The Association between Sociodemographic Factors and Delays to Minimally Invasive Surgery for Stage IA-IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Surgical resection is the gold standard treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Prior studies have found that delayed treatment carries risk of disease progression. However, factors that predict delay to surgery are relatively understudied.

Does going against the norm on women's economic participation increase intimate partner violence risk? A cross-sectional, multi-national study.

Background: Women's economic empowerment (WEE) is believed to reduce the risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), yet the relationship between WEE and IPV has proven to be highly variable. Little attention has been given to how the normative WEE environment may influence this relationship across different settings. This study tests whether IPV is associated with Vanguard WEE, defined as individual economic participation that deviates from community norms.

An open-source SQL database schema for integrated clinical and translational data management in clinical trials.

Unlocking the power of personalised medicine in oncology hinges on the integration of clinical trial data with translational data (i.e. biospecimen-derived molecular information).

Esophageal perforation mimicking an acute inferior myocardial infarction: a case report.

Background: Esophageal perforation is a rare but life-threatening condition associated with a high mortality rate and often presents with nonspecific clinical manifestations that can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. When combined with ST-segment elevation on electrocardiography (ECG), it can be particularly challenging to distinguish esophageal perforation from acute inferior myocardial infarction, as the two conditions may share similar ECG findings.

Case Description: We report the case of a 65-year-old man with a significant history of long-term alcohol consumption who presented to our hospital (the Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine) with persistent oppressive pain in the anterior and posterior left chest.

Postoperative day of surgery ambulation improves outcomes following lung resection: a multicenter prospective cohort study.

Background: The impact of post-surgical same day ambulation in lung resection patients is relatively unstudied. We sought to determine the relationship between day of surgery ambulation and postoperative outcomes after lung resection.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study at one healthcare system with six hospitals (1/2019-3/2023).

Who are the "vanguard" women? Strategies for identifying women going against economic participation norms across 49 low- and middle-income countries.

Women's empowerment and poverty alleviation are two key factors for successful and equitable international development. Norms surrounding women's economic participation and economic agency change over time, with some individuals achieving economic empowerment earlier than others. These "vanguard" women represent the leading edge of change.

Patient, facility, and surgical factors associated with significant delays to esophagectomy and subsequent poor outcomes: An analysis of 16,486 cases.

Objective: Delays to definitive surgery in esophageal cancer may be associated with disease progression and worsened survival. The objective of this study was to perform a national assessment for predictors of delay to esophagectomy and to assess for their impact on oncologic and survival outcomes.

Methods: The National Cancer Database, 2010 to 2020, was queried for patients with locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma (stage I-III).

More May Not Be Better: Comparison of Oncologic Outcomes Following Induction Chemotherapy Plus Chemoradiation and Chemoradiation Alone for Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: The oncologic benefit of induction chemotherapy (IC) before chemoradiation (CRT) compared to CRT alone for locally advanced esophageal and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma is not well defined. We hypothesized that IC with CRT would improve survival and pathologic complete response rate compared to CRT alone.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients with biopsy proven esophageal or GEJ adenocarcinoma treated with preoperative CRT and IC + CRT and surgical resection from 2007 to 2023 at a single institution was performed.

Functional characterisation of human recessive DIS3 variants in premature ovarian insufficiency.

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is characterised by the loss or complete absence of ovarian activity in women under the age of 40. Clinical presentation of POI varies with phenotypic severity ranging from premature loss of menses to complete gonadal dysgenesis. POI is genetically heterogeneous with >100 causative gene variants identified thus far.

Association between postoperative complications and hospital length of stay: a large-scale observational study of 4,495,582 patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) registry.

Background: Precise estimates of risk-adjusted increases in postoperative length of stay (LOS) associated with postoperative complications across a range of complications and operations are not available in the existing literature.

Methods: Associations between preoperative characteristics, postoperative complications and postoperative LOS were tested using medians, interquartile ranges, and nonparametric rank sum tests in a retrospective cohort study using the 2005-2018 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) dataset. A negative binomial model was used with postoperative LOS as the dependent variable and preoperative characteristics and postoperative complications as independent variables.

Using Implementation Science in Surgical Care: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Improvement of surgical care is dependent upon evidence-based practices (EBPs), policies, procedures, and innovations. The objective of this study was to understand and synthesize the use of implementation science (IS) in surgical care.

Summary Background Data: This article summarizes the existing literature to identify the frequency and types of EBPs selected for surgical care, IS frameworks that guided the published research, and prominent facilitators and barriers.

Robotic-assisted ectopic mediastinal parathyroidectomy: a single institution experience and operative review for the thoracic surgeon.

