Diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical education journals: An evaluation of editorial board composition.

PURPOSE OF THE ARTICLE: As editorial boards (EBs) of medical education journals (MEJs) hold substantial control over framing current medical education scholarship, we aimed to evaluate representation of women as well as geographic and socioeconomic diversity on EBs of these journals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In our cross-sectional study, Composite Editorial Board Diversity Score (CEBDS) was used to evaluate diversity at gender, geographic region, and country income level. Websites of MEJs were screened for relevant information. Job titles were categorized into 3 editorial roles and data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. RESULTS: Out of 42 MEJs, 19 journals (45.2%) were published from the Global South. Among 1219 editors, 57.5% were men. Out of 46 editors in chief (EICs), 34.7% were women, and 60.9% were based in high income countries. No EIC belonged to low-income country. The proportion of female advisory board members was found to be positively correlated with the presence of a female EIC. Moreover, 2 journals achieved the maximum CEBDS. All editors belonged to the same World Bank income group and geographic region for 12 and 8 journals respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In order to allow a truly global perspective in medical education to prevail, diversity and inclusivity on these journals become important parameters to address. Thus, promoting policies centered on improving diversity in all aspects should become a top priority.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on Editorial Boards of Global Health Journals.

Journals have been described as "duty bearers" of upholding fundamental ethical principles that are essential for maintaining the ethical integrity of newly generated and disseminated knowledge. To play our part, we evaluated diversity and inclusion in the leadership and management of global and international health journals. We developed Journal Diversity Index (JDI) to measure three parameters of diversity and representation (gender, geographic, socioeconomic status). Relevant information regarding editorial board members of systematically screened journals was sequentially extracted and job titles were categorized into five editorial roles. Chi-squared test was utilized to study associations between gender and geographic distribution of editors along with the Medline indexing of the journal and its impact factor. Out of 43 journals included, 62.7% were published from two high-income countries. Women comprised 44% of the total editors. Among all the editorial board members, we did not find any information suggesting the representation of non-binary and transgender individuals. Furthermore, 68.2% of editors were based in high-income countries with 67.3% of the editors belonging to the Global North. This disparity in geographic region and socioeconomic level was observed across all five editorial roles. Among all women editors, more than 70% worked in non-Medline and non-impact factor journals. Only two journals scored "excellent" on JDI. Despite the continuous evolution of the definition of global health ethics, marginalized individuals, and their perspectives remain underrepresented in this field. Thus, we call for swift action regarding the decentralization and redistribution of global and international health journal editorial boards. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41649-023-00243-8.

Robotic surgery during the COVID pandemic: why now and why for the future.

Health care has changed in unprecedented ways since the first reported cases of COVID-19. With global case rates continuing to rise and government restrictions beginning to loosen, many worry that a second wave in our future. In many hospitals around the world, non-emergent surgeries were put on hold as hospitals were transformed into COVID centers. As surgeons and administrators do their best to reinstate non-emergent procedures, guidance is sought from any and all reliable sources. Robotic surgery has many known and demonstrated benefits over open surgery and often over conventional laparoscopy. In this commentary, we aim to highlight some of the advantages robotic surgery may offer during this uniquely challenging time in health care.

Assessment of spiramycin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles treatment on acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in mice.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease with worldwide distribution. Chitosan is a natural polymer which is commonly used in the production of nanomedicines. It is known to enable higher drug permeation, being biocompatible and has very low toxicity, besides its antimicrobial effects. Our study aimed to assess the effect of spiramycin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (SLCNs) in treatment of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in mice. 200 male Swiss albino mice were included in our study, divided to two main groups; Toxoplasma gondii RH strain infected group and ME49 strain infected group, each main group was subdivided into four subgroups; subgroup I: infected control, subgroup II: infected and received chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs); 20 µg of CS NPs in 100 µl of PBS/mouse/dose, subgroup III: infected and treated with spiramycin (Rovamycin); 100 mg/kg/day, subgroup IV: infected and treated with 100 mg/kg/day spiramycin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles. Effect of treatment was assessed parasitologically and histopathologically. It was noticed that SLCNs significantly decreased the mortality rate of infected mice with both strains compared to high mortality rate of mice in the infected control subgroups. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in the number of organisms of SLCNs treated subgroup as compared to the other subgroups. Histopathological studies showed a marked improvement of the pathological pictures of brain, liver, spleen and eye in the subgroup received SLCNs as opposed to other groups. In conclusion, the present study revealed that loading of spiramycin on chitosan nanoparticles increased its antiparasitic effect on acute and chronic T. gondii infection.

HCV and HBV testing acceptability and knowledge among urban emergency department patients and pharmacy clients.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis C and hepatitis B are public health problems in the United States and remain largely undiagnosed. In response to the availability of rapid, point of care hepatitis tests, we assessed hepatitis knowledge and acceptability of hepatitis testing during an emergency department (ED) or pharmacy visit. METHODS: From June 2010 to May 2011, an anonymous prospective survey was administered to a convenience sample of New York City ED patients and pharmacy clients. RESULTS: The study population (N=2078) was 54% female, 36% Hispanic and 41% black. Mean age was 39, SD ± 15 years. The majority (72%;1480/2,2060) of the participants responded that they would get tested if free testing were offered, and 67% (1272/1912) of those responded that they would test for hepatitis B/C in conjunction with HIV. Participants who had previously tested for hepatitis had higher mean knowledge scores than those who had never tested. Pharmacy clients, those of black race, and those with higher mean knowledge scores would be more willing to accept hepatitis B/C testing if offered. CONCLUSIONS: Urban ED patients and pharmacy clients were receptive to hepatitis testing. Most individuals would elect to be tested for hepatitis with HIV, which raises the possibility of integrated testing.