RESUMO
Background: Residency recruitment requires significant resources for both applicants and residency programs. Virtual interviews offer a way to reduce the time and costs required during the residency interview process. This prospective study investigated how virtual interviews affected scoring of anesthesiology residency applicants and whether this effect differed from in-person interview historical controls. Methods: Between November 2020 and January 2021, recruitment members at the University of Chicago scored applicants before their interview based upon written application materials alone (preinterview score). Applicants received a second score after their virtual interview (postinterview score). Recruitment members were queried regarding the most important factor affecting the preinterview score as well as the effect of certain specified applicant interview characteristics on the postinterview score. Previously published historical controls were used for comparison to in-person recruitment the year prior from the same institution. Results: Eight hundred and sixteen virtual interviews involving 272 applicants and 19 faculty members were conducted. The postinterview score was higher than the preinterview score (4.06 versus 3.98, P value of <.0001). The change in scores after virtual interviews did not differ from that after in-person interviews conducted the previous year (P = .378). The effect of each characteristic on score change due to the interview did not differ between in-person and virtual interviews (all P values >.05). The factor identified by faculty as the most important in the preinterview score was academic achievements (64%), and faculty identified the most important interview characteristic to be personality (72%). Conclusions: Virtual interviews led to a significant change in scoring of residency applicants, and the magnitude of this change was similar compared with in-person interviews. Further studies should elaborate on the effect of virtual recruitment on residency programs and applicants.
RESUMO
Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (Morquio A disease) is a genetic disorder caused by deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate-sulfatase (GALNS), leading to accumulation of keratan sulfate and chondroitin-6-sulfate in lysosomes. Many patients become wheelchair-dependent as teens, and their life span is 20-30 years. Currently, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is the treatment of choice. Although it alleviates some symptoms, replacing GALNS enzyme poses several challenges including very fast clearance from circulation and instability at 37 °C. These constraints affect frequency and cost of enzyme infusion and ability to reach all tissues. In this study, we developed injectable and biodegradable polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels, loaded with recombinant human GALNS (rhGALNS) to improve enzyme stability and bioavailability, and to sustain release. We established the enzyme's release profile via bulk release experiments and determined diffusivity using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We observed that PEG hydrogels preserved enzyme activity during sustained release for 7 days. In the hydrogel, rhGALNS diffused almost four times slower than in buffer. We further confirmed that the enzyme was active when released from the hydrogels, by measuring its uptake in patient fibroblasts. The developed hydrogel delivery device could overcome current limits of rhGALNS replacement and improve quality of life for Morquio A patients. Encapsulated GALNS enzyme in a polyethylene glycol hydrogel improves GALNS stability by preserving its activity, and provides sustained release for a period of at least 7 days.