Antibacterial and resistance-modifying activities of thymoquinone against oral pathogens

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The presence of resistant bacteria in the oral cavity can be the major cause of dental antibiotic prophylaxis failure. Multidrug efflux has been described for many organisms, including bacteria and fungi as part of their drugs resistance strategy. The discovery of a new efflux pump inhibitor could extend the useful lifetime of some antibiotics.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, the MICs of thymoquinone (TQ), tetracycline and benzalkonium chloride (BC) were determined in absence and in presence of a sub-MIC doses of thymoquinone (1/2 MIC). In addition the 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) efflux assay was carried out to determine the effect of TQ on DAPI cells accumulation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TQ induced a selective antimicrobial activity. Its synergic effect resulted in at least a 4-fold potentiation of the tested antibiotics and antiseptic. In addition, TQ inhibited the DAPI efflux activity in a concentration-dependent manner. The rate of DAPI accumulation in clinical isolates was enhanced with TQ (0 to 200 μg/ml). There is also a decrease in loss of DAPI from bacteria in the presence of TQ. The concentration causing 50% of DAPI efflux inhibition after 15 minutes was approximately 59 μg/ml for <it>Pseudomonas aeroginosa </it>and 100 μg/ml and <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>TQ possesses a selective antibacterial activity against oral bacteria. It is therefore suggested that TQ could be used as a source of natural products with resistance-modifying activity. Further investigation is needed to assess their clinical relevance.</p

Takaful Operators’ Corporate Social Performance (CSP): An Industry Perspective

Takaful operators which are part of Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) derive their fundamental principles from shariah. These religious based institutions are expected to fulfill the two important roles in their business operations: commercially profitable and socially responsible. Nevertheless, their societal role is rarely measured and discussed. Therefore, this study appraised the societal role of takaful operators by assessing the components which have been proposed under the corporate social performance (CSP) theme for IFIs. This study has arranged structured interview sessions with the Chief Investment Officers and Heads of Investment of each of the eleven takaful operators in Malaysia. The Delphi-style technique was adopted when developing the interview questions. The questions were developed in the form of a five-point Likert scale, addressing specific issues on CSP of takaful operators. In addition, information on takaful operators’ CSR activities, zakat and tax payment were gathered from the companies’ websites and annual report of takaful operators. The study concludes that takaful operators in Malaysia have achieved their societal role through two channels: CSP programmes financed from companies’ profits and fulfillment of CSP as a result of business-community agenda. This study covers every takaful operator in Malaysia and the results reflect industry opinion

Colour cosmetics consumption among Moroccan women: Examining the Nexus of Attitudes, Religion, and The media

This paper examines colour cosmetic consumption of Morrocan women in relation to the influence of attitudes, religion, and the media. With data from 498 women and using the theory of planned behavior, this study shows that attitude and Perceived behavior control (PBC) affect positively consumer intention to buy colour cosmetics. It also shows that intrinsic or personal religiosity does not affect customer intention to purchase cosmetic products while extrinsic religiosity is negatively correlated to the intention to use these products. Besides, the study demonstrates how different types of media influence the respondents’ consumption of these products. For example, as respondents spend more time watching TF1- the first national French channel - where a more natural look is displayed, the intention to buy color cosmetics decreases by 41.6%. Concerning the socio-demographic factors, the study shows that older women mainly with high income are more likely to consider color cosmetics consumption. The implications of the study are highlighted in the paper

Doing business in Libya: assessing the nature and effectiveness of international marketing programs in an evolving economy

The aim of this paper is to investigate, in one emerging Arab economy (Libya), the strategic and tactical choices of MNE (multinational enterprise) domestic appliance brands and, also, the attitudes of local consumers towards those choices. Various choice characteristics are investigated - including marketing mix standardization/adaptation - and, also, country-of-origin brand (COB). To establish extant organizational choices, local representatives of four established brands were interviewed and survey responses from 609 consumer were analyzed. No statistically discernible relationship between standardization/adaptation choices and consumer attitude towards marketing programs was found, but the study identified one especially successful brand that appeared to owe its achievements to an especially holistic approach to marketing that demonstrated 'fit' with the market concerned. Coincidentally, findings also address the conventional country-of-origin wisdom, and this is investigated/speculated upon accordingly. This is one of few marketing studies concerning Libya, and it adds to the limited literature on an increasingly relevant region

