The Social Media as a Tool of Marketing Communication: A Descriptive Study

تهدف هذه الدراسة الى اكتشاف دور استخدام شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي في تعزيز الاتصالات التسويقية في سلسلة متاجر كارفور في محافظة أربيل – العراق. شهدت السنوات الحالية بروز قنوات تواصل جديدة مثل فيسبوك، يوتيوب، وتويتر. ان بوابات التواصل هذه، تمكن الزبائن من أن يكون لها أدوار مرنة ومتفاعلة كمتحكمين بالسوق، فضلاً عن امكانية الوصول على مدار الساعة. ان وسائل التواصل الجديدة من شأنها ان تولد ضغوط كبيرة على شركات الاعمال فيما يتعلق بتأسيس نماذج الاعمال وتطبيق استراتيجيات الشركة. ان بيئة شبكات التواصل التسويقية تمثل أدوات مؤثرة لشركات الاعمال للوصول والاتصال وبناء علاقات قوية مع زبائنها. تم استخدام حزمة البرنامج الاحصائي SPSS-20  لتحليل البيانات واستخراج الاوساط الحسابية والتكرارات. تم التوصل الى مجموعة من الاستنتاجات، من أهمها ان شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي لها دور مهم في تعزيز الاتصالات التسويقية في سلسلة متاجر كارفور في أربيل.This study aims to discover the implication of social media in the enhancement of marketing communications in Carrefour chain stores in Erbil Province -Iraq. Current years have witnessed the rise of new media channels such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. These platforms allow consumers to take additional active flexible roles as market players and reach almost everyone anywhere and anytime. Also, the new media will put pressure of long established business models and company strategies, but in the same time it will provide plenty opportunities for growth through new adaptive strategies. Social media marketing domain represents a influential instrument for businesses to reach, connect and build strong relationships with their customers. Software package SPSS-20 has been used to analyze the data in order to run statistical tools like average, frequency analysis and chi square. Based on the analysis a conclusion has been drawn that use of social media will enhance marketing communications in Carrefour chain stores in Erbil

Polymorphisms of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase and susceptibility to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children

Background: Correlation between epigenetic factors and their effects on hematopoietic cells has led to a study of 2 common functional polymorphisms (C677T and A1298C) of 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) enzyme. The aim of this study was to assess the individual and/or combined roles of these 2 polymorphisms in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods: Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses, we studied the frequencies of the C677T and A1298C MTHFR genotypes in 103 pediatric ALL patients and 160 age-sex matched controls. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) of MTHFR genotypes to determine if 1 or both of these polymorphisms may be associated with childhood ALL. Results: The T allele frequency for MTHFR 677C>T was 22.2 and 18.45 in controls and cases, respectively. The C allele frequency for MTHFR 1298 A>C was 40.65 and 40.72 in controls and cases, respectively. The OR for MTHFR 677CT was 1.08 (95CI 0.58-1.95) and OR for MTHFR 677TT was 0.25 (95CI 0.05-10.24). The OR for MTHFR 1298 AC was 0.57 (0.95 CI 0.57-1.95) and for MTHFR CC was 0.96 (0.95 CI 0.37-2.45). The OR for the combined heterozygous status (677CT and 1298AC) was 1.08 (95 CI 0.41-2.82). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the MTHFR C677T and A1298C gene variants lack a major influence on the susceptibility for pediatric ALL. Another result was that the C allele frequency for MTHFR 1298 A>C was significantly higher than those reported for most Asian and European populations. The C677T prevalence seems to be similar to those reported in most Asian populations. © 2011 by The American Society for Clinical Pathology

The Founder Effect? -FXIII Deficiency in Southeast Iran: A Molecular Study Report

