Khanh Cao - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Khanh Cao

Access the most recent version of this article at: doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-4424 Access the ... more Access the most recent version of this article at: doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-4424 Access the most recent supplemental material at:

The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (RB), a critical mediator of cell cycle progression, ... more The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (RB), a critical mediator of cell cycle progression, is functionally inactivated in the majority of human cancers, including prostatic adenocarcinoma. The importance of RB tumor suppressor function in this disease is evident because 25% to 50% of prostatic adenocarcinomas harbor aberrations in RB pathway. However, no previous studies challenged the consequence of RB inactivation on tumor cell proliferation or therapeutic response. Here, we show that RB depletion facilitates deregulation of specific E2F target genes, but does not confer a significant proliferative advantage in the presence of androgen. However, RB-deficient cells failed to elicit a cytostatic response (compared with RB proficient isogenic controls) when challenged with androgen ablation, AR antagonist, or combined androgen blockade. These data indicate that RB deficiency can facilitate bypass of first-line hormonal therapies used to treat prostate cancer. Given the establis...

Foods

The development of functional foods is key to promoting a healthy diet and preventing certain dis... more The development of functional foods is key to promoting a healthy diet and preventing certain diseases. This study aims to examine several key factors that affect consumer attitude and intention with respect to purchasing functional foods in an emerging market economy. A research model was developed by extension of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and then validated through obtaining data from 596 Vietnamese consumers who were interested in functional yogurts using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Multivariate data analysis reveals that while health consciousness and subjective norm significantly enhance consumers’ attitudes towards purchasing functional yogurts, perceived price of functional yogurts exerts a negative impact on such attitudes. Moreover, subjective norm and attitude appear to be key predictors of consumers’ intentions to buy functional yogurts. These findings extend the extant literature relating to functional food purchase and consumption in emerging m...

Sustainability

Along with the acceleration of green marketing in recent years, greenwash has been utilized by fi... more Along with the acceleration of green marketing in recent years, greenwash has been utilized by firms to get ahead of their rivals. Underpinned by the cognition–affect–behavior (C-A-B) paradigm, this study examines a model linking greenwash and green skepticism with green purchase intentions. It also investigates the moderating role of information and knowledge on the relationship between greenwash and green purchase intentions. Data were obtained from 419 Vietnamese consumers who had been involved in purchasing green vegetables using an online survey. Multivariate data analysis demonstrated that greenwash was negatively associated with green purchase intentions and that green skepticism mediated this negative association. In addition, the moderating effect of information and knowledge was confirmed. These findings enrich the extant knowledge on the relationship between greenwash and green purchase intentions. They also have important implications for firms that aim to reduce consume...

Publishing Research Quarterly

Higher education textbooks sales account for a significant portion of the overall book market. Th... more Higher education textbooks sales account for a significant portion of the overall book market. This study makes an important contribution to the extant literature by examining students' purchase of original textbooks in a developing market, Vietnam. Notably, it seeks to investigate why students do not purchase original textbooks as well as the difference in purchase behavior between different groups of students. The findings reveal that some key obstacles to students' purchase behavior include high prices, insufficient availability, low perceived value, and the emergence of pirated textbooks. Another notable finding is that senior students who are female tend to purchase more textbooks. In light of these findings, marketing strategies are suggested for publishers, bookstores and universities who aim to promote the sales and consumption of original textbooks.

Strategic Direction

Purpose This paper aims to identify the key barriers preventing the consumer purchase of eco-frie... more Purpose This paper aims to identify the key barriers preventing the consumer purchase of eco-friendly products in developing countries and later suggests intervention strategies to mitigate such barriers. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the authors’ viewpoint on strategies aimed at promoting green purchases. Findings Key barriers to purchasing green products include their high price, scarce product availability, low level of credibility of eco-labels, and inadequate information. Mitigating these obstacles requires effective government leadership, social initiatives, and marketing strategies, some of which are discussed in this paper. Originality/value This paper would be of interest to key stakeholders including policymakers, marketers, and social-environmental organizations in the development of more effective green strategies.

Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 2016

Environmental degradation is one of the most serious issues impacting our lives and those of futu... more Environmental degradation is one of the most serious issues impacting our lives and those of future generations. In this respect, several studies on pro-environmental behaviour have investigated the attitude–behaviour relationship of consumers. This study builds on previous models and examines the influence of four relevant determinants, i.e. consumers' perceptions associated with environmental concern, ecological effect, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) and moral obligation on their pro-environmental behaviour. The data were collected from consumers in Vietnam, where there are serious environmental issues. The findings suggest that all the four determinants influenced consumers' conservation behaviour, albeit each in varying strengths. The most influential determinant was PCE, followed by ecological effect, environmental concern and finally moral obligation. The findings of this study have important academic and practical implications. Government and private environmental and sustainability campaigners, especially in Vietnam, would be well advised to use these findings in developing and designing new policies and initiatives aimed at enhancing consumers' pro-environmental behaviour. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

International Journal of Marketing Studies, 2016

Mobile payment has relative advantages compared to other payment methods, thus providing benefits... more Mobile payment has relative advantages compared to other payment methods, thus providing benefits for both consumers and the society. This study attempts to examine factors influencing consumer intention to use mobile payment services. Survey data are used to investigate the impact of consumers' perceptions of mobile payment services and social influence on use intention. Empirical evidence from 489 Vietnamese consumers confirms a significant relationship between the factors and behavioral intention, and reveals that perceived trust is the strongest predictor of intention to use mobile payment services followed by perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, perceived behavioral control, perceived usefulness and subjective norm, respectively. The results contribute to the evolving literature, and suggest that mobile payment service providers should particularly focus on building up consumer trust, and making their services clear, understandable and easy to use. Future research directions for extending this study are also discussed.

