Study Country Of Origin Research Articles

THE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF COUNTRY IMAGE: A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Although country of origin studies go back to 1960’s, there is still no consensus on the conceptualization and measurement of country image. Country image has been studied from a cognitive dominant perspective and most of the scales measuring this construct has failed to capture affective aspects of it. This study intents to provide a more accurate conceptual framework for the country image construct and provide some insights into the measurement of this concept for future studies. In this study, it is identified that country image consists of cognitive and affective elements in which fifteen sub-dimensions of this concept have been reached. It is determined that cognitive oriented development of the literature causes a major threat to the validity of the studies because studies have mostly applied cognitive dominant perspectives/scales and attributed the results to general country image. As a result of this study, new definition of country image is proposed, and it is thought that this concept has been placed on a more concrete and valid theoretical ground. As a result of the content analysis of the qualitative data and literature review, an item pool composed of 85 items were proposed. Future studies with an intention to measure country image with its cognitive and affective aspects can benefit the findings of this study.

Intensive Care and Organ Support Related Mortality in Patients With COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane databases was conducted up to December 31, 2021. Previously peer-reviewed observational studies that reported ICU, mechanical ventilation (MV), renal replacement therapy (RRT) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-related mortality among greater than or equal to 100 individual patients. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to generate pooled estimates of case fatality rates (CFRs) for in-hospital, ICU, MV, RRT, and ECMO-related mortality. ICU-related mortality was additionally analyzed by the study country of origin. Sensitivity analyses of CFR were assessed based on completeness of follow-up data, by year, and when only studies judged to be of high quality were included. One hundred fifty-seven studies evaluating 948,309 patients were included. The CFR for in-hospital mortality, ICU mortality, MV, RRT, and ECMO were 25.9% (95% CI: 24.0-27.8%), 37.3% (95% CI: 34.6-40.1%), 51.6% (95% CI: 46.1-57.0%), 66.1% (95% CI: 59.7-72.2%), and 58.0% (95% CI: 46.9-68.9%), respectively. MV (52.7%, 95% CI: 47.5-58.0% vs 31.3%, 95% CI: 16.1-48.9%; p = 0.023) and RRT-related mortality (66.7%, 95% CI: 60.1-73.0% vs 50.3%, 95% CI: 42.4-58.2%; p = 0.003) decreased from 2020 to 2021. We present updated estimates of CFR for patients hospitalized and requiring intensive care for the management of COVID-19. Although mortality remain high and varies considerably worldwide, we found the CFR in patients supported with MV significantly improved since 2020.

Evidence Synthesis: Sex and Gender Effects In Health And Functional Outcomes of Traumatic Brain Injury

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To summarise the evidence on the effect of sex and gender on core traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes. <h3>Design</h3> All English language studies from six literature databases that addressed core outcomes in persons with TBI and included sex or gender among the variables hypothesized to be associated with outcome were considered. The results were sorted according to the timing of assessments, injury severity, gender equity ranking of the study's country of origin, and outcomes studied. <h3>Setting</h3> No restriction to the setting or country of study origin. <h3>Participants</h3> Of 172 articles assessed, 58 studies were selected and included a total of 1,265,955 participants with TBI (male participants comprised 67% across study samples) of all injury severities. All studies were conducted in countries with a very high or high human development index; the gender inequality index of these countries varied. <h3>Interventions</h3> N/A. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> Outcomes were organised into the following categories: mortality, structural/physiological, care, medical, psychiatric disorders, sleep-related, cognitive functioning, functional outcome, disability, social participation, work-related, and life satisfaction. <h3>Results</h3> Following data stratification and tabulation of the frequency of significant results for male or female participants' susceptibility in relation to the studied outcomes, the most common results indicated no difference between male and female patients with TBI across outcome categories, injury severities, and phases post-injury. The next pattern that emerged was that as the gender equality ranking of the study origin improves, differences between male and female participants on health and functional outcomes, across injury severities, start to disappear. Inclusion of social equity parameters in studies reporting on sex and gender effects was limited. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The nonuniform effect of sex and gender on TBI outcomes supports the concept that sex and gender should be studied along with gender equality and social equity parameters in research. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> This work was supported by a research grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Grant, Institute for Gender and Health (#CGW-126580), and partially by Canada Research Chairs programs.