Background: Congenital factor XIII (FXIII) deficiency is an extremely rare bleeding disorder (RBD) with different clinical coagulation disorders and great impacts on the perioperative patient outcome. Its prevalence in Southeast Iran is approximately 4,000 times higher than the worldwide prevalence, with Trp187Arg (c.559T> C as the only causative mutation of FXIIID there. We investigated the founder effect of rs1742924, rs4960181, rs3778360 and rs4142290 using haplotype analysis to define the genetic phenomenon in this geographic region. Materials and Methods: In a case-control study, 10 patients with FXIIID and 10 healthy individuals were assessed. Initially, Trp187Arg (c.559T> C) mutation was assessed in all study populations using a PCR-RFLP technique, then haplotype analysis was performed by assessing rs1742924, rs4960181, rs3778360 and rs4142290 polymorphisms. Data were analyzed using a two-proportion z-test. Results: All patients were homozygote for Trp187Arg (c.559T>C), and this mutation was not observed in any form of homozygote or heterozygote in the control group. Polymorphisms in rs1742924, rs4960181, and rs377836 were homozygote (TT, GG, GG, respectively) and T, G, and G alleles distribution in cases and controls with significant difference (P<0.001, P<0.001, and P=0.01 respectively). Rs4142290 polymorphism showed no significant difference between patients and controls (P=0.3). Two types of haplotypes were observed in the case group, and haplotype number 1* was observed among 90% of them, while not observed in the control group. Conclusion: It seems that founder effectors of haplotype number *1 have more antiquity versus other haplotypes, and probably founder effect is responsible for this high prevalence of FXIIID in the southeast of Iran

miR-101 sensitizes K562 cell line to imatinib through Jak2 downregulation and inhibition of NF-κB target genes

Imatinib mesylate (IM) is a frontline treatment in the early chronic phase of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, intrinsic and acquired resistance against this drug has been defined and this issue has become a problem and a challenge in CML treatment. According to new findings, the inhibition of Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) in Bcr�Abl+ cells can promote apoptosis in IM-resistant cells. microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the gene expression by targeting the messenger RNA (mRNA) for degradation. Recently, a growing body of evidence has implicated that dysregulation of miRNAs is associated with cancer initiation and development. In this report, we proposed that miRNA-101 targets Jak2 mRNA and regulates its expression and induces K562 leukemia cell apoptosis. Here, we transduced the K562 cell line with a miR-101-overexpressing vector and evaluated the Jak2 mRNA level. Our results showed that miR-101 overexpression in Bcr�Abl+ cells reduced the Jak2 mRNA level. Moreover, imatinib treatment and miR-101 upregulation led to miR-23a overexpression, which has putative binding site(s) on 3�-untranslated regions (3�-UTRs) of STAT5, CCND1, and Bcl-2 genes. Our results also indicated that miR-101 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation indicated by the MTT assay and promoted apoptosis detected via flow cytometry. Importantly, mRNA expression of NF-kappa B-regulated anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, MCL-1, XIAP, and survivin) and proliferative (c-Myc and CCND1) genes was decreased. These findings suggest that miR-101 acts as a tumor suppressor by downregulating Jak2 expression and sensitizing K562 cells to imatinib. Therefore, restoration of miR-101 may be a therapeutic approach for CML treatment. © 2016, International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers (ISOBM)

Epigenetic changes in FOXO3 and CHEK2 genes and their correlation with clinicopathological findings in myelodysplastic syndromes

