Embracing Professionalism to Cultivate Vaccine Positivity and Reduce Vaccine Hesitancy.

Fueled by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy has become more pronounced and challenging given the increased distrust of science, pervasiveness of misinformation, and polarization of ideas. As such, pediatric providers are increasingly on the frontline of vaccine conversations with their patients, families, colleagues, and communities. To respond effectively to vaccine hesitancy, providers should employ professionalism in all aspects of their practice, including commitment to learning and growth, cultural awareness and humility, ethical responsibility to self and others, oral communication, reliability and dependability, teamwork, critical thinking and quantitative reasoning, and the engagement in public discourse around vaccines.

Early postoperative outcomes following bariatric surgery in the United States: Are racial disparities improving?

Background: Bariatric surgery offers effective treatment for morbid obesity and associated medical comorbidities, with excellent short- and long-term outcomes. Although it has been well documented that racial minority bariatric patients have worse outcomes than White patients, it remains unclear whether this recognition has led to improvement. Herein, we assess recent trends in bariatric surgery among Black and White patients and compare early postoperative outcomes by race.

A synopsis of the SAGES ADOPT course for foregut surgery and its positive impact on surgeons' confidence levels.

Background: The Acquisition of Data for Outcomes and Procedure Transfer (ADOPT) program was established by SAGES to develop and expand individual surgeon's comfort with specific, complex operations using hands-on teaching and longitudinal mentoring. The 2022-2023 Foregut (Dominating the Hiatus) section of the course focused on hiatal hernia dissection and gastric fundoplication techniques. Our aim was to describe the experience of surgeons who participated in the course.

Targeted Investigational Oncology Agents in the NCI-60: A Phenotypic Systems-based Resource.

The NCI-60 human tumor cell line panel has proved to be a useful tool for the global cancer research community in the search for novel chemotherapeutics. The publicly available cell line characterization and compound screening data from the NCI-60 assay have significantly contributed to the understanding of cellular mechanisms targeted by new oncology agents. Signature sensitivity/resistance patterns generated for a given chemotherapeutic agent against the NCI-60 panel have long served as fingerprint presentations that encompass target information and the mechanism of action associated with the tested agent.

Readability of patient education materials for bariatric surgery.

Introduction: Bariatric surgery is a successful treatment for obesity, but barriers to surgery exist, including low health literacy. National organizations recommend patient education materials (PEM) not exceed a sixth-grade reading level. Difficult to comprehend PEM can exacerbate barriers to bariatric surgery, especially in the Deep South where high obesity and low literacy rates exist.

A retrospective single-institution review of the impact of COVID-19 on severity of biliary disease.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic possessed far-reaching health implications beyond the public health impact that have yet to be fully elucidated. We hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in biliary disease complexity and incidence of emergency cholecystectomy.

Methods: We reviewed our institutional experience with cholecystectomy from February 2019-February 2021, n = 912.

Same day barium esophagography and high-resolution manometry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: Double contrast barium esophagography (BAS) and high-resolution manometry (HRM) are traditionally performed on separate days to allow for pre-procedural fasting. In an effort to minimize COVID-19 exposure and improve appointment efficiency with required pre-procedure testing, we permitted same day HRM prior to BAS. Our study aimed to evaluate the adequacy of barium mucosal coating with same day HRM prior to BAS compared to BAS alone.

Understanding Electrodeposition of Chitosan-Hydroxyapatite Structures for Regeneration of Tubular-Shaped Tissues and Organs.

Tubular-shaped hydrogel structures were obtained in the process of cathodic electrodeposition from a chitosan-hydroxyapatite solution carried out in a cylindrical geometry. The impact of the initial concentration of solution components (i.e.

The Influence of Carbon Nature on the Catalytic Performance of Ru/C in Levulinic Acid Hydrogenation with Internal Hydrogen Source.

The influence of the nature of carbon materials used as a support for Ru/C catalysts on levulinic acid hydrogenation with formic acid as a hydrogen source toward gamma-valerolactone was investigated. It has been shown that the physicochemical properties of carbon strongly affect the catalytic activity of Ru catalysts. The relationship between the hydrogen mobility, strength of hydrogen adsorption, and catalytic performance was established.

Impact of Support (MCF, ZrO, ZSM-5) on the Efficiency of Ni Catalyst in High-Temperature Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Hydrogen-Rich Gas.

The main objective of this work was to evaluate an impact of a support on the efficiency of nickel catalysts in the high-temperature conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to hydrogen-rich gas. The most important parameters influencing catalytic performance of the catalysts were identified. The properties of three materials (ZSM-5, ZrO, and MCF (mesostructured cellular foam)) used as a support differing in surface acidity, surface area, pore structure, ability to interact with an active phase, and resistance to coking, have been studied.

CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR THE PERIOPERATIVE NUTRITION, METABOLIC, AND NONSURGICAL SUPPORT OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING BARIATRIC PROCEDURES - 2019 UPDATE: COSPONSORED BY AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS/AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY, THE OBESITY SOCIETY, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR METABOLIC & BARIATRIC SURGERY, OBESITY MEDICINE ASSOCIATION, AND AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS - .

