A Probabilistic Approach to Maximize Cross-Selling Revenues of Financial Products

Customer oriented approach and developing analysis for customers have become more important as the competition became a global issue, especially after technological advancements. Companies aim to sell more products to new customers and also to their current customers while keeping them in the portfolio and making sure that they are happy. Cross-selling of products and services to their customers is almost as important as gaining new customers. In this paper, a probabilistic and integrated method of cross-selling financial products is proposed. The proposed method first segments the customers based on the selected criteria and then calculates the probability of buying each product using product and customer relationship matrixes. Then, the expected yield for each group of customers and offer is calculated, and the best cross-selling strategy is determined. The proposed methodology is applied to a Turkish bank that aims to sell financial products through cross-selling. The results show that the methodology successfully determines the product order to be used in cross-selling in an effort to increase the success rate in the selling process and expected revenue

Bidirectional tachycardia in a patient with pulmonary embolism

We report a 55 year-old man with sudden cardiac arrest. Electrocardiography revealed runs of bidirectional ventricular tachycardia, and transthoracic echocardiography showed indirect findings of pulmonary embolism. (Cardiol J 2010; 17, 2: 194-195

Role of dopaminergic system in oxytocin analgesia: The missing part in a puzzle

Purpose: To investigate the analgesic effects of oxytocin (OT) and elucidate the role of dopaminergic system in its mechanisms.Methods: In this study, 72 male (n=6 for each group) 230-250 gr Wistar Albino rats were used. Firstly, dose studies were performed with 100 μg/kg, 200 μg/kg and 400 μg/kg to determine the optimal analgesic effect of oxytocin. Optimal dose was found at 200 μg/kg, and then animals were divided into nine groups: Saline, D1 agonist (SKF 38393; 0.1 mg/kg), D1 antagonist (SCH-23390; 0.1 mg/kg), D1 agonist + oxytocin, D1 antagonist + oxytocin, D2 agonist (Cabergoline; 0,5 mg/kg), D2 antagonist (Sulpride; 10 mg/kg), D2 agonist + oxytocin and D2 antagonist + oxytocin. Serum physiologic saline was given to the saline group and other drugs were administered intraperitoneally at the indicated doses. Tail-flick and hot-plate tests were used to measure analgesic effects. Analgesic tests were measured in 30 min-intervals (at 30th, 60th, 90th, and 120th min) and recorded in seconds. To evaluate maximum antinociceptive effect (% MPE), the tail-flick and hot-plate latencies were converted to the antinociceptive effectivenessResults: The results show that D1 antagonist SCH-23390 (0.1 mg/kg) and D2 agonist cabergoline (0.5 mg/kg) created strong analgesia while the D1 agonist SKF 38393 (0.1 mg/kg) and D2 antagonist sulpiride (10 mg/kg) did not have any analgesic effect. However, only D2 antagonist sulpiride blocked the analgesic effect produced by OTConclusion: OT may be one of the primary agents participating in spinal analgesia, and the dopaminergic system is one of the central mechanisms of action for this important molecule. The dopaminergic system may also be one of the targets for ‘descending’ analgesic system. Keywords: Oxytocin, Tail flick, Hot plate, Dopaminergic, Analgesic, Antagonist, Agonis

A simple method for studying the molecular mechanisms of ultraviolet and violet reception in vertebrates

The Νmaxs and A/B ratios of HBNs of ancestral and present-day pigments. (DOCX 43 kb

Sistolik kalp yetmezlikli hastalarda karvedilolün P dalga süresi ve dispersiyonu üzerine etkileri