Objectives/background: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are a heterogeneous disease in terms of clinical course and response to therapy. Epigenetic changes are the primary mechanism of MDS pathogenesis. FOXO3 and CHEK2 genes play significant roles in normal cellular mechanisms and are also known as tumor suppressor genes. We aimed to clarify the correlation of epigenetic changes in these genes with clinicopathologic findings in MDS. Methods: A total of 54 newly diagnosed MDS patients referred to Shariati and Firouzgar Hospitals (Tehran, Iran) were included in the study from 2013 to 2015, comprising the following cases: 26 with refractory cytopenia with unilineage dysplasia, 10 with refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia, four refractory anemia with excess blasts-1 (RAEB-1), 11 refractory anemia with excess blasts-2 (RAEB-2), and three MDS associated with isolated deletion (5q-). Risk groups were determined according to the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R). The methylation status of CHEK2 and FOXO3 promoters were determined by methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting analysis of sodium bisulfite-converted DNA. Expressions of CHEK2, FOXO3, and GAPDH were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and fold changes were calculated using the ��CT method. Results: Statistical analysis revealed no promoter methylation of CHEK2 and FOXO3 in healthy control specimens. FOXO3 promoter methylation was associated with high-risk World Health Organization subgroups (p = .017), high-risk IPSS-R (p = .007), high-risk cytogenetics (p = .045), and more than 5 blasts in bone marrow (p = .001). CHEK2 promoter methylation was correlated with more than 5 blasts in bone marrow (p = .009). Conclusions: Promoter methylation of CHEK2 and especially FOXO3 is associated with adverse clinicopathological findings and disease progression in MDS. © 2020 King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centr

Frequency of CYP1A1*2C polymorphism in patients with leukemia in the Iranian population

Background: CYP1A1, a member of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, plays a very important role in metabolizing carcinogens. The aim of this case-control study was to detect the frequency of CYP1A1*2C polymorphism in Iranian leukemic patients and determine the role of this allele's variants, if any, as a risk factor for developing leukemia. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), 105 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 95 healthy volunteers as the adult control group, 85 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and 94 healthy children as the children control group were studied. Genomic DNA was assayed for restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in the CYP1A1*2C loci by amplification followed by digestion with BsrDI. Results: The frequencies of AA genotype (wild) were 82.05, 62.85, 84.70, 85.10, and 80 in CML, AML, ALL, the children control group, and the adult control group, respectively. The frequencies of AG genotype (heterogeneous) were 17.95, 36.20, 15.30, 14.90, and 18.95 in CML, AML, ALL, the children control group, and the adult control group, respectively. The frequencies of GG genotype (mutant) were 0.95 and 1.05 in AML and the adult control groups respectively; whereas, it was not observed in CML, ALL, or the children control group. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant correlation between the CYP1A1*2C polymorphism AG and AML patients (OR=2.4, 95 CI=1.3-4.7, P>0.05). Conclusion: A higher frequency of CYP1A1*2C, observed in AML patients, compared with the adult control group indicates an increased risk for AML in individuals carrying the heterozygote allele CYP1A1*2C. However, the results did not show any association between CYP1A1*2C genotypes and risk of ALL or CML. © 2011 by The American Society for Clinical Pathology

Influence Diffusion in Social Networks under Time Window Constraints

We study a combinatorial model of the spread of influence in networks that generalizes existing schemata recently proposed in the literature. In our model, agents change behaviors/opinions on the basis of information collected from their neighbors in a time interval of bounded size whereas agents are assumed to have unbounded memory in previously studied scenarios. In our mathematical framework, one is given a network $G=(V,E)$, an integer value $t(v)$ for each node $v\in V$, and a time window size $\lambda$. The goal is to determine a small set of nodes (target set) that influences the whole graph. The spread of influence proceeds in rounds as follows: initially all nodes in the target set are influenced; subsequently, in each round, any uninfluenced node $v$ becomes influenced if the number of its neighbors that have been influenced in the previous $\lambda$ rounds is greater than or equal to $t(v)$. We prove that the problem of finding a minimum cardinality target set that influences the whole network $G$ is hard to approximate within a polylogarithmic factor. On the positive side, we design exact polynomial time algorithms for paths, rings, trees, and complete graphs.Comment: An extended abstract of a preliminary version of this paper appeared in: Proceedings of 20th International Colloquium on Structural Information and Communication Complexity (Sirocco 2013), Lectures Notes in Computer Science vol. 8179, T. Moscibroda and A.A. Rescigno (Eds.), pp. 141-152, 201