What are we eating? Consumer information requirement within a workplace canteen

The workplace is a captive environment where the overall contribution of the meal served could be an important element of the overall diet. Despite growing demand little information is available to aid healthy dish selection. This study identifies information valued by consumers in the UK, Greece, Denmark and France using best-worst scaling. Value for Money, Nutrition and Naturalness are key elements of information that consumers require to be able to make a conscious decision about dish selection in all four countries. Latent class analysis shows that consumers align to one of five cluster groups, i.e., Value Driven, Conventionalists, Socially Responsible, Health Conscious and Locavores. Understanding key information needs can allow food operators to align their service with consumer preferences across different market segments

Omnichannel Value Chain: Mapping Digital Technologies for Channel Integration Activities

In order to provide a seamless customer experience, researchers and practitioners have proposed creation of an omnichannel retailing environment by integrating online and offline channels. Channel integration necessitates use of digital technologies and there are myriads of technological solutions available. However, retailers are struggling with selection and implementation of suitable technologies to add value through channel integration. Despite the strong practical need, this issue has not been effectively addressed in the academic literature. This paper presents an omnichannel value chain underpinned by Porter’s value chain model. We identify ten channel integration activities for value creation by carrying out a synthesis of current research on omnichannel retailing. Enabling digital technologies are then mapped to these activities using technology implementation examples and provide a guideline for retailers to select appropriate technologies for the identified value creation activities

The relationship between consumer ethnocentrism, cosmopolitanism and product country image among younger generation consumers: the moderating role of country development status

Although the differences between developed and developing countries have been extensively studied in the context of globalization strategies, few studies have so far been conducted on the relationship between country development status and the possession by countries of a favorable (or unfavorable) product country image (PCI). Moreover, the results of such studies to date have been inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of country developmental status on PCI coupled with two antecedents of PCI, namely consumer ethnocentrism and cosmopolitanism. The paper also distinguishes between the PCI of the home and foreign country images of respondents. We test a new model that incorporates these constructs with a sample of 2655 younger generation consumers. The results show that country development status moderates some relationships but does not moderate others. These findings have significant implications for international companies from both developed and developing countries when developing global strategy

Remote heart rate monitoring - Assessment of the Facereader rPPg by Noldus

Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) allows contactless monitoring of human cardiac activity through a video camera. In this study, we assessed the accuracy and precision for heart rate measurements of the only consumer product available on the market, namely the Facereader™ rPPG by Noldus, with respect to a gold standard electrocardiograph. Twenty-four healthy participants were asked to sit in front of a computer screen and alternate two periods of rest with two stress tests (i.e. Go/No-Go task), while their heart rate was simultaneously acquired for 20 minutes using the ECG criterion measure and the Facereader™ rPPG. Results show that the Facereader™ rPPG tends to overestimate lower heart rates and underestimate higher heart rates compared to the ECG. The Facereader™ rPPG revealed a mean bias of 9.8 bpm, the 95% limits of agreement (LoA) ranged from almost -30 up to +50 bpm. These results suggest that whilst the rPPG Facereader™ technology has potential for contactless heart rate monitoring, its predictions are inaccurate for higher heart rates, with unacceptable precision across the entire range, rendering its estimates unreliable for monitoring individuals

The value of region of origin, producer and protected designation of origin label for visitors and locals: the case of Fontina cheese in Italy

Purpose: Food and tourism have a very close relation and food can be considered an essential tourism resource. This research is focused on the analysis of consumers’ and tourists’ food buying behaviours. The aim of this paper is to understand the value that can be generated by linking a typical food product to the region of origin/producer/certification. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that these elements (region of origin, producer and certification) have a different weight for consumers living in different places. Moreover, the research aims at segmenting typical food product consumers, to enable producers and tourism operators to achieve communication goals effectively. Methodology: The paper is based on an empirical survey of locals and visitors that considers the case of Fontina cheese, a typical Italian cheese. Findings: The research reveals that the origin of the product is, generally, more valued than protected designation of origin (PDO) certification. The perceived value of these attributes is then found to vary according to the distance between the region of origin of the product and consumers’ residence. In particular, the importance of PDO certification for consumers increases with increasing distance from the region of origin of Fontina cheese. PDO is thus valued more by tourists than by locals. Originality/value: The analysis supports and builds on previous studies on the importance of PDO certification (Bruwer and Johnson 2010; Dimara and Skuras 2005). Importantly, this work contributes by eliciting consumers’ preferences for PDO according to territorial differences. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd