Video Interviews and Surgical Applicants' Ability to Assess Fit to Residency Programs.

INTRODUCTION: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the recruitment cycle for the 2021 Match was performed virtually. This Association for Surgical Education (ASE)-sponsored survey set out to study applicants' ability to assess the factors contributing to fit through video interviews. METHODS: An IRB-approved, online, anonymous survey was distributed to surgical applicants at a single academic institution and through the ASE clerkship director distribution list between the rank order list certification deadline and Match Day. Applicants used 5-point Likert-type scales to rate factors for importance to fit and their ease of assessment through video interviewing. A variety of recruitment activities were also rated by applicants for their perceived helpfulness in assessment of fit. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-three applicants responded to the survey. The three most important factors for applicant fit were how much the program cared, how satisfied residents seem with their program, and how well residents get along. Resident rapport, diversity of the patient population, and quality of the facilities were hardest to assess through video interviews. In general, diversity-related factors were more important to female and non-White applicants, but not more difficult to assess. Interview day and resident-only virtual panels were the most helpful recruitment activities, while virtual campus tours, faculty-only panels, and a program's social media were the least helpful. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides valuable insight into the limitations of virtual recruitment for surgical applicants' perception of fit. These findings and the recommendations herein should be taken into consideration by residency program leadership to ensure successful recruitment of diverse residency classes.

Applicants' perception of fit to residency programmes in the video-interview era: A large multidisciplinary survey.

INTRODUCTION: 'Fit' refers to an applicants' perceived compatibility to a residency programme. A variety of structural, identity-related and relational factors contribute to self-assessments of fit. The 2021 residency recruitment cycle in the USA was performed virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about how video-interviewing may affect residency applicants' ability to gauge fit. METHODS: A multidisciplinary, anonymous survey was distributed to applicants at a large academic institution between rank order list (ROL) certification deadline and Match Day 2021. Using Likert-type scales, applicants rated factors for importance to 'fit' and their ease of assessment through video-interviewing. Applicants also self-assigned fit scores to the top-ranked programme in their ROL using Likert-type scales with pairs of anchoring statements. RESULTS: Four hundred seventy-three applicants responded to the survey (25.7% response rate). The three most important factors to applicants for assessment of fit (how much the programme seemed to care, how satisfied residents seem with their programme and how well the residents get along) were also the factors with the greatest discrepancy between importance and ease of assessment through video-interviewing. Diversity-related factors were more important to female applicants compared with males and to non-White applicants compared with White applicants. Furthermore, White male applicants self-assigned higher fit scores compared with other demographic groups. CONCLUSION: There is a marked discrepancy between the most important factors to applicants for fit and their ability to assess those factors virtually. Minoritised trainees self-assigned lower fit scores to their top-ranked programme, which should raise concern amongst medical educators and highlights the importance of expanding current diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in academic medicine.

Communication of Incidental Imaging Findings on Inpatient Discharge Summaries After Implementation of Electronic Health Record Notification System.

OBJECTIVES: Inadequate follow-up of incidental imaging findings (IIFs) can result in poor patient outcomes, patient dissatisfaction, and provider malpractice. At our institution, radiologists flag IIFs during report dictation to trigger electronic health record (EHR) notifications to providers and patients. Nurse coordinators directly contact patients or their primary care physicians (PCPs) regarding IIFs if follow-up is not completed within the recommended time frame. Despite these interventions, many patients and their PCPs remain unaware of IIFs. In an effort to improve awareness of IIFs, we aim to investigate communication of IIFs on inpatient discharge summaries after implementation of our EHR notification system. METHODS: Inpatient records with IIFs from 2018 to 2021 were retrospectively reviewed to determine type of IIFs, follow-up recommendations, and mention of IIFs on discharge summaries. Nurse coordinators spoke to patients and providers to determine their awareness of IIFs. RESULTS: Incidental imaging findings were reported in 51% of discharge summaries (711/1383). When nurse coordinators called patients and PCPs regarding IIFs at the time follow-up was due, the patients and PCPs were aware of 79% of IIFs (1096/1383). CONCLUSIONS: With implementation of EHR notifications to providers regarding IIFs, IIFs were included in 51% of discharge summaries. Lack of inclusion of IIFs on discharge summaries could be related to transitions of care within hospitalization, provider alert fatigue, and many diagnostic testing results to distill. These findings demonstrate the need to improve communication of IIFs, possibly via automating mention of IIFs on discharge summaries, and the need for care coordinators to follow up on IIFs.

Primary central nervous system B-cell lymphoma in a young dog.

This report describes a primary central nervous system B-cell lymphoma in a 3-year-old intact female Maltese dog. Canine primary central nervous system lymphomas constitute about 4% of all intracranial primary neoplasms, but comprehensive histopathologic classifications have rarely been carried out. This is the first report of this disease in a young adult dog.

Characterising ICU-ward handoffs at three academic medical centres: process and perceptions.

BACKGROUND: There is limited literature about physician handoffs between the intensive care unit (ICU) and the ward, and best practices have not been described. These patients are uniquely vulnerable given their medical complexity, diagnostic uncertainty and reduced monitoring intensity. We aimed to characterise the structure, perceptions and processes of ICU-ward handoffs across three teaching hospitals using multimodal methods: by identifying the handoff components involved in communication failures and describing common processes of patient transfer. METHODS: We conducted a study at three academic medical centres using two methods to characterise the structure, perceptions and processes of ICU-ward transfers: (1) an anonymous resident survey characterising handoff communication during ICU-ward transfer, and (2) comparison of process maps to identify similarities and differences between ICU-ward transfer processes across the three hospitals. RESULTS: Of the 295 internal medicine residents approached, 175 (59%) completed the survey. 87% of the respondents recalled at least one adverse event related to communication failure during ICU-ward transfer. 95% agreed that a well-structured handoff template would improve ICU-ward transfer. Rehabilitation needs, intravenous access/hardware and risk assessments for readmission to the ICU were the most frequently omitted or incorrectly communicated components of handoff notes. More than 60% of the respondents reported that notes omitted or miscommunicated pending results, active subspecialty consultants, nutrition and intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and healthcare decision-maker information at least twice per month. Despite variable process across the three sites, all process maps demonstrated flaws and potential for harm in critical steps of the ICU-ward transition. CONCLUSION: In this multisite study, despite significant process variation across sites, almost all resident physicians recalled an adverse event related to the ICU-ward handoff. Future work is needed to determine best practices for ICU-ward handoffs at academic medical centres.

Toll-like receptor 9: a new target of ischemic preconditioning in the brain.

Preconditioning with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) ligand, provides neuroprotection against subsequent cerebral ischemic brain injury, through a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha-dependent process. Here, we report the first evidence that another TLR, TLR9, can induce neuroprotection. We show that the TLR9 ligand CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) can serve as a potent preconditioning stimulus and provide protection against ischemic brain injury. Our studies show that systemic administration of CpG ODN 1826 in advance of brain ischemia (middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)) reduces ischemic damage up to 60% in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We also offer evidence that CpG ODN preconditioning can provide direct protection to cells of the central nervous system, as we have found marked neuroprotection in modeled ischemia in vitro. Finally, we show that CpG preconditioning significantly increases serum TNFalpha levels before MCAO and that TNFalpha is required for subsequent reduction in damage, as mice lacking TNFalpha are not protected against ischemic injury by CpG preconditioning. Our studies show that preconditioning with a TLR9 ligand induces neuroprotection against ischemic injury through a mechanism that shares common elements with LPS preconditioning via TLR4.

Nasal administration of osteopontin peptide mimetics confers neuroprotection in stroke.

Osteopontin (OPN), a large secreted glycoprotein with an arginine, glycine, aspartate (RGD) motif, can bind and signal through cellular integrin receptors. We have shown previously that OPN enhances neuronal survival in the setting of ischemia. Here, we sought to increase the neuroprotective potency of OPN and improve the method of delivery with the goal of identifying a treatment for stroke in humans. We show that thrombin cleavage of OPN improves its ability to ligate integrin receptors and its neuroprotective capacity in models of ischemia. Thrombin-cleaved OPN is a twofold more effective neuroprotectant than the untreated molecule. We also tested whether OPN could be administered intranasally and found that it is efficiently targeted to the brain via intranasal delivery. Furthermore, intranasal administration of thrombin-treated OPN confers protection against ischemic brain injury. Osteopontin mimetics based on the peptide sequences located either N or C terminal to the thrombin cleavage site were generated and tested in models of ischemia. Treatment with successively shorter N-terminal peptides and a phosphorylated C-terminal peptide provided significant neuroprotection against ischemic injury. These findings show that OPN mimetics offer promise for development into new drugs for the treatment of stroke.

Novel thyroxine derivatives, thyronamine and 3-iodothyronamine, induce transient hypothermia and marked neuroprotection against stroke injury.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Mild hypothermia confers profound neuroprotection in ischemia. We recently discovered 2 natural derivatives of thyroxine, 3-iodothyronamine (T(1)AM) and thyronamine (T(0)AM), that when administered to rodents lower body temperature for several hours without induction of a compensatory homeostatic response. We tested whether T(1)AM- and T(0)AM-induced hypothermia protects against brain injury from experimental stroke. METHODS: We tested T(1)AM and T(0)AM 1 hour after and 2 days before stroke in a mouse model of focal ischemia. To determine whether T(1)AM and T(0)AM require hypothermia to protect against stroke injury, the induction of hypothermia was prevented. RESULTS: T(1)AM and T(0)AM administration reduced body temperature from 37 degrees C to 31 degrees C. Mice given T(1)AM or T(0)AM after the ischemic period had significantly smaller infarcts compared with controls. Mice preconditioned with T(1)AM before ischemia displayed significantly smaller infarcts compared with controls. Pre- and postischemia treatments required the induction of hypothermia. T(1)AM and T(0)AM treatment in vitro failed to confer neuroprotection against ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: T(1)AM and T(0)AM, are potent neuroprotectants in acute stroke and T(1)AM can be used as antecedent treatment to induce neuroprotection against subsequent ischemia. Hypothermia induced by T(1)AM and T(0)AM may underlie neuroprotection. T(1)AM and T(0)AM offer promise as treatments for brain injury.

Growth factor expression with different wound treatments after laser resurfacing.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have demonstrated that the specific method of wound dressing used may affect the healing process. However, the effect of the method of wound dressings on the expression of growth factors is not well documented. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different methods of treatment on the healing process and the expression of growth factors (epidermal growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta(2) [TGF-beta(2)], platelet-derived growth factor-A, and platelet-derived growth factor-B) by histologic study, immunohistochemistry, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. METHODS: In this study, we produced wounds with a CO(2) laser on the backs of rats and used 4 different methods of wound treatment: occlusive dressing material, petrolatum ointment, beta-sitosterol ointment, and exposure to air (untreated) as a control. Five-millimeter biopsy specimens were obtained 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 days after surgery for histologic evaluation and expression of growth factors from four different dressing sites. RESULTS: By microscopic examination, there was an acceleration of wound healing in the occlusive dressing wounds, as well as a lesser improvement in healing times with the petrolatum and beta-sitosterol-treated wounds, compared with the air-exposed control subjects. With immunohistochemistry, we observed that the tissue expression of TGF-beta(2) remained at a clearly lower level during the entire duration of wound healing in the occlusive dressing wound compared with the other treatment wounds. With reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, however, our data did not reveal statistically significant differences among the messenger RNA levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a decrease in the expression level of TGF-beta(2) under occlusive dressings could provide an environment in which the growth of human epidermal keratinocytes and re-epithelialization is promoted.

A Tool to Assess Risk of De Novo Opioid Abuse or Dependence.

BACKGROUND: Determining risk factors for opioid abuse or dependence will help clinicians practice informed prescribing and may help mitigate opioid abuse or dependence. The purpose of this study is to identify variables predicting opioid abuse or dependence. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study using de-identified integrated pharmacy and medical claims was performed between October 2009 and September 2013. Patients with at least 1 opioid prescription claim during the index period (index claim) were identified. We ascertained risk factors using data from 12 months before the index claim (pre-period) and captured abuse or dependency diagnosis using data from 12 months after the index claim (postperiod). We included continuously eligible (pre- and postperiod) commercially insured patients aged 18 years or older. We excluded patients with cancer, residence in a long-term care facility, or a previous diagnosis of opioid abuse or dependence (identified by International Classification of Diseases 9th revision code or buprenorphine/naloxone claim in the pre-period). The outcome was a diagnosis of opioid abuse (International Classification of Diseases 9th revision code 304.0x) or dependence (305.5). RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 694,851 patients. Opioid abuse or dependence was observed in 2067 patients (0.3%). Several factors predicted opioid abuse or dependence: younger age (per decade [older] odds ratio [OR], 0.68); being a chronic opioid user (OR, 4.39); history of mental illness (OR, 3.45); nonopioid substance abuse (OR, 2.82); alcohol abuse (OR, 2.37); high morphine equivalent dose per day user (OR, 1.98); tobacco use (OR, 1.80); obtaining opioids from multiple prescribers (OR, 1.71); residing in the South (OR, 1.65), West (OR, 1.49), or Midwest (OR, 1.24); using multiple pharmacies (OR, 1.59); male gender (OR, 1.43); and increased 30-day adjusted opioid prescriptions (OR, 1.05). CONCLUSIONS: Readily available demographic, clinical, behavioral, pharmacy, and geographic information can be used to predict the likelihood of opioid abuse or dependence.

Unusual sites of colorectal cancer metastasis.

We present 2 separate cases of adenocarcinoma of the colon with metastasis to the chin and the bladder, both of which are unusual sites of colorectal cancer metastasis. Patient 1 is a 77-year-old man who was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the colon, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) T4 N0 M0 (stage II), and underwent a right hemicolectomy. Fourteen months later he developed a firm 2.5-cm mass involving the chin. Excisional biopsy revealed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, consistent with the known colon primary tumor. Patient 2 is a 75-year-old man who was diagnosed with AJCC T3 N1 M0 (stage III) adenocarcinoma of the colon and underwent sigmoid colectomy. Ten years later, he was found to have transitional cell carcinoma involving retroperitoneal nodes with no identifiable bladder or ureteral primary, for which he received chemotherapy. Eighteen months following this diagnosis, he developed hematuria and was found to have metastatic colon adenocarcinoma involving the bladder. Details of both patient cases are presented here.

