Secrets of the top performing sales people

If you work in sales, you probably pay close attention to the action of the sales people eho try to sell to you. Like many customer you may have felt the frustraction of trying to work with sales people who blemish the profession. One customer clearly noted the difference beetween this type of sales people and top performers. Top sales people are much better listeners. By listening they are able to understand my situation and earn my trust. But most sales people are like alligators. They’ve got little eyes, little ears and great big mouths

Three Cases of Long-Lasting Tumor Control with Erlotinib after Progression with Gefitinib in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

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The treatment of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (Mronj): A systematic review with a pooled analysis of only surgery versus combined protocols

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a serious adverse reaction of antiresorptive and antiangiogenic agents, and it is also a potentially painful and debilitating condition. To date, no specific studies have prospectively evaluated the efficacy of its treatment and no robust standard of care has been established. Therefore, a systematic review (2007–2020) with a pooled analysis was performed in order to compare MRONJ surgical techniques (conservative or aggressive) versus combined surgical procedures (surgery plus a non-invasive procedure), where 1137 patients were included in the pooled analysis. A statistically significant difference in the 6-month improvement rate, comparing combined conservative surgery versus only aggressive (91% versus 72%, p = 0.05), was observed. No significant difference regarding any group with respect to the 6-month total resolution rate (82% versus 72%) was demonstrated. Of note, conservative surgery combined with various, adjuvant, non-invasive procedures (ozone, LLLT or blood component + Nd:YAG) was found to achieve partial or full healing in all stages, with improved results and the amelioration of many variables. In conclusion, specific adjuvant treatments associated with minimally conservative surgery can be considered effective and safe in the treatment of MRONJ, although well-controlled studies are a requisite in arriving at definitive statements

Patient-specific instrumentation does not improve radiographic alignment or clinical outcomes after total knee arthroplasty: A meta-analysis

Background and purpose: Patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been introduced to improve alignment and reduce outliers, increase efficiency, and reduce operation time. In order to improve our understanding of the outcomes of patient-specific instrumentation, we conducted a meta-analysis. Patients and methods: We identified randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing patient-specific and conventional instrumentation in TKA. Weighted mean differences and risk ratios were determined for radiographic accuracy, operation time, hospital stay, blood loss, number of surgical trays required, and patient-reported outcome measures. Results: 21 RCTs involving 1,587 TKAs were included. Patient-specific instrumentation resulted in slightly more accurate hip-knee-ankle axis (0.3°), coronal femoral alignment (0.3°, femoral flexion (0.9°), tibial slope (0.7°), and femoral component rotation (0.5°). The risk ratio of a coronal plane outlier (\u3e 3° deviation of chosen target) for the tibial component was statistically significantly increased in the PSI group (RR = 1.64). No significance was found for other radiographic measures. Operation time, blood loss, and transfusion rate were similar. Hospital stay was significantly shortened, by approximately 8 h, and the number of surgical trays used decreased by 4 in the PSI group. Knee Society scores and Oxford knee scores were similar. Interpretation: Patient-specific instrumentation does not result in clinically meaningful improvement in alignment, fewer outliers, or better early patient-reported outcome measures. Efficiency is improved by reducing the number of trays used, but PSI does not reduce operation time

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation for analgesia following total knee arthroplasty: a prospective feasibility study

Abstract Background Peripheral nerve stimulation has been used for decades to treat chronic pain but has not been used for postoperative analgesia due to multiple limitations, beginning with invasive electrode placement. With the development of small-diameter/gauge leads enabling percutaneous insertion, ultrasound guidance for accurate introduction, and stimulators small enough to be adhered to the skin, neurostimulation may now be provided in a similar manner to continuous peripheral nerve blocks. Here, we report on the use of ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation to treat postoperative pain. Materials and methods Subjects within 60 days of a total knee arthroplasty with pain insufficiently treated with oral analgesics had a 0.2-mm-diameter electrical lead (pre-loaded into a 20 gauge needle) introduced percutaneously using ultrasound guidance with the tip located approximately 0.5–1.0 cm from the femoral nerve (a second lead was inserted approximately 1.0–3.0 cm from the sciatic nerve for posterior knee pain). An external stimulator delivered current. Endpoints were assessed before and after lead insertion and the leads subsequently removed. Due to the small sample size for this pilot/feasibility study, no statistics were applied to the data. Results Leads were inserted in subjects (n = 5) 8–58 days postoperatively. Percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation decreased pain an average of 93% at rest (from a mean of 5.0 to 0.2 on a 0–10 numeric rating scale), with 4 of 5 subjects experiencing complete resolution of pain. During passive and active knee motion pain decreased an average of 27 and 30%, respectively. Neither maximum passive nor active knee range-of-motion was consistently affected. Conclusions Ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation may be a practical modality for the treatment of postoperative pain following orthopedic surgical procedures, and further investigation appears warranted

