New onset squamous cell carcinoma in previous split-thickness skin graft donor site.

Introduction: Marjolin' s ulcer, an aggressive ulcerating squamous cell carcinoma, is a well-known phenomenon that occurs in chronically inflamed or scarred tissue; however, squamous cell carcinoma arising in the acute setting after tissue trauma - specifically autograft donor harvest sites for burns - is a rare, but notable event.

Methods: This case series describes three instances of squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed in split-thickness skin graft donor sites in the immediate post-operative period. Charts were reviewed in detail after at least 9 months follow-up from identification of the tumor.

Is Pre-Hospital CPR a Risk Factor for Early Death in Patients Transferred to an Adult Burn Center?

Background: Burn patients who require CPR before admission to a burn center are anecdotally known to suffer higher mortality than those who do not require pre-hospital CPR.

Study Design: A retrospective chart review identified adult patients admitted to our burn center between 2013 and 2015. Included patients met 1 or both of the following criteria: 20% or more total body surface area burned and need for intubation before admission to our facility.

Is Medical Student Interest in Cardiothoracic Surgery Maintained After Receiving Scholarship Awards?

Background: Medical student exposure to cardiothoracic surgery has been facilitated by many scholarship opportunities. This study reviews the long-term interest of students at our institution who have received such support.

Methods: After the first or second year of medical school, participants were selected to receive scholarships for clinical or research activities in cardiothoracic surgery ranging from 4 to 8 weeks in duration.

Lung gene therapy with highly compacted DNA nanoparticles that overcome the mucus barrier.

Inhaled gene carriers must penetrate the highly viscoelastic and adhesive mucus barrier in the airway in order to overcome rapid mucociliary clearance and reach the underlying epithelium; however, even the most widely used viral gene carriers are unable to efficiently do so. We developed two polymeric gene carriers that compact plasmid DNA into small and highly stable nanoparticles with dense polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface coatings. These highly compacted, densely PEG-coated DNA nanoparticles rapidly penetrate human cystic fibrosis (CF) mucus ex vivo and mouse airway mucus ex situ.

Simulation in cardiothoracic surgical training: where do we stand?

Objectives: Simulation may reduce the risks associated with the complex operations of cardiothoracic surgery and help create a more efficient, thorough, and uniform curriculum for cardiothoracic surgery fellowship. Here, we review the current status of simulation in cardiothoracic surgical training and provide an overview of all simulation models applicable to cardiothoracic surgery that have been published to date.

Methods: We completed a comprehensive search of all publications pertaining to simulation of cardiothoracic surgical procedures by using PubMed.

N-acetylcysteine enhances cystic fibrosis sputum penetration and airway gene transfer by highly compacted DNA nanoparticles.

For effective airway gene therapy of cystic fibrosis (CF), inhaled gene carriers must first penetrate the hyperviscoelastic sputum covering the epithelium. Whether clinically studied gene carriers can penetrate CF sputum remains unknown. Here, we measured the diffusion of a clinically tested nonviral gene carrier, composed of poly-l-lysine conjugated with a 10 kDa polyethylene glycol segment (CK(30)PEG(10k)).