Prognostic impact of systemic inflammatory diseases in elderly patients with congestive heart failure

Background and aims: Inflammation is part of the pathophysiology of congestive heart failure (CHF). However, little is known about the impact of the presence of systemic inflammatory disease (SID), defined as inflammatory syndrome with constitutional symptoms and involvement of at least two organs as co-morbidity on the clinical course and prognosis of patients with CHF. Methods and results: This is an analysis of all 622 patients included in TIME-CHF. After an 18 months follow-up, outcomes of patients with and without SID were compared. Primary endpoint was all-cause hospitalization free survival. Secondary endpoints were overall survival and CHF hospitalization free survival. At baseline, 38 patients had history of SID (6.1%). These patients had higher N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide and worse renal function than patients without SID. SID was a risk factor for adverse outcome [primary endpoint: hazard ratio (HR) = 1.73 (95% confidence interval: 1.18-2.55, P = 0.005); survival: HR = 2.60 (1.49-4.55, P = 0.001); CHF hospitalization free survival: HR = 2.3 (1.45-3.65, P < 0.001)]. In multivariate models, SID remained the strongest independent risk factor for survival and CHF hospitalization free survival. Conclusions: In elderly patients with CHF, SID is independently accompanied with adverse outcome. Given the increasing prevalence of SID in the elderly population, these findings are clinically important for both risk stratification and patient managemen

Carbon Fibers Coated with Ternary Ni-Co-Se Alloy Particles as Low-cost Counter Electrode for Flexible Dye Sensitized Solar Cell

Compared to flat devices based on rigid substrates, cable-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells hold advantages of smaller size, light weight, facile fabrication, flexibility, and low cost, thus a promising direction for applications such as wearable electronic devices. However, most reported fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells use Pt wires as counter electrodes, which are high in cost. Herein, a flexible Pt-free counter electrode is fabricated via depositing ternary nickel cobalt selenide (Ni–Co–Se) particles on the surface of carbon fibers. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction are used to characterize the counter electrode and alloy material. Results from bare and modified carbon fiber counter electrodes reveal that Ni–Co–Se alloy particles greatly enhance electrocatalytic activity, leading to significant improvement in power conversion efficiency, which is comparable with devices using carbon fiber coated with Pt as the counter electrode. The performance increase may be attributed to the improved catalytic property of CoSe2 due to its higher composition ratio and larger crystallite size. Bending and multiple irradiation cycling tests are also performed to show the superior flexibility and durability of the novel device

Improved Irritative Voiding Symptoms 3 Years after Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Background: Irritative voiding symptoms are common in elderly men and following prostate radiotherapy. The impact of hypofractionated treatment on irritative voiding symptoms has not been determined. This study sought to evaluate urgency, frequency and nocturia following SBRT for prostate cancer. Methods: Patients treated with SBRT monotherapy for localized prostate cancer from August 2007 to July 2011 at Georgetown University Hospital were included in this study. Treatment was delivered using the CyberKnife® with doses of 35 Gy-36.25 Gy in 5 fractions. Patient-reported urinary symptoms were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) before treatment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months post-treatment and every 6 months thereafter.Results: 204 patients at a median age of 69 years received SBRT with a median follow-up of 4.8 years. Prior to treatment, 50.0% of patients reported moderate to severe lower urinary track symptoms and 17.7% felt that urinary frequency was a moderate to big problem. The mean prostate volume was 39 cc and 8% had prior procedures for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A mean baseline IPSS-irritative score of 4.8 significantly increased to 6.5 at 1 month (p 8) at baseline, the mean IPSS-I decreased from a baseline score of 6.8 to 4.9 at three years post-SBRT. This decrease was both statistically (p < 0.0001) and clinically significant (MID = 1.45). Only 14.6% of patients felt that urinary frequency was a moderate to big problem at three years post-SBRT (p = 0.23).Conclusions: Treatment of prostate cance