Advertisements And Different Types Of Promotions Used In Mobile Telephone: A Case Study On Maxis Communication Berhad

After briefly discussing some background on mobile marketing, the paper conceptualizes key characteristics for mobile marketing permission and acceptance. Finally key success factors for mobile marketing are discussed

Genetic structure and diversity of Adonis L. (Ranunculaceae) populations collected from Turkey by inter-primer binding site (iPBS) retrotransposon markers

The genus Adonis L. is a member of Ranunculaceae and consists of perennial and annual herbaceous plants included in the tribe Adonideae under the subfamily Ranunculoideae. Botanically, Ranunculaceae comprises vital medicinal plants. Molecular markers are one of the most effective tools for exploring genetic variation that can enhance breeding efficiency. To identify the genetic diversity of 62 Adonis ecotypes collected from different regions in Turkey, the interprimer binding site (iPBS) retrotransposon system was used. Of the 83 iPBS primers used, 10 provided sufficient polymorphic data, generating a total of 204 alleles. The number of iPBS bands per individual was 3.29, and the number of alleles per polymorphic locus ranged from 8 to 35, with an average of 20.30. The average polymorphism percentage was 99.50%, and polymorphic information content ranged from 0.16 to 0.39. The highest average number of alleles, Nei’s genetic diversity (h), and Shannon’s information index (I) were obtained from A. volgensis species (1.64, 0.39, and 0.58,respectively), whereas the lowest values (1.41, 0.29, and 0.46, respectively) were found in A. flammea species. The analysis of molecular variance revealed significant variance within the population (71%), whereas no significant genetic variation was observed among the different species (29%). Cluster analysis according to unweighted pair-group mean average (UPGMA) divided 62 Adonis ecotypes into four major clusters. According to the principal coordinate analysis, the first three principal coordinates accounted for 81.51% of total variation. Genetic structure analysis of the studied germplasm using the Bayesian method revealed four subpopulations with an average of 0.2634 for expected heterozygosity and 0.2154 for population differentiation measurements. The results of this study suggested that iPBS markers could be used in the identification of genetic diversity among the Adonis species

Effect of Symmetry Improvement in Weight Bearing on Postural Stability of Hemiparetic Patients

Objective: Impaired postural control has been known as the main cause of fall in hemiparesis after stroke. Is Asymmetry of weight bearing on lower limb is one of the prominent characteristics of postural imbalance in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of symmetry improvement in weight bearing through therapeutic interventions on postural stability in hemiparetic patients. Materials & Methods: In this quasi – experimental study which 27 hemiparetic patients were selected through sample of convenience by simple method from men and women who were referred to neurology clinic of Hazrat-e-Rasool hospital. For postural assessment patients stood quietly with open eyes and close eyes on force plates. Primary assessments included evaluation of asymmetry index (AI), RMS COP displacement (Root Mean Square of Center of Pressure) and RMS COP velocity in both frontal and sagital planes. Then a 10mm lift was inserted under the unaffected limb and primary assessments were repeated. Data were analyzed by repeated measure ANOVA test. Results: Simple main effect of lift on asymmetry index was significant (P<0/0001). There was no significant interaction between vision and lift. Simple main effect of lift on postural stability variables was also non significant (for RMS COP displacement in frontal and sagital planes P=0.186 and P=0.245, respectively and for RMS COP velocity P=0.259 and P=0.342 respectively). Conclusion: Inserting a lift can improve symmetry by shifting center of gravity to midline. Since symmetry improvement did not decrease postural instability, asymmetric weight bearing can not be the primary cause of postural instability and may not be the principal target of rehabilitation programs aiming at restoring standing balance after stroke

Evaluation of Tuberculosis Situation in Economic Cooperation Countries in 2009; Achievement and Gaps toward Millennium Development Goals

Background : Evaluating the tuberculosis (TB) status of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member countries relation to goal 6-c of the third millennium, which includes that TB incidence, prevalence, and death rates should be halved by 2015, compared with their level in 1990. Methods : In 2009, we have critically reviewed the countries′ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reports and extracted the data from the surveillance system and published and unpublished data. The main stakeholders, from both governmental and international organizations in the country have been visited and interviewed by the research team as part of the data validation process. Results : The TB incidence is very heterogeneous among ECO countries, which differ from 21.7 in Iran to 230.7 per 100,000 in Tajikistan. TB incidence (per 100,000) is more than 100 in six countries and is from 50 to 100 in two countries and is less than 30 in two countries. Only in two countries the crude death rate (CDR) is higher than 70%. In seven countries the death rate is higher than 10 per 100,000. Two countries are among the 20 top world countries with the highest tuberculosis burden. Conclusion : There are some signs and signals indicating the bad condition of an ECO member including: incidence of more than 50 per 100000, CDR of less than 70%, death rate more than 10 per 100,000, and rating two member countries among 20 top countries with the highest burden in the world. Iran and Turkey could achieve MDGs by 2015, but if other countries do not prepare urgent intervention programs, they will not be able to fulfill the goals

A Study on the Frequency and the Reasons for Cancellation of Surgical Operations in Khatam Hospital (Mashhad, Iran) in 2013

