The influence of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery on clinical trial development by cardiothoracic surgeons.

Objective: Clinical trials play a critical role in the rapidly evolving field of cardiothoracic surgery and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Clinical Trials Methods Course has provided a biannual symposium led by preeminent surgeons with vast experience in planning, conducting, and analyzing surgical clinical trials. This study hypothesizes that participation in the course is associated with future success in clinical trial leadership.

Methods: A list of course attendees (2014-2022) was queried in ClinicalTrials.

Machine Learning on 50,000 Manuscripts Shows Increased Clinical Research by Academic Cardiac Surgeons.

Introduction: Academic cardiac surgeons are productive researchers and innovators. We sought to perform a comprehensive machine learning (ML)-based characterization of cardiac surgery research over the past 40 y to identify trends in research pursuits.

Methods: US-based academic websites were queried for surgeon profiles.

Machine Learning-based Analysis of Publications Funded by the National Institutes of Health's Initial COVID-19 Pandemic Response.

Background: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) mobilized more than $4 billion in extramural funding for the COVID-19 pandemic. Assessing the research output from this effort is crucial to understanding how the scientific community leveraged federal funding and responded to this public health crisis.

Methods: NIH-funded COVID-19 grants awarded between January 2020 and December 2021 were identified from NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results using the "COVID-19 Response" filter.

Analysis of National Institutes of Health Funding for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Evaluating the National Institute's Health's (NIH's) response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic via grants and clinical trials is crucial to determining the impact they had on aiding US citizens. We determined how the NIH's funding for COVID-19 research was disbursed and used by various institutions across the United States.

Methods: We queried NIH RePORTER and isolated COVID-19-related grants from January 2020 to December 2021.

A Nationwide Evaluation of Cardiothoracic Resident Research Productivity.

Background: Evaluating the research productivity of cardiothoracic surgery residents during their training and early career is crucial for tracking their academic development. To this end, the training pathway of residents and the characteristics of their program in relation to their productivity were evaluated.

Methods: Alumni lists from integrated 6-year thoracic surgery (I-6) and traditional thoracic surgery residency programs were collected.

Postdoctoral National Institutes of Health F32 Grants: Broken Pipeline in the Development of Surgeon-Scientists.

Objective: We examined trainees in surgery and internal medicine who received National Institutes of Health (NIH) F32 postdoctoral awards to determine their success rates in obtaining future NIH funding.

Background: Trainees participate in dedicated research years during residency (surgery) and fellowship (internal medicine). They can obtain an NIH F32 grant to fund their research time and have structured mentorship.

Fewer Than One in 20 Current Academic Orthopaedic Surgeons Have Obtained National Institutes of Health Funding.

Background: National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding is a key driver of orthopaedic research, but it has become increasingly difficult to obtain in recent years. An understanding of the types of grants that are commonly funded, how productive they are, and the factors associated with obtaining funding may help orthopaedic surgeons better understand how to earn grants.

Questions/purposes: In this study, we sought to determine (1) the proportion of current academic orthopaedic surgeons who have obtained NIH grant funding, (2) the productivity of these grants by calculating grant productivity metrics, and (3) the factors (such as gender, subspecialty, and additional degrees) that are associated with obtaining grant funding.

The impact of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery on National Institutes of Health grant funding for cardiothoracic surgeons.

Objectives: The American Association for Thoracic Surgery, through its annual meeting, pilot grant funding, Scientific Affairs and Government Relations Committee activity, and academic development programs (Grant Writing Workshop, Clinical Trials Course, Innovation Summit), has aimed to develop the research careers of cardiothoracic surgeons. We hypothesized that American Association for Thoracic Surgery activities have helped increase National Institutes of Health grants awarded to cardiothoracic surgeons.

Methods: A database of 1869 academic cardiothoracic surgeons in the United States was created in December 2020.

Longitudinal analysis of National Institutes of Health funding for academic thoracic surgeons.

Objective: National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for academic (noncardiac) thoracic surgeons at the top-140 NIH-funded institutes in the United States was assessed. We hypothesized that thoracic surgeons have difficulty in obtaining NIH funding in a difficult funding climate.

Methods: The top-140 NIH-funded institutes' faculty pages were searched for noncardiac thoracic surgeons.

Valve-sparing aortic root replacement after neonatal arterial switch operation.

Arterial switch operations (ASO) are lifesaving procedures performed on neonates to treat transposition of the great arteries. However, future operations on the neoaorta may be required due to dilation. We present a case of a 25-year-old female who presented with dilation of her neoaorta and required a David procedure.