Management of small bowel adenocarcinoma.

Small bowel adenocarcinoma is a relatively rare malignancy. Only limited information is available on the incidence, prognosis, and role of chemotherapy in the treatment of this disease. We present a review of currently available clinical data to assist the practicing oncologist in the treatment of these patients. Approximately 5,300 new cases and 1,100 deaths from small bowel adenocarcinoma are reported annually in the United States. Increased incidence is seen in patients with Crohn's disease, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, and familial adenomatouspolyposis. Factors associated with poor prognosis are age > 75 years, lack of surgical resection, advanced stage, and tumor arising in the duodenum. The median survival of patients with localized, locally advanced, and metastatic disease is 50.1, 22.2, and 8.6 months, respectively. Few data exist on the use of (neo)adjuvant or palliative chemo(radio)therapy in this setting. Fluorouracil (5-FU)based chemotherapy, as a single agent or in combination with others, has been used in most case series. Duodenal adenocarcinoma accounts for more than 50% of all cases of small bowel adenocarcinoma. Resectability is the key prognostic factor, along with age, performance status, tumor location, and presence of distant metastasis. Although the activity of 5-FU-based regimens has been documented, the assessment of clinical benefit is hindered by the lack of prospective, randomized data.

The optimal sequence of microvascular repair during prolonged clamping in free flap transfer.

During free flap transfer, the surgeon may decide to begin with repair of the artery or the vein(s) and to unclamp the first vessel as soon as repair is completed or maintain the clamping of both vessels until completion of all repairs. Complications can lead to prolonged clamping times, potentially increasing the risk of tissue ischemia, vascular damage, and thrombosis. The goals of the present study were to determine whether the sequence of vessel repair and the duration of clamping affect the success of free flap transfer in cases requiring prolonged clamping. Sixty abdominal fasciocutaneous free flaps based on the superficial inferior epigastric vessels were created in Sprague-Dawley rats. To model clinical situations in which prolonged clamping is necessary, the study used a 1-hour delay before the repair of the second vessel. Flaps were randomized into four groups. In group I (n = 15), the artery was repaired first, and the arterial clamp was removed immediately to allow arterial inflow. In group II (n = 15), the arterial repair was first, and the arterial clamp was maintained until completion of venous repair. In group III (n = 15), venous repair was first, with venous clamping maintained until completion of the arterial repair. In group IV (n = 15), initial venous repair was followed by immediate unclamping, before arterial repair. On release of all clamps, the patency of arteries and veins was confirmed immediately and after 1 hour using a "milking" test. On the fifth postoperative day, each flap was assessed for necrosis and for patency of the anastomoses. Of 15 flaps in each group, five (33 percent) failed in group I, four (27 percent) failed in groups II and III, and six (40 percent) failed in group IV. Differences between groups were not statistically significant (p = 0.8). These results demonstrate that in cases requiring prolonged occlusive clamping (2 to 3 hours), factors such as venous congestion, possible clamp injury, and presence of static blood in contact with the new anastomosis have relatively equivalent contributions to the risk of failure. Accordingly, no advantage seems to be gained by beginning with the artery or the vein or by using early or delayed unclamping of the first vessel repaired.

A 16-year-old girl with bilateral visual loss and left hemiparesis following an immunization against human papilloma virus.

We report the course of a 16-year-old girl who presented with near complete visual loss associated with chiasmal neuritis and a biopsy proven tumefactive demyelinating lesion on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in association with a recent immunization against human papilloma virus.

Diagnostic role of target lesion on diffusion-weighted imaging: a case of cerebral aspergillosis and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Target lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging are uncommon and their significance not well appreciated. To assess the diagnostic value of this neuroimaging finding, a case of cerebral aspergillosis is presented and the literature reviewed. METHODS: The diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging features of target lesions in a case of cerebral aspergillosis with neuropathologic correlate is presented and 8 other cases manifesting this neuroimaging finding are reviewed for etiology, patient immune status, lesion number, enhancement, and location. RESULTS: The etiologies included cerebral aspergillosis, Balo concentric sclerosis, and acute necrotizing encephalopathy. The cerebral aspergillosis cases were immunocompromised with multiple lesions in 4 of 5 patients. The acute necrotizing encephalopathy and Balo concentric sclerosis patients were immunocompetent with bilateral thalamic lesions in the former and multiple random or solitary lesions in the later. Enhancement was seen in 5 patients. CONCLUSION: Target lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging are compelling for a diagnosis of cerebral aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients and for acute necrotizing encephalopathy in immunocompetent patients when lesions are bilateral thalamic and Balo concentric sclerosis when white matter is involved.