Analysis of survival data in thalassemia patients in Shiraz, Iran

OBJECTIVES: The survival rate of thalassemia patients has not been conclusively established, and the factors associated with survival remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the survival rate of thalassemia among patients in southern Iran and to identify the factors associated with mortality from thalassemia. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted based on a retrospective review of the medical records of 911 beta-thalassemia patients in 2014. Data analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 212 patients (23.3%) died, and 26.8% had thalassemia intermedia. The 20-year, 40-year, and 60-year survival rates were 85%, 63%, and 54%, respectively. Both crude and adjusted analyses found that education, marital status, ferritin levels, and comorbidities were related to mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic and hematological factors were found to be significantly associated with the survival rate of thalassemia. Addressing these factors may help healthcare providers and physicians to provide the best possible care and to improve the survival rate

Globalization, reflexivity and the project of the self : a virtual intercultural learning process

In this paper, we examine the consumption practices of young adult Iranians in the context of cultural globalization. Based on analysis of qualitative data collected through participatory observation, in-depth interviews and focus groups with 28 individuals in Tehran and Karaj, we demonstrate how, through its cultural flow (circulation of images, signs, products, etc.) globalization stimulates reflexivity in ‘an ongoing process of virtual intercultural learning’ through which people reconstitute their lives and change their everyday consumption practices and lifestyle choices. The key contribution of the study lies in the fact that it examines consumers’ subjective consumption experiences in a society where the traditional/institutional dynamics enforce their own values and ideal lifestyles on individuals

Exploring the role of social media in importing logics across social contexts : the case of IT SMEs in Iran

This paper explores the role of social media in importing logics across social contexts. It is based on an in-depth study of new high-tech small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and more established IT companies in Iran. We explore the process by which social media affordances interplay with forces of institutional entrepreneurship to create conditions for social change. More specifically we study the adoption in Iran of new business practices and models more commonly seen in other contexts, and relate this to the features of the platforms and the characteristics of a new generation of Iranian entrepreneurs. Drawing on institutional logics theory we conceptualize this process as one of transposition of logics in which dominant religious logics are challenged by market logics enabled by the mutual constitutional effects of human and material agencies. We suggest that three main mechanisms underpin this process: the discovery of practices from different institutional contexts, the appropriation of foreign practices, and the objectification of these practices. The study further contributes to the debate on the paradox of embedded agency and adds to the literature by providing a more integrated view of the role of social media in social change