Burnout and motivation to study medicine among students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: To investigate medical students' burnout and motivation levels in each of the six years of their studies during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify independent predictors of burnout and motivation. Methods: An anonymous cross-sectional survey was sent to the students of all six years within our school. Burnout was measured with the adapted Oldenburg Burnout Inventory questionnaire (OLBI-S) and motivation with the updated Strength of Motivation for Medical School (SMMS-R) questionnaire. Univariate analysis was performed with the Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman's correlation, while multivariable analysis with linear regression models. Results: A total of 333 medical students (52% of student body) responded. Higher burnout levels correlated with lower motivation to study medicine (rho = -0.30, p < 0.001). Burnout levels differed between the six years of medical studies, peaking in years two and four whereas being the lowest in year one (p = 0.01). Motivation levels differed significantly as well, peaking in years one and four whereas being the lowest in years five and six (p = 0.012). In the multivariable linear regression models, being a female (b = 2.22, p = 0.016), studying in the fourth year vs. first year (b = 2.54, p = 0.049), having a perceived beginner/intermediate vs. advanced/expert technology level (b = 2.05, p = 0.032) and a perceived poor school support system (b = 6.35, p < 0.001) were independently associated with higher burnout levels. Furthermore, studying in the fifth year vs. first year (b = -5.17, p = 0.019) and a perceived poor school support system (b = -3.09, p = 0.01) were independently associated with a reduced motivation to study medicine. Conclusion: Our study highlighted potential areas for intervention to decrease the rate of burnout and low motivation among medical students. However, further research is needed to unravel the full effect of the pandemic on medical students.

Incidence and risk factors of symptomatic Petersen's hernias in bariatric and upper gastrointestinal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the actual incidence of symptomatic Petersen's hernias (PH) as well as identify risk factors for their occurrence. METHODS: Search was performed in Medline (via PubMed), Web of Science, and Cochrane library, using the keywords "Petersen Or Petersen's AND hernia" and "Internal hernia." Only studies of symptomatic PH were eligible. Fifty-three studies matched our criteria and were included. Risk of bias for each study was independently assessed using the checklist modification by Hoy et al. Analysis was performed using random-effects models, with subsequent subgroup analyses. RESULTS: A total of 81,701 patients were included. Mean time interval from index operation to PH diagnosis was 17.8 months. Total small bowel obstruction (SBO) events at Petersen's site were 737 (0.7%). SBO incidence was significantly higher in patients without defect closure (1.2% vs 0.3%, p < 0.01), but was not significantly affected by anastomosis fashion (retrocolic 0.7% vs antecolic 0.8%, p = 0.99). SBO incidence was also not significantly affected by the surgical approach (laparoscopic = 0.7% vs open = 0.1%, p = 0.18). However, retrocolic anastomosis was found to be associated with marginally, but not significantly, increased SBO rate in patients with Petersen's space closure, compared with the antecolic anastomosis (p = 0.09). CONCLUSION: PH development may occur after any gastric operation with gastrojejunal anastomosis. Contrary to anastomosis fashion and surgical approach, defect closure was demonstrated to significantly reduce SBO incidence. Limitations of this study may include the high heterogeneity and the possible publication bias across the included studies.

A Standardized Workshop for Peer-Teaching Simple Interrupted Sutures to Medical Students: Analysis of the Student Factors That Affect Outcomes.

The aim of this study is to demonstrate whether the implementation of standardized Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) suturing workshops can aid the attainment of a technically competent interrupted suturing technique by medical students.The European University Cyprus (EUC) Division of Surgery and the students of the EUC Surgery Club compiled a standardized 1 hour and 15 minutes suturing workshop. During a one-week period 14 peer-teacher school of medicine students trained 147 fellow students. At the end of each workshop the students were assessed for the learning outcome of simple interrupted suturing with instruments by two peer-teachers, with the use of a standardized scoring rubric. The workshop primary outcomes were the rubric score and the time to complete a suture. These were correlated to student characteristics such as sex, year of studies, prior experience in suturing, previous participation in a similar workshop, previous training at home or in a hospital, and an interest in pursuing a surgical career. Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis was performed.Statistical analysis showed that gender and previous suturing experience did not impact the rubric score of students, nor the time required. The student year of studies, having recently passed the course of General Surgery and having interest to pursue a surgical specialization positively affected the students' score.Surgical peer teaching provided an effective method of teaching of the simple interrupted suturing technique. Interest in surgery, previous workshop experience and having recently completed the general surgery module helped students score higher in the assessment.

Diagnostic Performance of Pancreatic Cytology with the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology System: A Systematic Review, before Shifting into the Upcoming WHO International System.

The Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) reporting system classifies pancreatobiliary samples into six categories (I-VI), providing guidance for personalized management. As the World Health Organization (WHO) has been preparing an updated reporting system for pancreatobiliary cytopathology, this systematic review aimed to evaluate the risk of malignancy (ROM) of each PSC category, also the sensitivity and specificity of pancreatic FNA cytology using the current PSC system. Five databases were investigated with a predefined search algorithm. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to select the eligible studies for subsequent data extraction. A study quality assessment was also performed. Eight studies were included in the qualitative analysis. The ROM of the PSC categories I, II, III, IV, V, VI were in the ranges of 8-50%, 0-40%, 28-100%, 0-31%, 82-100%, and 97-100%, respectively. Notably, the ROM IVB ("neoplastic-benign") subcategory showed a 0% ROM. Four of the included studies reported separately the ROMs for the IVO subcategory ("neoplastic-other"; its overall ROM ranged from 0 to 34%) with low (LGA) and high-grade atypia (HGA). ROM for LGA ranged from 4.3 to 19%, whereas ROM for HGA from 64 to 95.2%. When the subcategory IVO with HGA was considered as cytologically positive, together with the categories V and VI, there was a higher sensitivity of pancreatic cytology, at minimal expense of the specificity. Evidence suggests the proposed WHO international system changes-shifting the IVB entities into the "benign/negative for malignancy" category and establishing two new categories, the "pancreatic neoplasm, low-risk/grade" and "pancreatic neoplasm, high-risk/grade"-could stratify pancreatic neoplasms more effectively than the current PSC system.

Outpatient Hysterectomy versus Inpatient Hysterectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate whether outpatient hysterectomy (OH) has benefits when compared with inpatient hysterectomy (IH) regarding postoperative complications, readmissions, operative outcomes, cost, and patient quality of life. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search for studies comparing OH with IH was conducted through PubMed, SAGE, and Scopus from January 2010 to March 2020, without limitations regarding language and study design. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Studies reporting on the differences between same-day discharge and overnight stay after hysterectomy were included. The study outcomes were overall complication rate, type of complication, readmission after discharge, surgery duration, estimated blood loss, payer savings, hospital savings, and health-related quality of life (HrQoL). Median and range are used to describe non-normal data, while mean ± SD and confidence interval are used to descibe data with normal distribution. A meta-analysis with sensitivity analysis and subgroup analyses was performed. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Eight studies published between 2011 and 2019 with 104,466 patients who underwent hysterectomy were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. All included studies except 1 were found to have a high risk of bias. OH in comparison with IH had a lower overall complication rate (odds ratio [OR] 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60-0.82) and lower rates of wound infection (OR 0.60; 95% CI, 0.43-0.84), urinary tract infection (OR 0.64; 95% CI, 0.52-0.78), need for transfusion (OR 0.36; 95% CI, 0.22-0.59), sepsis (OR 0.33; 95% CI, 0.17-0.64), uncontrolled pain (OR 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66-0.95), and bleeding requiring medical attention (OR 0.82; 95% CI, 0.73-0.94). In addition, patients who underwent OH had a lower readmission rate (OR 0.81; 95% CI, 0.75-0.87), surgery duration (standardized mean difference -0.35; 95% CI, -0.61 to -0.08), and estimated blood loss (standardized mean difference -0.63; 95% CI, -0.93 to -0.33) than those who underwent IH. A qualitative analysis found that OH had a poorer patient HrQoL and a lower cost for the hospital as well as the payer. CONCLUSION: OHs present fewer complications and have a lower readmission rate and estimated blood loss as well as a shorter surgery duration than IHs. OHs also have a cost benefit in comparison with IHs. But patients seem to have a worse HrQoL in the first postoperative week after OH. The high risk of bias of the included studies indicates that well-designed clinical trials and standardization of surgical complication reporting are essential to better address this issue.

The learning experience for endoscopic submucosal dissection in a non-academic western hospital: a single operator's untutored, prevalence-based approach.

BACKGROUND: Studies of learning experience in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) commonly originate from the East. Little is known about the performance of ESD in low-volume western centers. Furthermore, it is unclear whether ESD can be self-taught without a tutored approach. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive ESDs, performed in an untutored prevalence-based fashion by a single operator at a private Greek hospital from 2016-2020. Out of 60 lesions, standard ESD was applied for 54 and enucleation for 6; 41 were mucosal and 19 submucosal; 3 esophageal, 24 gastric, one duodenal, 12 colonic, and 20 rectal. RESULTS: Pathology revealed carcinoma (n=14), neuroendocrine tumor (n=7), precancerous lesion (n=27), or other submucosal tumors (n=12). The rates of en bloc and R0 resection were 98% and 91%, respectively. The median resection speed was <3 cm2/h for the first 20 cases, but improved progressively to ≥9 cm2/h after 40 cases. Two patients underwent laparoscopic surgery for colonic perforation, and one received a blood transfusion because of delayed bleeding (serious adverse event rate: 5%). No deaths occurred. The median hospital stay was 1.3 days. Variables associated with improvement in ESD speed during the second period of the study were the application of countertraction and the experience acquired through other endosurgical techniques. CONCLUSIONS: ESD was safe and effective in a low-volume center, with an acceptable adverse events rate. At least 40 mixed cases were needed to achieve a high resection speed. Additive experience gained through other endosurgical procedures probably contributed to the improvement in performance.

