Gender disparities in industry payments to neurosurgeons: a comprehensive analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payments data (2016-2022).

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the extent of gender disparities in financial interactions between neurosurgeons and the medical device industry, examining the differences in the number, amount, and types of payments made to male and female neurosurgeons.

Methods: Utilizing data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payments database covering 2016-2022, the authors conducted a comprehensive analysis of industry payments to neurosurgeons. This methodology included univariate and multivariate analyses to examine the disparities in payments, with a focus on identifying significant differences in compensation across genders.

Prognostic Value of Frailty in Patients With Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.

Background: There is scarce data on the prognostic value of frailty in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM). This study aimed to assess the association between frailty and in-hospital outcomes in patients with TCM.

Methods: Adult admissions with TCM were included using the 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample database.

Resting-state fMRI activation is associated with parent-reported phenotypic features of autism in early adolescence.

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in social cognition, self-referential processing, and restricted repetitive behaviors. Despite the established clinical symptoms and neurofunctional alterations in ASD, definitive biomarkers for ASD features during neurodevelopment remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to explore if activation in brain regions of the default mode network (DMN), specifically the medial prefrontal cortex (MPC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), superior temporal sulcus (STS), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), angular gyrus (AG), and the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), during resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is associated with possible phenotypic features of autism (PPFA) in a large, diverse youth cohort.

Socioeconomic Disparities in Exposures to PFAS and Other Unregulated Industrial Drinking Water Contaminants in US Public Water Systems.

Background: Unregulated contaminants in drinking water, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), can contribute to cumulative health risks, particularly in overburdened and less-advantaged communities. To our knowledge, there has been no nationwide assessment of socioeconomic disparities in exposures to unregulated contaminants in drinking water.

Objective: The goals of this study were to identify determinants of unregulated contaminant detection among US public water systems (PWSs) and evaluate disparities related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Pre-Operative Management of the Penicillin Allergic Patient: A Narrative Review.

Penicillin is a frequently reported medication allergy. The beta-lactam ring shared between cephalosporins and penicillin often leads to the use of alternative antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis due to concern for cross-reactivity, despite a true IgE-mediated hypersensitivity being very rare. This misconception leads to the use of less effective second line antibiotics, such as clindamycin or vancomycin, for penicillin-allergic patients which has been shown to increase odds of postoperative infection in elective knee arthroplasty, shoulder arthroplasty and spine surgery.