Asian Social Science, 2016

There is a paucity of knowledge relating to retail service quality and customer loyalty intention... more There is a paucity of knowledge relating to retail service quality and customer loyalty intentions in emerging markets, and especially in Vietnam. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between these two variables in the Vietnam retail sector. Survey data are collected from 502 respondents who are current customers of eight retail stores in the city of Hanoi. The results support five dimensions of retail service quality, namely personal interaction, store policy, physical aspects, reliability and problem solving. Out of these, three dimensions of reliability, personal interaction and problem solving are significantly associated with customer loyalty intentions. This study contributes to the evolving literature and suggests that local and foreign retailers should particularly invest time and effort to increase stores' reliability, quality of customer interaction and effectiveness in solving customer problems.

International Business Research, 2015

The creation of customer value is of paramount importance for organizations" success, and has bee... more The creation of customer value is of paramount importance for organizations" success, and has been in the central interest of practitioner literature. This present study seeks to explore how Vietnamese customers perceive functional, economic, emotional and social value of consuming food products. Paper-based surveys have been administered to a sample of 410 food customers in the city of Hanoi. The survey results show that customer perceived value of food products is relatively low. The findings provide insights into the dimensionality of customer perceived value, and suggest implications to food companies for enhancing the value of their offerings. In addition, this study may serve as a basis for future research in the domain of customer value.

Asian Social Science, 2015

The delivery of superb service quality has captured increasing attention from both academic resea... more The delivery of superb service quality has captured increasing attention from both academic researchers and practitioners. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of individual-level cultural values on overall service quality expectations. Results from a sample of 487 Vietnamese customers confirm a significant relationship between service quality expectations and four cultural dimensions of collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance and long-term orientation. Within these cultural values, collectivism is the best predictor that contributes to the variance of service quality expectations, followed by uncertainty avoidance and power distance, respectively. This study extends existing research relating to cultural influences on service quality, and suggests managerial implications that service providers should incorporate customers' cultural values in the processes of market segmentation, customer relationship management and informational interventions.

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2009

RATIONALE: Vitamin D increases the expression of the antimicrobial peptide, cathelicidin, in cult... more RATIONALE: Vitamin D increases the expression of the antimicrobial peptide, cathelicidin, in cultured cells. However, the in vivo effects of Vitamin D on cathelicidin in white blood cells (WBCs) and their function are unknown. Here, we examined cathelicidin expression in WBCs and CCR3 expression in eosinophils before and after one year of vitamin D supplementation. METHODS: Volunteers (ages 59-90y) with vitamin D insufficiency (<20ng/ml) were recruited and administered with Vitamin D (400-4,400 IU/day) for 12 months. Lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, and eosinophils were isolated and purified from their blood before (n 5 87) and after (n 5 47) Vitamin D administration. The mRNA expression of cathelicidin in purified leukocytes and of CCR3 in eosinophils was determined by RT-PCR and quantified by densitometric analysis. RESULTS: There was a significant (p < 0.0001) increase in cathelicidin mRNA expression in both eosinophils and neutrophils after one year intake of Vitamin D whereas lymphocytes and monocytes did not show a significant change in cathelicidin mRNA expression. The mRNA expression of CCR3 receptors on eosinophils also significantly increased (p < 0.05) after one year intake of Vitamin D. Upon the breakage of the FDA codes, these data will be correlated with pulmonary function and other outcome measures of the participants in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Since neutrophils granules store cathelicidin, it was not surprising to see an increase in cathelicidin mRNA expression in neutrophils after Vitamin D. However, Vitamin D significantly increased mRNA expression of both cathelicidin and CCR3 in eosinophils, suggesting a critical role of cathelicidin and Vitamin D in regulating eosinophil migration in asthma. 972 PKC-d, MAP Kinases, and CLC-3 Channel in the Migration of

Cancer research, 2008

The androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor required for prostate cance... more The androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor required for prostate cancer development and progression (1). AR is activated through androgen [testosterone or dihydrotestosterone (DHT)] binding to the receptor COOH-terminal ligand-binding domain (LBD; ref. 2). ...

Cancer research, 2007

Prostatic adenocarcinoma is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause o... more Prostatic adenocarcinoma is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer related death in men (1). The majority of prostate cancers are androgen dependent and respond to androgen deprivation therapies, which include bilateral orchiectomy, ...

…, 2009

The microenvironment of the lung in asthma is acidic, yet the effect of acidity on inflammatory c... more The microenvironment of the lung in asthma is acidic, yet the effect of acidity on inflammatory cells has not been well established. We now demonstrate that acidity inhibits eosinophil apoptosis and increases cellular viability in a dose-dependent manner between pH 7.5 and 6.0. Notably, acidity induced eosinophil cyclic adenosine 5′-monophosphate (cAMP) production and enhanced cellular viability in an adenylate cyclase–dependent manner. Furthermore, we identify G protein-coupled receptor 65 (GPR65) as the chief acid-sensing receptor expressed by eosinophils, as GPR65-deficient eosinophils were resistant to acid-induced eosinophil cAMP production and enhanced viability. Notably, GPR65−/− mice had attenuated airway eosinophilia and increased apoptosis in 2 distinct models of allergic airway disease. We conclude that eosinophil viability is increased in acidic microenvironments in a cAMP- and GPR65-dependent manner.