Mediating Role of New Product Performance in CRM Process and Company Performance

This study is an attempt to find the mediating role of New Product Performance in CRM and Company Performance, in the manufacturing organizations of Pakistan. The CRM processes in the context of New Product Development described hypotheses for the additional research in order to increase the Company Performance. Data were collected from 233 respondents from seventeen randomly selected manufacturing organizations in Pakistan. The Pearson's correlation coefficient for Company Performance focused a strong and positive relationship of all variables. Models for the direct and indirect effects of company performance are examined for similarities and differences in perceptions. The result is conferred with detailed arguments about the role of Customer Relationship Management in new product performance are quiet influential in Company Performance. Thus, new product performance is an important mediator of the CRM processes-company performance link. Keywords: Customer relationship management, New product development, New product performance, Pakistan

Effects of Self-leadership, Knowledge Management and Culture on Creativity

Creativity and innovation are two important factors that organizations adopt to make themselves successfulor to adapt change. The area of creativity and innovation has been attracting the attention of managers andentrepreneurs since last decade. This area is still unexplored in Pakistan and needs research efforts todevelop better understanding on both individual and firm level creativity and innovation. This is anempirical study analyzing the effects of self-leadership, knowledge management (KM) and organizationalculture on creativity. Data were collected from 227 manufacturing organizations in Pakistan. Multipleregression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that creativity is predicted outcome ofself-leadership and knowledge management (KM). Moreover, self-leadership fully mediated the effect ofculture on creativity.Keywords: Knowledge Management, Creativity, Self-leadership, Pakistan, Cultur

A meta-analysis and experimental data for multidrug resistance genes in breast cancer

Background: Increasing trend of breast cancer incidence worldwide is a known fact. This curable disease may become fatal if drug resistance is developed leading to metastatic cancerous tissue. Objective: This is a two parts study; a meta-analysis exploring association of drug resistance (mdr1 and ABCG2) genes with breast cancer and mutational association with molecular subtypes of cancer. Methods: PCR-SSCP for genomic polymorphisms and RT-PCR for expression analysis were performed. Results: C3435T polymorphism of mdr1 gene was most commonly studied mutation with contradictory results. Association of ABCG2 gene mutations with untreated breast cancer was reported only by one study so far. Regarding current genomic analysis of mdr1 gene, three novel mutations were found in exon 12 and 2 mutations were found in exon 26. In ABCG2 gene, addition of C and T were found in intron 8 at the intron-exon junction. A positive correlation was observed between these mutations and tumor grade. Levels of mRNA expression revealed that they were over expressed in cancerous tissues compared with controls. Conclusion: These findings suggest that these genes are associated with breast cancer. Keywords: Expression; mutations; mdr1; ABCG2; breast cancer

Factors Affecting Company Performance and New Product Performance

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a key factor that affects company performance and acting as back-bone for companies in 21st Century. CRM helps an organization to improve not only its existing products, services and procedures but also enables it to develop better and novel new products. However, the antecedents of CRM have only been explored in the context of existing products but CRM's potential to support in future new product development (NPD) has been ignored. The aim of this paper is to develop and test a model for factors affecting company performance and new product performance. This study develops a theoretical framework with multiple aspects of CRM having links with new product performance and company performance. The results from the analysis of 233 responses suggest that when a firm employs more of its CRM processes in an NPD context, the higher is firm's new product performance. On the other hand, data does not support for any significant influence of CRM technology on new product development and new product performance. In addition to this, the application of CRM reward systems does not play a facilitating role in new product performance

Threshold primary tumour sizes for nodal and distant metastases in papillary and follicular thyroid cancers.

Abstract BACKGROUND: In papillary and follicular thyroid cancers (PTC, FTC), nodal and distant metastasis are generally considered important determinants of recurrence and survival, respectively. However, there is no consensus about the threshold primarytumour size (PTS) for these determinants. The aim of this study was to assess size relationships for developing nodal, pulmonary, bone and overall distant metastases. METHODS: This prospective study covered 139 (93 females and 46 males) consecutive biopsy proven patients with PTC (114/139, mean age 41.0 ± 15.7 years, M: F, 35%:65%) and FTC (25/139, mean age 39.2 ± 14.3 years, M: F: 24%:76%). RESULTS: Average primary tumor size was 23.4 ± 11.1 mm and 26.5 ± 13.1 mm for PTC and FTC respectively (p value=0.223). Nodal metastasis was found more common in PTC than FTC (49% vs 28%, p value \u3c0.05), whereas overall distant metastasis was approximately the same (13% and 24%, p value =0.277); however, bone metastasis was significantly higher in FTC than PTC (24% vs 5%, p value \u3c0.05). Cumulative risk for nodal and distant metastases for FTC and PTC starts at PTS \u3c20 mm and may indicate an unusual aggressive tumor behavior in the studied population. Highest cumulative risk for nodal and pulmonary metastases in PTC and for bone metastasis in FTC was found to be ≥ 50 mm PTS. CONCLUSION: We conclude that a PTS of \u3c20 mm may indicate an unusual aggressive tumor behavior with highest cumulative risk for nodal and pulmonary metastases in PTC and for bone metastasis in FTC with a cutoff of ≥ 50 mm