Effectiveness of Training Programs for Reducing Adverse Psychological Outcomes in Parents of Children with Acquired Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Parental stress following critical illness in their child has the potential to impact functional outcomes and quality of life for the child and whole family. Parent emotional functioning may also be an important clinical target to optimize child outcomes. This study assessed the effectiveness of training programs for parents aimed at reducing adverse psychological outcomes in parents of children with acute brain injury (ABI). We conducted searches of Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library to November 13, 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared parent training programs with usual care, or an active comparator, and assessed psychological outcomes (depression, anxiety, stress) in parents of children with ABI were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data on study characteristics, participants, interventions, outcome measures, and results before and after intervention. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Four RCTs involving 318 parents of children with ABI were eligible for review. Compared with usual care or active comparator, parent training was associated with significant reduction in parent stress (four RCTs; standardized mean difference [SMD], - 0.32 on a numerical rating scale [95%CI, - 0.60, - 0.05]; I-squared = 7.5%, p = 0.356); significant reduction in parent depression (three RCTs; SMD, - 0.43 [95%CI, - 0.72, - 0.14]; I-squared = 0.0%, p = 0.393); and significant reduction in parent anxiety (two RCTs; SMD, - 0.63 [95%CI, - 1.05, - 0.21]; I-squared = 0.0%, p = 0.629). Overall risk of bias was high for randomization process (one RCT), missing outcome data (three RCTs), measurement of the outcome (three RCTs), and selection of reported result (two RCTs). Heterogeneity between studies by country of study origin was not significant. Compared with usual care or an active comparator, parent training was associated with short-term reduction in stress, depression, and anxiety in parents of children with ABI. Future clinical trials of parent interventions are needed as there may be some short-term beneficial effects.

A systematic review and gap analysis of frailty and oral health characteristics in older adults: A call for clinical translation.

This systematic review updates the evidence for association between oral health characteristics and frailty status, identifying gaps in translational dental research and application of frailty assessment into clinical practice. Clinicians have little guidance on stage-appropriate dental treatment for medically complex older adults. Oral health characteristics have been associated with frailty status, determined through validated assessment tools representing a concise measure of health. Translation of frailty assessment into dental practice has not been the focus of previous reviews. Utilising the PRISMA framework for systematic reviews, a comprehensive database search identified articles describing the association of interest. Those included were cross-sectional or longitudinal, in English, included participants aged 50years or older, used validated frailty assessments and measured clinically relevant oral health outcomes. From 835 screened articles, 26 full-text articles were eligible for quality appraisal and synthesis. Frailty prevalence ranged from 8.5% to 66.0%. Most studies utilised the Fried frailty criteria. Qualitative synthesis of 17 cross-sectional and nine longitudinal studies demonstrated significant covariate-adjusted association between frailty status and number of teeth, chewing ability, prosthetic characteristics, dental caries, periodontitis, dental utilisation and oral health-related quality of life factors. Variability in findings reflected study sample diversity based on country of study origin, age at recruitment, sample size, frailty assessment type, use of clinical versus self-reported outcome measures and differences in statistical analysis. Despite robust evidence of association with oral health characteristics, frailty assessment has yet to be sufficiently applied to translational dental research and clinical practice.

