Urine protein biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of necrotizing enterocolitis in infants.

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that an exploratory proteomics analysis of urine proteins with subsequent development of validated urine biomarker panels would produce molecular classifiers for both the diagnosis and prognosis of infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

Study Design: Urine samples were collected from 119 premature infants (85 NEC, 17 sepsis, 17 control) at the time of initial clinical concern for disease. The urine from 59 infants was used for candidate biomarker discovery by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Attitude of prospective surgical residents regarding surgery for morbid obesity.

Background: Obesity and associated co-morbidities have become an epidemic in the United States. As surgery for obesity becomes more common, surgical training programs need to address this growing demand. We conducted this study to assess prospective surgery trainees' attitudes and knowledge regarding surgery for morbid obesity.