I love you, but you let me down! How hate and retaliation damage customer-brand relationship

The literature on the dark side of the customer-brand relationship is still evolving. Admittedly, scholars have given it noteworthy attention in the recent past, yet gaps persist related to the products and services, antecedents, and consequents examined. Our study augments the understanding of the negative aspects of the customer-brand relationship by examining brand hate and betrayal as its two manifestations. Using online food delivery (OFD) platforms as the product/service under focus, we employ a mixed-method approach to identify the negative experiences (i.e., safety and hygiene grievances, dissatisfaction, negative word of mouth, and advertisement overload) that could stimulate the negative emotions of betrayal and hate in customers. Thereafter, we examine the desire for avoidance and retaliation as a response to these negative feelings. Our model is grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework and tested through analysis of data collected from 342 OFD users in the United States. The structural equation modelling results confirm a positive association of customer dissatisfaction, negative word of mouth, and advertisement overload with brand betrayal and hate. Betrayal and hate, in turn, associate positively with avoidance and retaliation. Brand love positively moderates the association of advertisement overload with betrayal and hate and safety and hygiene grievances with betrayal.publishedVersio

EFFICACY OF DHATHU BUSHTI CHOORANAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MALE INFERTILITY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO OLIGOSPERMIA - AN OPEN PILOT STUDY

Infertility is a common problem of new age couples. It is affecting them psychologically and also affecting the harmony of the family. Among infertility couples, 40% was caused by male partner particularly by oligospermia. Literally oligospermia means insufficient number of spermatozoa in semen, but significantly, it means that oligospermia is a medical condition characterized by the total sperm count less than 20 million/ml of ejaculate. Extensive clinical researches are going on worldwide to treat oligospermia by utilizing various natural sources like plants, mineral and animal origin.Siddha medicine is having many formulations to treat oligospermia, one among them is Dhathu bushti chooranam described in Noigalukku Siddha Parigaram –a Sasthiric siddha literature. 10 male partners of infertility couples attending Sool mahalir maruthuvam OPD of the Ayothidoss Pandithar Hospital, National Institute of Siddha, Tambaram sanatorium, Chennai-47 were recruited for this pilot study. All patients were treated with 10 gm of Dhathu bushti chooranam twice a day with milk for 90 days. All patients were subjected to complete semenogram on 0th and 90th day of treatment. Results were observed by analyzing the semenogram parameters. The ingredients of Dhathu bushti chooranam are Salamisiri, Nilapanai kizhangu,Thaneervittan kizhangu, Poonaikaali vidhai, Boomisarkkarai kizhangu and most of them are having good spermatogenesis and aphrodiasic activities, hence the author selected this drug for this study. The efficacy of the trial drug Dhathu bushti chooranam was appreciable and the drug may be taken for clinical trial in large number of population

Effect of Oxyjun™ on Adipose Tissue Inflammation - A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Oxyjun™ on cardiovascular fitness of overweight individuals by reducing obesity induced systemic inflammation. Male participants between the ages of 18 - 35 years and body mass index of 25 - 34.9 kg/m2 were recruited in the study. Change in neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), high density lipoprotein (HDL-c) and quality of life using 36-item Short form survey (SF-36) was assessed over a period of 8-weeks. Results demonstrated that NLR was reduced by 0.71 in Oxyjun™ and by 0.42 in the placebo group at the end of study period. Also, within group comparison was significant for Oxyjun™ group when compared from baseline; p<0.001. Further, HDL-c levels were increased in the OxyjunTM group by 4.04 mg/dL and reduced for the placebo group by 1.22 mg/dL when compared from baseline; p=0.09. For SF-36 quality of life assessments, the health concepts of fatigue, mental health, and social function showed significant improvement and no adverse or serious adverse events were reported for both groups during the course of the study. In conclusion, Oxyjun™ when consumed for 8-weeks reduced NLR of study volunteers thereby demonstrating its potential for lowering obesity induced systemic inflammation. Oxyjun™ also increased HDL levels that could further promote cardiovascular fitness and prevent the risk of cardiovascular events

Development and validation of a questionnaire in Hindi language to assess Parental Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding Calcium and Vitamin D deficiency in children

Background: Despite being in temperate zone, India is endemic to nutritional rickets. However, very little has been studied on knowledge, perception and cultural practices of Indian communities, towards calcium and vitamin-D deficiency in children. Aim & Objective: The study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire in Hindi language for the assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices of parents towards calcium and vitamin D deficiency among children. Methodology: We searched electronic databases for item generation. The questionnaire was developed in Hindi language by five experts in the field of pediatrics, pediatric orthopaedics and community medicine using Delphi method. After language correction from Hindi language experts, a convenient sample of 30 participants filled the questionnaire and tested for internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Results: The overall Cronbach’s alpha value for the finalized 46-item scale indicated an acceptable reliability (alpha = 0.91). The internal consistency reliability for six domains created was acceptable. The results revealed ‘high’ test-retest reliability, and there was no statistically significant difference noted between any of the first test and re-test corresponding values (p>0.05). Conclusion: The present questionnaire developed in Hindi Language to assess knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of parents towards Calcium & Vitamin-D deficiency in children, has a good validity and reliability. This newly developed instrument could prove its use to highlight the gaps that may exist among parents. The use of this tool may help clinicians, health educators and policy makers to identify key areas of intervention with regards to Calcium & Vitamin-D deficiency in children

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection among Tuberculosis Patients with Special Reference to Cd4 Count