THE ROLE OF HALAL CERTIFICATION ON PURCHASE INTENTION TOWARDS FOOD PRODUCTS FROM MENA COUNTRIES: A SEM STUDY

Kullu Halal (all Halal) is a concept that is highly applied in the Middle Eastern andNorth African (MENA) region as the majority of the population is Muslim. Manyproducts from non-Muslim countries are also exported to the MENA countries andsome of them are exposed to animal-based ingredients. Halal certification studies in theMENA region are found to be quite minimal to non-existent. The paper is designatedto analyze the effects of Halal certification towards the purchase intention of Muslimconsumers on food products from Muslim majority countries in the MENA countries.Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used as a platform to predict the consumers’intention to purchase the Halal certified products. A self-administered questionnairewas selected as a method and the respondents are the Muslim consumers living incertain areas of Klang Valley, Malaysia. Five hundred questionnaires were distributed,and 417 questionnaires were considered usable. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)was used as a method in this research. Attitude, Subjective Norm, and PerceivedBehavioral Control showed a strong correlation with Purchase Intention and the resultswere statistically significant at p &lt; 0.05. Algeria was found to be the least trustworthycountry by the respondents, followed by Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, and Bahrain. The resultsindicate that the presence of Halal certification is important and will be profitable for thefood industry players in the MENA region. Despite being Muslim majority countries,it is important to ensure the presence of Halal certification in the products from MENAcountries, especially from those that received low scores in the country of origin study.

Clinical Outcomes and Complications of the Surgical Implant Generation Network (SIGN) Intramedullary Nail: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical outcomes and pooled complication rate of femoral, tibial, and humeral fracture fixation using SIGN nails. We aimed at comparing the pooled rate of adverse events based on the country of study origin, acute versus delayed fracture fixation, and length of follow-up. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE/Cochrane databases from 2000 to 2016 for English language studies. There was substantial heterogeneity among included studies. Therefore, we used subgroup analysis of varying adverse events and removal of potential outlier studies based on the "remove one" sensitivity analysis to address the heterogeneity across studies. A funnel plot was drawn and inspected visually to assess publication bias. We reported pooled complication rates for each adverse event with 95% prediction interval. There were 14 studies with 47,169 cases across 58 different low- and middle-income countries. The average age was 33 ± 14 years, with 83% men and 17% women. Sixty percent of SIGN nails used in these 14 studies were used in femur fracture fixation, 38% in tibial shaft fractures, and the remaining 2% for humeral shaft fractures. Approximately 23% of patients had follow-up data recorded. All studies that measured clinical outcome indicated that >90% achieved full weight-bearing status, favorable range of motion (knee range of motion >90 degrees according to the SIGN database), and radiographic or clinical union depending on the specific variable(s) measured in each study. The overall complication rate was 5.2% (4.4%-6.4%). Malalignment (>5 degrees of angulation in any plane) was the most common complication (7.6%), followed by delayed/nonunion (6.9%), infection (5.9%), and hardware failure, (3.2%). Overall, the use of SIGN nails in fixing femoral, tibial, and humeral shaft fractures demonstrates good results with a high rate of return to full weight-bearing and radiographic/clinical union. The most common complications when using the SIGN nail are malalignment, delayed/nonunion, infection, and hardware failure. Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Criteria used for diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: a scoping review protocol.

The objective of this scoping review is to locate and summarize the current criteria used in the diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder in recent academic literature. Furthermore, we aim to explore differences, if any, in the criteria used across treating professions, study country of origin and study level of evidence.

Is osteoporosis a risk factor for implant survival or failure?

