Evaluating the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat mastectomy skin flap ischemia in breast reconstruction: A single-institution retrospective analysis.

Background: Mastectomy skin flap ischemia is a well-known postoperative complication following mastectomy and breast reconstruction. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has shown promising results for reducing the adverse effects associated with mastectomy skin flap ischemia and associated necrosis; however, there is paucity of literature regarding the indications for HBOT following breast cancer surgery. This study aimed to assess HBOT efficacy in treating and mitigating complications from postoperative tissue ischemia.

Evaluating the Effect of MarginProbe Use on Re-excisions After Partial Mastectomy: A Single-Institution Analysis.

Background: Breast conservation therapy is a widely accepted approach in treating breast cancer, yet the average re-excision rates are approximately 25% despite surgical advancements. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved MarginProbe device uses radiofrequency spectroscopy for intraoperative margin assessment, potentially reducing re-excision rates. This study evaluated the effectiveness of MarginProbe in reducing re-excisions compared with standard of care (SOC).

Affinity-controlled release of rod-derived cone viability factor enhances cone photoreceptor survival.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of genetic diseases that results in rod photoreceptor cell degeneration, which subsequently leads to cone photoreceptor cell death, impaired vision and eventual blindness. Rod-derived cone viability factor (RdCVF) is a protein which has two isoforms: a short form (RdCVF) and a long form (RdCVFL) which act on cone photoreceptors in the retina. RdCVFL protects photoreceptors by reducing hyperoxia in the retina; however, sustained delivery of RdCVFL remains challenging.

Applying Conceptual and Theoretical Frameworks to Health Professions Education Research: An Introductory Workshop.

Introduction: Literature suggests that the quality and rigor of health professions education (HPE) research can be elevated if the research is anchored in existing theories and frameworks. This critical skill is difficult for novice researchers to master. We created a workshop to introduce the practical application of theories and frameworks to HPE research.

Affibody-mediated controlled release of fibroblast growth factor 2.

Protein therapeutics possess high target affinity and specificity, yet short residence times, which limit their broad utility. To overcome this challenge, we used affinity interactions to modulate protein release from a hydrogel delivery vehicle thereby prolonging therapeutic availability. Specifically, we designed an affibody-modified hyaluronan (HA)-based hydrogel as a delivery platform for fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), a neuroprotective and neuroregenerative factor in the central nervous system (CNS).

Directed Evolution Enables Simultaneous Controlled Release of Multiple Therapeutic Proteins from Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels.

With the advent of increasingly complex combination strategies of biologics, independent control over their delivery is the key to their efficacy; however, current approaches are hindered by the limited independent tunability of their release rates. To overcome these limitations, directed evolution is used to engineer highly specific, low affinity affibody binding partners to multiple therapeutic proteins to independently control protein release rates. As a proof-of-concept, specific affibody binding partners for two proteins with broad therapeutic utility: insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) are identified.

Racial Disparities in the Use of Peripheral Nerve Blocks for Postoperative Analgesia After Total Mastectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) are used to provide postoperative analgesia after total mastectomy. PNBs improve patient satisfaction and decrease postoperative opioid use, nausea, and vomiting. Few studies have examined whether there is racial-ethnic disparity in the use of PNBs for patients having total mastectomy.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Freshwater Fisheries Fieldwork and Data Collection.

COVID-19 has affected almost every aspect of society including freshwater fisheries fieldwork. Our study quantified the effects of the pandemic on fisheries fieldwork in the United States. We administered a survey to fisheries chiefs in all 50 states to assess the pandemic's impact on fisheries fieldwork.

Prediction model for COVID-19 patient visits in the ambulatory setting.

Objective: Healthcare systems globally were shocked by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Policies put in place to curb the tide of the pandemic resulted in a decrease of patient volumes throughout the ambulatory system. The future implications of COVID-19 in healthcare are still unknown, specifically the continued impact on the ambulatory landscape.

Challenges to assessing professional identity in medical students: a tale of two measures.

