In vivo studies could not confirm in vitro prophylactic synergism between Moringa essential oil and Lactobacillus reuteri (MT180537)

Abstract Aerobic vaginitis (AV) is a recently defined vaginal recurring infection, which is treated with antibiotics. However, excessive and prolonged use of antibiotics disrupts healthy vaginal microflora and leads to the emergence of antibiotic resistance among pathogens. This situation has directed researchers to explore alternative antimicrobials. The current study describes in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial efficacy and pharmaceutical interactions between plant essential oils (EOs) and five lactic acid bacteria (LABs), isolated from the healthy vagina, against E. faecalis, one of the major etiological agents of AV. In vitro experiments confirm good antimicrobial activity of both plant EOs and cell free supernatant (CFS) from LABs. Based on high antimicrobial efficacy, Moringa essential oil (MO) was selected to determine its nature of interaction with CFS of five LAB strains. Synergism was recorded between MO and CFS of L. reuteri (MT180537). To validate in vitro findings, prophylactic responses of individual and synergistic application of MO and L. reuteri (MT180537) were evaluated in an E. faecalis (MW051601) induced AV murine model. The prophylactic efficacy was evidenced by a reduction in intensity of clinical symptoms, E. faecalis (MW051601) count per vaginal tissue along with a reduction in AV associated changes in histological markers of infection in animals receiving Moringa essential oil and L. reuteri (MT180537) alone or in combination. However, significant synergism between Moringa essential oil and L. reuteri (MT180537) could not be observed. Our data confirms the importance of in vivo experiments in deducing pharmacological interactions.

Smart Technologies used as Smart Tools in the Management of Cardiovascular Disease and their Future Perspective

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The advent of smart technologies has significantly impacted the management of CVD, offering innovative tools and solutions to improve patient outcomes. Smart technologies have revolutionized and transformed the management of CVD, providing innovative tools to improve patient care, enhance diagnostics, and enable more personalized treatment approaches. These smart tools encompass a wide range of technologies, including wearable devices, mobile applications,3D printing technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), remote monitoring systems, and electronic health records (EHR). They offer numerous advantages, such as real-time monitoring, early detection of abnormalities, remote patient management, and data-driven decision-making. However, they also come with certain limitations and challenges, including data privacy concerns, technical issues, and the need for regulatory frameworks. In this review, despite these challenges, the future of smart technologies in CVD management looks promising, with advancements in AI algorithms, telemedicine platforms, and bio fabrication techniques opening new possibilities for personalized and efficient care. In this article, we also explore the role of smart technologies in CVD management, their advantages and disadvantages, limitations, current applications, and their smart future.

The interplay between employee development factors and succession planning in predicting employee performance: evidence from retail banks

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how employee development factors directly influence succession planning and indirectly improve employee performance using the tenets of human capital theory. Moreover, whether succession planning enhances employee performance or not?

Design/methodology/approach

Using the time-lag method, this study collected data from bank employees and tested the proposed model and hypotheses in Mplus.

Findings

The results from 239 participants highlight that succession planning improves bank employee performance. Employee orientation and training and development are positively linked to succession planning and employee performance. Succession planning mediates the association between employee development factors and employee performance.

Practical implications

The research assists bank management to promote a learning culture for developing their human resources to realize their organizational goals. The findings exhibit that succession planning generates a pool of skilled and talented employees, which creates a competitive edge for banks having skilled employees and reduces recruitment costs. Banks to save human recruitment costs. Moreover, bank managers can solve the issue of sudden vacant positions and provide excellent customer service.

Originality/value

Retaining talented individuals has remained a challenging task for organizations in the current business environment. The research contributes to theoretically and empirically exploring the association between employee development factors (training and development and employee orientation) and employee performance via succession planning to retain talented employees in the organization.

Can you manage shocks? An investigation of career shocks on proactive career behavior: a COR theory perspective

Purpose

Considerable research has been done to link career-development strategies to career-management success, but little is known about how career shocks (CSs) relate to proactive career behavior (PCB). Furthermore, the study investigates the mediation mechanism of personal resources (i.e. perceived self-efficacy (PSE) and perceived employability (PEMP)) in the linkage between CSs and PCB using the tenets of conservation of resources (COR) theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the survey approach, the authors recruited 322 banking professionals and validated the proposed model and hypotheses in AMOS.

Findings

The outcome shows that CSs are significantly related to PSE and PEMP (personal resources), subsequently linked to PCB. Moreover, personal resources mediate the linkage between CSs and PCB. Thus, CSs cannot be ignored but can be minimized through proactive efforts.

Practical implications

The findings support the banks' management to protect their personnel career by not giving CSs and build their PCB through personal resources. The employees should strive for enhancing personal resources through organizational development opportunities (i.e. training and development) to rescue themselves from sudden CSs.

Originality/value

Shocks cannot be ignored but can be managed through PCB. This research is the first that successfully adds to the career-development literature by empirically establishing the direct and indirect association between CSs and PCB through personal resources.