Mutational analysis of xenobiotic metabolizing genes (CYP1A1 and GSTP1) in sporadic head and neck cancer patients

CYP1A1 is the phase I enzyme that detoxifies the carcinogen or converts it into a more electrophilic form, metabolized by phase II enzymes like GSTP1. These detoxifying genes have been extensively studied in association with head and neck cancer (HNC) in different ethnic groups worldwide. The current study was aimed at screening genetic polymorphisms of genes CYP1A1 and GSTP1 in 388 Pakistani HNC patients and 150 cancer-free healthy controls, using PCR-SSCP. No already known variants of either gene were found, however a novel frameshift mutation due to insertion of T (g.2842_2843insT) was observed in the CYP1A1 gene. A statistically significant number (5.4%) of HNC cases, with the mean age of 51.75 (±15.7) years, presented this frameshift mutation in the conserved domain of CYP1A1. Another novel substitution mutation in was found in the GSTP1 gene, presenting TA instead of AG. The g.2848A > T polymorphism causes a leucine-to-leucine formation, whereas g.2849G > A causes alanine-to-threonine formation at amino acid positions 166 and 167, respectively. These exonic mutations were found in 9.5% of the HNC patients and in none of the controls. In addition, two intronic deletions of C (g.1074delC and g.1466delC) were also found in 11 patients with a mean age of 46.2 (±15.6) years. In conclusion, accumulation of mutations in genes CYP1A1 and GSTP1 appears to be associated with increased risk of developing HNC, suggesting that mutations in these genes may play a role in the etiology of head and neck cancer

Red flag symptoms: detailed account of clinicopathological features in young-onset colorectal cancer

Background/Aims: Colorectal cancer has long been considered disease of the West, typically occurring in old age; however, the incidence is rising in Asia. The pattern of disease is quite different in Asia, occurring at a younger age and at an advanced stage. Recognition of disease at an early stage is still a challenge for physicians. Few data are available regarding young-onset colorectal cancer in Pakistan. We conducted this study to fill this gap and provide deeper insight into clinical symptoms and histopathological features of young-onset colorectal cancer.Methods: We collected data regarding clinical features by directly interviewing patients and obtaining histopathological data from hospital records. Patients aged less than 50 years were included in the study. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 20.0.Results: Results in 105 patients showed mean age at diagnosis was 35.90±9.39, with male predominance; the majority of patients had no family history of colorectal cancer. Most patients had left-sided tumors with advance stage and intermediate grade (grade 2). Mucinous histology was common. Rectal bleeding was the first symptom for left-sided tumors, whereas most of the right-sided lesions presented with sudden obstruction.Conclusions: Painless rectal bleeding in the early thirties should alert physicians to advise appropriate investigation, as the majority of young-onset colorectal cancer patients develop painless bleeding 2 to 3 years before appearance of other symptoms

Possible association of a distinct combined Glutathione-S-transferase members with allergic asthma patients in Pakistan

Allergic asthma is a diverse chronic respiratory disease characterized by the inflammation of the lower airway disease affecting many people around the world with rising morbidity and mortality. Association between asthma and certain demographic features was studied in relation to genotype from 244 allergic individuals of local population. Skin prick test was used to confirm asthma. Genetic polymorphism in Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) was studied using multiplex PCR based method and IgE level by ELISA. Pollen and dust were the major causative aeroallergens (26%), which were associated to higher IgE levels (P < 0.05). Smoking was found to be significantly associated with asthma in only males (P = 0.004). A low prevalence of null genotype of both GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes was observed in the patients (4.34%) compared to control group (14%). No association of combined GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotype was found with the asthma in local population. GSTM1+ and GSTT− genotype had higher risk (OR = 1.3681, P = 0.001) for development of asthma. There was a significant association of asthma with combined genotype of GSTM1+ and GSTT− when data was analyzed on gender basis in males (P = 0.006) and highly significant in age range of 26–40 years (P = 0.001). Combined GSTM+ and GSTT− genotype was found to be risk factor for asthma in addition to family history in male patients. However a data with large patient size and different ethnic distribution may reveal the exact etiology