Race and Gender Bias in Narrative Letters of Recommendation for Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants.

Introduction: It has been previously shown that gender bias exists in standardized letters of recommendation for plastic surgery residency. However, similar analysis has not been conducted for narrative letters of recommendation (NLORs). Therefore, this study aims to determine if there exists linguistic bias in NLORs for plastic surgery residency based on applicants' and writers' gender and race.

Cultural Influences on the Receipt of Breast Reconstruction: a Scoping Review.

Introduction: Post-mastectomy breast reconstruction can provide breast cancer patients with lasting psychosocial, functional, and body image benefits. While sociodemographic factors affecting the receipt of breast reconstruction have been well studied, the cultural factors influencing patients' decisions to undergo breast reconstruction remain unclear. There are currently no reviews on cultural factors influencing breast reconstruction decision-making.

Contemporary Abdominal Wall Reconstruction: Emerging Techniques and Trends.

Abdominal wall reconstruction is a common and necessary surgery, two factors that drive innovation. This review article examines recent developments in ventral hernia repair including primary fascial closure, mesh selection between biologic, permanent synthetic, and biosynthetic meshes, component separation, and functional abdominal wall reconstruction from a plastic surgery perspective, exploring the full range of hernia repair's own reconstructive ladder. New materials and techniques are examined to explore the ever-increasing options available to surgeons who work within the sphere of ventral hernia repair and provide updates for evolving trends in the field.

Navigating the Ethical Landmines of ChatGPT: Implications of Intelligent Chatbots in Plastic Surgery Clinical Practice.

ChatGPT is a cutting-edge language model developed by OpenAI with the potential to impact all facets of plastic surgery from research to clinical practice. New applications for ChatGPT are emerging at a rapid pace in both the scientific literature and popular media. It is important for clinicians to understand the capabilities and limitations of these tools before patient-facing implementation.

Quality Improvement: A Primer for Plastic Surgeons.

It is the duty of all health care workers to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes. Quality improvement is a component of health policy required by residency accrediting bodies and is a mandatory component of postgraduate medical education. It is imperative for plastic surgeons to develop skills in quality improvement to ensure that they can cope with increased patient volumes while ensuring that their patients have access to care that is safe, equitable, effective, efficient, timely, and patient-centered.

Human venous valve disease caused by mutations in FOXC2 and GJC2.

Venous valves (VVs) prevent venous hypertension and ulceration. We report that FOXC2 and GJC2 mutations are associated with reduced VV number and length. In mice, early VV formation is marked by elongation and reorientation ("organization") of Prox1hi endothelial cells by postnatal day 0.

The management of pediatric type 1 nasoorbitoethmoidal fractures with resorbable fixation.

Nasoorbitoethmoid (NOE) fractures are rare in the pediatric population. A recent study reported that NOE fractures account for 1% to 8% of all pediatric craniofacial fractures based on the National Trauma Data Bank. Although infrequent, NOE fractures must be appropriately identified and treated because of potential severe esthetic and functional complications.

Oral manifestations associated with HIV infection: evaluation, assessment, and significance.

During the course of HIV disease, oral lesions frequently are the initial manifestation of underlying immune deterioration. Typically, these lesions are readily accessible and lend themselves to being examined. Therefore, it is important to perform oral examinations routinely both in dental and medical settings.