Clinical scribes and their association with patient experience in the otolaryngology clinic.

Objectives/hypothesis: Electronic health records have brought many advantages but also placed a documentation burden on the provider during and after the clinic visit. Some otolaryngologists have countered this challenge by employing clinical scribes. This project aimed to better understand the influence of scribes on patient experience in the otolaryngology clinic.

Extracellular matrix presentation modulates vascular smooth muscle cell mechanotransduction.

The development of atherosclerosis involves phenotypic changes among vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) that correlate with stiffening and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). VSMCs are highly sensitive to the composition and mechanical state of the surrounding ECM, and ECM remodeling during atherosclerosis likely contributes to pathology. We hypothesized that ECM mechanics and biochemistry are interdependent in their regulation of VSMC behavior and investigated the effect of ligand presentation on certain stiffness-mediated processes.