Background: Parathyroidectomy remains the only definitive cure for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). In rare cases, ectopic hyperfunctioning glands are located in the mediastinum, necessitating a thoracic surgical approach. The objective of this project was to review a single high-volume institutional experience of this presentation, with specific attention to the use of a robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) approach.

Risk-adjusted discrete increases in length of stay by complication following anatomic lung resection: an analysis of 32 133 cases across the USA.

Objectives: Prior studies have associated morbidity following anatomic lung resection with prolonged postoperative length of stay; however, each complication's individual impact on length of stay as a continuous variable has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to determine the risk-adjusted increase in length of stay associated with each individual postoperative complications following anatomic lung resection.

Methods: Patients who underwent anatomic lung resection cataloged in the prospectively collected American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program participant use file, 2005-2018, were targeted.

Mild Systemic Inflammation Increases Erythrocyte Fragility.

There is growing evidence that inflammation impairs erythrocyte structure and function. We assessed the impact of mild systemic inflammation on erythrocyte fragility in three different settings. In order to investigate causation, erythrocyte osmotic fragility was measured in mice challenged with a live attenuated bacterial strain to induce low-grade systemic inflammation; a significant increase in erythrocyte osmotic fragility was observed.

Representation of women among cardiothoracic surgery editorial boards: Trends over the past 2 decades.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine representation of women on the editorial boards of cardiothoracic surgery-focused journals over the past 2 decades to identify changes over time compared with women cardiothoracic surgeon and trainee representation, and to highlight additional opportunities for improvement.

Methods: The editorial boards of 2 high-impact cardiothoracic surgery journals were reviewed from 2000 to 2023. Data on editorial board positions, including editors-in-chief, associate/deputy editors, feature editors, and general members of the editorial board were abstracted.

Longitudinal urinary neopterin is associated with hearing threshold change over time in independent older adults.

Low-grade chronic inflammation is associated with many age-related conditions. Non-invasive methods to monitor low-grade chronic inflammation may improve the management of older people at risk of poorer outcomes. This longitudinal cohort study has determined baseline inflammation using neopterin volatility in monthly urine samples of 45 independent older adults (aged 65-75 years).

The association between participation in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) and postoperative outcomes: A comprehensive analysis of 7,474,298 patients.

Introduction: Prior publications about the association between participation in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and improved postoperative outcomes have reported mixed results. We aimed to perform a comprehensive analysis of preoperative characteristics and unadjusted and risk-adjusted postoperative complication rates over time in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program dataset.

Methods: We used the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, 2005 to 2018, to analyze preoperative patient characteristics and unadjusted and risk-adjusted rates of adverse postoperative outcomes by year.

Strict compliance to a thoracic enhanced recovery after surgery protocol is associated with improved outcomes compared with partial compliance: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Benefits of thoracic enhanced recovery after surgery programs have been described. However, there is ongoing discussion on the importance of full protocol compliance. The objective of this study was to determine whether strict adherence to an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol leads to further improvement in outcomes compared with less strict compliance.

Systemic inflammation associates with and precedes cord atrophy in progressive multiple sclerosis.

In preclinical models of multiple sclerosis, systemic inflammation has an impact on the compartmentalized inflammatory process within the central nervous system and results in axonal loss. It remains to be shown whether this is the case in humans, specifically whether systemic inflammation contributes to spinal cord or brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis. Hence, an observational longitudinal study was conducted to delineate the relationship between systemic inflammation and atrophy using magnetic resonance imaging: the SIMS (Systemic Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis) study.

Ex vivo gene editing and cell therapy for hereditary tyrosinemia type 1.

Background: We previously demonstrated the successful use of in vivo CRISPR gene editing to delete 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPD) to rescue mice deficient in fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH), a disorder known as hereditary tyrosinemia type 1 (HT1). The aim of this study was to develop an ex vivo gene-editing protocol and apply it as a cell therapy for HT1.

Methods: We isolated hepatocytes from wild-type (C57BL/6J) and Fah-/- mice and then used an optimized electroporation protocol to deliver Hpd-targeting CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins into hepatocytes.

The deimplementation of laboratory testing in low-risk patients as recommended by the American society of anesthesiologists: An ACS-NSQIP longitudinal analysis.

Background: In 2012, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) published guidelines recommending against routine preoperative laboratory testing for low-risk patients to reduce unnecessary medical expenditures. The aim of this study was to assess the change in routine preoperative laboratory testing in low-risk versus higher-risk patients before and after release of these guidelines.

Methods: The ACS-NSQIP database, 2005-2018, was separated into low-risk versus higher-risk patients based upon a previously published stratification.