An assessment of the role of corporate brand identity in corporate brand image formation

This study focuses on the extent to which the various elements of corporate brand identity as identified in the literature are perceived to contribute to corporate brand image formation. In doing so, a theoretical perspective is adopted for this study that borrows from both marketing communication and corporate communication theories. Three data collection techniques – Q methodology, an online questionnaire and computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) – were used to determine to what extent these elements are perceived significant in corporate brand image formation among participants from 106 South African organisations across various business sectors. Four categories were identified to be perceived as significant for corporate brand image formation, namely transformational leadership and management, positioning and differentiation strategy, brand equity and employee orientation and mentorship. To date, a comprehensive measuring instrument that theoretically includes all the corporate brand identity elements perceived to be significant in corporate brand image formation has not been developed. Based on the research findings, the study aims to propose a theoretical framework for establishing a measuring instrument that includes all the corporate brand identity elements deemed significant in corporate brand image formation as perceived by South African organisations. The objective of providing a theoretical framework for establishing a measuring instrument is to enable organisations to assess the role of their corporate brand identity in corporate brand image formation among their stakeholder groups. The theoretical framework includes the four identified categories perceived as significant in corporate brand image formation. It indicates which of the corporate brand identity elements included in the four categories are perceived to be more significant in corporate brand image formation by South African organisations. In addition, it provides assumptions on how these corporate brand identity elements are perceived to work in synergy to enhance corporate brand image formation based on the research results.Communication ScienceD. Litt. et Phil. (Communication

Cervical porcupine quill foreign body involving the spinal cord of a dog: a description of various imaging modality findings

Although porcupine quill injuries are common in dogs, the detailed appearance of the quill on diagnostic ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging has not been sufficiently described. A 4-year-old, intact, female Jack Russel terrier presented with severe neck pain and ataxia after an altercation with a porcupine 2 weeks earlier. Radiology, diagnostic ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were all utilised to identify a quill imbedded in the cervical vertebral canal and cervical musculature and were compared to each other. Surgical removal of the quill, guided by imaging findings, led to the resolution of the clinical signs in the patient. Previous ultrasound imaging reports have just stated that the quill consists of parallel hyperechoic lines, and do not mention the finer hyperechoic lines in between and do not try to provide a reason for the appearance. Previous computed tomography (CT) reports just mention identifying the quill on CT images (whether or not CT could identify the fragments), but do not go into detail about the attenuating appearance of the quill nor try to relate this to the composition of the quill. This is to the authors’ knowledge the first report with detailed imaging descriptions of a case of cranial cervical vertebral canal porcupine quill foreign body in a dog. This is also the first report to allude to a possible difference in imaging findings related to quill structure because of keratin orientation and melanin content. The ideal imaging modality to use remains elusive, but ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging could all identify the quill

Malignant melanoma and lymph node metastases appearing as hyperattenuating masses on computed tomography in a dog

A 16-year-old male castrated Dachshund cross dog was referred for a dental and a mass on the right side of the face. CT revealed several heterogenous precontrast hyperattenuating masses within the subcutaneous tissue over the masseter muscle, demonstrating marked contrast uptake. The ipsilateral mandibular lymph nodes were mildly enlarged and markedly hyperattenuating on precontrast images. A histopathological final diagnosis of malignant melanoma with regional lymph node metastasis was made, and the hyperattenuating appearance was postulated to be due to its melanin content. This is the first published report of melanoma appearing as hyperattenuating masses on CT in small animals.DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The data used in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.https://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/vruCompanion Animal Clinical StudiesSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

Osteochondroma and multiple cartilagenous exostosis involving the distal radius and ulna on adjacent cortices : an unusual manifestation of a common condition

The findings of two canine patients presenting with distal antebrachial multiple cartilaginous exostoses (MCE) highlights the difference in presentation and clinical significance of MCE impinging on the adjacent radius and ulna. We suspect that a lesion in this region, affecting the adjacent bones, may be missed as a cause of lameness. This may be due to a lack of knowledge of the normal radiological anatomy of this region on a mediolateral view, and because of the close anatomical association between the distal ulna and radius and thus superimposition on radiographs. Additionally, skeletal immaturity may mask the exostosis as the thicker cartilage cap is not visible radiologically. CT allows a much better understanding of the pathology involved due to its cross-sectional imaging.http://vetrecordcasereports.bmj.comhb201

Trauma-induced exostosis of multiple suture lines causing partial bilateral nasolacrimal duct obstruction in a 7-year-old thoroughbred mare

A definitive diagnosis of extensive suture line exostoses affecting the nasofrontal, nasolacrimal, nasomaxillary, frontolacrimal, lacrimozygomatic and lacrimomaxillary suture lines in a 7-year-old Thoroughbred mare with chronic bilateral epiphora and facial deformation was achieved using standing computed tomography (CT) examinations. Positive contrast dacryocystorhinography using CT revealed partial bilateral obstruction of the nasolacrimal ducts. Minimally displaced depression fractures of the right nasal bone, the right maxillary bone and right frontal bone were also demonstrated. The cosmetic appearance of the periosteal reaction associated with the suture line exostosis and epiphora significantly improved within 3 months of diagnosis and treatment.http://www.jsava.co.zaam2019Companion Animal Clinical Studie

