Mining for Gold: A Mixed-Methods Study on Personal Statements in General Surgery Residency Applications.

INTRODUCTION: As numeric data are becoming increasingly scarce in general surgery residency applications, the personal statement (PS) may be key to identifying candidates to interview. This study sought to determine if PSs of candidates invited for interview at our residency program had different qualities when compared to those not invited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-institution study retrospectively reviewed the PSs of applications for a categorical general surgery position (2022). The scores assigned to PSs were compared. The content of PSs was qualitatively analyzed based on an a priori coding scheme. The codes of interest related to program alignment were the following: diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, social determinants of health, and service to underserved communities. RESULTS: Of 308 applications, 112 (36%) applicants were invited to the interview. For applicants who were invited to the interview, the PSs were scored higher compared to those who were not invited (median 4.25 versus 3.5, P < 0.001). Highly scored PSs were more likely to include a personal story (74% versus 59%, P = 0.01) and mention diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, social determinants of health, or service to under-served communities (62% versus 37%, P < 0.001). Also, a greater proportion of applicants who were invited to the interview wrote about these topics (71% versus 33%, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: At our institution, PS quality and content is associated with interview selection. A high-quality PS tended to include personal story about the applicants and signal value alignment with our institution. PSs should be placed at greater importance in the review process and emphasized as a marker for candidate and institutional alignment.

Frequency and Characteristics of Social Media Use among General Surgery Trainees.

INTRODUCTION: With increased social isolation due to COVID-19, social media has been increasingly adopted for communication, education, and entertainment. We sought to understand the frequency and characteristics of social media usage among general surgery trainees. MATERIALS AND METHODS: General surgery trainees in 15 American training programs were invited to participate in an anonymous electronic survey. The survey included questions about demographics, frequency of social media usage, and perceptions of risks and benefits of social media. Univariate analysis was performed to identify differences between high users of social media (4-7 h per week on at least one platform) and low users (0-3 h or less on all platforms). RESULTS: One hundred fifty-seven of 591 (26.6%) trainees completed the survey. Most respondents were PGY3 or lower (75%) and high users of social media (74.5%). Among high users, the most popular platforms were Instagram (85.7%), YouTube (85.1%), and Facebook (83.6%). YouTube and Twitter were popular for surgical education (77.3% and 68.2%, respectively). The most reported benefits of social media were improving patient education and professional networking (85.0%), where high users agreed more strongly about these benefits (P = 0.002). The most reported risks were seeing other residents (42%) or attendings (17%) with unprofessional behavior. High users disagreed more strongly about risks, including observing attendings with unprofessional behavior (P = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Most respondents were high users of social media, particularly Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. High users incorporated social media into their surgical education while perceiving more benefits and fewer risks of social media.

Impact of fellow compared to resident assistance on outcomes of minimally invasive surgery.

INTRODUCTION: As fellowship training after general surgery residency has become increasingly common, the impact on resident education must be considered. Patient safety and procedure outcomes are often used as justification by attendings who favor fellows over residents in certain minimally invasive surgery (MIS) operations. The aim of the present study was to compare the impact of trainee level on the outcomes of selected MIS operations to determine if giving preference to fellows on grounds of outcomes is warranted. METHODS: Patients who underwent elective laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair (LHHR), laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB), laparoscopic splenectomy (LS), laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), or laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR) with assistance of a general surgery chief resident or fellow were identified from the American College of Surgeon's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2007-2012). Patients were matched 1:1 based on propensity score for the odds of undergoing operations assisted by a fellow. RESULTS: 5145 patients underwent LHHR, 1396 LSG, 9656 LRYGB, 863 LS, 13,434 LC, and 3069 LVHR. Fellows assisted in 41.7% of LHHR, 49.2% of LSG, 56.4% of LRYGB, 25.7% of LS, 17.1% of LC, and 27.0% of LVHR cases. After matching, overall and severe complication rates were comparable between cases performed with assistance of a fellow or chief resident. Median operative time was longer for LSG, LRYGB, and LC when a fellow assisted. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical outcomes were similar between fellow and chief resident assistance in MIS operations, arguing that increased resident participation in basic and complex laparoscopic operations is appropriate without compromising patient safety.

