Outcomes of Early Versus Late Tracheostomy in Patients With COVID-19: A Multinational Cohort Study.

Unlabelled: Timing of tracheostomy in patients with COVID-19 has attracted substantial attention. Initial guidelines recommended delaying or avoiding tracheostomy due to the potential for particle aerosolization and theoretical risk to providers. However, early tracheostomy could improve patient outcomes and alleviate resource shortages.

Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic using virtual basic laparoscopic training in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia: effects on confidence, knowledge, and skill.

Background: An international surgical team implemented a virtual basic laparoscopic surgery course for Bolivian general and pediatric surgeons and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This simulation course aimed to enhance training in a lower-resource environment despite the challenges of decreased operative volume and lack of in-person instruction.

Methods: The course was developed by surgeons from Bolivian and U.

Clean and Confident: Impact of Sterile Instrument Processing Workshops on Knowledge and Confidence in Five Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Proper sterilization of surgical instruments is essential for safe surgery, yet re-processing methods in low-resource settings can fall short of standards. Training of Trainers (TOT) workshops in Ethiopia and El Salvador instructed participants in sterile processing concepts and prepared participants to teach others. This study examines participants' knowledge and confidence post-TOT workshop, and moreover discusses subsequent non-TOT workshops and observed sterile processing practices.

ASO Author Reflections: Cutaneous Melanoma as Model System for the Obesity Paradox in Cancer.

Appreciation of the relationship between obesity and cancer has skyrocketed since the early 2000s. Though obesity is convincingly associated with an increased risk of at least 13 different cancers, the relationship between obesity and cutaneous melanoma remains unclear. Here, we reflect on our research into the relationship between obesity and clinically localized melanoma presented in the accompanying article, "The Impact of Obesity on Surgically Treated Locoregional Melanoma" (in press).

The Impact of Obesity on Surgically Treated Locoregional Melanoma.

Background: The impact of obesity on early-stage melanoma is poorly understood. We examined the impact of overweight and obesity on clinical outcomes in locoregional melanoma.

Methods: Adults who underwent surgery at Emory University Healthcare between 2010 and 2017 for clinically stage I-II cutaneous melanoma, with known stage, height, and weight at the time of presentation, were identified.

Dried blood spot microbiological assay indicates high prevalence of folate deficiency in rural adult men and women in the Haitian Central Plateau.

Background: Although folate deficiency is linked to adverse health effects, limited data exist characterizing the problem in rural settings. This study determined the prevalence of folate deficiency and anemia in rural adults in the Haitian Central Plateau using combined laboratory methods.

Methods: Dried blood spots (DBSs) and hemoglobin measurements were collected from adult men and women selected by cluster random sampling in Haiti's Central Plateau.