacent bone growth via Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1). Yet, in the absence of muscle hypertrophy, bone growth is not completely aborted indicating potential direct muscle paracrine role of muscle IGF-1 on bone. Maximizing growth potential and enhancing bone growth in mature bone in craniofacial skeleton is a significant benefit in orthodontic treatment. In this study, potential anabolic effect of muscle IGF-1 on post-natal mandibular growth is investigated. Methods: Four wild-type (WT) mice each at age of 6 weeks and 10 weeks; four dominant negative muscle specific IGF-1 receptor mice (MKR) each at age of 6 weeks and 10 weeks with one side masseter muscles injected with AAV-IGF-1 at 2 week of age were utilized. Four WT female and four WT male at age of 26 weeks with AAV-IGF-1 injection at age of 18 week were utilized. Muscle fiber size, mandibular bone lengths (sagittal and vertical) and condylar growth plate were evaluated from each animal. Results: Supplemental IGF-1 increased vertical mandibular bone growth in 6 weeks old MKR mice while 6 weeks old WT mice showed more increase in horizontal mandibular bone growth. There was no significant difference in mandibular growth in 10 weeks old WT and MKR mice. There was no significant effect of IGF-1 on muscle fiber size in both WT and MKR mice. Condylar growth plate analysis showed more mature form of chondrocytes with IGF-1 supplement. Conclusion: Post-natal muscle IGF-1 promoted bone growth in the absence of muscle hypertrophy

Segmenting Chinese Tourists to Korea: Experiential Value Based Approach

The aim of this study is to explore how tourists derive experiential value. To assess tourists’ travel experiences, the experiential value was adopted from scales developed by Mathwick et al. (2001). The seven-dimensional measures—visual appeal, entertainment value, escapism, efficiency, economic value, service excellence, and intrinsic enjoyment—were used. This study contributed to the existing literature by utilizing a multi-dimensional experiential value to segment the Chinese tourists visiting Korea. This study identified three lucrative segments: value ignored, neutral and highly value driven. The study discusses the implications

The implication of servicescape, emotion and trust to a positive customer service experience: wellness spa context in the U.S.A. / Hyeyoon Choi, Jay Kandampully and Kathryn Stafford

This article examined the antecedents of a positive wellness service experience by identifying factors leading to customers’ positive wellness service experience. This study proposes that servicescape has a positive relationship with the service experience, and that servicescape may strengthen the effects of emotion and trust. The research hypotheses were tested with data collected directly from customers of a spa located in the Midwestern United States. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to estimate how emotion, trust, and servicescape affect customers’ evaluations of spa experiences. An estimation was carried out on the interaction effects between servicescape, emotion and trust. The results indicate that the main effects of servicescape, emotion and trust, were significant, while the interaction effects did not prove to be significant. Trust has the biggest effect on customers’ wellness experience followed by emotion and servicescape. Prior research has not simultaneously addressed the role of servicescape, emotion and trust and their subsequent influence on customers’ emotional evaluation of service experience. This study therefore provides valuable insight to extend present understanding of the simultaneous role of these factors as effective predictors of the evaluation of service experienc

Parents' burdens of service for children with ASD – implications for service providers

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation is to gain insight into parents' perceptions of benefits vs burdens (value) of educational and healthcare service received for their child with ASD. Parents are the main integrators of long-term educational and healthcare service for their child with ASD. Design/methodology/approach: Design/methodology/approach included (1) a sentiment analysis of discussion forum posts from an autism message board using a rule-based sentiment analysis tool that is specifically attuned to sentiments expressed in social media and (2) a qualitative content analysis of one-on-one interviews with parents of children diagnosed with ASD, complemented with interviews with experienced educators and clinicians. Findings: Findings reveal the link between customized service integration and long-term benefits. Both parents and service providers emphasize the need to integrate healthcare and educational service to create holistic long-term care for a child with ASD. Parents highlight the benefits of varied services, but availability or cost are burdens if the service is not publicly provided, or covered by insurance. Service providers' lack of experience with ASD and people's ignorance of the challenges of ASD are burdens. Practical implications: Ensuring health outcomes for a child with ASD requires an integrated service system and long-term, customer-centric service process because the scope of service covers the child's entire childhood. Customized educational and healthcare service must be allocated and budgeted early in order to reach the goal of a satisfactory service output for each child. Originality/value: This is the first service research to focus on parents' challenges with obtaining services for their child with ASD. This paper provides service researchers and managers insight into parents' perceptions of educational and healthcare service value (i.e. benefits vs. burdens) received for their child with ASD. These insights into customer-centric perceptions of value may be useful to research and may help service providers to innovate and provide integrated service directly to parents, or indirectly to service providers, who serve children with ASD.peerReviewe

Cholesterol selectively activates canonical Wnt signalling over non-canonical Wnt signalling

Wnt proteins control diverse biological processes through beta-catenin-dependent canonical signalling and beta-catenin-independent non-canonical signalling. The mechanisms by which these signalling pathways are differentially triggered and controlled are not fully understood. Dishevelled (Dvl) is a scaffold protein that serves as the branch point of these pathways. Here, we show that cholesterol selectively activates canonical Wnt signalling over non-canonical signalling under physiological conditions by specifically facilitating the membrane recruitment of the PDZ domain of Dvl and its interaction with other proteins. Single-molecule imaging analysis shows that cholesterol is enriched around the Wnt-activated Frizzled and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5/6 receptors and plays an essential role for Dvl-mediated formation and maintenance of the canonical Wnt signalling complex. Collectively, our results suggest a new regulatory role of cholesterol in Wnt signalling and a potential link between cellular cholesterol levels and the balance between canonical and non-canonical Wnt signalling activities.X111915sciescopu