The impact of English proficiency on outcomes after bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Several studies demonstrated language that discordant care between may lead to mixed outcomes and increased use of hospital-resources. In the setting of bariatric surgery, which relies heavily on intensive pre-operative and post-operative counseling, we hypothesized that patients with LEP would have less favorable outcomes compared to English-proficient (EP) patients. METHODS: All patients 18 years and older, who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGBP) from January 2013 to December 2017 were included. Language proficiency was determined by chart review for the use of an interpreter at least once during the study period. Outcomes of interest at 30-days and 1 year included: emergency department (ED) visits, readmission, length of stay (LOS), chief-complaint on readmission, and post-operative complications. Additionally, comorbidity remission and weight loss at one year was recorded. RESULTS: A total of 671 patients were categorized as LEP (40%) and spoke 6 unique languages. Within the 1 year post-operative period, EP patients presented to the ED more than LEP patients (23% vs. 14% p < 0.001). After multivariable regression for potential confounders this difference persisted; adjusted OR = 0.65 (95% CI 0.43-0.95; p = 0.029). However, despite more frequent ED visits by EP patients, there was no significant difference in readmission within one year; adjusted OR = 0.94 (95% CI 0.56-1.55; p = 0.50). Both groups demonstrated similar successful weight loss at 1 year: EP-31.85% (LGBP) and - 28.02% (SG) vs. LEP-30.17% (LGBP) and - 28.36% (SG). EP and LEP patients also had similar remission of obesity-related comorbidities. CONCLUSION: There were no differences in outcomes following bariatric surgery when comparing patients with limited English proficiency to those who are proficient in English. Bariatric surgical care can be delivered in a safe and effective manner with equivalent outcomes between patients who are and are not English-language proficient.

Development and validation of machine learning models to predict gastrointestinal leak and venous thromboembolism after weight loss surgery: an analysis of the MBSAQIP database.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative gastrointestinal leak and venous thromboembolism (VTE) are devastating complications of bariatric surgery. The performance of currently available predictive models for these complications remains wanting, while machine learning has shown promise to improve on traditional modeling approaches. The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of two machine learning strategies, artificial neural networks (ANNs), and gradient boosting machines (XGBs) to conventional models using logistic regression (LR) in predicting leak and VTE after bariatric surgery. METHODS: ANN, XGB, and LR prediction models for leak and VTE among adults undergoing initial elective weight loss surgery were trained and validated using preoperative data from 2015 to 2017 from Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program database. Data were randomly split into training, validation, and testing populations. Model performance was measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) on the testing data for each model. RESULTS: The study cohort contained 436,807 patients. The incidences of leak and VTE were 0.70% and 0.46%. ANN (AUC 0.75, 95% CI 0.73-0.78) was the best-performing model for predicting leak, followed by XGB (AUC 0.70, 95% CI 0.68-0.72) and then LR (AUC 0.63, 95% CI 0.61-0.65, p < 0.001 for all comparisons). In detecting VTE, ANN, and XGB, LR achieved similar AUCs of 0.65 (95% CI 0.63-0.68), 0.67 (95% CI 0.64-0.70), and 0.64 (95% CI 0.61-0.66), respectively; the performance difference between XGB and LR was statistically significant (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ANN and XGB outperformed traditional LR in predicting leak. These results suggest that ML has the potential to improve risk stratification for bariatric surgery, especially as techniques to extract more granular data from medical records improve. Further studies investigating the merits of machine learning to improve patient selection and risk management in bariatric surgery are warranted.

Oxidative modifications of mitochondrial complex II are associated with insulin resistance of visceral fat in obesity.