Introduction: Operations cancellation at the last minute is one of the main reasons of inefficiency and waste of resources in Hospitals. This study aims to investigate the reasons and the frequency of operations cancellations in Khatam-al-Anbia Eye Hospital (Mashhad-Iran) in 2013. Materials and Methods:In this descriptive and cross-sectional study, all canceled scheduled operations in 2013 in Khatam-al-Anbiya Eye Hospital were investigated and the data were recorded in a checklist. Study variables included: 1) the number of planned operations, 2) the number of canceled operations, 3) age, 4) gender and 5) the reason of operation cancellation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS16. Results: Of 16512 operations scheduled during 2013, 329 cases (1.99 percent) were canceled. The reason of cancellation was not mentioned in (28.6 percent) of cases. Other reasons of operations cancellation included, in the order of importance, high-risk underlying disease (22.5%),  medical advice ignorance  from the patient's behalf (10.6%), change in clinical status (7.9%), prolongation of previous operations (7%), patient’s dissatisfaction (5.8%), Patients' incomplete Nil Per Os (NPO) time (5.5%), inadequate equipment (4.6%), lack of lab tests and consultations (2.7%), diagnosis change (2.4%), surgeon's absence (1.8%), and incomplete admission documents (0.6%). Conclusion: In a high percentage of canceled cases, the reasons of operation cancellations had not been mentioned in the patient’s file. A significant portion of theses cancellations can be attributed to the patients' incomplete cooperation.  Cancellations can be significantly reduced through providing the patient with enough instructions and explanations

Assessment of area and structural irregularity of retinal layers in diabetic retinopathy using machine learning and image processing techniques

Abstract Diabetes retinopathy prevention necessitates early detection, monitoring, and treatment. Non-invasive optical coherence tomography (OCT) shows structural changes in the retinal layer. OCT image evaluation necessitates retinal layer segmentation. The ability of our automated retinal layer segmentation to distinguish between normal, non-proliferative (NPDR), and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) was investigated in this study using quantifiable biomarkers such as retina layer smoothness index (SI) and area (S) in horizontal and vertical OCT images for each zone (fovea, superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal). This research includes 84 eyes from 57 individuals. The study shows a significant difference in the Area (S) of inner nuclear layer (INL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) in the horizontal foveal zone across the three groups (p < 0.001). In the horizontal scan, there is a significant difference in the smoothness index (SI) of the inner plexiform layer (IPL) and the upper border of the outer plexiform layer (OPL) among three groups (p < 0.05). There is also a significant difference in the area (S) of the OPL in the foveal zone among the three groups (p = 0.003). The area (S) of the INL in the foveal region of horizontal slabs performed best for distinguishing diabetic patients (NPDR and PDR) from normal individuals, with an accuracy of 87.6%. The smoothness index (SI) of IPL in the nasal zone of horizontal foveal slabs was the most accurate at 97.2% in distinguishing PDR from NPDR. The smoothness index of the top border of the OPL in the nasal zone of horizontal slabs was 84.1% accurate in distinguishing NPDR from PDR. Smoothness index of IPL in the temporal zone of horizontal slabs was 89.8% accurate in identifying NPDR from PDR patients. In conclusion, optical coherence tomography can assess the smoothness index and irregularity of the inner and outer plexiform layers, particularly in the nasal and temporal regions of horizontal foveal slabs, to distinguish non-proliferative from proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The evolution of diabetic retinopathy throughout severity levels and its effects on retinal layer irregularity need more study

Air pollution during pregnancy and placental adaptation in the levels of global DNA methylation

<div><p>Background</p><p>Health in early life is crucial for health later in life. Exposure to air pollution during embryonic and early-life development can result in placental epigenetic modification and foetus reprogramming, which can influence disease susceptibility in later life. Objectives: The aim of this paper was to investigate the placental adaptation in the level of global DNA methylation and differential gene expression in the methylation cycle in new-borns exposed to high fine particulate matter in the foetal stage.</p><p>Study design</p><p>This is a nested case-control study. We enrolled pregnant healthy women attending prenatal care clinics in Tehran, Iran, who were residents of selected polluted and unpolluted regions, before the 14th week of pregnancy. We calculated the regional background levels of particle mass- particles with aerodynamics diameter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and 10 μm (PM10)—of two regions of interest. At the time of delivery, placental tissue was taken for gene expression and DNA methylation analyses. We also recorded birth outcomes (the new-born’s sex, birth date, birth weight and length, head and chest circumference, gestational age, Apgar score, and level of neonatal care required).</p><p>Results</p><p>As regards PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in different time windows of pregnancy, there were significantly independent positive correlations between PM10 and PM2.5 in the first trimester of all subjects and placental global DNA methylation levels (p-value = 0.01, p-value = 0.03, respectively). The gene expression analysis showed there was significant correlation between S-adenosylmethionine expression and PM2.5 (p = 0.003) and PM10 levels in the first trimester (p = 0.03).</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Our data showed prenatal exposures to air pollutants in the first trimester could influence placental adaptation by DNA methylation.</p></div

Correlation between fine particulate matter concentrations and RNA expression levels of <i>DNMT-1 α</i> and <i>SAMe</i>.

<p>Correlation between fine particulate matter concentrations and RNA expression levels of <i>DNMT-1 α</i> and <i>SAMe</i>.</p

Fine particulate matter levels in two regions; polluted and non-polluted.

<p>Fine particulate matter levels in two regions; polluted and non-polluted.</p