A Cohort Study Exploring HPV Vaccination Beliefs Among Oral Health Providers: Broadening the Scope of Education and Administration.

Background/objectives: There is potential utility and increasing interest in engaging professionals in non-traditional vaccination settings to participate in efforts to reduce human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancer. This study assessed the impact of a multi-disciplinary HPV educational intervention on oral health care professionals' perceived role, comfort level, and scope of practice in HPV-related cancer prevention efforts.

Methods: The virtual educational intervention was provided by a multi-disciplinary panel of experts.

Online Marketing of Alternative Medicine for Heart Failure: An Assessment of Amazon.com.

Background: A wide array of products in the category of complementary or alternative medicine products for cardiovascular disease and prevention are readily available on online retail platforms. However, a critical assessment of these products including their therapeutic claims has not been previously performed.

Methods: "Heart failure supplement" and similar terms were entered into the Amazon.

Effects of the Strong Hearts program at two years post program completion.

Context: This is a follow-up to the original published article, Effects of the Strong Hearts Program after a Major Cardiovascular Event in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

Objectives: This study evaluated the long-term efficacy of the Strong Hearts program up to 2 years after program completion.

Methods: All study participants who initially completed the Strong Hearts program between 2020 and 2021 (n=128) were contacted at 12 months and 24 months following the date of program completion.

A Comparison of Rural and Urban Differences in Geographic Proximity to Outpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Services in Tennessee.

Purpose: Great travel distances and long travel times can be barriers to outpatient stroke rehabilitation services (OSR) receipt, but there is limited information on differences in proximity to specific OSR services between urban and potentially medically underserved rural areas. Accordingly, we compared travel distance and time to the nearest service for different OSR services between rural and urban counties in Tennessee.

Methods: We conducted data scraping on Google Maps to locate Tennessee facilities offering any of the 13 American Heart Association recognized OSR services.

Explainable AI and transformer models: Unraveling the nutritional influences on Alzheimer's disease mortality.

This pioneering study introduces the use of transformer-based machine learning models and explainable AI approaches to explore the impact of nutrition on Alzheimer's disease (AD) mortality. Using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes iii 1988 to 1994) and the NHANES III Mortality-Linked File (2019) databases, we investigate the intricate relationship between various nutritional factors and AD mortality. Our approach features a novel application of transformer models, which are then benchmarked against established methods like random forests and support vector machines.

Surgical Resident Education and Performance in Extended Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma.

Extended focused assessment with sonography for trauma (eFAST) is a rapid triage tool aiding the detection of life-threatening injuries. In academic settings, residents perform most eFAST; however, the ACGME has no recommendations for eFAST training standards. We surveyed general surgery programs (GSPs) regarding eFAST training and established a baseline for sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for resident-performed eFAST.

Mandible Reconstruction in a Rural Population: Comparison of Radial Forearm and Free Fibula Flap Outcomes.

Comparison of microsurgical reconstructive options after mandible resection is limited in the literature. Fibula free flaps (FFFs) can be costly and have timing limitations, but dental restoration can be performed, with varied reported rates of completion. The radial forearm free flap (RFFF) with mandible plating may be an alternative in select populations.

Association Between Prescription Drug Discount Cards and Out-of-Pocket Costs for HFrEF Regimens.

Background: The burden from medication costs for treating heart failure can be financially toxic for uninsured/underinsured patients and their families. Prescription discount cards, which offer cash price reductions, may decrease out-of-pocket costs for patients without prescription benefits, but the degree to which they offer financial relief remains unclear. Our objective was to assess the financial burden for uninsured/underinsured patients prescribed a drug from each of the 4 standard classes of medications for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

The Impact of Prior Breast Augmentation on Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy.

Unlabelled: The risk of women developing breast cancer after augmentation mammaplasty may be lower than the general population, with minimal current literature on breast reconstruction in this population. We sought to evaluate the impact of previous augmentation on postmastectomy breast reconstruction.

Methods: Retrospective review of patients who underwent mastectomies from 2017 to 2021 at our institution was performed.

Preoperative Nutritional Laboratory Values, Demographics, and Wound Healing Following Facial Trauma Surgery: Which Variables Predict Postoperative Complications?

In individuals who have sustained maxillofacial trauma, inadequate nutrition is often a sequela and may lead to complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between preoperative laboratory values and postoperative complications in patients with maxillofacial trauma requiring surgical intervention. A retrospective cohort study of patients with maxillofacial trauma requiring surgical repair from 2014 to 2020 was performed at a single academic Level I Trauma Center.

The Effect of BMI on eFAST Accuracy in Trauma by Residents in the Emergency Room.

Blunt trauma patients are often evaluated with extended focused assessment with sonography for trauma (eFAST). eFAST is a noninvasive, rapid, ultrasound-guided assessment for hemoperitoneum, pericardial effusion, and hemopneumothorax. Specificity and sensitivity are as high as 95% and 74%, respectively.

