The Antecedents and Consequences of Word of Mouth: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract. Word of Mouth (WOM) has been an important issue in Marketing research. This paper adopted Meta-analysis method to make quantitative review for the antecedents and consequences of WOM. The results facilitate scholarship in this academic area by clarify the cause-effect linkages when researching on WOM. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.Keywords. Word of mouth, Meta-analysis, Cause-effect clarification.JEL. M10, L33, L52

The Cause and Effects of Word of Mouth from Consumer Intention and Behavior Perspectives: A SEM Model Approach

Abstract. As word-of-mouth (WOM)has been a major issue in the Consumer research, a lot of independent variables as WOM’s causes and effects have been accumulated. However, they have not been considered systematically in one identical model, in order to compare across their relative effects. This paper adopted a structural equation modeling method to incorporate significant variables with an integrative framework of consumer intention and behavior. Theoretical and practical insights were offered via the results of analyses.Keywords: Word-of-Mouth, Structural equation modeling, Cause-effects, Consumer intention and behavior.JEL. M10, L33, L52

ADHD Family Support Group: A Hospital-based Model in Taiwan

Attention deficient hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders worldwide. In Taiwan, its prevalence is estimated at between 7.5% and 9.9%, however, according to analysis of the National Health Insurance dataset, as few as 20% seek medical help for the condition. This action research project consisted of forming a hospital-based ADHD family support group and evaluating how well it functioned. First, the formation of a hospital-based family support group in central Taiwan was announced by newspaper, following a news report on 21 August 2008 of a local teacher tying a hyperactive child to a chair. After attending lectures or receiving services at this hospital, some parents and teachers asked to participate in the ADHD support group. A family support group was organized in 2011 and the research team helped appl y for publ i c educati on fundi ng from pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lily and Janssen. In January 2013, to evaluate the group’s functioning and the program results, we identified core leaders in the group and started interviewing them using an oral history approach. One child psychiatrist, eight family members, and two patients were selected for interviews. This family support group has demonstrated high motivation and efficiency in addressing its members’ concerns, as well as convincing therapeutic benefits. There is a need for pragmatic solutions that cannot be satisfied by purely scientific or therapeutic public discourse. For this reason, the family support group needed autonomy to respond to their own needs and to develop a new sense of identity

A common link between clinical practice and research:the ADHD model for Central Taiwan

This study aimed to describe a research model regarding the Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in Central Taiwan based on the strategy of routine data collection from clinical practice. Therefore, a prospective study with naturalistic observation was used. Modeling study was developed in clinical evaluation and treating for the ADHD children at Department of Psychiatry, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital in Central Taiwan. For all new patients, their first visit information were collected, including sociodemography, ADHD symptom scale, family support, academic performance, enuresis, severity of disability, mother depression, blood pressure(BP), heart rate(HR), weight, height, help-seeking behavior. After the clinical interview, patients were arranged to be assessed by the Neuropsychological test such as Continuous Performance Test (CPT). During the follow-up period, many variables (messages for the side effects, BP, HR, Weight, Height, CPT, ADHD symptom scale) were recorded. Finally, the ADHD clinical–based research model was contributed using all variables into many studies such as the ADHD comorbidity study, family study, sleep study, assessment tool development and treatment outcome study. The results had shown a several ADHD related papers have been published from this model. New treatment strategies emerged from the findings of studies. This is a feasible model for combining clinical practice with research to produce international publications. Clinical benefits of this model include creating culture-specific knowledge from the clinicians’ own clinical practice, focusing essential processes on cost-effective patient retreatment, and maintaining ongoing relationships with patients. In conclusions, our experience shows the clinical practice based longitudinal study is feasible and the results can nurture the quality of clinical practice vice versa

Initial presentation of mesenteric venous thrombosis mimicking acute duodenitis: A true gastrointestinal vascular emergency

