Imposter Syndrome Relation to Gender Across Osteopathic Medical Schools.

This study explores the rate of Imposter Syndrome (IS) in osteopathic medical students specifically in regard to gender. Additionally, we compare IS with previous performance on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and undergraduate science GPA. IS has been described as a psychological term that refers to a pattern of behavior wherein people doubt their abilities and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud regardless of adequate external evidence of success. Females in professional fields have been shown to experience IS at a significantly higher rate than their male counterparts, the cause of which is unknown. We performed an anonymous survey distributed to osteopathic medical students in the USA from the classes of 2020-2023. The final data included information from 23 classes across 9 osteopathic medical schools. Students were asked eight questions from the Young Imposter Scale questionnaire to determine if a student had IS. Students were also asked to provide MCAT scores and undergraduate science GPA information. This study confirms that female osteopathic medical students experience IS at a higher rate than their male counterparts. This phenomenon is not dependent on gender ratios in medical school classes, nor is it dependent on previous student success on the MCAT or undergraduate science GPA. This indicates that medical schools need to be aware of IS throughout the student population, not just high-achieving individuals. IS is a significant problem in medical education, which can lead to physician burnout and deteriorating well-being.

Fabrication and Performance of a Multi-Discharge Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Array.

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) has been shown to kill bacteria and remove biofilms. Here we report the development of a unique CAP array device consisting of a parallel stack of eight linear-discharge plasma elements that create a ~ 5 cm2 (2.4 cm × 2 cm) treatment area. The CAP device is fabricated from Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) layers to create 24 mm long linear-discharge channels (500 µm gap) with embedded opposing silver metal electrodes. A 20 kHz AC voltage (0.5-5 kV) applied to the electrodes generates an Ar/O2 plasma between the plates, with the gas flow directing the reactive species toward the biological sample (biofilms, etc.) to affect the antimicrobial treatment. External ballast resistors were used to study discharge uniformity in the stacked array elements and internal thick film ballast resistors (≈150 kΩ) were developed to create a fully integrated device. Typical element discharge currents were 1-2.5 mA with the total array current tested at 20 mA to provide optimal device uniformity. The plasma discharge was further shown to produce reactive hydrogen peroxide and exert antimicrobial effects on Pseudomonas biofilms and Salmonella contaminated eggshell samples, with >99% of the bacterial cells killed with less than 60 seconds of plasma exposure.

Creating attitudinal change through teaching: how a course on "Women and Violence" changes students' attitudes about violence against women.

Research on violence against women has consistently revealed that rape-myth acceptance (RMA) is high correlated with rape rates and victim blaming. Other research has shown that education about violence against women is a useful strategy for lessening or stopping various types of violence, particularly rape. Using data gathered at a medium-sized public university in the Northeast, the authors examine changes in rape myth acceptance over the course of a semester among undergraduate students. Comparing students in classes having a greater or lesser emphasis on gender issues (ranging from general sociology to a course specifically addressing violence against women), the authors found significant changes in RMA among students taking a course concentrating on violence against women. The authors conclude that having college courses specifically focused on violence against women can be an effective strategy for changing attitudes about both rape and rape victims.

The sartorius muscle flap: an important adjunct for complicated femoral wounds involving vascular grafts.

INTRODUCTION: Femoral wound complications can threaten vascular grafts. Muscle flaps can be used to facilitate soft-tissue coverage and graft salvage. We report a series of sartorius flaps performed by vascular surgeons in the treatment of complicated femoral wounds. METHODS: Rotational sartorius flaps were performed to attempt salvage of underlying vascular grafts. We reviewed a prospective database to determine the outcomes of sartorius flaps on facilitating wound healing and graft salvage and patency. RESULTS: From 2005 to 2008, 21 sartorius flaps were performed in infected or threatened femoral wounds. Original operations included femoral endarterectomy with patch repair in 8, aortofemoral graft in 6, axillofemoral graft in 4, and femoral-distal bypass in 3 patients. Complete wound healing occurred in 18 patients (86%). Primary wound closure was achieved in 7 patients. Secondary wound closure was achieved in 11 patients with mean healing time of 2.3 months. All vascular reconstructions remained patent at the 9.5-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Sartorius muscle flaps are effective at facilitating complicated femoral wound healing while maintaining graft salvage and patency.

Decaying invertebrate carcasses increase growth of Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae) when leaf litter resources are limiting.

Treeholes are detritus-based communities, and resource quantity and quality play a large role in structuring such communities. The primary resource is leaf litter, but decaying invertebrates also are a resource to treehole inhabitants. These communities are subject to a variety of disturbances, which may affect resources or cause widespread mortality. When dead inhabitants decay, they provide a potentially high-quality resource to survivors or subsequent colonists. We predicted that variation in decaying larvae (0, 7.3, and 29.2 mg/liter) and leaf litter (1, 5, and 10 g/liter) would influence the performance of populations of Aedes triseriatus (Say), the eastern treehole mosquito. We tested this prediction in field mesocosms, which were subjected to a freezing event causing widespread mortality of the scirtid beetle Helodes pulchella Guerin. We then added a cohort of first instar mosquitoes to mesocosms, and we monitored their development from March until June 2005. At the highest leaf litter level, survival, adult mass, and time to complete development were unaffected by decaying scirtids, and they were different from treatments with lower levels of leaf litter. In treatments with 1 and 5 g/liter leaf litter and decaying scirtids, mosquito survival and adult mass were higher than in treatments with 1 and 5 g/liter leaf litter and no decaying scirtids. At 5 g/liter leaf litter, a higher mass of dead scirtids was required to significantly increase adult mass. Faster decay of carcasses and release of limiting nutrients likely spur growth of microorganisms, upon which mosquitoes feed. Invertebrate populations in high-disturbance communities may be subject to high mortality, and mosquitoes hatching after the disturbance will benefit, but only when other resources are limiting.