Obesity, particularly visceral adiposity, has been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress, which have been suggested as mechanisms of insulin resistance. The mechanism(s) behind this remains incompletely understood. In this study, we hypothesized that mitochondrial complex II dysfunction plays a role in impaired insulin sensitivity in visceral adipose tissue of subjects with obesity. We obtained subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue biopsies from 43 subjects with obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2) during planned bariatric surgery. Compared with subcutaneous adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue exhibited decreased complex II activity, which was restored with the reducing agent dithiothreitol (5 mM) ( P < 0.01). A biotin switch assay identified that cysteine oxidative posttranslational modifications (OPTM) in complex II subunit A (succinate dehydrogenase A) were increased in visceral vs. subcutaneous fat ( P < 0.05). Insulin treatment (100 nM) stimulated complex II activity in subcutaneous fat ( P < 0.05). In contrast, insulin treatment of visceral fat led to a decrease in complex II activity ( P < 0.01), which was restored with addition of the mitochondria-specific oxidant scavenger mito-TEMPO (10 µM). In a cohort of 10 subjects with severe obesity, surgical weight loss decreased OPTM and restored complex II activity, exclusively in the visceral depot. Mitochondrial complex II may be an unrecognized and novel mediator of insulin resistance associated with visceral adiposity. The activity of complex II is improved by weight loss, which may contribute to metabolic improvements associated with bariatric surgery.

WNT5A regulates adipose tissue angiogenesis via antiangiogenic VEGF-A165b in obese humans.

Experimental studies have suggested that Wingless-related integration site 5A (WNT5A) is a proinflammatory secreted protein that is associated with metabolic dysfunction in obesity. Impaired angiogenesis in fat depots has been implicated in the development of adipose tissue capillary rarefaction, hypoxia, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. We have recently demonstrated that impaired adipose tissue angiogenesis is associated with overexpression of antiangiogenic factor VEGF-A165b in human fat and the systemic circulation. In the present study, we postulated that upregulation of WNT5A is associated with angiogenic dysfunction and examined its role in regulating VEGF-A165b expression in human obesity. We biopsied subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue from 38 obese individuals (body mass index: 44 ± 7 kg/m2, age: 37 ± 11 yr) during planned bariatric surgery and characterized depot-specific protein expression of VEGF-A165b and WNT5A using Western blot analysis. In both subcutaneous and visceral fat, VEGF-A165b expression correlated strongly with WNT5A protein (r = 0.9, P < 0.001). In subcutaneous adipose tissue where angiogenic capacity is greater than in the visceral depot, exogenous human recombinant WNT5A increased VEGF-A165b expression in both whole adipose tissue and isolated vascular endothelial cell fractions (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). This was associated with markedly blunted angiogenic capillary sprout formation in human fat pad explants. Moreover, recombinant WNT5A increased secretion of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1, a negative regulator of angiogenesis, in the sprout media (P < 0.01). Both VEGF-A165b-neutralizing antibody and secreted frizzled-related protein 5, which acts as a decoy receptor for WNT5A, significantly improved capillary sprout formation and reduced soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 production (P < 0.05). We demonstrated a significant regulatory nexus between WNT5A and antiangiogenic VEGF-A165b in the adipose tissue of obese subjects that was linked to angiogenic dysfunction. Elevated WNT5A expression in obesity may function as a negative regulator of angiogenesis.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Wingless-related integration site 5a (WNT5A) negatively regulates adipose tissue angiogenesis via VEGF-A165b in human obesity.

Relationships between study habits, burnout, and general surgery resident performance on the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination.

