Impaired robotic surgical visualization: archaic issues in a modern operating room.

While robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has been revolutionizing surgical procedures, it has various areas needing improvement, specifically in the visualization sector. Suboptimal vision due to lens occlusions has been a topic of concern in laparoscopic surgery but has not received much attention in robotic surgery. This study is one of the first to explore and quantify the degree of disruption encountered due to poor robotic visualization at a major academic center.

A Clean Sweep: Initial Experience with a Novel Intracavity Laparoscopic Cleaning Device.

Background: A frequently encountered problem in laparoscopic surgery is an impaired visual field. The Novel Intracavitary Laparoscopic Cleaning Device (NILCD) is designed to adequately clean a laparoscopic lens quickly and efficiently without requiring removal from the surgical cavity. Animal and cadaver studies showed good efficacy and a short learning curve.

Assessing visualization in robotic-assisted surgery: demystifying a misty lens.

Despite major technological advancements in robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RAS), there remain shortcomings yet to be addressed. This study assesses the prevalence of suboptimal vision in minimally invasive RAS and corresponding factors regarding related surgical conditions. 45 minimally invasive robotic surgeries, performed using Da Vinci XI, were observed across three surgical subspecialties: general, urology, and OB/GYN.

Stop the leak!: Mitigating potential exposure of aerosolized COVID-19 during laparoscopic surgery.

Background: Viral particles have been shown to aerosolize into insufflated gas during laparoscopic surgery. In the operating room, this potentially exposes personnel to aerosolized viruses as well as carcinogens. In light of circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and a concern for the safety of healthcare professionals, our study seeks to quantify the volumes of gas leaked from dynamic interactions between laparoscopic instruments and the trocar port to better understand potential exposure to surgically aerosolized particles.

Quantification of the Capacity for Cold-Induced Thermogenesis in Young Men With and Without Obesity.

Objective: Cold exposure increases energy expenditure (EE) and could have a role in combating obesity. To understand this potential, we determined the capacity for cold-induced thermogenesis (CIT), the EE increase above the basal metabolic rate at the individualized coldest tolerable temperature before overt shivering.

Design: During a 13-day inpatient protocol, we quantitated the EE of 12 lean men and 9 men with obesity at various randomly ordered ambient temperatures in a room calorimeter.

Effect of mechanical optical clearing on near-infrared spectroscopy.

Near-infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) is a broadly utilized technology with many emerging applications including clinical diagnostics, sports medicine, and functional neuroimaging, to name a few. For functional brain imaging NIR light is delivered at multiple wavelengths through the scalp and skull to the brain to enable spatial oximetry measurements. Dynamic changes in brain oxygenation are highly correlated with neural stimulation, activation, and function.

Irisin and FGF21 are cold-induced endocrine activators of brown fat function in humans.

Rediscovery of cold-activated brown adipose tissue (BAT) in humans has boosted research interest in identifying BAT activators for metabolic benefits. Of particular interest are cytokines capable of fat browning. Irisin, derived from FNDC5, is an exercise-induced myokine that drives brown-fat-like thermogenesis in murine white fat.