Data sourcesAn electronic search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library and SciELO databases up to September 2016. References of included studies were also searched. English language restriction was applied.Study selectionClinical monitoring studies with at least six months of follow-up, including retrospective studies, prospective studies, and controlled and randomised clinical trials. Clinical case studies were excluded from the sample and only studies with a minimum of five patients were considered. Adults with osseointegrated implants were considered for these studies. Exclusion criteria encompassed studies performed in vitro, animal studies, non-controlled clinical cases, studies with incomplete data or those unsuitable for data collection.Data extraction and synthesisFour reviewers were involved in the research and screening process and disagreements were resolved by discussion. The quality of the studies was analysed using the bias scale from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Data extracted from the studies included, when available: author, year of publication, study country of origin, number of patients, number of implants and sites, implant type, implant length and diameter, oral rehabilitation installation time, peri-implant bone loss rate, survival rate of implants in each situation analysed, follow-up time of each study, study type and drugs administered for the treatment of osteoporosis. For binary outcomes (implant failure) the estimate of the intervention effect was expressed in the form of a relative risk (RR) with the confidence interval (CI) of 95%. For continuous outcomes (marginal bone loss) the average and standard deviation (SD) were used to calculate the standardised mean difference with a 95% CI. A statistical test was used to express the heterogeneity among the studies. Publication bias was explored as well.ResultsA total of 15 observational studies were included in the review. The total number of patients involved was 8859 (29,798 implants) and the average age was 63.03 years.The follow-up period ranged from 0.75 to 22 years with a mean of 5.85 years. The smallest diameter used was 3.3 mm and the shortest implant length was 7 mm.The relative risk (RR) of implant failure and mean marginal bone loss were analysed within a 95% confidence interval (CI). The main outcome of the meta-analysis indicated that there was no difference in implant survival rate between patients with and without osteoporosis, either at the implant level (RR 1.39, 95% CI 0.93-2.08; P = 0.11) or at the patient level (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.50-1.89; P = 0.94). However, the meta-analysis for the secondary outcome revealed a significant difference in marginal bone loss around implants between patients with and without osteoporosis (0.18 mm, 95% CI 0.05-0.30, P = 0.005). Data heterogeneity was low. An increase in peri-implant bone loss was observed in the osteoporosis group.ConclusionsThe implant survival rate in bone tissue with osteoporosis was similar to that of the control group at the implant level (P = 0.11) and at the patient level (P = 0.94). In conclusion, implants placed in patients with systemic osteoporosis did not present higher failure rates than those placed in patients without osteoporosis.

The Role of Involvement as a Moderating Variable in a Country of Origin Study

The aim of this study is to examine the effect that the country of design and the country of manufacture has on the perceived quality of a product, and the role of involvement as a moderating variable. The conceptual framework has been tested using laboratory experiments that included a 2x2x2 between the subject’s factorial designs. Data have been collected using a randomization method to reduce any bias in the group’s variations. This data were analyzed using a one-way and two-way ANOVA. The results indicate that there is no difference between the high and low points of a product’s perceived quality, based on its country of design. Conversely, a favorable country of manufacture results in a higher perceived quality for its products, than for those of a lower scoring country of manufacture. Furthermore, consumers’ involvement, as a moderating variable, limits the strength of the country of design and the perceived quality’s relationship as this relationship is found to be stronger in circumstances where the consumers’ involvement is greater than in the less involved group’s condition. However, consumers’ involvement does not have any role as a moderating variable in the relationship between the country of manufacture and the perceived quality.

The role of risk and protective factors in the modification of risk for sexual victimization, sexual risk behaviors, and survival sex among homeless youth: A meta‐analysis

AbstractYouth homelessness is a multifaceted and significant social problem. For many homeless youth, the risk for exposure to sexual exploitation is high, with the experience of sexual victimization and engaging in sexual risk behaviors and survival sex commonplace. This meta‐analysis appraised internationally published literature to investigate the role of risk and protective factors in modifying the occurrence of sexual victimization, sexual risk behaviors, and survival sex among homeless youth. A comprehensive search of psychology, sociology, medicine, health, and criminology electronic abstraction databases was conducted for the period 1990–2016. Search terms included “homeless,” “rape,” “sexual victimization,” “unsafe sex,” and “survival sex.” The perpetration of sexual offences was included in the search strategy. Eighteen studies, examining sexual victimization, sexual risk behavior, and survival sex, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta‐analysis. All but two studies were conducted in the United States. No retrieved studies examined sexual offending; hence, this could not be included in the meta‐analysis. Findings showed that substance use, exposure to violence and crime (as victims and perpetrators), childhood abuse, sexual behavior, and peers' antisocial and sexual behavior were unique factors increasing the likelihood for each of sexual victimization, engagement in sexual risk behavior, and engagement in survival sex. Protective factors were peer and family social support. Moderator analyses showed that the influence of risk factors may differ based on study design, sample size, study country of origin, and participant age and gender. Findings suggest that risk and protective factors may be important mechanisms by which to modify the occurrence of adverse sexual behavior outcomes and better contextualize prevention and early intervention strategies for homeless youth.