BACKGROUND: The American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) is used by programs to evaluate the knowledge and readiness of trainees to sit for the general surgery qualifying examination. It is often used as a tool for resident promotion and may be used by fellowship programs to evaluate candidates. Burnout has been associated with job performance and satisfaction; however, its presence and effects on surgical trainees' performance are not well studied. We sought to understand factors including burnout and study habits that may contribute to performance on the ABSITE examination. METHODS: Anonymous electronic surveys were distributed to all residents at 10 surgical residency programs (n = 326). Questions included demographics as well as study habits, career interests, residency characteristics, and burnout scores using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, which assesses burnout because of both exhaustion and disengagement. These surveys were then linked to the individual's 2016 ABSITE and United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 1 and 2 scores provided by the programs to determine factors associated with successful ABSITE performance. RESULTS: In total, 48% (n = 157) of the residents completed the survey. Of those completing the survey, 48 (31%) scored in the highest ABSITE quartile (≥75th percentile) and 109 (69%) scored less than the 75th percentile. In univariate analyses, those in the highest ABSITE quartile had significantly higher USMLE step 1 and step 2 scores (P < 0.001), significantly lower burnout scores (disengagement, P < 0.01; exhaustion, P < 0.04), and held opinions that the ABSITE was important for improving their surgical knowledge (P < 0.01). They also read more frequently to prepare for the ABSITE (P < 0.001), had more disciplined study habits (P < 0.001), were more likely to study at the hospital or other public settings (e.g., library, coffee shop compared with at home; P < 0.04), and used active rather than passive study strategies (P < 0.04). Gender, marital status, having children, and debt burden had no correlation with examination success. Backward stepwise multiple regression analysis identified the following independent predictors of ABSITE scores: study location (P < 0.0001), frequency of reading (P = 0.0001), Oldenburg Burnout Inventory exhaustion (P = 0.02), and USMLE step 1 and 2 scores (P = 0.007 and 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Residents who perform higher on the ABSITE have a regular study schedule throughout the year, report less burnout because of exhaustion, study away from home, and have shown success in prior standardized tests. Further study is needed to determine the effects of burnout on clinical duties, career advancement, and satisfaction.

Forkhead box O-1 modulation improves endothelial insulin resistance in human obesity.

OBJECTIVE: Increased visceral adiposity has been closely linked to insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, and cardiometabolic disease in obesity, but pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood. We sought to investigate mechanisms of vascular insulin resistance by characterizing depot-specific insulin responses and gain evidence that altered functionality of transcription factor forkhead box O-1 (FOXO-1) may play an important role in obesity-related endothelial dysfunction. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We intraoperatively collected paired subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue samples from 56 severely obese (body mass index, 43 ± 7 kg/m(2)) and 14 nonobese subjects during planned surgical operations, and characterized depot-specific insulin-mediated responses using Western blot and quantitative immunofluorescence techniques. Insulin signaling via phosphorylation of FOXO-1 and consequent endothelial nitric oxide synthase stimulation was selectively impaired in the visceral compared with subcutaneous adipose tissue and endothelial cells of obese subjects. In contrast, tissue actions of insulin were preserved in nonobese individuals. Pharmacological antagonism with AS1842856 and biological silencing using small interfering RNA-mediated FOXO-1 knockdown reversed insulin resistance and restored endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation in the obese. CONCLUSIONS: We observed profound endothelial insulin resistance in the visceral adipose tissue of obese humans which improved with FOXO-1 inhibition. FOXO-1 modulation may represent a novel therapeutic target to diminish vascular insulin resistance. In addition, characterization of endothelial insulin resistance in the adipose microenvironment may provide clues to mechanisms of systemic disease in human obesity.

WNT5A-JNK regulation of vascular insulin resistance in human obesity.

