In a referendum held in 2016, Britain voted to leave the EU. Britain’s membership of the EU has been a difficult one. Unlike the other leading Member States of the EU, Britain did not seem to have a firm conviction that “ever-closer union” of the peoples of Europe is essential to the peace and liberty of Europe. In the wake of increased immigration and the recent refugee crisis, the British people chose to leave the EU in order to have their sovereignty and independence re-affirmed. It remains to be seen what will be the economic consequences of this largely political decision.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a representative inflammation-associated cancer and known to be the most frequent tumor. However, the preventive agents for hepatocarcinogenesis are unsatisfactorily identified. We investigated the protective effect of steamed and freeze-dried mature silkworm larval powder (SMSP) on diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatotoxicity in mice and compared the effect of three silkworm varieties: white-jade, golden-silk, and light-green strains. The mice were fed with diet containing 0.1, 1, and 10 g/kg of three types of SMSP for two weeks while DEN (100 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected 18 h before the end of this experiment. Liver toxicity was determined as serum indicator, histopathological examination, and expression of inflammatory enzyme. Pretreatment with SMSP reduced necrotic and histopathological changes induced by DEN in the liver. The measurement of serum biochemical indicators showed that pretreatment with SMSP also decreased DEN-induced hepatotoxicity, the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). In addition, SMSP inhibited the expressions of inflammatory enzymes, cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase. White-jade SMSP showed the most effective hepatoprotective results against hepatotoxicity among the three silkworm strains used in this study. SMSP may have a protective effect against acute liver injury by inhibiting necrosis and inflammatory response in DEN-treated mice.

Background: The Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) and the Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale were used to assess balance function in patients with balance problem. These multidimensional clinical balance scales provide information about potential risk factors for falls. Objects: The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the predictive properties of the PBS and FAB scales relative to fall risk in children with cerebral palsy (CP) using a receiver operating characteristic analysis. Methods: In total, 49 children with CP (boy=21, girl=28) who were diagnosed with level 1 or 2 according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System participated in this study. The PBS and FAB were performed, and verified cut-off score, sensitivity, specificity, and the area of under the curve (AUC). Results: In this study, the PBS scale was as a predictive measure of fall risk, but the FAB was not significant in children with CP. A cut-off score of 45.5 points provided optimal sensitivity of .90 and specificity of .69 on the PBS, and a cut-off score of 21.5 points provided optimal sensitivity of .90 and specificity of .62 on the FAB. Both scales showed moderately accurate of AUC with .79 and .76, respectively. Conclusion: The PBS is a useful screening tool for predicting fall risk in children with cerebral palsy, and those who score 45.5 or lower indicate a high risk for falls and are in need of balance intervention.

The term used to describe consumer's valuation of a brand is brand equity. One concept that can be managed and may impact valuation of a prestige brand is “luxuriousness.” As the concept of “luxuriousness” appears to be a key factor contributing to the equity of a prestige brand, the purpose of this study was to examine how luxuriousness is related to the brand equity utilizing a model developed by Yoo, Donthu, and Lee (2000). Yoo et al. (2000) identified three dimensions [brand association with awareness (BA), perceived quality (PQ), brand loyalty (BL)] accounted for the equity (OBE) of a brand. We speculated that the five dimensions of luxuriousness (i.e., quality, extended self, hedonism, accessibility, and tradition) would selectively influence the two dimensions of brand equity (BA, PQ) and that loyalty would mediate the relationship between the two dimensions of brand equity (BA, PQ) and overall brand equity. A total of 502 participants aged from 18 to 74 were surveyed in USA. Using AMOS 18, the path analysis was conducted with the maximum-likelihood estimation procedure. The model exhibited a good fit with the data and all hypotheses were supported except one. Quality, accessibility, and hedonism dimensions of luxuriousness affected perceived quality of the equity of a brand. Hedonism and extended self dimensions affected brand association with awareness. However, tradition dimension did not significantly influence brand association with awareness. Overall, this research expands understanding of brand equity as it documents the contributions of luxuriousness, a component that can be controlled by brand managers.