: Professional identity formation (PIF), a foundational process in becoming a physician, includes establishment of values, moral principles, and self-awareness. The purpose of this report is to examine challenges in establishing the validity of measures of identity fusion as one facet of PIF. : Utilizing the modern approach of validity as a unitary concept, the authors generated six hypotheses to examine the evidence for the construct validity of the scores of Physician Professional Identity (PPI) and Identity Integration (IdIn), considering relationships of these measures with each other, year of training and data from a larger survey.

A hyaluronan/methylcellulose-based hydrogel for local cell and biomolecule delivery to the central nervous system.

Regenerative medicine strategies rely on exogenous cell transplantation and/or endogenous cell stimulation. Biomaterials can help to increase the regenerative potential of cells and biomolecules by controlling transplanted cell fate and provide a local, sustained release of biomolecules. In this review, we describe the use of a hyaluronan/methylcellulose (HAMC)-based hydrogel as a delivery vehicle to the brain, spinal cord, and retina to promote cellular survival and tissue repair.

Local delivery of stabilized chondroitinase ABC degrades chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in stroke-injured rat brains.

Central nervous system (CNS) injuries, such as stroke and spinal cord injuries, result in the formation of a proteoglycan-rich glial scar, which acts as a barrier to axonal regrowth and limits the regenerative capacity of the CNS. Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) is a potent bacterial enzyme that degrades the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) component of the glial scar and promotes tissue recovery; however, its use is significantly limited by its inherent instability at physiological temperatures. Here, we demonstrate that ChABC can be stabilized using site-directed mutagenesis and covalent modification with poly(ethylene glycol) chains (i.

A Review of Continuous Quality Improvement Processes at Ten Medical Schools.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education now expects all allopathic medical schools to develop and adhere to a documentable continuous quality improvement (CQI) process. Medical schools must consider how to establish a defensible process that monitors compliance with accreditation standards between site visits. The purpose of this descriptive study is to detail how ten schools in the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) Southern Group on Educational Affairs (SGEA) CQI Special Interest Group (SIG) are tackling practical issues of CQI development including establishing a CQI office, designating faculty and staff, charging a CQI committee, choosing software for data management, if schools are choosing formalized CQI models, and other considerations.

Initial cell maturity changes following transplantation in a hyaluronan-based hydrogel and impacts therapeutic success in the stroke-injured rodent brain.

Ischemic stroke results in a loss of neurons for which there are no available clinical strategies to stimulate regeneration. While preclinical studies have demonstrated that functional recovery can be obtained by transplanting an exogenous source of neural progenitors into the brain, it remains unknown at which stage of neuronal maturity cells will provide the most benefit. We investigated the role of neuronal maturity on cell survival, differentiation, and long-term sensorimotor recovery in stroke-injured rats using a population of human cortically-specified neuroepithelial progenitor cells (cNEPs) delivered in a biocompatible, bioresorbable hyaluronan/methylcellulose hydrogel.

Using Jazz as a Metaphor to Teach Improvisational Communication Skills.

Metaphor helps humans understand complex concepts by "mapping" them onto accessible concepts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using jazz as a metaphor to teach senior medical students improvisational communication skills, and to understand student learning experiences. The authors designed a month-long course that used jazz to teach improvisational communication.

Patient Safety Interprofessional Training for Medical, Nursing, and Pharmacy Students.

Introduction: Patient safety education is required in medical, nursing, and pharmacy training, and interprofessional education offers an ideal format for teaching the core concepts of patient safety. This training activity was developed to fulfill interprofessional education core competencies for communication and teamwork and was nested within a required patient safety course taught at a medical school. However, the activity can easily be adapted as a stand-alone offering that can be included in a preclinical doctoring course, offered as an elective, or hosted at a college of nursing or pharmacy.

Near-peers improve patient safety training in the preclinical curriculum.

Background: Accrediting bodies require medical schools to teach patient safety and residents to develop teaching skills in patient safety. We created a patient safety course in the preclinical curriculum and used continuous quality improvement to make changes over time.

Objective: To assess the impact of resident teaching on student perceptions of a Patient Safety course.