Obesity is associated with the development of vascular insulin resistance; however, pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood. We sought to investigate the role of WNT5A-JNK in the regulation of insulin-mediated vasodilator responses in human adipose tissue arterioles prone to endothelial dysfunction. In 43 severely obese (BMI 44±11 kg/m2) and five metabolically normal non-obese (BMI 26±2 kg/m2) subjects, we isolated arterioles from subcutaneous and visceral fat during planned surgeries. Using videomicroscopy, we examined insulin-mediated, endothelium-dependent vasodilator responses and characterized adipose tissue gene and protein expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses. Immunofluorescence was used to quantify endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation. Insulin-mediated vasodilation was markedly impaired in visceral compared to subcutaneous vessels from obese subjects (p<0.001), but preserved in non-obese individuals. Visceral adiposity was associated with increased JNK activation and elevated expression of WNT5A and its non-canonical receptors, which correlated negatively with insulin signaling. Pharmacological JNK antagonism with SP600125 markedly improved insulin-mediated vasodilation by sixfold (p<0.001), while endothelial cells exposed to recombinant WNT5A developed insulin resistance and impaired eNOS phosphorylation (p<0.05). We observed profound vascular insulin resistance in the visceral adipose tissue arterioles of obese subjects that was associated with up-regulated WNT5A-JNK signaling and impaired endothelial eNOS activation. Pharmacological JNK antagonism markedly improved vascular endothelial function, and may represent a potential therapeutic target in obesity-related vascular disease.

Antiangiogenic actions of vascular endothelial growth factor-A165b, an inhibitory isoform of vascular endothelial growth factor-A, in human obesity.

BACKGROUND: Experimental studies suggest that visceral adiposity and adipose tissue dysfunction play a central role in obesity-related cardiometabolic complications. Impaired angiogenesis in fat has been implicated in the development of adipose tissue hypoxia, capillary rarefaction, inflammation, and metabolic dysregulation, but pathophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we examined the role of a novel antiangiogenic isoform of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), VEGF-A165b, in human obesity. METHODS AND RESULTS: We biopsied paired subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in 40 obese subjects (body mass index, 45±8 kg/m(2); age, 45±11 years) during bariatric surgery and characterized depot-specific adipose tissue angiogenic capacity using an established ex vivo assay. Visceral adipose tissue exhibited significantly blunted angiogenic growth compared with subcutaneous fat (P<0.001) that was associated with marked tissue upregulation of VEGF-A165b (P=0.004). The extent of VEGF-A165b expression correlated negatively with angiogenic growth (r=-0.6, P=0.006). Although recombinant VEGF-A165b significantly impaired angiogenesis, targeted inhibition of VEGF-A165b with neutralizing antibody stimulated fat pad neovascularization and restored VEGF receptor activation. Blood levels of VEGF-A165b were significantly higher in obese subjects compared with lean control subjects (P=0.02), and surgical weight loss induced a marked decline in serumVEGF-A165b (P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that impaired adipose tissue angiogenesis is associated with overexpression of a novel antiangiogenic factor, VEGF-A165b, that may play a pathogenic role in human adiposopathy. Moreover, systemic upregulation of VEGF-A165b in circulating blood may have wider-ranging implications beyond the adipose milieu. VEGF-A165b may represent a novel area of investigation to gain further understanding of mechanisms that modulate the cardiometabolic consequences of obesity.

Patient race and the likelihood of undergoing bariatric surgery among patients seeking surgery.

BACKGROUND: Ethnic minority adults have disproportionately higher rates of obesity than Caucasians but are less likely to undergo bariatric surgery. Recent data suggest that minorities might be less likely to seek surgery. Whether minorities who seek surgery are also less likely to proceed with surgery is unclear. METHODS: We interviewed 651 patients who sought bariatric surgery at two academic medical centers to examine whether ethnic minorities are less likely to proceed with surgery than Caucasians and whether minorities who do proceed with surgery have higher illness burden than their counterparts. We collected patient demographics and abstracted clinical data from the medical records. We then conducted multivariable analyses to examine the association between race and the likelihood of proceeding with bariatric surgery within 1 year of initial interview and to compare the illness burden by race and ethnicity among those who underwent surgery. RESULTS: Of our study sample, 66% were Caucasian, 18% were African-American, and 12% were Hispanics. After adjustment for socioeconomic factors, there were no racial differences in who proceeded with bariatric surgery. Among those who proceeded with surgery, illness burden was comparable between minorities and Caucasian patients with the exception that African-Americans were underrepresented among those with reflux disease (0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.7) and depression (0.4, 0.2-0.7), and overrepresented among those with anemia (4.8, 2.4-9.6) than Caucasian patients. CONCLUSIONS: Race and ethnicity were not independently associated with likelihood of proceeding with bariatric surgery. Minorities who proceeded with surgery did not clearly have higher illness burden than Caucasian patients.