Purpose in Life and Its Relationship to All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Events: A Meta-Analysis.

To assess the net impact of purpose in life on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. The electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO were systematically searched through June 2015 to identify all studies investigating the relationship between purpose in life, mortality, and cardiovascular events. Articles were selected for inclusion if, a) they were prospective, b) evaluated the association between some measure of purpose in life and all-cause mortality and/or cardiovascular events, and c) unadjusted and/or adjusted risk estimates and confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Ten prospective studies with a total of 136,265 participants were included in the analysis. A significant association was observed between having a higher purpose in life and reduced all-cause mortality (adjusted pooled relative risk = 0.83 [CI = 0.75-0.91], p < .001) and cardiovascular events (adjusted pooled relative risk = 0.83 [CI = 0.75-0.92], p = .001). Subgroup analyses by study country of origin, questionnaire used to measure purpose in life, age, and whether or not participants with baseline cardiovascular disease were included in the study all yielded similar results. Possessing a high sense of purpose in life is associated with a reduced risk for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. Future research should focus on mechanisms linking purpose in life to health outcomes, as well as interventions to assist individuals identified as having a low sense of purpose in life.

FDG-PET/CT imaging for mediastinal staging in patients with potentially resectable non-small cell lung cancer.

What is the sensitivity and specificity of 18F-fludeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) imaging for detecting mediastinal lymph node involvement in patients with potentially resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)? Sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET/CT imaging ranged from 0.77 to 0.81 for sensitivity and 0.79 to 0.90 for specificity, and were related to the brand of scanner, NSCLC subtype, FDG dose, and country of study origin. These sensitivities and specificities are not sufficiently accurate to warrant reliance on FDG-PET/CT scanning alone to make decisions about surgery as a single option for patients with potentially resectable NSCLC. Instead FDG-PET/CT imaging should be used to determine whether the next step should be biopsy (endobronchial ultrasound-guided biopsy or mediastinoscopy) or surgical resection.

PET-CT for assessing mediastinal lymph node involvement in patients with suspected resectable non-small cell lung cancer.

PET-CT for assessing mediastinal lymph node involvement in patients with suspected resectable non-small cell lung cancer.

Daily sedation interruption versus no daily sedation interruption for critically ill adult patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation.

