Consumers‘ Intention to Adopt Mobile Marketing in Rural Areas. The Case of South Region in Unguja

The explosive use of mobile phones facilitates the introduction of different mobile app services which become an essential part of daily life. This forces the business vendors to place individually targeted marketing messages through mobile phones to ensure easy access to the service since the mobile phone is in the hands of owner all the day long. Most of the studies in mobile marketing adoption focused on urban and university consumers. This study aims to investigate the perception of consumers in rural areas on their intention to adopt mobile phone applications such as mobile marketing. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect data through self-administered questionnaires to consumers in two villages in the South district of Unguja. Confirmatory factor analysis and Structural Equation modeling were used to test the relationship of the constructs on the extended TAM model. The results show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and facilitating conditions were the significant determinants of behavioral intention to adopt mobile marketing to consumers of rural areas. The Implications and limitations of the research were discussed

Consumers‘ Intention to Adopt Mobile Marketing in Rural Areas. The Case of South Region in Unguja

The explosive use of mobile phones facilitates the introduction of different mobile app services which become an essential part of daily life. This forces the business vendors to place individually targeted marketing messages through mobile phones to ensure easy access to the service since the mobile phone is in the hands of owner all the day long. Most of the studies in mobile marketing adoption focused on urban and university consumers. This study aims to investigate the perception of consumers in rural areas on their intention to adopt mobile phone applications such as mobile marketing. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect data through self-administered questionnaires to consumers in two villages in the South district of Unguja. Confirmatory factor analysis and Structural Equation modeling were used to test the relationship of the constructs on the extended TAM model. The results show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and facilitating conditions were the significant determinants of behavioral intention to adopt mobile marketing to consumers of rural areas. The Implications and limitations of the research were discussed

Expression levels of aldose reductase enzyme, vascular endothelial growth factor, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in the anterior lens capsule of diabetic cataract patients

Purpose: To compare the levels of aldose reductase (ALR) enzyme, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the anterior lens capsule of diabetic versus nondiabetic patients. Setting: Alexandria Main University Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt. Design: Prospective case-control study. Methods: The study enrolled patients undergoing cataract extraction and divided them into 3 groups: eyes that had proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), eyes that had nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), and nondiabetic eyes. The anterior lens capsules were obtained by performing femtosecond laser–assisted capsulorhexis. Concentrations of ALR, ICAM-1, and VEGF in the lens capsule specimens were measured using human enzyme–linked immunosorbent assay. Results: This study comprised 200 patients (200 eyes); 51 eyes had PDR, 49 eyes had NPDR, and 100 eyes were nondiabetic. The mean ALR, ICAM-1, and VEGF levels in the anterior capsule of diabetic group were 2.84 nanogram (ng)/mL ± 0.51 (SD), 87.73 ± 22.84 picogram (pg)/mL, and 75.53 ± 14.95 pg/mL, respectively; whereas, in the nondiabetic group, they were 1.44 ± 0.17 ng/mL, 35.45 ± 2.8 pg/mL, and 33.55 ± 5.47 pg/mL, respectively. In comparing the concentrations of these mediators, both the PDR and NPDR groups had significantly higher levels compared with the nondiabetic eyes (P < .001). In addition, eyes with PDR had significantly higher levels of these mediators than eyes with NPDR (P < .001). Conclusion: The concentrations of ALR, ICAM-1, and VEGF in the anterior lens capsule of diabetic patients are significantly higher than those of nondiabetics. A significantly higher level of 3 mediators in eyes with PDR compared with those with NPDR might allow the use of them as a biomarker for severity of diabetic retinopathy.Dr. Piñero has been supported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness of Spain within the program Ramón y Cajal, RYC-2016-20471

Chemical profiling and biological screening with potential anti-inflammatory activity of Callisia fragrans grown in Egypt

The ethanolic extract of Callisia fragrans aerial parts showed a significant strong in&nbsp;vivo anti-inflammatory and in&nbsp;vitro antioxidant activities with a high in&nbsp;vivo gastrointestinal safety profile and a very low in&nbsp;vitro cytotoxicity on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with an IC50 &gt; 1000 μg/ml. The alcoholic extract of C. fragrans has been analysed by HPLC coupled to multiple-stage Linear Ion-Trap and Orbitrap High-Resolution mass spectrometry in negative electrospray ionisation mode (LC-ESI/LTQOrbitrap/MS/MSn). By this approach, it was possible to putatively identify 13 compounds, mainly organic acids, flavonoids, one steroid and one hydroxy-coumarin. Luteolin 6-C-glucopyranosyl-7-O-glucopyranoside, luteolin-8-C-glucopyranosyl-7-O-rhamnopyranoside, luteolin-6-C-glucoside and isoorientin 7-O-[6''-feruloyl]-glucoside were detected for the first time in C. fragrans and family Commelinaceae. (Figure presented.)

MEMANTINE, AS A P-GLYCOPROTEIN EXPRESSION MODULATOR, ENHANCES LEVETIRACETAM THERAPEUTIC RESPONSE IN EPILEPTIC PATIENTS

Objective: The principal aim of the present study was to assess the importance of multidrug transporter; P-glycoprotein (P-gp) as a potential therapeutic target in patients with epilepsy. Can P-gp transporter expression modulation by memantine add to the standard antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) response? Methods: A cohort of 56 epilepsy patients was included in a 4 monthly visits prospective study. Patients were on levetiracetam (LEV) 1000 mg/ day alone or combined with other AEDs. They were randomly assigned into two groups; LEV only group including LEV-treated patients and LEV + memantine group including patients on LEV with add-on oral memantine 10 mg/day until the end of the study. During monthly follow-up visits, therapeutic responses were evaluated for each patient by recording the monthly seizures frequency. Blood samples were drawn from every patient twice (on the first and last visits) for assessment of P-gp mRNA expression level. Results: Fifty patients completed the study. At the end of 4th month, LEV only group showed a non-significant decrease in P-gp expression and seizure frequency compared to the 1st month, whereas, in LEV + memantine group, P-gp expression was significantly reduced and associated with significant seizure control. Conclusion: Memantine by hindering P-gp overexpression was apt to enhance LEV efficacy and exhibit a better seizure control

Towards safer anti-inflammatory therapy: synthesis of new thymol–pyrazole hybrids as dual COX-2/5-LOX inhibitors

New thymol − 1,5-disubstitutedpyrazole hybrids were synthesised as dual COX-2/5-LOX inhibitors. Compounds 8b, 8g, 8c, and 4a displayed in vitro inhibitory activity against COX-2 (IC50 = 0.043, 0.045, 0.063, and 0.068 µM) nearly equal to celecoxib (IC50 = 0.045 µM) with high SI (316, 268, 204, and 151, respectively) comparable to celecoxib (327). All target compounds, 4a–c and 8a–i, showed in vitro 5-LOX inhibitory activity higher than reference quercetin. Besides, they possessed in vivo inhibition of formalin-induced paw oedema higher than celecoxib. In addition, compounds 4a, 4b, 8b, and 8g showed superior gastrointestinal safety profile (no ulceration) as celecoxib and diclofenac sodium in the population of fasted rats. In conclusion, compounds 4a, 8b, and 8g achieved the target goal. They elicited in vitro dual inhibition of COX-2/5-LOX higher than celecoxib and quercetin, in vivo potent anti-inflammatory activity higher than celecoxib and in vivo superior gastrointestinal safety profile (no ulceration) as celecoxib. </p