EFFECT OF COST LEADERSHIP STRATEGY ON PERFORMANCE BY KENYA SELECTED CAR RENTAL BUSINESS IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY,

Purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cost leadership strategyon performance of selected car rental business in Nairobi City County. Thisstudy was a cross-sectional descriptive study design where purposivesampling technique was used to select fifteen (15) car rental business inNairobi City County. Stratified and simple random sampling technique wasemployed in recruiting three categories of respondents. The three category ofstaff included, top level, middle level and bottom level management.Structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data which was thenanalyzed. Both descriptive and inferential statistics was used. The findings ofthe study revealed that cost leadership strategy was not statisticallysignificant in affecting the performance of Car hire firms in Nairobi CityCounty. Many of the car hire business in Nairobi City County charged sameas their competitor. Cost leadership strategy affected performance of carrental business in Nairobi City to a very large extend. This studyrecommends the need to evaluate other competitive strategies onperformance of car rental business in Nairobi City. This study findingsimplies that sustaining a cost leadership strategy an entrepreneur shouldbecome aware of the competitors offer and consider developing customerintimacy and focus on a narrow target market

Association between transient receptor potential melastatin genotypes and the prostate surface antigen levels in BPH patients

Background: Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) is a prevalent condition among older males, characterized by an enlarged prostate gland leading to lower urinary tract symptoms and impacting quality of life. Transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) genes regulate various physiological processes. Methods: We studied 194 BPH patients and 194 healthy controls, genotyping six selected TRPM gene SNPs. PSA levels were measured using the Cobas® e411 analyzer. Results: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were significantly higher in BPH patients (135.76±578.03 ng/mL) than in controls (2.01±1.09 ng/mL). TRPM2 (rs168355) and TRPM7 (rs2362295) genotypes were significantly associated with elevated PSA levels. The TRPM2 GG genotype was associated with decrease in the likelihood of severe PSA levels (OR=0.34, 95% CI: 0.12-0.96, P=0.034), while the TRPM7 CC genotype showed increased odds for severe PSA levels (OR=1.48, 95% CI: 1.08-3.56, P=0.041). Conclusions: Our findings suggest a potential link between TRPM gene variants and the severity of prostatic changes reflected in PSA secretions, indicating the need for further research to understand the underlying mechanisms and clinical implications

Selected genes of Human herpesvirus-8 associated Kaposi’s sarcoma among patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 and Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease Syndrome

Introduction: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a kind of cancer that causes flat or raised lesions containing Human herpes virus 8 (HHV8). The KS lesions are common among immunosuppressed HIV patients. Highly Active Antiretroviral (HHART) treats and prevents the development of KS. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of K1 and K15 (predominant alleles) genes in Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) among immunosuppressed patients due to HIV -1. Methods: this was a cross-sectional descriptive study where consecutive sampling technique was adopted to pick archived tissue blocks from the Thematic Unit of Anatomic Pathology, Department of Human Pathology, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi and Department of Laboratory Medicine, Histology Section, Kenyatta National Hospital Results: upon staining 81 tissue blocks with H & E, 84% (68/81) were diagnosed as KS and 16% (13/81) as KS-like. The K1 and K15 (P) genes were both detected at 88.9% (72/81) in the tissue blocks, with 95.8% (69/72) detection from KS and4.2% (3/72) from the KS-like. Conclusion: the K1 and K15 (P) genes of KSHV were present among the immunosuppressed patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1. It is important to carry out K1 and K15 (P) genes detection on tissues that are diagnosed as KS or KS-like by histology techniqu