Moving biochemistry and molecular biology courses online in times of disruption: Recommended practices and resources ‐ a collaboration with the faculty community and ASBMB

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163423/2/bmb21354_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163423/1/bmb21354.pd

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation for analgesia following total knee arthroplasty: a prospective feasibility study

Abstract Background Peripheral nerve stimulation has been used for decades to treat chronic pain but has not been used for postoperative analgesia due to multiple limitations, beginning with invasive electrode placement. With the development of small-diameter/gauge leads enabling percutaneous insertion, ultrasound guidance for accurate introduction, and stimulators small enough to be adhered to the skin, neurostimulation may now be provided in a similar manner to continuous peripheral nerve blocks. Here, we report on the use of ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation to treat postoperative pain. Materials and methods Subjects within 60 days of a total knee arthroplasty with pain insufficiently treated with oral analgesics had a 0.2-mm-diameter electrical lead (pre-loaded into a 20 gauge needle) introduced percutaneously using ultrasound guidance with the tip located approximately 0.5–1.0 cm from the femoral nerve (a second lead was inserted approximately 1.0–3.0 cm from the sciatic nerve for posterior knee pain). An external stimulator delivered current. Endpoints were assessed before and after lead insertion and the leads subsequently removed. Due to the small sample size for this pilot/feasibility study, no statistics were applied to the data. Results Leads were inserted in subjects (n = 5) 8–58 days postoperatively. Percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation decreased pain an average of 93% at rest (from a mean of 5.0 to 0.2 on a 0–10 numeric rating scale), with 4 of 5 subjects experiencing complete resolution of pain. During passive and active knee motion pain decreased an average of 27 and 30%, respectively. Neither maximum passive nor active knee range-of-motion was consistently affected. Conclusions Ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation may be a practical modality for the treatment of postoperative pain following orthopedic surgical procedures, and further investigation appears warranted

Psychopathy and chronotype disposition: the mediating role of depression

This study examined the relationship between dark triad personality traits and chronotype disposition, whilst incorporating the mediating role of anxiety and/or depression after excluding individuals presenting insomnia and/or physiological sleep-disorder symptoms. Members of the general population (N ¼ 453) completed online measures of dark triad personality traits, chronotype, and anxious and depressive symptoms. Psychopathy and Machiavellianism were independently related to an evening chronotype disposition. However, after accounting for age, sex, anxiety and depression, psychopathy and depression remained the only significant predictors of chronotype. Therefore, whilst psychopathy was the strongest predictor of an evening chronotype preference, this relationship is partially mediated by depression. Individuals presenting an evening disposition may display increased psychopathic traits due to greater emotion dysregulation. This is potentially perpetuated by depressive symptoms stemming from a delayed or blunted affective rhythm. Interacting factors (e.g. reduced light exposure) may also contribute to alterations in the biological rhythm amongst evening-types, resulting in a negative feedback cycle. Targeting chronotype and depressive symptoms amongst individuals presenting psychopathic tendencies could increase the efficacy of existing sleep-based interventions for hostile behaviour

BIM mediates synergistic killing of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells by BCL-2 and MEK inhibitors

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is an aggressive hematological disease that kills ~50% of adult patients. With the exception of some BCR-ABL1(+) patients who benefit from tyrosine kinase inhibitors, there are no effective targeted therapies for adult B-ALL patients and chemotherapy remains first-line therapy despite adverse side effects and poor efficacy. We show that, although the MEK/ERK pathway is activated in B-ALL cells driven by different oncogenes, MEK inhibition does not suppress B-ALL cell growth. However, MEK inhibition synergized with BCL-2/BCL-XL family inhibitors to suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis in B-ALL cells. We show that this synergism is mediated by the pro-apoptotic factor BIM, which is dephosphorylated as a result of MEK inhibition, allowing it to bind to and neutralize MCL-1, thereby enhancing BCL-2/BCL-XL inhibitor-induced cell death. This cooperative effect is observed in B-ALL cells driven by a range of genetic abnormalities and therefore has significant therapeutic potential

Induction of BIM Is Essential for Apoptosis Triggered by EGFR Kinase Inhibitors in Mutant EGFR-Dependent Lung Adenocarcinomas

Using a panel of human drug-sensitive EGFR mutant lung cancer cells, William Pao and colleagues show that induction of BIM, a member of the BCL2 family, is essential for apoptosis triggered by EGFR kinase inhibitors