The Impact of Travel Distance and Income on Breast Reconstruction after Mastectomy in a Rural Population.

Unlabelled: Factors that influence breast reconstruction after mastectomy have been previously examined in national databases. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of patient travel distance and income on breast reconstruction after mastectomy in a rural population.

Methods: Retrospective review of mastectomy patients from 2017 to 2021 was performed from our prospectively enrolled tumor registry.

Developing and Validating a Novel Tool to Enhance Functional Status Assessment: The Tennessee Functional Status Questionnaire (TFSQ).

Purpose: Functional status is a major contributor to overall health and reflects both daily activity level (performance) and maximum attainable activity level (capacity). Existing assessment tools evaluate only 1 domain of function and do not provide insight into contributors to functional decline. We addressed these deficiencies by developing the Tennessee Functional Status Questionnaire (TFSQ), which reports activity levels in metabolic equivalents (METs) and evaluates 5 key areas: performance, capacity, activity, pain, and acute care.

Fighting the obesity pandemic during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created delays in surgical care. The population with obesity has a high risk of death from COVID-19. Prior literature shows the most effective way to combat obesity is by weight loss surgery.

Retrospective Survival Analysis of Cats with Feline Infectious Peritonitis Treated with Polyprenyl Immunostimulant That Survived over 365 Days.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) remains a major diagnostic and treatment challenge in feline medicine. An ineffective immune response is an important component of FIP pathophysiology; hence treatment with an immune stimulant such as Polyprenyl Immunostimulant™ (PI), which enhances cell-mediated immunity by upregulating the innate immune response via Toll-like receptors, is a rational approach. Records of cats with FIP treated with PI orally for over 365 days were retrospectively studied.

Efficacy of Cefazolin versus Ceftriaxone for Extremity Open Fracture Management at a Level 1 Trauma Center.

Antibiotic agents have been shown to improve outcomes in open extremity fractures. The first-generation cephalosporins, which are used most often, are often under-dosed based on weight and recommended frequency. Ceftriaxone offers a broader coverage and a decreased frequency of administration.

Improving Opioid Prescribing Post-Discharge for Trauma Patients With Rib Fractures: Factors in Prevention of Prolonged Use and Dependency.

Background: Rib fracture (RF) pain management provides analgesia while reducing opioids. We postulated: (1) Prescriber factors affect opiate duration, and (2) lidocaine infusion curtails dependency.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective study of RF patients undergoing multimodal analgesia at ACS-verified Level 1 Trauma Center April 2018-February 2020.

Milestones as a Faculty Development Tool for Career Academic Physicians.

Background And Objectives: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has implemented milestones for progression of residents. Career academic physicians would benefit from similar concrete guidance for scholarly activity and faculty development. After developing milestones across six recognized competencies among our family medicine academicians, we acknowledged the potential benefit of expanding the development of milestones throughout the academic medical center.

Comorbid Patterns in the Homeless Population: A Theoretical Model to Enhance Patient Care.

Introduction: From the perspective of social determinants, homelessness perpetuates poor health and creates barriers to effective chronic disease management, necessitating frequent use of emergency department (ED) services. In this study we developed a screening algorithm (checklist) from common comorbidities observed in the homeless population in the United States. The result was a theoretical screening tool (checklist) to aid healthcare workers in the ED, including residents, medical students, and other trainees, to provide more efficacious treatment and referrals for discharge.

Validating a Novel Emotional Intelligence Instrument for Resident Physicians.

To construct and validate a scale of emotional intelligence (EI) for the medical field, n = 80 resident physicians responded to a 69-item self-report measure during the pilot phase of development of the Scale of Emotional Functioning: Medicine (SEF:MED). Based on multiple-phase item and structural analyses, a final 36-item version was created based on data from n = 321 respondent residents. Initially exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the expected three-factor solution as did additional CFA from a second sample of = 113 participants.

Alvimopan retains efficacy in patients undergoing colorectal surgery within an established ERAS program.

Background: Post-operative ileus and delayed return of gastrointestinal function are complications seen frequently in patients undergoing colorectal surgery. Many enhanced recovery after surgery protocols include alvimopan to inhibit the effects of opiates in the gastrointestinal tract and lidocaine to augment analgesics. Limited data exist regarding alvimopan's efficacy in opiate-sparing regimens.

Emotional Intelligence and Burnout Related to Resident-Assessed Faculty Teaching Scores.

Objective: Emotional intelligence (EI) is associated with job success in multiple fields, in part, because EI may mitigate stress and burnout. Research suggests these relationships may include teaching. Our purpose is to further explore the relationships between EI, burnout, and teaching for faculty surgeons.