Knowledge Sharing as a Powerful Base for Management: Barriers and Solutions.

Knowledge or information sharing (KIS) is an important aspect of organizational knowledge management (KM). Several factors affect the KIS process. This study investigates KM from a managerial viewpoint using a theoretical model that was developed based on a literature review conducted to evaluate KIS. This model was then tested for validity and reliability using an expert panel. Finally, an analysis was conducted on data collected from a survey of top and midlevel managers at Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education covering knowledge sharing, its barriers, and solutions. More than 90% of managers believe that the most important barriers to implementing a KIS system are limitations brought about by specialized knowledge, a culture of independent working, nonstandard processes, and a lack of a proper system for KIS. The results suggest that a successful implementation of KM initiatives depends on a careful consideration of the organizational culture, employee education levels, and previous knowledge of the benefits of KM.

Evaluation of ACE gene I/D polymorphism in Iranian elite athletes.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is an important gene, which is associated with the successful physical activity. The ACE gene has a major polymorphism (I/D) in intron 16 that determines its plasma and tissue levels. In this study, we aimed to determine whether there is an association between this polymorphism and sports performance in our studied population including elite athletes of different sports disciplines. We investigated allele frequency and genotype distribution of the ACE gene in 156 Iranian elite athletes compared to 163 healthy individuals. We also investigated this allele frequency between elite athletes in three functional groups of endurance, power, and mixed sports performances. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA was extracted from peripheral blood, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was performed on intron 16 of the ACE gene. The ACE genotype was determined for each subject. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 15, and results were analyzed by Chi-Square test. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in genotype distribution and allele frequency of the ACE gene in athletes and control group (P = 0.05, P = 0.03, respectively). There was also a significant difference in allele frequency of the ACE gene in 3 groups of athletes with different sports disciplines (P = 0.045). Proportion of the ACE gene D allele was greater in elite endurance athletes (37 high-distance cyclists) than two other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of the present study demonstrated that there is an association between the ACE gene I/D polymorphism and sports performance in Iranian elite athletes.

Presence of SNPs in GDF9 mRNA of Iranian Afshari Sheep.

BACKGROUND: Multiple births occur frequently in some Iranian sheep breeds, while infertility scarcely occurs. Mutation detection in major fecundity genes has been explored in most of Iranian sheep flocks over the last decade. However, previously reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for bone morphogenetic protein receptor-(BMPR)-1B and growth differentiation factor ) GDF9( known to affect fertility have not been detected. This study was conducted to assess whether any significant mutations in GDF9 were extracted from slaughtered ewe ovaries of Iranian Afshari sheep breed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ovaries defined as poor, fair, and excellent quality based on external visual appearance of follicles were used for histology and RNA extraction processes. High quality RNAs underwent reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from GDF9 mRNA, and the products sequenced. RESULTS: No streak ovaries, which are considered indicators of infertility due to homozygocity for some mutations in GDF9 and BMP15, were found. Sequencing results from GDF9 cDNA showed that G2 (C471T), G3 (G477A), and G4 (G721A) mutations were observed from 1, 4, and 1 out of 12 ewes, respectively. Though all 3 mutations were previously reported, this is the first report on their presence in Iranian breeds. The first and second mutations do not alter the amino acids, while G4 is a non-conservative mutation leading to E241K in the prohormone. CONCLUSION: As the G4 mutation was observed only in ovaries defined superficially as top quality, it could be considered as one of reasons for higher ovulation rate in some sheep. Furthermore since multiple mutations were observed in some cases, it might be possible that combinations of minor mutations in GDF9 and BMP15 interact to affect fecundity in some Iranian sheep breeds.

Two novel mutations in hMLH1 gene in Iranian hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer patients.

Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is one of the most common forms of hereditary colorectal cancer. It is an autosomal dominant disorder resulting from germline mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes. In this study, we screened hMLH1 gene in a group of Iranian HNPCC patients using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism and direct sequencing methods. Here we report two novel frameshift mutations in this gene in our studied population. One of them results from a deletion of "T" at codon 36, exon 1 which causes premature stop codon and a truncated protein. The other results from a deletion of "T" at codon 753, exon 19 causing a delayed stop codon. There are a variety of the reported novel mutations in hMLH1 gene studies. Identification of these mutations is necessary in different populations and can help the management of colorectal cancer in these populations by screening, by prevention strategies, and by following up the suspected HNPCC families.