Effect of Bariatric Weight Loss on the Adipose Lipolytic Transcriptome in Obese Humans.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulated lipolysis has been implicated in mechanisms of cardiometabolic disease and inflammation in obesity. PURPOSE: We sought to examine the effect of bariatric weight loss on adipose tissue lipolytic gene expression and their relationship to systemic metabolic parameters in obese subjects. METHODS/RESULTS: We biopsied subcutaneous adipose tissue in 19 obese individuals (BMI 42 ± 5 kg/m(2), 79% female) at baseline and after a mean period of 8 ± 5 months (range 3-15 months) following bariatric surgery. We performed adipose tissue mRNA expression of proteins involved in triglyceride hydrolysis and correlated their weight loss induced alterations with systemic parameters associated with cardiovascular disease risk. mRNA transcripts of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), and lipid droplet proteins comparative gene identification 58 (CGI-58) and perilipin increased significantly after weight loss (p < 0.05 for all). ATGL expression correlated inversely with plasma triglyceride (TG), hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), and glucose, and HSL expression correlated negatively with glucose, while CGI-58 was inversely associated with HbA1C. CONCLUSION: We observed increased expression of adipose tissue lipolytic genes following bariatric weight loss which correlated inversely with systemic markers of lipid and glucose metabolism. Functional alterations in lipolysis in human adipose tissue may play a role in shaping cardiometabolic phenotypes in human obesity.

Treatment of idiopathic intracranial hypertension with gastric bypass surgery.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is defined by elevated intracranial pressure and associated headaches, changes in vision and pulsatile tinnitus, among other symptoms. It occurs most frequently in young, obese women. Gastric bypass surgery has been used to treat morbid obesity and its comorbidities, and IIH has recently been considered among these indications. We present a case report of a 29-year-old female with a maximum BMI of 50.3 and a 5-year history of severe headaches and moderate papilledema due to IIH. She also developed migraine headaches. After a waxing and waning course and various medical treatments, the patient underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery with anterior repair of hiatal hernia. Dramatic improvement in IIH headaches occurred by 4 months postprocedure and was maintained at 1 year, when she reached her weight plateau with a BMI of 35. Presurgery migraines persisted. This adds to the small number of case reports and retrospective analyses of the successful treatment of IIH with gastric bypass surgery, and brings this data from the surgical literature into the neurological domain. It offers insight into an early time course for symptom resolution, and explores the impact of weight-loss surgery on migraine headaches. This treatment modality should be further investigated prospectively to analyze the rate of headache improvement with weight loss, the amount of weight loss needed for clinical improvement, and the possible correlation with improvement in papilledema.

Seeing is Believing - A Qualitative Study Exploring What Motivates Medical Students to Pursue a Career In General Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The personal statement (PS) is a rich text in which medical students introduce themselves to the programs to which they are applying. There is no prompt or agreed upon structure for the personal statement. Therefore it represents a window in to medical students' beliefs and perceptions. The goal of this study was to identify what events or experiences motivate medial students to pursue a career in general surgery. Previous work in this area has been largely survey and interview-based. This study is unique in that it looks at what medical students say when not prompted. DESIGN: This is a single-institution, retrospective, qualitative review of applicants' PSs. The PSs were coded based on an a priori coding scheme. The coding scheme was based on published literature of why medical students might apply for a general surgery training position. SETTING: Academic, safety-net hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The study evaluated a subset of the PSs of applications submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) for a categorical general surgery position in our program during the 2022 match. Specifically, 308 of all received applications were included in this study. This is the subgroup of applications that was pulled out for a close review based on holistic screening of received applications. RESULTS: The single most frequently mentioned motivating factor for applying to general surgery training was the experience a student had on the surgery clerkship. The early years of medical school and sub-internships were less frequently identified as motivating experiences. After the overall clerkship experience, the next most frequent motivating factors were that their personality fit well with the culture of surgery and that they realized the important role surgeons played in patient care. 59 applicants wrote about a pre-existing interest in surgery prior to entering medical school. Most frequently this interest developed after witnessing family or friends or applicant themselves have surgery or shadowing a surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, students most frequently noted the clerkship experience as having sparked their interest in a career in surgery. Having had exposure to surgeons, through personal experience or shadowing, often led to students to develop an interest in pursuing a career in surgery prior to entering medical school. The findings suggest that to increase the attractiveness of surgery to potential applicants, positive exposure to surgeons and surgery as a field of practice are critical.

