A Novel ex vivo Method for Investigating Vascularization of Transplanted Islets.

Revascularization of transplanted pancreatic islets is critical for survival and treatment of type 1 diabetes. Questions concerning how islets influence local microvascular networks and how networks form connections with islets remain understudied and motivate the need for new models that mimic the complexity of real tissue. Recently, our laboratory established the rat mesentery culture model as a tool to investigate cell dynamics involved in microvascular growth.

The Impact of MassPAT on Opioid Prescribing Patterns for Otolaryngology Surgeries.

Objective: Determine whether opioid prescriber patterns have changed for tonsillectomy, parotidectomy, and thyroidectomy after implementation of the Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool (MassPAT).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Single-center tertiary care hospital.

Mechanism and effects of pulsatile GABA secretion from cytosolic pools in the human beta cell.

Pancreatic beta cells synthesize and secrete the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as a paracrine and autocrine signal to help regulate hormone secretion and islet homeostasis. Islet GABA release has classically been described as a secretory vesicle-mediated event. Yet, a limitation of the hypothesized vesicular GABA release from islets is the lack of expression of a vesicular GABA transporter in beta cells.

Perioperative safety, feasibility, and oncologic utility of transoral robotic surgery with da Vinci Xi platform.

Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is a common modality for treatment of oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. Current FDA approval extends to the da Vinci S and Si platforms. Many hospitals are adopting the da Vinci Xi platform.

Preparation tips for academic interviews.

Landing an academic interview can be difficult because there are very few global opportunities for PhD's and postdocs. However, when you are selected you want to be as prepared as possible. This article will highlight some strategies for preparation along with a detailed listing of actual academic interview questions provided by postdocs who shared their interview experiences.

Effective presentation skills.

Most PhD's will have a presentation component during the interview process, as well as presenting their work at conferences. This article will provide guidance on how to develop relevant content and effectively deliver it to your audience.

Dietary Genistein Influences Number of Acetylcholine Receptors in Female Diabetic Jejunum.

Background: Intestinal dysfunction in the mouse model of diabetes mimics that seen clinically.

Methods: We determined the effects of a 4-week genistein diet (600 mg genistein/kg food) on intestinal function (contractility, morphology, AChR, and motility) in female and lean mice.

Results: Contractility of the jejunum in response to incrementally increasing concentrations of KCl was comparable in females and lean controls regardless of a genistein-diet.

Results, Knowledge, and Attitudes Regarding an Incentive Compensation Plan in a Hospital-Based, Academic, Employed Physician Multispecialty Group.

Hospitals and healthcare systems are introducing incentive metrics into compensation plans that align with value-based payment methodologies. These incentive measures should be considered a practical application of the transition from volume to value and will likely replace traditional productivity-based compensation in the future. During the transition, there will be provider resistance and implementation challenges.

Dietary Genistein Rescues Reduced Basal Chloride Secretion in Diabetic Jejunum via Sex-Dependent Mechanisms.

Background/aims: The goal of this study was to determine the effect of dietary genistein (naturally occurring phytoestrogen) on jejunal secretory function in a clinically relevant model of diabetes and obesity, the leptin-defIcient ob/ob mouse.

Methods: We measured transepithelial short circuit current (Isc), across freshly isolated segments of jejunum from 12-week old male and female ob/ob and lean C57Bl/6J mice fed a genistein diet (600 mg genistein/kg diet) for 4-weeks. Separate segments of jejunum were frozen for western blot determination of key proteins involved in secretory transport.

Treatment Options for Distal Femur Fractures.

Despite advances in implant design, the management of distal femur fractures remains challenging. Fracture comminution and intra-articular extension can make it difficult to obtain an adequate reduction while preserving the soft tissue attachments to bone fragments to allow for bone healing. Many implant manufacturers have developed optimal anatomically contoured, distal femoral locking plates with percutaneous guides.

Practical applications of in-office fiberoptic transnasal esophagoscopy in the initial evaluation of patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck.

We conducted a study to analyze the effectiveness of transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) as an alternative to operative endoscopy (OE) for the evaluation of primary head and neck cancers and for the surveillance of synchronous esophageal cancers. Our study population was made up of 96 consecutively presenting patients-75 men and 21 women, aged 45 to 88 years (mean: 64)-who were treated at our institution for squamous cell cancer of the head and neck. Of this group, 42 patients had been evaluated with TNE and 54 with OE.

A survey of current practices, attitudes, and knowledge regarding human papillomavirus-related cancers and vaccines among head and neck surgeons.

Importance: Understanding head and neck surgeons' current knowledge, practices, and opinions regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) education and prevention will enable efforts to assist surgeons in this important endeavor.

Objective: To assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of head and neck surgeons regarding HPV education and vaccination.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Online survey of members of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) in late 2011 and early 2012.

Novel neoadjuvant immunotherapy regimen safety and survival in head and neck squamous cell cancer.

Background: Cellular immune suppression is observed in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) and contributes to poor prognosis. Restoration of immune homeostasis may require primary cell-derived cytokines at physiologic doses. An immunotherapy regimen containing a biologic, with multiple-active cytokine components, and administered with cytoxan, zinc, and indomethacin was developed to modulate cellular immunity.

Nasal valve dysfunction: diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose Of Review: This article reviews the etiology and treatment options for nasal valve stenosis (NVS), a common cause of nasal obstruction. It is based on meta-analyses, published expert panel opinions, extensive literature review, and previously published results of our own clinical experience.

Recent Findings: Diagnosis and management of NVS continue to evolve.

Minimally invasive nasal valve repair: An evaluation using the NOSE scale.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of a new surgical procedure to correct symptoms of nasal obstruction secondary to internal nasal valve narrowing.

Design: Consecutive case series.

Setting: Tertiary care multispecialty clinic.

In-office surgical repair of nasal valve stenosis.

Background: Nasal valve (NV) stenosis is a well-known cause of nasal obstruction (NO) and congestion but it is often overlooked because the typical surgical therapies are complex and often associated with cosmetic changes. A simplified surgical procedure is needed to address straightforward stenosis of the NV in patients with no need of cosmetic improvement or cartilage grafting. The purpose of this article is to describe a simplified surgical procedure to relieve symptoms of NO without extensive surgical dissection, sedation, cartilage grafting, or cosmetic change.

Correlation of bone SPECT scintigraphy with histopathology of the ethmoid bulla: preliminary investigation.

Objectives: Reports in the rhinology literature suggest that osteitis of the ethmoid bone may be responsible for refractory and/or recurrent sinusitis. If so, bone scanning technologies capable of detecting osteitis may be useful in diagnosing this condition and its response to treatment. The objective of this prospective cohort study was to determine the correlation of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) bone scintigraphy with the histopathology of the ethmoid bulla.

Surgical reconstruction of lentigo maligna defects.

Objective: To review our experience with lentigo maligna, a melanoma in situ that occurs primarily on the head and neck in older adults, and reconstructive efforts applied in managing the large defects following lentigo maligna excision that are not amenable to primary closure.

Methods: We reviewed the records of 23 patients who underwent serial excision of lentigo maligna using a modified Mohs technique. We compared the sizes of the initial lesion and postexcision defect, examined photographs taken before and after surgery, and studied techniques used in reconstruction.