Grit as a predictor of risk of attrition in surgical residency.

Background: Grit, a measure of perseverance, has been shown to predict resident well-being. In this study we assess the relationship between grit and attrition.

Methods: We collected survey data from residents in a single institution over two consecutive years.

Indocyanine green and fluorescence lymphangiography for sentinel lymph node identification in cutaneous melanoma.

Background And Objectives: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has become the standard method of determining regional lymph node involvement in cutaneous melanoma. Although traditionally performed via injection of radioisotope tracers and blue dyes, fluorescent lymphangiography with indocyanine green (ICG) is an attractive alternative.

Methods: Fifty two consecutive patients with cutaneous melanoma of the trunk or extremities underwent SLNB.

Symbiotic or parasitic? A review of the literature on the impact of fellowships on surgical residents.

Objective: We conducted a systematic review of published literature to gain a better understanding of the impact of advanced fellowships on surgical resident training and education.

Background: As fellowship opportunities rise, resident training may be adversely impacted.

Methods: PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, BIOSIS, Web of Science, and a manual search of article bibliographies.

Fabrication of multi-layered biodegradable drug delivery device based on micro-structuring of PLGA polymers.

A programmable and biodegradable drug delivery device is desirable when a drug needs to be administered locally. While most local drug delivery devices made of biodegradable polymers relied on the degradation of the polymers, the degradation-based release control is often limited by the property of the polymers. Thus, we propose micro-geometry as an alternative measure of controlling drug release.

The construction of three-dimensional micro-fluidic scaffolds of biodegradable polymers by solvent vapor based bonding of micro-molded layers.

It is increasingly important to control cell growth into and within artificial scaffolds. Tissues such as skin, blood vessels, and cartilage have multi-layer structures with different cells in each layer. With the aid of micro-fabrication technology, a novel scaffolding method for biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), and the copolymers poly(lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA), was developed to construct three-dimensional multi-layer micro-fluidic tissue scaffolds.

Neutrophil survival on biomaterials is determined by surface topography.

Purpose: Cardiovascular device-centered infections are a major cause of hospital morbidity, mortality, and expense. Caused by opportunistic bacteria, this phenomenon is thought to arise because of a defect in neutrophil bacterial killing. We have shown that neutrophils that adhere to polystyrene remain viable, whereas neutrophils that adhere to the vascular biomaterials expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) and Dacron undergo a rapid nonapoptotic death.

Immunohistochemical profile of the sodium/iodide symporter in thyroid, breast, and other carcinomas using high density tissue microarrays and conventional sections.

Extrathyroidal cancers could potentially be targeted with (131)I, if the Na(+)/I(-) symporter (NIS) were functional. Using immunohistochemical methods we probed 1278 human samples with anti-NIS antibody, including 253 thyroid and 169 breast conventional whole tissue sections (CWTS). Four high density tissue microarrays containing a wide variety of breast lesions, normal tissues, and carcinoma cores were tested.