Arteriolar function in visceral adipose tissue is impaired in human obesity.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to characterize the relationship between adipose tissue phenotype and depot-specific microvascular function in fat. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 30 obese subjects (age 42±11 years, body mass index 46±11 kg/m(2)) undergoing bariatric surgery, we intraoperatively collected visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue and characterized depot-specific adipose phenotypes. We assessed vasomotor function of the adipose microvasculature using videomicroscopy of small arterioles (75-250 µm) isolated from different fat compartments. Endothelium-dependent, acetylcholine-mediated vasodilation was severely impaired in visceral arterioles, compared to the subcutaneous depot (P<0.001 by ANOVA). Nonendothelium dependent responses to papaverine and nitroprusside were similar. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase inhibition with N(ω)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester reduced subcutaneous vasodilation but had no effect on severely blunted visceral arteriolar responses. Visceral fat exhibited greater expression of proinflammatory, oxidative stress-related, hypoxia-induced, and proangiogenic genes; increased activated macrophage populations; and had a higher capacity for cytokine production ex vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide clinical evidence that the visceral microenvironment may be intrinsically toxic to arterial health providing a potential mechanism by which visceral adiposity burden is linked to atherosclerotic vascular disease. Our findings also support the evolving concept that both adipose tissue quality and quantity may play significant roles in shaping cardiovascular phenotypes in human obesity.

Our Efforts to Create a Welcoming Surgical Residency for LGBTQ Trainees.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a more welcoming environment for LGBTQ residents. DESIGN: This paper is based upon the authors experience creating a training program welcoming to LGBTQ residents. SETTING: University General Surgery Training Program. PARTICIPANTS: Surgical Residents and Surgical Faculty. RESULTS: Over a 9 year period, our residency has made intentional efforts to welcome LGBTQ applicants and support LGBTQ residents. We now have a residency in which over 25% of our residents identify as LGBTQ. CONCLUSIONS: We see opportunities for other residencies to signal to applicants and trainees that they are welcome and celebrated for who they are.

The Association Between Virtual Interviewing and Geographical Distribution of Matched Residency Programs for General Surgery Applicants.

OBJECTIVE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coalition for Physician Accountability's work group on Medical Students in the class of 2021 made the recommendation in May of 2020 that the upcoming residency recruitment cycle be conducted virtually. This flexibility may have allowed applicants to apply and interview at programs with less regard to geography, knowing that travel costs of interviewing would not be a factor. Alternatively, applicants who interviewed virtually could choose to remain in a close proximity to their home institutions where they likely have a greater comfort level and familiarity with the community both personally and professionally. We examine the distribution of applicants matched at general surgery residency programs in 2021 to those in 2020 to see if there was a change in geographic variability. DESIGN: Retrospective review of general surgery residents SETTING: United States general surgery residency programs PARTICIPANTS: 2153 PGY1 categorical general surgery residents who were interviewed virtually and PGY2 categorical general surgery residents who interviewed in-person, who also attended residency programs and medical schools located in the continental United States with publicly accessible residency websites containing necessary biographical information. RESULTS: A total of 2153 residents were included; 1124 in their PGY1 and 1029 in their PGY2. Average distance from attended medical school to matched program (634.2 vs 662.5), percentage of matched programs within 500 miles of attended medical school (57.3 vs 55.7), average price of flight, when available, from attended medical school to matched program (222.8 vs 230.4), and percentage of attended medical schools with non-stop flight to matched program (42.9 vs 42.9) did not significantly differ between PGY1 and PGY2 residents. CONCLUSIONS: The decision to adopt virtual interviewing practices compared to previous in-person interviews did not significantly alter the geographical distribution of students' matched programs. The distance from medical school to the matched program, flight availability, and flight pricing remained comparable between residents interviewed in-person and residents interviewed virtually.