Hinchey Ia acute diverticulitis with isolated pericolic air on CT imaging; to operate or not? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Colonic diverticulitis is one of the most common gastrointestinal pathologies and its prevalence increases with the aging of the population in Western countries. Approximately 15% of patients with Hinchey Ia acute diverticulitis present with concomitant isolated pericolic air bubbles that denote intestinal perforation and thus prompting a more "aggressive" treatment attitude, including emergency surgery, despite the absence of evidence-based indications. This study is trying to delineate whether this approach is justified or whether a conservative treatment would suffice for this group of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were systematically searched in order to identify all studies that reported the need for emergency surgery and for percutaneous drainage in patients presenting with Hinchey Ia colonic diverticulitis with extraluminal pericolic gas on CT imaging who were initially treated conservatively. The last database search was performed on November 29, 2019 and no language or study type restriction criteria were applied. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the risk of bias of selected studies. RESULTS: Nine observational cohort studies with 411 patients reported the need for emergency surgery, with a pooled rate of 5.1%. Among these studies, four studies comprising 165 patients reported the need for percutaneous drainage separately with a pooled rate of 1.2%. CONCLUSION: Non-operative management of Hinchey Ia acute diverticulitis with isolated pericolic air is feasible and safe with a success rate of 94.9%. Abscess formation requiring percutaneous drainage is present in only 1.2% of patients, thus rendering the conservative initial treatment of these patients justified. Nevertheless, low quality of included studies indicates further research to validate the outcomes of this review.

Gastric ischemic preconditioning may reduce the incidence and severity of anastomotic leakage after οesophagectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy is a severe and life-threatening complication. Gastric ischemic preconditioning is a strategy for the improvement of anastomotic healing. Aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the impact of gastric ischemic preconditioning on postoperative morbidity. A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies comparing patients undergoing gastric ischemic preconditioning before esophagectomy with nonpreconditioned patients. Meta-analysis was conducted for the overall incidence of anastomotic leakage, severe anastomotic leakage, anastomotic stricture, postoperative morbidity, and mortality. Mantel-Haenszel odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Subgroup analyses were performed concerning preconditioning technique, the interval between preconditioning and surgery and the extent of preconditioning. Fifteen cohort studies were identified. Gastric preconditioning was associated with reduced overall incidence of anastomotic leakage (OR 0.73; 95% CI, 0.53-1.0; P = 0.050) and severe anastomotic leakage (OR 0.27; 95% CI, 0.14-0.50; P < 0.010), but not with anastomotic stricture (OR 1.18; 95% CI 0.38 to 3.66; P = 0.780), major postoperative morbidity (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.45 to 2.36; P = 0.940) or mortality (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.39 to 1,23; P = 0.210). Subgroup analyses did not identify any differences between embolization and ligation while increasing the interval between preconditioning and esophagectomy as well as the extent of preconditioning might be beneficial. Gastric ischemic preconditioning may be associated with a reduced incidence of overall and severe anastomotic leakage. Randomized studies are necessary to further evaluate its impact on leakage, refine the technique and define patient populations that will benefit the most.

LINX® reflux management system to bridge the "treatment gap" in gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systematic review of 35 studies.

BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when the reflux of stomach contents causes troublesome symptoms and/or complications. When medical therapy is insufficient, surgical therapy is indicated and, until now, Laparoscopic fundoplication (LF) constitutes the gold-standard method. However, magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) using the LINX® Reflux Management System has recently emerged and disputes the standard therapeutic approach. AIM: To investigate the device's safety and efficacy in resolving GERD symptoms. METHODS: This is a systematic review conducted in accordance to the PRISMA guidelines. We searched MEDLINE, Clinicaltrials.gov, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRAL databases from inception until September 2019. RESULTS: Overall, 35 studies with a total number of 2511 MSA patients were included and analyzed. Post-operative proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) cessation rates reached 100%, with less bloating symptoms and a better ability to belch or vomit in comparison to LF. Special patient groups (e.g., bariatric or large hiatal-hernias) had promising results too. The most common postoperative complication was dysphagia ranging between 6% and 83%. Dilation due to dysphagia occurred in 8% of patients with typical inclusion criteria. Esophageal erosion may occur in up to 0.03% of patients. Furthermore, a recent trial indicated MSA as an efficient alternative to double-dose PPIs in moderate-to-severe GERD. CONCLUSION: The findings of our review suggest that MSA has the potential to bridge the treatment gap between maxed-out medical treatment and LF. However, further studies with longer follow-up are needed for a better elucidation of these results.

