İçsel Markalaşma Uygulamalarıyla Markanın Örgüt İçerisinde Tutundurulması: ARKAS Holding Örnek Olayı* ( Promoting Brand Within Organization Via Internal Branding: ARKAS Holding Case Study)

İçsel markalaşma; çalışanların, çalıştıkları işletmenin marka vaadini, marka değerini anlaması ve benimsemesi sonucunda, dış müşterilerin de markayı daha kolay benimseyeceğini savunmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, ülkemiz literatüründe yeterince ele alınmamış olan içsel markalaşma olgusunu teorik temeller ve uygulama aşamaları açısından açıklığa kavuşturmaktır. Çalışmada ilk olarak markalaşmanın önemine ve markalaşma sürecinde çalışanların rollerine değinilmiştir. Daha sonra içsel markalaşma kavramı, içsel markalaşma uygulamalarında kullanılan teknikler ve araçlar teorik olarak incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın uygulama bölümü için bir hizmet işletmesi olan Arkas Holding’in iki yöneticisiyle, Arkas Holding’deki içsel markalaşma uygulamalarıyla ilgili olarak derinlemesine görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Yapılan görüşmeler sonrasında elde edilen bulgular değerlendirildikten sonra Arkas Holding’de içsel markalaşmanın önemi, içsel markalaşma uygulamalarının nasıl gerçekleştiği, bu süreçte dikkat edilmesi gereken unsurlar ve karşılaşılan zorluklar ortaya konulmuştur. Internal branding supports the idea that external customers will internalize the brand more easily if employees understand and adopt the brand promise and brand values of the company which they work for. The aim of this study is to clarify internal branding phenomenon, which which has not been discussed enough in the Turkish literature, in terms of literature and application areas. Firstly the study has discussed the importance of branding process and the role of employees in this process. Then, the concept of internal branding, the technics and the tools whics are used for application of internal branding is examined theoretically. In the application part in-depth interviews were conducted with two managers of Arkas Holding about internal branding activities in Arkas Holding. After findings of in-depth interviews were examined the importance of internal branding activities, application process of internal branding, factors should be considered in and the difficulties occurred in internal branding process of Arkas Holding were discovered

Mutation Analysis of <em>BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2</em> and <em>BRD7</em> in a Hospital-Based Series of German Patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

<div><p>Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of breast carcinoma with a poor prognosis. Recent evidence suggests that some patients with TNBC harbour germ-line mutations in DNA repair genes which may render their tumours susceptible to novel therapies such as treatment with PARP inhibitors. In the present study, we have investigated a hospital-based series of 40 German patients with TNBC for the presence of germ-line mutations in <em>BRCA1</em>, <em>BRCA2</em>, <em>PALB2</em>, and <em>BRD7</em> genes. Microfluidic array PCR and next-generation sequencing was used for <em>BRCA1</em> and <em>BRCA2</em> analysis while conventional high-resolution melting and Sanger sequencing was applied to study the coding regions of <em>PALB2</em> and <em>BRD7</em>, respectively. Truncating mutations in <em>BRCA1</em> were found in six patients, and truncating mutations in <em>BRCA2</em> and <em>PALB2</em> were detected in one patient each, whereas no truncating mutation was identified in <em>BRD7</em>. One patient was a double heterozygote for the <em>PALB2</em> mutation, c.758insT, and a <em>BRCA1</em> mutation, c.927delA. Our results confirm in a hospital-based setting that a substantial proportion of German TNBC patients (17.5%) harbour germ-line mutations in genes involved in homology-directed DNA repair, with a preponderance of <em>BRCA1</em> mutations. Triple-negative breast cancer should be considered as an additional criterion for future genetic counselling and diagnostic sequencing.</p> </div

Early empiric antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients: results from the international VIRUS registry