Prevalence of radiographic changes in forelimb digits and metacarpophalangeal joints of South African endurance racehorses

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MSc in the Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. (http://hdl.handle.net/2263/76858)If the number of events alone is considered, endurance riding is the fastest growing and the second-most popular Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) discipline. Lameness is the most common cause of elimination from endurance races worldwide. To the authors’ knowledge, no studies have been published investigating the prevalence of radiographic changes in the forelimb digits and metacarpophalangeal joints (MCP) of endurance racehorses in South Africa. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of radiographic changes in the forelimb digits and MCP joints of South African endurance racehorses. One hundred endurance racehorses registered with ERASA were volunteered by their owners to partake in the current study. Radiographs were obtained from horses competing in endurance races during the 2018–2019 endurance racing season. Radiographs included seven standard views of each distal forelimb. Radiographic images were independently evaluated by three observers, point prevalence and inter-rater reliability (IRR) was calculated. Data analysis of the forelimb digits revealed a large proportion of horses with bilateral signs of dorsopalmar hoof imbalance (95%); a diversion from a straight digital axis (91%), with an extended (broken back) proximal interphalangeal joint (67%) being the most common abnormality. Osteoarthritis of the proximal (16%) and distal (7%) interphalangeal joints was only observed in a low percentage of horses. Interestingly, the hoof-distal-phalanx-ratio of the majority (86%) of horses was more than 25% but none of these horses showed any other signs of chronic laminitis, indicating that hoof-distal-phalanx-ratio might not be a reliable indicator of chronic laminitis in this population of horses. Ossification of the ungular cartilages was observed in the majority (69%) of horses, either affecting one or both distal phalanges. Descriptive data analysis of the MCP joints showed that a large proportion of horses displayed radiological signs of MCP joint osteoarthritis (28%), with 10% being bilateral. The current study provides insight into radiographic changes and their prevalence in the distal front limbs of South African endurance racehorses. Knowledge about the prevalence of specific radiographic changes would enable equine practitioners to better evaluate and manage horses that are affected. Although no correlations were made with age, speed or number of competitive kilometres competed, the current study may serve as a basis for future research.http://www.jsava.co.zaam2023Companion Animal Clinical Studie

Activity of apremilast in a patient with severe pemphigus vulgaris: case report

IntroductionAlthough the treatment for pemphigus vulgaris (PV) has been revolutionized by the use of rituximab combined with corticosteroids, new effective therapies with a better safety profile are needed.ObservationA 67-year-old woman was diagnosed with severe mucosal PV, which was initially misdiagnosed as atypical Behçet’s disease. Following an unsuccessful colchicine treatment, significant improvement was observed upon the introduction of apremilast: reduced pain, fewer lesions, and a stabilized weight. The discontinuation of apremilast led to a rapid relapse. Retrospective analysis through anti-Dsg3 ELISA indicated a gradual decrease in antibody levels during the apremilast treatment.DiscussionApremilast, a phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor approved for psoriasis and Behçet’s disease’s related oral ulcers treatment, demonstrated its efficacy in this PV case. This is the second case report highlighting the effectiveness of apremilast for PV treatment. Apremilast’s ability to upregulate cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels appears to contribute to the stabilization of keratinocyte adhesion.ConclusionApremilast may be a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of pemphigus, with an innovative mechanism of action, no induced immunosuppression, and good tolerance. It could be a good alternative to steroids, in the treatment regimen of steroids combined with rituximab

Inter-laboratory mass spectrometry dataset based on passive sampling of drinking water for non-target analysis

Non-target analysis (NTA) employing high-resolution mass spectrometry is a commonly applied approach for the detection of novel chemicals of emerging concern in complex environmental samples. NTA typically results in large and information-rich datasets that require computer aided (ideally automated) strategies for their processing and interpretation. Such strategies do however raise the challenge of reproducibility between and within different processing workflows. An effective strategy to mitigate such problems is the implementation of inter-laboratory studies (ILS) with the aim to evaluate different workflows and agree on harmonized/standardized quality control procedures. Here we present the data generated during such an ILS. This study was organized through the Norman Network and included 21 participants from 11 countries. A set of samples based on the passive sampling of drinking water pre and post treatment was shipped to all the participating laboratories for analysis, using one pre-defined method and one locally (i.e. in-house) developed method. The data generated represents a valuable resource (i.e. benchmark) for future developments of algorithms and workflows for NTA experiments

Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19

Background: We previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15–20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in ~ 80% of cases. Methods: We report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded. Results: No gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5–528.7, P = 1.1 × 10−4) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR = 3.70[95%CI 1.3–8.2], P = 2.1 × 10−4). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR = 19.65[95%CI 2.1–2635.4], P = 3.4 × 10−3), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR = 4.40[9%CI 2.3–8.4], P = 7.7 × 10−8). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD] = 43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P = 1.68 × 10−5). Conclusions: Rare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60 years old

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)