ABSTRACT Tuberculosis (TB) has been and continues to be one of the most significant infections causing human disease. HIV infection has contributed to a significant increase in the world wide incidence of TB. The dual epidemic of HIV and TB is a concern for India where both these diseases are prevalent in epidemic proportions. In India TB is the indicator disease for HIV infection and most often the first AIDS defining disease. The objectives of the study are to determine the seroprevalence of HIV infection among TB patients and to compare the clinical profile of TB in HIV positive patients with special reference to CD4 counts. Seroprevalence of HIV among TB patients was 6.7%. Among them 32.2% were in the age group of 31-40 years. 62.5% patients had extrapulmonary TB, 32.5% were pulmonary TB. 10%were sputum positive pulmonary TB. Chest xray lesions were varied with more of infiltrative lesions (84.6%). There were 38.46% patients with upper lobe infiltrates and 61.53% patients with middle and lower zone infiltrates. Mean CD4 counts in this study was 192.10±118.42 cells/μl. Most of the patients with extrapulmonary TB and disseminated TB had CD4 counts <200 cells/μl. Sputum positivity and upper zone lesions in chest x ray were seen more in patients with CD4 >200 cells/μl. Mortality was as high as 20% in patients who were both seropositive and TB positive. HIV seroprevalence is quite high among TB patients in Tumkur.. Extrapulmonary TB and disseminated TB were common when CD4 is <200 cells/μl and chest x ray findings were atypical when CD4 <200 cells/μl

A rare case of patient with severe thrombocytopenia associated with sarcoidosis: a case study

Thrombocytopenia is a problem causing drop in platelet counts through different mechanisms. Patients typically present with petechiae to systemic bleeding, which are indications of a low platelet count. A smaller percentage of drop may be asymptomatic. The major mechanisms include increased sequestration in the spleen, underproduction from the bone marrow, and peripheral destruction. Many etiological factors can cause this. Sarcoidosis is one of the most uncommon etiologies. A careful diagnosis is required because, if the condition is not treated, it can be fatal. Steroid therapy and platelet transfusions remain the mainstay of treatment. Here, we describe a patient who presented with signs and symptoms of severe thrombocytopenia, which further led to the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. An adult male presented to the emergency department with a rash that deteriorated throughout the day. Based on complaints and laboratory testing, severe thrombocytopenia was noted. After a detailed examination and history-taking, he was found to have sarcoidosis. In association with drug administration and sarcoidosis, this could have caused severe thrombocytopenia. Written consent was taken from the patient mentioned in the study. The study was approved by the hospital and institutional ethics committee. Thrombocytopenia is a disorder where platelet counts drop below 150×109/l due to many different mechanisms. Among different etiological factors, sarcoidosis is the rarest and may present with very severe thrombocytopenia and lead to fatal complications. Such patients require close monitoring and treatment. Corticosteroids and platelet transfusions can be used as treatments. In the presented case, the patient was successfully treated, and on subsequent follow-up, the patient’s condition improved. Manifestations of severe thrombocytopenia can be present even before the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Further, the history of amoxicillin administration due to infection could have triggered the appearance of thrombocytopenia. Confirmation of sarcoidosis was made via biopsy. Multiple etiological factors that resulted in diagnostic ambiguity in our patient's presentation include the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, a history of infection, amoxicillin, and mild splenomegaly. The patient's treatment and recovery may indicate that corticosteroids, in conjunction with platelet transfusions, are beneficial. This is a novel case report of the presentation of severe thrombocytopenia, which was present even before the diagnosis of sarcoidosis

Overcoming the challenge of transduction of human T-cells with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific for ERBB2 antigen

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies among woman. Decades of scientific study have linked the overexpression of ERBB2 antigen to aggressive tumors. To target aggressive breast cancer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology can be utilized. For this, human T-cells are transduced with a gene sequence encoding a CAR that is specific for tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). These genetically-engineered CAR transduced T-cells (CAR-T cells) are able to target the tumor antigen without the need for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) recognition, rendering it a potentially universal immunotherapeutic option. However, efficient transduction of therapeutic gene into human T-cells and further cell expansion are challenging. In this study, we reported a successful optimization of a transduction protocol using spinoculation on CD3+ T-cells with different concentrations of lentiviral plasmid encoding the CAR gene. CD3+T-cells were isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The constructed CAR gene was inserted into a lentiviral plasmid containing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) tag and lentiviral particles were produced. These lentiviral particles were used to transduce activated T-cells by spinoculation. T-cells were activated using Dynabead-conjugated CD3/CD28 human T-cell activator and interleukin-2 (IL-2) before transduction. CD3+ T-cells were selected and GFP expression, which indicated transduction, was observed. Future studies will focus on in vitro and in vivo models to determine the efficiency of CAR-T cells in specifically targeting ERBB2-expressing cells

Overcoming the challenge of transduction of human T-cells with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific for ERBB2 antigen

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies among woman. Decades of scientific study have linked the overexpression of ERBB2 antigen to aggressive tumors. To target aggressive breast cancer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology can be utilized. For this, human T-cells are transduced with a gene sequence encoding a CAR that is specific for tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). These genetically-engineered CAR transduced T-cells (CAR-T cells) are able to target the tumor antigen without the need for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) recognition, rendering it a potentially universal immunotherapeutic option. However, efficient transduction of therapeutic gene into human T-cells and further cell expansion are challenging. In this study, we reported a successful optimization of a transduction protocol using spinoculation on CD3+ T-cells with different concentrations of lentiviral plasmid encoding the CAR gene. CD3+T-cells were isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The constructed CAR gene was inserted into a lentiviral plasmid containing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) tag and lentiviral particles were produced. These lentiviral particles were used to transduce activated T-cells by spinoculation. T-cells were activated using Dynabead-conjugated CD3/CD28 human T-cell activator and interleukin-2 (IL-2) before transduction. CD3+ T-cells were selected and GFP expression, which indicated transduction, was observed. Future studies will focus on in vitro and in vivo models to determine the efficiency of CAR-T cells in specifically targeting ERBB2-expressing cells