Objectives: COVID-19 escalated inappropriate antibiotic use. We determined the distribution of pathogens causing community-acquired co-infections, the rate, and factors associated with early empiric antibiotic (EEAB) treatment among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods: The Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study (VIRUS) COVID-19 Registry including 68,428 patients from 28 countries enrolled between January 2020 and October 2021 were screened. After exclusions, 7830 patients were included in the analysis. Azithromycin and/or other antibiotic treatment given within the first 3 days of hospitalization was investigated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine factors associated with EEAB use. Results: The majority (6214, 79.4%) of patients received EEAB, with azithromycin combination being the most frequent (3146, 40.2%). As the pandemic advanced, the proportion of patients receiving EEAB regressed from 84.4% (786/931) in January-March 2020 to 65.2% (30/46) in April-June 2021 (P < 0.001). Beta-lactams, especially ceftriaxone was the most commonly used antibiotic. Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly isolated pathogen. Multivariate analysis showed geographical location and pandemic timeline as the strongest independent predictors of EEAB use. Conclusions: EEAB administration decreased as pandemic advanced, which may be the result of intensified antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Our study provides worldwide goals for antimicrobial stewardship programs in the post-COVID-19 era

Truncating mutations in <i>BRCA1</i>, <i>BRCA2</i> and <i>PALB2</i> among 40 TNBC patients.

<p>Truncating mutations in <i>BRCA1</i>, <i>BRCA2</i> and <i>PALB2</i> among 40 TNBC patients. Mutations were designated according to the improved mutation nomenclature recommended by the Human Genome Variation Society (<a href="http://www.hgvs.org/mutnomen/" target="_blank">www.hgvs.org/mutnomen/</a>). AD = age at diagnosis, BC = breast cancer, OC = ovarian cancer, IHC = immunohistochemistry, n.a. = not applicable.</p>*<p>BIC database as from Sep 29, 2010 (<a href="http://research.nhgri.nih.gov/projects/bic/Member/index.shtml" target="_blank">http://research.nhgri.nih.gov/projects/bic/Member/index.shtml</a>), accessed on July 10, 2012.</p

Double heterozygosity for <i>BRCA1</i> and <i>PALB2</i> mutations.

<p>A case with digenic mutations in <i>BRCA1</i> (left) and <i>PALB2</i> (right). Left: Heterozygosity for mutation c.927delA in exon 10 of the <i>BRCA1</i> gene. Right: Heterozygosity for mutation c.758insT in exon 4 of the <i>PALB2</i> gene. The sense strand is shown in both electropherograms.</p

Associations of breast cancer risk factors with tumor subtypes: a pooled analysis from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium studies.

BackgroundPrevious studies have suggested that breast cancer risk factors are associated with estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression status of the tumors.MethodsWe pooled tumor marker and epidemiological risk factor data from 35,568 invasive breast cancer case patients from 34 studies participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. Logistic regression models were used in case-case analyses to estimate associations between epidemiological risk factors and tumor subtypes, and case-control analyses to estimate associations between epidemiological risk factors and the risk of developing specific tumor subtypes in 12 population-based studies. All statistical tests were two-sided.ResultsIn case-case analyses, of the epidemiological risk factors examined, early age at menarche (≤12 years) was less frequent in case patients with PR(-) than PR(+) tumors (P = .001). Nulliparity (P = 3 × 10(-6)) and increasing age at first birth (P = 2 × 10(-9)) were less frequent in ER(-) than in ER(+) tumors. Obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) in younger women (≤50 years) was more frequent in ER(-)/PR(-) than in ER(+)/PR(+) tumors (P = 1 × 10(-7)), whereas obesity in older women (&gt;50 years) was less frequent in PR(-) than in PR(+) tumors (P = 6 × 10(-4)). The triple-negative (ER(-)/PR(-)/HER2(-)) or core basal phenotype (CBP; triple-negative and cytokeratins [CK]5/6(+) and/or epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR](+)) accounted for much of the heterogeneity in parity-related variables and BMI in younger women. Case-control analyses showed that nulliparity, increasing age at first birth, and obesity in younger women showed the expected associations with the risk of ER(+) or PR(+) tumors but not triple-negative (nulliparity vs parity, odds ratio [OR] = 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.75 to 1.19, P = .61; 5-year increase in age at first full-term birth, OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.86 to 1.05, P = .34; obesity in younger women, OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 0.95 to 1.94, P = .09) or CBP tumors.ConclusionsThis study shows that reproductive factors and BMI are most clearly associated with hormone receptor-positive tumors and suggest that triple-negative or CBP tumors may have distinct etiology