The development of these updated clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) was commissioned by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), The Obesity Society, American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Obesity Medicine Association, and American Society of Anesthesiologists Boards of Directors in adherence with the AACE 2017 protocol for standardized production of CPGs, algorithms, and checklists. Each recommendation was evaluated and updated based on new evidence from 2013 to the present and subjective factors provided by experts. New or updated topics in this CPG include: contextualization in an adiposity-based chronic disease complications-centric model, nuance-based and algorithm/checklist-assisted clinical decision-making about procedure selection, novel bariatric procedures, enhanced recovery after bariatric surgery protocols, and logistical concerns (including cost factors) in the current health-care arena.

High dose vitamin D supplementation does not rescue bone loss following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in female rats.

Postoperative bone loss and increased fracture risk associated with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) have been attributed to vitamin D/calcium malabsorption and resultant secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). Adequate vitamin D supplementation (VDS), particularly in an older female population, reduces incidence of secondary HPT but the effect on bone loss and fracture risk remains unclear. To investigate whether VDS corrects the RYGB bone phenotype, 41 obese adult female rats were randomized to RYGB with 1000 IU (R1000) or 5000 IU (R5000) vitamin D/kg food or a sham surgical procedure with either paired (PF) or ad libitum (AL) feeding.

Racial disparities in perioperative outcomes after bariatric surgery.

Background: NonHispanic black patients bear a disproportionate burden of the obesity epidemic and its related medical co-morbidities. While bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity, black patients access bariatric surgery at lower rates than nonHispanic white patients.

Objectives: To examine racial differences before bariatric surgery and in short-term perioperative outcomes and complications, and the extent to which race is independently associated with perioperative morbidity and mortality.

Solar Light Induced Photon-Assisted Synthesis of TiO₂ Supported Highly Dispersed Ru Nanoparticle Catalysts.

Ru/TiO₂ are promising heterogeneous catalysts in different key-reactions taking place in the catalytic conversion of biomass towards fuel additives, biofuels, or biochemicals. TiO₂ supported highly dispersed nanometric-size metallic Ru catalysts were prepared at room temperature via a solar light induced photon-assisted one-step synthesis in liquid phase, far smaller Ru nanoparticles with sharper size distribution being synthesized when compared to the catalysts that were prepared by impregnation with thermal reduction in hydrogen. The underlying strategy is based on the redox photoactivity of the TiO₂ semi-conductor support under solar light for allowing the reduction of metal ions pre-adsorbed at the host surface by photogenerated electrons from the conduction band of the semi-conductor in order to get a fine control in terms of size distribution and dispersion, with no need of chemical reductant, final thermal treatment, or external hydrogen.

Enhanced Production of γ-Valerolactone with an Internal Source of Hydrogen on Ca-Modified TiO Supported Ru Catalysts.

Calcium-modified titania supported Ru catalysts were synthesized and evaluated for the hydrogenation of levulinic acid with formic acid as an internal hydrogen source and water as a green solvent. A new elegant photoassisted method was developed for the synthesis of uniform-size and evenly distributed Ru particles on the titania surface. Compared with the counterpart catalysts prepared by classical wet impregnation, enhanced levulinic acid conversion and γ-valerolactone yield were obtained and further improved through modification of the support by introduction of calcium into the titania support.

Cytomegalovirus promotes intestinal macrophage-mediated mucosal inflammation through induction of Smad7.

Intestinal macrophages in healthy human mucosa are profoundly down-regulated for inflammatory responses (inflammation anergy) due to stromal TGF-β inactivation of NF-κB. Paradoxically, in cytomegalovirus (CMV) intestinal inflammatory disease, one of the most common manifestations of opportunistic CMV infection, intestinal macrophages mediate severe mucosal inflammation. Here we investigated the mechanism whereby CMV infection promotes macrophage-mediated mucosal inflammation.

The Obese Colorectal Surgery Patient: Surgical Site Infection and Outcomes.

Background: Obese patients undergoing colorectal surgery are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. It remains unclear whether these risks can be further defined with more discriminatory stratifications of obesity.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the association between BMI and 30-day postoperative outcomes, including surgical site infection, among patients undergoing colorectal surgery.

Insurance-mandated preoperative diet and outcomes after bariatric surgery.

Background: Despite a lack of demonstrated patient benefit, many insurance providers mandate a physician-supervised diet before financial coverage for bariatric surgery.

Objectives: To compare weight loss between patients with versus without insurance mandating a preoperative diet.

Setting: University hospital, United States.

Predictive factors of weight regain following laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Background: Strategies to address weight recidivism following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) could be developed if patients at risk were identified in advance. This study aimed to determine factors that predict weight regain.

Methods: Retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent laparoscopic RYGB at a single institution over 10 years.

Wide band gap GaO as efficient UV-C photocatalyst for gas-phase degradation applications.

α, β, γ, and δ polymorphs of 4.6-4.8 eV wide band gap GaO photocatalysts were prepared via a soft chemistry route.