ATP and large signaling metabolites flux through caspase-activated Pannexin 1 channels.

Pannexin 1 (Panx1) is a membrane channel implicated in numerous physiological and pathophysiological processes via its ability to support release of ATP and other cellular metabolites for local intercellular signaling. However, to date, there has been no direct demonstration of large molecule permeation via the Panx1 channel itself, and thus the permselectivity of Panx1 for different molecules remains unknown. To address this, we expressed, purified, and reconstituted Panx1 into proteoliposomes and demonstrated that channel activation by caspase cleavage yields a dye-permeable pore that favors flux of anionic, large-molecule permeants (up to ~1 kDa).

A 30-year analysis of National Institutes of Health-funded cardiac transplantation research: Surgeons lead the way.

Objectives: Obtaining National Institutes of Health funding for heart transplant research is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for surgeons. We sought to determine the impact of National Institutes of Health-funded cardiac transplantation research over the past 30 years.

Methods: National Institutes of Health Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results was queried for R01s using 10 heart transplant-related terms.

The Changing Face of Academic Surgery: Overrepresentation of Women among Surgeon-Scientists with R01 Funding.

Background: There has been a recent focus on sex-based disparities within the field of academic surgery. However, the proportion of female surgeons conducting NIH-funded research is unknown.

Study Design: The NIH RePORTER (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results) was queried for R01 grants from surgery departments for which the principal investigator (PI) had a primary medical degree, as of October 2018.

Reduced-flow ex vivo lung perfusion to rehabilitate lungs donated after circulatory death.

Background: Current ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) protocols aim to achieve perfusion flows of 40% of cardiac output or more. We hypothesized that a lower target flow rate during EVLP would improve graft function and decrease inflammation of donation after circulatory death (DCD) lungs.

Methods: A porcine DCD and EVLP model was utilized.

Comprehensive National Institutes of Health funding analysis of academic cardiac surgeons.

Objective: To determine trends in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for cardiac surgeons, hypothesizing they are at a disadvantage in obtaining funding owing to intensive clinical demands.

Methods: Cardiac surgeons (adult/congenital) currently at the top 141 NIH-funded institutions were identified using institutional websites. The NIH funding history for each cardiac surgeon was queried using the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results (RePORTER).

Can Lung Transplant Surgeons Still Be Scientists? High Productivity Despite Competitive Funding.

Background: Today's declining federal budget for scientific research is making it consistently more difficult to become federally funded. We hypothesized that even in this difficult era, surgeon-scientists have remained among the most productive and impactful researchers in lung transplantation.

Methods: Grants awarded by the NIH for the study of lung transplantation between 1985 and 2015 were identified by searching NIH RePORTER for 5 lung transplantation research areas.

Pannexin-1 channels on endothelial cells mediate vascular inflammation during lung ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury (IRI), which involves inflammation, vascular permeability, and edema, remains a major challenge after lung transplantation. Pannexin-1 (Panx1) channels modulate cellular ATP release during inflammation. This study tests the hypothesis that endothelial Panx1 is a key mediator of vascular inflammation and edema after I/R and that IRI can be blocked by Panx1 antagonism.

Increasing circulating sphingosine-1-phosphate attenuates lung injury during ex vivo lung perfusion.

Background: Sphingosine-1-phosphate regulates endothelial barrier integrity and promotes cell survival and proliferation. We hypothesized that upregulation of sphingosine-1-phosphate during ex vivo lung perfusion would attenuate acute lung injury and improve graft function.

Methods: C57BL/6 mice (n = 4-8/group) were euthanized, followed by 1 hour of warm ischemia and 1 hour of cold preservation in a model of donation after cardiac death.

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons Achieve High Rates of K Award Conversion Into R01 Funding.

Background: Obtaining National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 funding remains extremely difficult. The utility of career development grants (K awards) for achieving the goal of R01 funding remains debated, particularly for surgeon-scientists. We examined the success rate for cardiothoracic and vascular (CTV) surgeons compared with other specialties in converting K-level grants into R01 equivalents.

Surgeon Scientists Are Disproportionately Affected by Declining NIH Funding Rates.

Background: Obtaining National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding over the last 10 years has become increasingly difficult due to a decrease in the number of research grants funded and an increase in the number of NIH applications.

Study Design: National Institutes of Health funding amounts and success rates were compared for all disciplines using data from NIH, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), and Blue Ridge Medical Institute. Next, all NIH grants (2006 to 2016) with surgeons as principal investigators were identified using the National Institutes of Health Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results (NIH RePORTER), and a grant impact score was calculated for each grant based on the publication's impact factor per funding amount.