AbstractWe present a patient who had a 3-day history of epigastric pain and acid regurgitation and was found to have gastroesophageal reflux disease and duodenitis by esophagogastroduodenoscopy. His symptoms were refractory to treatment with a proton pump inhibitor. Peritonitis developed subsequently. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) confirmed a diagnosis of mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) with jejunum infarction. Emergency exploratory laparotomy with segmental resectioning of the jejunum was performed. We emphasize that emergency department (ED) physicians should always thoroughly re-evaluate patients with abdominal pain using serial physical examinations in accordance with the chronic nature of the disease. There is a need to be highly alert to pain that is out of the proportion to the physical examination results and/or endoscopic findings, the development of peritoneal irritation signs, the presence of fever, and the presence of leukocytosis among patients with nonspecific endoscopic findings. This will help to differentiate MVT as the true etiology of ischemic duodenitis in a timely manner. ED physicians should also be aware that hyperemic edematous duodenitis can be the finding for MVT using endoscopy

Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in BCG-vaccinated healthcare workers by using an interferon-gamma release assay and the tuberculin skin test in an intermediate tuberculosis burden country

BackgroundThe risk of healthcare workers (HCWs) acquiring tuberculosis (TB) infection is high. We determined the prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) in HCWs with a high Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine coverage in an intermediate TB burden country by using an interferon-gamma release assay [QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G)] and by using the tuberculin skin test (TST). Risk factors associated with a positive test were determined.MethodsThis prospective cross-sectional study enrolled HCWs from a medical center in Taiwan. Participants were grouped into workers without exposure (Group 1) and workers who self-reported a history of TB exposure (Group 2). All participants completed a questionnaire to collect demographic information and risk factors for acquiring TB. The QFT-G test and the TST were administered and risk factors for a positive test were analyzed.ResultsWe recruited 193 HCWs [149 (77.2%) female workers] with a mean age of 35.6 years. All were BCG-vaccinated. The prevalence of LTBI was 88.8% (based on the TST) and 14.5% (based on the QFT-G test). There was no difference between HCWs with and without known exposure to TB. Agreement between the tests was poor (i.e., the kappa value was less than 0.05). Multivariable logistic regression showed that only the QFT-G test was associated with age (35 years or greater) (adjusted OR, 2.53; p = 0.03).ConclusionBy using the QFT-G test or TST, this study found a similar prevalence of LTBI in HCWs with and without known exposure to TB. This suggests that in intermediate TB burden countries exposure to TB may occur within the hospital and within the community. Compared to the TST, the QFT-G test was correlated better with age, which is a known risk factor for latent TB infection

Effects of manual lymphatic drainage on breast cancer-related lymphedema: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Lymphedema is a common complication of axillary dissection for breast cancer. We investigated whether manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) could prevent or manage limb edema in women after breast-cancer surgery. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effectiveness of MLD in the prevention and treatment of breast-cancer-related lymphedema. The PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), SCOPUS, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials electronic databases were searched for articles on MLD published before December 2012, with no language restrictions. The primary outcome for prevention was the incidence of postoperative lymphedema. The outcome for management of lymphedema was a reduction in edema volume. RESULTS: In total, 10 RCTs with 566 patients were identified. Two studies evaluating the preventive outcome of MLD found no significant difference in the incidence of lymphedema between the MLD and standard treatment groups, with a risk ratio of 0.63 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.14 to 2.82. Seven studies assessed the reduction in arm volume, and found no significant difference between the MLD and standard treatment groups, with a weighted mean difference of 75.12 (95% CI, −9.34 to 159.58). CONCLUSIONS: The current evidence from RCTs does not support the use of MLD in preventing or treating lymphedema. However, clinical and statistical inconsistencies between the various studies confounded our evaluation of the effect of MLD on breast-cancer-related lymphedema

Knockdown of PsbO leads to induction of HydA and production of photobiological H2 in the green alga Chlorella sp. DT

Green algae are able to convert solar energy to H2 via the photosynthetic electron transport pathway under certain conditions. Algal hydrogenase (HydA, encoded by HYDA) is in charge of catalyzing the reaction: 2H+ + 2e− ↔ H2 but usually inhibited by O2, a byproduct of photosynthesis. The aim of this study was to knockdown PsbO (encoded by psbO), a subunit concerned with O2 evolution, so that it would lead to HydA induction. The alga, Chlorella sp. DT, was then transformed with short interference RNA antisense-psbO (siRNA-psbO) fragments. The algal mutants were selected by checking for the existence of siRNA-psbO fragments in their genomes and the low amount of PsbO proteins. The HYDA transcription and the HydA expression were observed in the PsbO-knockdown mutants. Under semi-aerobic condition, PsbO-knockdown mutants could photobiologically produce H2 which increased by as much as 10-fold in comparison to the wild type