Author Archives: Jihan Jihan

The ketogenic diet (KD) shifts body metabolism away from carbohydrates toward fat and ketone bodies. Many overweight individuals suffer from insulin resistance and other symptoms of prediabetes in the world. Thus, this study aims to investigate the safety of KD and its adverse actions on prediabetic overweight and obese individuals. In this case-control study, fifty-eight overweight and obese individuals were divided into prediabetes and control groups based on their Homeostasis Model Assessment-estimated Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) values. Both groups performed KD for 3 months. During this period, blood ketone bodies were monitored weekly, and Fasting blood Sugar (FBS), lipid profile, Creatinine, urea, uric acid, Blood nitrogen urea (BUN), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), C peptide level, oxidative stress, and interleukin 10 (IL10) were analysed before and after the intervention. BMI and FBS reduced significantly after the KD for both groups. However, both groups increased significantly triglyceride (TG), Creatinine, urea, uric acid, and BUN (Blood nitrogen urea). While the cholesterol and interleukin 10 (IL10) were elevated in the control group.  In the other hand HDL (High density lipoprotein), NO (nitric oxide) and MDA (Malondialdehyde) were significantly rised but LDL (Lower density lipoprotein) was reduced in prediabetes group after KD.as well C peptide increased significantly in prediabetes group. Also, KD has a significant effect on HOMA-IR and HOMA-S% on both groups but HOMA-B% shows a significant effect only  in prediabetes group.

The study reveals that KD is helpful for weight reduction, but also it has a positive effect on reducing insulin resistance in prediabetic individuals.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the deadliest tumor’s due to its competence to invade and metastasize. Multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations are implicated in gastric carcinogenesis. In addition, this disease is mostly diagnosed at a late stage. The DNA repair gene x-ray repair cross-complementing protein (XRCC1), Cytokine Interleukin-8 (IL-8) gene, and anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2) gene perform a crucial role in the development and progression of GC. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of these target genes in GC patients in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRG). Gastric cancer tissues were taken from 29 patients that were diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma that underwent gastric resection and 21 tissue samples were taken from healthy patients that underwent
gastroscopy. The gastric tissues were collected in different hospitals in Erbil- and Sulaymaniyah city in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and stored at -80 ֯C for molecular purposes. Data regarding the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, age, and gender of the gastric patients with their stage of the disease were recorded and analyzed using GraphPad Prism. The gene expression levels of XRCC1, IL8, and Bcl-2 from gastric tissue were studied by quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR). The result showed that H. pylori infection was equally distributed among males and females in the tissues of gastric patients, while most of the H.pylori-negative patients were females. It is also found that gastric patients between 30-60 years old were more commonly positive tested for the H. pylori test. Furthermore, in this study patients diagnosed with gastric inflammation were more often tested positive for H. pylori, while patients diagnosed with gastric cancer were all negative tested for this infection. Additionally, it was found that the target genes (XRCC1, IL-8, and Bcl-2) were significantly upregulated in GC patients compared to the healthy group. Taking together, our result revealed that XRCC1, IL-8, and Bcl-2 were upregulated in gastric cancer patients compared to the healthy control group. This may indicate that these target genes could play role in gastric carcinogenesis and therefore, targeting XRCC1, IL-8, and Bcl-2 genes might be an interesting field and promising strategy for cancer treatment. 

Abstract
The Role Of Strategic Planning For Human Resources In Improving
Marketing Performance: An Exploratory Study Of The Opinions Of A
Sample Of Employees Of Some Furniture Companies In The City Of Erbil
The current study aims at analyzing the correlation and the role of strategic planning for human resources for research furniture companies, represented by its dimensions: formulation of the strategic plan, implementation of the strategic plan, and evaluation of the strategic plan for human resources in the dimensions of marketing performance represented by market share, customer satisfaction, and
sales .The general framework of the study represents the problem of the study, which identified, with its effects, several questions about the nature of the correlation, impact and variance between the independent variable strategic planning for human resources and the dependent variable approved and marketing performance, and among the most prominent of these questions: Is there a correlation between planning strategic human resources and marketing performance in the surveyed furniture companies? What is the role of strategic
planning for human resources on marketing performance in the surveyed furniture companies? In order to achieve the objectives of the study and answer these questions, a set of hypotheses was designed for the study, which expressed four main hypotheses and then the sub-hypotheses stemming from them .The study adopted the descriptive analytical approach, as the main and sub-variables were
described, as well as to analyze the relationships and influence between the variables. The number of surveyed companies was 152 managers and head of the department, while the number of respondents reached 110. The hypotheses were tested through a set of analyses and statistical tests using the statistical analysis program, namely SPSS.The study reached a set of conclusions and proposals,
including the results of the analysis of the questionnaire form on the presence of high consistency between the main and sub-variables of the study, and the correlation was significant and positive between the two variables and their dimensions at the micro and macro level, and the correlation was significant and positive between the evaluation dimension: The strategic plan for human resources and sales, and had the strongest effect between the evaluation of the strategic plan for human resources and marketing performance. The need to establish a unit specialized in the strategic planning process, and to allocate a
department concerned with strategic planning for human resources at the company level, and the need to link the strategic plan for human resources with the strategic plan of the surveyed furniture companies until the completion of the system for achieving the strategic goals drawn for companies.

Keywords: Strategic Planning for Human Resources, Marketing Performance.