Intern Experience Reflects Information Gathered During the Virtual Interview Process.

OBJECTIVE: The onset of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought many changes to the residency application process including transitioning to a virtual interview platform, which continues today. The transition brought many concerns from general surgery applicants about their ability to obtain adequate information about a program virtually. We sought to characterize how information presented by programs during the first ever virtual interview cycle matched the experience of general surgery interns after training at a program for 1 year. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In May of 2022, a survey was distributed to 243 program directors who were asked to forward it to their general surgery categorical interns who matched during the 2021 virtual match cycle. Demographics, resources used to determine an impression of a program, and correlations between information presented virtually and what was subsequently experienced as an intern were collected. RESULTS: Forty-six program directors confirmed forwarding the survey to their categorical interns. A total of 102 general surgery interns completed the survey. Most interns (88.2%) agreed that their experience matched expectations based on information received through the virtual interview process and 98% of interns were satisfied with their experience at their training program. Interviews with faculty (40.0%), residents (68.0%) and the program web site (29.0%) were the top 3 resources used to create the most accurate impression of a program. Interns felt they were well informed during the virtual interview experience about support from fellow residents (84.3%), culture (73.0%), surgical volume (72.5%), and intern operative experience (71.6%). In addition, 65.7% of participants thought they were able to obtain a good understanding of the program's culture from the virtual process. However, 16.7% thought that their program unintentionally misrepresented aspects of the training program. CONCLUSIONS: The faculty and residency interviews were the most important factors in program ranking and most participants agreed that their virtual interview experience matched their expectations during their intern year. Most interns felt they were able to obtain a good understanding of the program's culture from the virtual process. In addition, a majority of interns felt well informed during the interview on aspects ranging from surgical volume, autonomy, and work hours to support from faculty and residents. If virtual interviews are to continue, residents can be satisfied that information gathered virtually will match the reality of their training. Programs should continue to make every effort to present their program realistically.

A machine learning framework for optimizing obesity care by simulating clinical trajectories and targeted interventions.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the important clinical management bottlenecks that contribute to underuse of weight loss surgery (WLS) and assess risk factors for attrition at each of them. METHODS: A multistate conceptual model of progression from primary care to WLS was developed and used to study all adults who were seen by a primary care provider (PCP) and eligible for WLS from 2016 to 2017 at a large institution. Outcomes were progression from each state to each subsequent state in the model: PCP visit, endocrine weight management referral, endocrine weight management visit, WLS referral, WLS visit, and WLS. RESULTS: Beginning with an initial PCP visit, the respective 2-year Kaplan-Meier estimate for each outcome was 35% (n = 2063), 15.6% (n = 930), 6.3% (n = 400), 4.7% (n = 298), and 1.0% (n = 69) among 5876 eligible patients. Individual providers and clinics differed significantly in their referral practices. Female patients, younger patients, those with higher BMI, and those seen by trainees were more likely to progress. A simulated intervention to increase referrals among PCPs would generate about 49 additional WLS procedures over 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: This study discovered novel insights into the specific dynamics underlying low WLS use rates. This methodology permits in silico testing of interventions designed to optimize obesity care prior to implementation.