Barriers to adoption of the surgical resident skills curriculum of the American College of Surgeons/Association of Program Directors in Surgery.

Background: The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) jointly developed a standardized skills curriculum for surgical residents. This program was intended to be affordable, reproducible, reliable, and proficiency-based. Some experts have proposed mandating that all residency programs implement the curriculum.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in contralateral prophylactic mastectomy: are we overtreating? Experience at a tertiary care hospital.

Objective: Use of routine sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) is controversial. This retrospective study was undertaken to determine the frequency of SLNB in CPM at a community hospital and its utility as a guide to patient decision making.

Methods: Between 2007 and 2009, 170 patients underwent CPM at a suburban, tertiary care facility.

Effect of sex on lifespan, disease progression, and the response to methionine sulfoximine in the SOD1 G93A mouse model for ALS.

Objective: To investigate the role of sex and the role of ammonia and amino acid metabolism, specifically the activity of glutamine synthetase, in survival and disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Methods: We tested treatment with methionine sulfoximine (MSO) on the lifespan and neuromuscular ability of male and female SOD1 mice as measured by their ability to maintain their grip on an inverted wire grid. We also tested the effects of castration and ovariectomization on those measurements.