Amaç: Karvedilol tedavisi, sol ventrikül ejeksiyon fraksiyonunu artırır, ventriküler disfonksiyonun şiddetini, morbidite ve mortaliteyi azaltır. Ancak sistolik kalp yetmezlikli hastalarda karvedilolün P dalga dispersiyonu ve süresi üzerine etkileri bilinmemektedir. Bu çalışmada kalp yetmezliği olan hastalarda karvedilolün P dalga süresi ve dispersiyonu üzerine olan etkilerini araştırdık. Hastalar ve Yöntemler: Sol ventrikül ejeksiyon fraksiyonu %40'ın altında olan kalp yetmezlikli 56 hasta ileriye dönük olarak çalışmaya alındı. Karvedilol kalp yetmezliğinin standart tedavisine ek olarak verildi. Başlangıçta ve karvedilol tedavisinin dördüncü ayında fizik muayene, radyonüklid çalışma ve başlangıç maksimum ve minimum P-dalga süresi ve P-dalga dispersiyonu ölçümleri yapıldı. Bulgular: Karvedilol tedavisi ile maksimum P dalga süresi ve P-dalga dispersiyonu belirgin olarak azaldı. Sol ventrikül ejeksiyon fraksiyonu ve NYHA fonksiyonel sınıfı karvedilol tedavisi sonrası düzeldi. (Maksimum P-dalga süresi; 126±9 ms'den 120±7ms'ye; p=0.001, P- dalga dispersiyonu; 51±7 ms'den 46±5 ms'ye geriledi; p=0.001). Sonuç: Karvedilol tedavisi maksimum P-dalga süresi ve P-dalga dispersiyonunu direkt (doğrudan) ve indirekt (dolaylı) olarak azaltır. Bu kalp yetmezliği olan hastalarda atriyal fibrilasyon görülme sıklığını azaltabilir.Objectives: Carvedilol therapy reduces the severity of the ventricular dysfunction, increases left ventricular ejection fraction and reduces the mortality and morbidity. However, the effect of carvedilol on P-wave dispersion and P-wave duration in patients with systolic heart failure is unknown. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of carvedilol therapy on P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion in patients with heart failure. Patients and Methods: Fifty-six patients with heart failure and a left ventricular ejection fraction less than 40% were prospectively included in the study. Carvedilol was administered in addition to standard therapy for heart failure. Clinical examination and radionuclide study and baseline maximum and minimum P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion measurements were performed for each patient at the beginning and at the end of the fourth month of carvedilol therapy. Results: Maximum P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion significantly decreased, left ventricular ejection fraction and NYHA functional class improved by carvedilol therapy (Maximum P-wave duration; from 126±9 ms to 120±7ms; p=0.001, P-wave dispersion; from 51±7 ms to 46±5 ms; p=0.001). Conclusion: Carvedilol therapy directly or indirectly reduces maximum P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion. This may lead to a reduction in the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure

Correlation between oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL) and oral disorders in a Turkish patient population

Objectives: The purpose of the present study is to determine the nature of the complaints that bring patients to our clinic and to what degree these complaints affect their quality of life (QoL). We also aimed to determine any associations between gender, education or harmful habits and each patient?s oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL). Methods: A total of 1090 patients, consisting of 651 females (59.7 %) and 439 males (40.3 %), were included in this study. Of these patients, 220 constituted healthy controls. Two patient-centered outcome measures, the 14 item OHIP-14 and the 16 item OHQoL-UK measures were used. Results: Most of the patients presented with toothache and caries (50.1 %), 11.2 % had suffered tooth loss and had denture needs, 9.2 % had periodontal problems, 1.8 % had temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, 3.8 % had buried third molars, 2.4 % had orthodontic and aesthetic disorders, 1.3 % had suffered injury due to trauma, and 20.2 % came only for control checkups. OHQoL was best in the control group and the worst in patients who had suffered trauma. In addition, we noted correlations between gender, education and harmful habits, and that of the patient?s oral health-related quality of life. Conclusion: According to our results, OHQoL is associated with the oral complaints of patients. Furthermore, OHQoL may not only be associated with the oral health status of patients, but factors such as gender, education and harmful habits may also play a role

Food impaction in older age: Think about an eosinophilic esophagitis

Eosinophilic esophagitis is an inflammatory condition of esophagus. It is generally seen in childhood and young population. Men are more commonly affected than women. However, it is not common in an advanced age. Eosinophilic esophagitis decreases the ability of the esophagus to stretch and accommodation against foods. Therefore, the major symptom in adults with eosinophilic esophagitis is difficulty in swallowing solid food (dysphagia). Specifically, the food gets stuck in the esophagus after it is swallowed. Less common symptoms include heartburn and chest pain. Because of this, it may be incorrectly diagnosed as a gastroesophageal reflux disease. Here, we reported a case presented with food impaction at advanced age. As a conclusion, eosinophilic esophagitis is a rare entity that must be remembered in advance aged patients presenting with food impaction

Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors and H2 Receptor Antagonists on the Ileum Motility

Objectives. To investigate the effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2 receptor antagonists on ileum motility in rats with peritonitis and compare changes with control group rats. Methods. Peritonitis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture in 8 rats. Another of 8 rats underwent a sham operation and were accepted as controls. Twenty-four hours later after the operation, the rats were killed, and their ileum smooth muscle was excised and placed in circular muscle direction in a 10 mL organ bath. Changes in amplitude and frequency of contractions were analyzed before and after PPIs and H2 receptor blockers. Results. PPI agents decreased the motility in a dose-dependent manner in ileum in both control and intraabdominal sepsis groups. While famotidine had no significant effect on ileum motility, ranitidine and nizatidine enhanced motility in ileum in both control and intraabdominal sepsis groups. This excitatory effect of H2 receptor antagonists and inhibitor effects of PPIs were significantly high in control group when compared to the peritonitis group. The inhibitor effect of pantoprazole on ileum motility was significantly higher than the other two PPI agents. Conclusions. It was concluded that H2 receptor antagonists may be more effective than PPIs for recovering the bowel motility in the intraabdominal sepsis situation