Hybrid Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Partial Gastrectomy for Ulcerated GIST: Surgical Technique with Video.

INTRODUCTION: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the gastric cardia pose several technical difficulties to their resection because they are difficult to access, and they must be removed respecting oncological principles, and due to their proximity to the gastroesophageal junction, excessive removal of gastric tissue may cause deformation with gastric dysfunction, or gastroesophageal reflux. METHOD: Hybrid laparoscopic endoscopic partial gastrectomy is a technique that avoids these problems making use of three principles. First the tumor is pinpointed, marked, and resected under combined laparoscopic and endoscopic control to assure that it is completely resected without compromising the structure of the gastroesophageal junction. Second, a dissection of the abdominal esophagus is performed as during a Nissen fundoplication in order to increase the distance between the tumor and the gastroesophageal junction. Third the lesser curvature of the stomach is dissected, and the terminal branches of the left gastric vessels are controlled from the gastric incisura to the gastroesophageal junction exposing the lesser curvature and the posterior wall of the stomach. The tumor is resected under endoscopic control, tangentially with an endoscopic stapler applied parallel to the lesser curvature similarly to a sleeve partial gastrectomy. RESULTS: No abdominal drain is used, and a nasogastric tube is left in place for the first 24 h after surgery. The patient receives fluid diet on the first postoperative day, is discharged on the second postoperative day, and is followed up in the outpatient department for a week. CONCLUSION: In this technical paper, the procedure is described in detail and demonstrated with video.

New insights into irritable bowel syndrome: from pathophysiology to treatment.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common reason to visit a gastroenterologist. IBS was believed to be a functional disease, but many possible pathophysiologic mechanisms can now explain the symptoms. IBS patients are classified into subtypes according to their predominant bowel habit, based on the Rome IV criteria. These include diarrhea-predominant and constipation-predominant IBS, as well as the mixed type, a combination of the two. Usually, IBS treatment is based on the predominant symptoms, with many options for each subtype. A new promising treatment option, fecal microbiota transplantation, seems to have beneficial effects on IBS. However, treating the pathophysiological causative agent responsible for the symptoms is an emerging approach. Therefore, before the appropriate therapeutic option is chosen for treating IBS, a clinical evaluation of its pathophysiology should be performed.

Adrenal Aging and Its Implications on Stress Responsiveness in Humans.

Normal aging results in subtle changes both in ACTH and cortisol secretion. Most notable is the general increase in mean daily serum cortisol levels in the elderly, without a noteworthy alteration in the normal circadian rhythm pattern. Glucocorticoid excess seen in the elderly population can have serious consequences in both the structural and functional integrity of various key areas in the brain, including the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, with consequent impairment in normal memory, cognitive function, and sleep cycles. The chronically elevated glucocorticoid levels also impinge on the normal stress response in the elderly, leading to an impaired ability to recover from stressful stimuli. In addition to the effects on the brain, glucocorticoid excess is associated with other age-related changes, including loss of muscle mass, hypertension, osteopenia, visceral obesity, and diabetes, among others. In contrast to the increase in glucocorticoid levels, other adrenocortical hormones, particularly serum aldosterone and DHEA (the precursor to androgens and estrogens) show significant decreases in the elderly. The underlying mechanisms for their decrease remain unclear. While the adrenomedullary hormone, norephinephrine, shows an increase in plasma levels, associated with a decrease in clearance, no notable changes observed in plasma epinephrine levels in the elderly. The multiplicity and complexity of the adrenal hormone changes observed throughout the normal aging process, suggests that age-related alterations in cellular growth, differentiation, and senescence specific to the adrenal gland must also be considered.

Arc of Bühler: the surgical significance of a rare anatomical variation.

PURPOSE: The arc of Bühler, an anastomotic vessel between celiac artery and superior mesenteric artery, is a rare anatomic variation. Various radiologic and surgical procedures can be affected by its existence. We aim to review all available information and identify possible clinical implications. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The following terms were utilized in various combinations: "Bühler", "arc of Bühler", "visceral aneurysm", "pancreaticoduodenal arcades". RESULTS: Only 53 cases have been described until today in the literature. The arc of Bühler enhances collateral circulation between celiac artery and superior mesenteric artery alongside with pancreaticoduodenal arcades and dorsal pancreatic artery. Computerized tomography and angiography are the main studies used for its detection and evaluation. Aneurysms of Bühler's arc have been rarely described and seem to share common pathophysiological mechanisms with aneurysms of the pancreaticoduodenal arcades. CONCLUSIONS: Various radiologic and surgical procedures such as embolization or pancreaticoduodenectomy are potentially affected by its existence.