Daily sedation interruption (DSI) is thought to limit drug bioaccumulation, promote a more awake state, and thereby reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation. Available evidence has shown DSI to either reduce, not alter, or prolong the duration of mechanical ventilation. The primary objective of this review was to compare the total duration of invasive mechanical ventilation for critically ill adult patients requiring intravenous sedation who were managed with DSI versus those with no DSI. Our other objectives were to determine whether DSI influenced mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital lengths of stay, adverse events, the total doses of sedative drug administered, and quality of life. We searched, from database inception to February 2014, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2014, Issue 1); MEDLINE (OvidSP); EMBASE (OvidSP); CINAHL (EBSCOhost); Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS); Web of Science Science Citation Index; Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE); the Health Technology Assessment Database (HTA Database); trial registration websites, and reference lists of relevant articles. We did not apply language restrictions. The reference lists of all retrieved articles were reviewed for additional, potentially relevant studies. We included randomized controlled trials that compared DSI with sedation strategies that did not include DSI in mechanically ventilated, critically ill adults. Two authors independently extracted data and three authors assessed risk of bias. We contacted study authors for additional information as required. We combined data in forest plots using random-effects modelling. A priori subgroups and sensitivity analyses were performed. Nine trials were used in the analysis (n = 1282 patients). These trials were found to be predominantly at low risk of bias. We did not find strong evidence of an effect of DSI on the total duration of ventilation. Pooled data from nine trials demonstrated a 13% reduction in the geometric mean, with relatively wide confidence intervals (CI) indicating imprecision (95% CI 26% reduction to 2% increase, moderate quality evidence). Similarly, we did not find strong evidence of an effect on ICU length of stay (-10%, 95% CI -20% to 3%, n = 9 trials, moderate quality evidence) or hospital length of stay (-6%, 95% CI -18% to 8%, n = 8 trials, moderate quality evidence). Heterogeneity for these three outcomes was moderate and statistically significant. The risk ratio for ICU mortality was 0.96 (95% CI 0.77 to 1.21, n = 7 trials, moderate quality evidence), for rate of accidental endotracheal tube removal 1.07 (95% CI 0.55 to 2.12, n = 6 trials, moderate quality evidence), for catheter removal 1.48 (95% CI 0.76 to 2.90, n = 4 trials), and for incidence of new onset delirium 1.02 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.13, n = 3 trials, moderate quality evidence). Differences in the doses of any drug used or quality of life score (Short Form (SF)-36) did not reach statistical significance. Tracheostomy was performed less frequently in the DSI group (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.92, n = 6 trials, moderate quality evidence). Sensitivity analysis of unlogged data resulted in similar findings. Post hoc analysis to further explain heterogeneity, based on study country of origin, showed that studies conducted in North America resulted in a reduction in the duration of mechanical ventilation (-21%, 95% CI -33% to -5%, n = 5 trials). We have not found strong evidence that DSI alters the duration of mechanical ventilation, mortality, length of ICU or hospital stay, adverse event rates, drug consumption, or quality of life for critically ill adults receiving mechanical ventilation compared to sedation strategies that do not include DSI. We advise that caution should be applied when interpreting and applying the findings as the overall effect of treatment is always < 1 and the upper limit of the CI is only marginally higher than the no-effect line. These results should be considered unstable rather than negative for DSI given the statistical and clinical heterogeneity identified in the included trials.

Clinical Benefit of Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose Is Uncertain for Non–Insulin-Treated Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Allemann S, Houriet C, Diem P, Stettler C: Self-monitoring of blood glucose in non-insulin treated patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Curr Med Res Opin 25:2903–2913, 2009 Design. A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Objective. To assess the effect of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) on A1C in non–insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes. Subjects. The analysis included 3,270 non–insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia. In the 15 studies included, mean age ranged from 50 to 67 years, with 38–74% female patients. Mean duration of diabetes ranged from 0 to 12.5 years. Mean BMI ranged from 27.1 to 34.2 kg/m2, and baseline A1C ranged from 6.7 to 11.9%. Methods. Studies included randomized, controlled trials of non–insulin-treated type 2 diabetic patients comparing treatment strategies including SMBG to less frequent or no SMBG. To be included, trials also had to report data on A1C. Two independent reviewers assessed study quality, with any discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. The authors used heterogeneity statistics (I2) to determine the appropriate model for analysis, with high heterogeneity (I2 > 80%) indicating that no pooled analysis should be done. The primary endpoint was A1C, and secondary outcomes were fasting glucose and the occurrence of hypoglycemia. The primary analysis was comparing patients performing SMBG with a non-SMBG control group. Secondarily, the authors compared more frequent SMBG with less frequent SMBG. Univariate meta-regression was used to assess the influence of other factors on the main outcomes of interest. Variables examined in the meta-regression included self-management instruction, use of a treatment algorithm, industry sponsorship, country of study origin, baseline mean A1C, study duration, and key domains of internal validity (intention to treat, allocation concealment, blinding of outcome assessors). Results. Of the 15 …

