Medical Business College

Abstract Employee motivation plays a crucial role in enhancing individual performance and overall organizational effectiveness. In today’s competitive and dynamic work environment, organizations increasingly rely on recognition and reward systems to motivate and retain employees. This study aims to examine the role of recognition and rewards in enhancing employee motivation at the workplace. The research focuses on understanding employee perceptions of both monetary and non-monetary recognition practices and their influence on motivational levels. The study is based on primary data collected through a structured questionnaire administered to employees across various sectors. A quantitative research approach was adopted, and the data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tools to identify the relationship between recognition, rewards, and employee motivation. The findings of the study reveal that effective recognition and reward practices have a significant positive impact on employee motivation. Timely appreciation, fair reward systems, and transparent recognition mechanisms were found to be key factors influencing motivation. The study highlights the importance of well-designed recognition and reward strategies in fostering a motivated workforce. The results of this research can help HR professionals and organizations in designing effective motivation-driven HR practices to improve employee engagement, performance, and retention.

ObjectiveAs first-line treatment for stage IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer, combination immunotherapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab, with or without chemotherapy, had demonstrated survival benefits over chemotherapy; however, data on Japanese patients are limited.MethodsLIGHT-NING was a multicenter, observational study and retrospectively collected data. In this interim analysis, we analyzed patients who received combination immunotherapy between 27 November 2020 and 31 August 2021 for the treatment status, safety objectives (treatment-related adverse events and immune-related adverse events incidences), and effectiveness objectives (objective response rate and progression-free survival) to determine the characteristics and early safety information.ResultsWe analyzed 353 patients, with a median follow-up of 7.1 (interquartile range, 5.0–9.7) months. Overall, 60.1 and 39.9% received nivolumab plus ipilimumab with and without chemotherapy, respectively. In these cohorts, the median age was 67 and 72 years; 10.8 and 35.5% were aged ≥75 years; 80.2 and 79.4% were male; 5.2 and 13.5% had a performance score ≥ 2; 32.1 and 27.0% developed grade 3–4 immune-related adverse events; treatment-related deaths were observed in 6 (2.8%) and 5 (3.5%) patients, respectively. Grade 3–4 immune-related adverse event incidence was the highest within the first month of treatment in both cohorts, although the immune-related adverse event risk persisted throughout. No new safety signals were observed at this interim analysis. The median progression-free survival was 6.0 (95% confidence interval, 5.2–7.6) and 5.8 (4.3–7.0) months in nivolumab plus ipilimumab with and without chemotherapy cohorts, respectively.ConclusionsLIGHT-NING offers valuable insights into combination immunotherapy for untreated patients with stage IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer in Japanese real-world settings.

A potential therapeutic strategy for diabetes is the transplantation of induced-insulin secreting cells. Based on the common embryonic origin of liver and pancreas, we studied the potential of adult human liver stem-like cells (HLSC) to generate in vitro insulin-producing 3D spheroid structures (HLSC-ILS). HLSC-ILS were generated by a one-step protocol based on charge dependent aggregation of HLSC induced by protamine. 3D aggregation promoted the spontaneous differentiation into cells expressing insulin and several key markers of pancreatic β cells. HLSC-ILS showed endocrine granules similar to those seen in human β cells. In static and dynamic in vitro conditions, such structures produced C-peptide after stimulation with high glucose. HLSC-ILS significantly reduced hyperglycemia and restored a normo-glycemic profile when implanted in streptozotocin-diabetic SCID mice. Diabetic mice expressed human C-peptide and very low or undetectable levels of murine C-peptide. Hyperglycemia and a diabetic profile were restored after HLSC-ISL explant. The gene expression profile of in vitro generated HLSC-ILS showed a differentiation from HLSC profile and an endocrine commitment with the enhanced expression of several markers of β cell differentiation. The comparative analysis of gene expression profiles after 2 and 4 weeks of in vivo implantation showed a further β-cell differentiation, with a genetic profile still immature but closer to that of human islets. In conclusion, protamine-induced spheroid aggregation of HLSC triggers a spontaneous differentiation to an endocrine phenotype. Although the in vitro differentiated HLSC-ILS were immature, they responded to high glucose with insulin secretion and in vivo reversed hyperglycemia in diabetic SCID mice.