Measuring career shocks: A study of scale development and validation in the Chinese context

The emergence of self-career management has pushed individuals to manage their careers proactively and evade unexpected events. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a career shocks scale for use in Chinese organizations. In doing so, we developed a comprehensive scale of career shocks to cover a significant gray area of career management and enhance a deeper understanding of the emergence of career shocks among Chinese employees. Using the mixed-method approach, we recruited multiple samples to validate the item structure and assess construct validity and internal consistency of the career shocks scale. The findings of a confirmatory factor analysis suggested two dimensions of career shocks (positive and negative), having nine items. Moreover, a strong inter-item structure indicated that this research measure would be valuable for future research endeavors in the domain of career management.

Predicting engagement and performance through firm’s internal factors

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the firm’s internal factors influence employee engagement (EE), which, in turn, enhances the performance of textile employees. Furthermore, the present study pursues to address the indirect effect of EE on the relationship between the firm’s internal factors and employee performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were taken from 355 participants working in textile mills through a survey approach. Structural equation modeling was run to confirm the proposed model and structural relationships.

Findings

Results highlight that internal communication and reward and recognition are significantly related to EE, except for work‒life balance. Furthermore, EE has a significant effect on the performance of textile employees.

Practical implications

The present study helps the textile managers to improve employee performance while focusing on the firm’s internal factors of engagement. Proactive internal communication and reward system will help to bring a competitive edge and achieve the organizational goals. The findings also provide managers the information to reduce the organization interruptions in enhancing EE and performance.

Originality/value

This study covered the hidden gap in the previous literature on EE and performance, especially in the field of the textile sector by employing Kahn’s theory of engagement.

Supply chain network and information sharing effects of SMEs’ credit quality on firm performance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how a supply chain (SC) network helps small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to obtain liquidity and working capital for enhancing their performance while developing the relationships among SC members through information sharing. Moreover, this study also investigates whether a strong tie or bridge tie improves the availability of SMEs’ credit and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a survey approach, data were collected from textile SMEs, located in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression model were run to validate the proposed model and the relationships.

Findings

Findings highlighted that strong tie and bridge tie of SMEs positively and significantly enhance the credit quality and SMEs’ performance. Furthermore, information sharing significantly moderates the relationship between SC network ties and SMEs’ credit quality. Credit quality significantly explains the indirect (mediation) association between the strong tie and the firm performance.

Practical implications

This study will help the SMEs’ entrepreneurs and SC executives to strengthen the liquidity position of SME and improve SMEs’ performance by developing the bridge ties. SMEs should share more information in their SC network while performing business transactions so that financers or lenders can easily access their operational capabilities and individual characteristics to offer them quality credit such as supply chain finance (SCF).

Originality/value

SMEs always face the issue of risk-free financing which adversely affects the firm performance. This study covered the hidden gap in SCM and SMEs’ financing literature by identifying the crucial role of SCF as quality credit in the development of SMEs. Moreover, SMEs can get benefits (e.g. quality credit=SCF) for better embedding in an SC network through information sharing.

An empirical investigation of predicting employee performance through succession planning

Purpose

Leadership development practices develop future leaders for the organizations which are evidence for the proper utilization of organizational resources. The purpose of this paper is to integrate succession planning into the job demands–resources (JD–R) model to predict individual performance.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 239 participants were drawn from commercial banks located in a large city of Pakistan through a structured questionnaire. The proposed model was tested through structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results from 239 participants suggest that succession planning has a direct and indirect effect on engagement and employee performance through the JD–R model. Furthermore, job resources and engagement mediate the association between succession planning and employee performance.

Research limitations/implications

The present study employed a cross-sectional approach, and all constructs were answered on a self-report questionnaire. Thus, the findings should be validated through a longitudinal design by employing a more objective construct.

Practical implications

The banks should adopt proactive succession system to improve individual and organizational performance. Succession planning helps the banks to reduce recruitment cost and promote internal hiring. This study supports the managerial decisions making by mobilizing skilled and talented employees in the sudden resignation of a bank employee.

Social implications

Succession planning seems an important development factor that directly improves employees’ well-being through the JD–R model.

Originality/value

The present study demonstrates the integration of the JD–R model into succession planning.

Understanding succession planning as a combating strategy for turnover intentions

Purpose

Considerable research has linked leaders’ development practices to employee performance, but little research has concentrated on how succession planning minimizes the turnover intentions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of succession planning on turnover intentions among banking professionals. Moreover, the authors examine whether succession planning enhances the employee job security and creates career attitude that mitigates the risk of employee turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the survey method, the authors recruited permanent employees of retail banking and the proposed model and structural relationships were tested via structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings depict that succession planning provides job security and creates positive career attitude which in turn mitigate the turnover intentions among banks employees.

Practical implications

The present study helps the bank management to formulate a strategic and proactive succession system based on job security and build a strong career attitude to discourage the turnover intentions among banks employees. Moreover, the outcome supports the management of banks in case of the sudden resignation of a bank employee; they will be in a position to appoint a resourceful employee immediately on the vacant post to provide excellent customer services.

Originality/value

The current study successfully developed an empirical relationship between succession planning and turnover intentions which was skipped in the literature on human resource development. Furthermore, this study offers an important mediation mechanism for job security and career attitude for mitigating the turnover intentions among banks employees through succession planning.