Exploring the role of food origin as a source of meanings for consumers and as a determinant of consumers' actual food choices

This article seeks to contribute to food consumption literature by tackling certain shortcomings in the country of origin studies both qualitatively and quantitatively. As regards to the meanings consumers attach to food of various origins the findings show that Finnish consumers associate partly overlapping partly distinct cognitive, affective and normative meanings with Swedish, German and French food. In turn, the results of the real food choice experiment revealed that activating domestic origin cognitively actually results in favoring foreign food products while activating domestic origin affectively leads to favoring of domestic food products. Authors review and analyze several alternative explanations for the main effect. The article concludes with a discussion highlighting theoretical and managerial implications of the results of the two investigations.

Exploring consumer experiences with a service brand

The commercial importance of services has been realised in recent times and the importance of research to understand service brands and their meaning for consumers is a growing priority. This study focuses on consumer based perceptions of brand associations of a service brand, attitudes toward and intention to use the branded service via qualitative and quantitative methods. The results indicate a number of key dimensions that are important for consumers of services such as core service, experience with brand, self‐image congruency, feelings, servicescape and interpersonal service, publicity, advertising, price and brand. However, in this study country of origin and word of mouth were not significant. Largely, the findings indicated that service brand associations influence brand attitude and attitude and associations influence intention to use a service brand.

A meta-analysis of the association between the serotonin transporter gene polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and trait anxiety

Studies of the association between polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT) and trait anxiety have produced inconsistent results, raising questions about the strength of the relationship and the methodological conditions under which the relationship holds. We conducted a meta-analysis of existing studies to provide formal statistical measures of the strength of the linked polymorphic region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR)-anxiety relationship. For the entire collection of 26 studies, results provided no support for a relationship between anxiety and the presence of the short form of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism. There was strong evidence of the presence of moderating variables, however, and subsequent analysis revealed that choice of the measure of trait anxiety was significant. Studies using the Neuroticism scale of Costa and McCrae were found to produce a small positive effect (d=0.23). Other potential moderators (country of study origin, type of subject) did not have a meaningful impact on d statistics. These findings indicate that 5-HTTLPR may in fact have a small but reliable influence on personality, particularly in the manifestation of trait anxiety when measured with a neuroticism scale based on the five-factor model of personality. Our results suggest that the success of future personality genetics research will be maximized by the use of personality measures from both the psychobiological and five-factor models.

What should be included in meta-analyses? An exploration of methodological issues using the ISPOT meta-analyses.

To explore the impact of methodologic issues on the results of meta-analyses. The following issues were examined: the type of literature search strategy used; inclusion or exclusion of non-peer-reviewed studies; the inclusion or exclusion of non-English language publications; the effect of trial quality; and the inclusion or exclusion of non-placebo-controlled studies. The International Study of Perioperative Transfusion (ISPOT) meta-analyses were used to evaluate each of the methodologic issues. The 10 meta-analyses consisted of technologies to reduce the need for perioperative red blood cell transfusion. The number of trials for each of the meta-analyses varied from 2 to 45. Both EMBASE and MEDLINE searches were conducted, including the use of systematic search strategies. MEDLINE identified the vast majority of trials. Alone, MEDLINE would have missed 8 studies compared to 10 for EMBASE. Use of the systematic search strategies greatly reduced the number of articles to be reviewed compared to open searches. Type of publication, country of study origin, inclusion of non-English publications, and trial quality had very little impact on the estimates of effect. The use of placebo versus open-label control affected the magnitude of the odds ratio for two of the meta-analyses. The results of the two meta-analyses were not statistically significant if only placebo-controlled trials were included. While methodologic issues had very little impact on the ISPOT meta-analyses, further studies are needed in a variety of other clinical settings. Because MEDLINE, coupled with a review of the references in the identified trials, identified the vast majority of trials, one needs to consider the costs and benefits of searching EMBASE and the pursuance of unpublished and unindexed trials.