Intersection of Race and Gender in the Cardiothoracic Workforce: Study of Representation and Salary.

Background: Cardiothoracic surgery lacks gender and racial/ethnic diversity. Recent studies have highlighted disparities based on gender and race/ethnicity among academic cardiothoracic surgeons. The impact of the intersection of these factors on representation and salary is unknown.

Sex-Related Differences in the Pathophysiology, Cardiac Imaging, and Clinical Outcomes of Aortic Stenosis: A Narrative Review.

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease in developed countries, and its prevalence is higher in older patients. Clinical studies have shown gender disparity in the pathogenesis and the progression of aortic stenosis. This disparity has led to several overwhelming questions regarding its impact on the clinical outcomes and treatment of the disease and the requirement of personalized sex-specific approaches for its management.

Comorbidity profiles and pulmonary embolism risk assessment: Leveraging the Charlson Comorbidity Index for improved prognostication in a national data set.

Current risk assessment of pulmonary embolism (PE) stratifies patients based on hemodynamic stability, clinical parameters of severity, right ventricular dysfunction and cardiac injury but fails to integrate a wide variety of comorbid conditions. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) predicts mortality based on patients' diseases and provides a system to quantify disease burden. The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (2016-2018) was used to identify patients with PE and calculate CCI score groups of 0, 1-2, 3-5, and ≥6 and stratify them by outcome.

Severe Hypertriglyceridemia in a Patient Treated With Sirolimus for Graft-vs-Host Disease Prophylaxis.

Hypertriglyceridemia is an important and well documented adverse effect caused by the immunosuppressive agent sirolimus. Patients treated with sirolimus require frequent monitoring of blood lipid panels and prompt treatment with appropriate triglyceride-lowering therapies. We report the case of an asymptomatic 65-year-old female stem cell transplant recipient who developed extreme hypertriglyceridemia with levels > 19,000 mg/dL (214 mmol/L) (reference range, < 150 mg/dL [< 1.

A neuro-lymphatic communication guides lymphatic development by CXCL12 and CXCR4 signaling.

Lymphatic vessels grow through active sprouting and mature into a vascular complex that includes lymphatic capillaries and collecting vessels that ensure fluid transport. However, the signaling cues that direct lymphatic sprouting and patterning remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that chemokine signaling, specifically through CXCL12 and CXCR4, plays crucial roles in regulating lymphatic development.

The Role of BAG3 Protein Interactions in Cardiomyopathies.

Bcl-2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) plays an important function in cellular protein quality control (PQC) maintaining proteome stability. Mutations in the gene result in cardiomyopathies. Due to its roles in cardiomyopathies and the complexity of BAG3-protein interactions, it is important to understand these protein interactions given the importance of the multifunctional cochaperone BAG3 in cardiomyocytes, using an in vitro cardiomyocyte model.

Impromptu Speaking: Teaching an Essential Leadership Skill.

Objective: Clinical leaders are frequently asked to assert an opinion or message spontaneously in a public forum. We aimed to measure the effectiveness of structured leadership training in impromptu speaking.

Design: This prospective study examined trainees who participated in a 3-hour workshop consisting of didactic instruction on impromptu speaking followed by small group practice.

Risk of mortality in patients requiring reoperative open-heart surgery.

Background: Improvements in surgical techniques and perioperative care as well as increased patient life expectancies have led cardiothoracic surgeons to perform more complex operations, including reoperative open-heart surgeries. However, there is debate as to which patients are appropriate operative candidates for reoperative procedures.

Methods: This is a retrospective, single-center study of patients who underwent reoperative open-heart surgery via median sternotomy or thoracotomy over a 10-year period.

Comparison of Machine Learning Models to a Novel Score in the Identification of Patients at Low Risk for Diabetic Retinopathy.

Purpose: To develop an easily applicable predictor of patients at low risk for diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Design: An experimental study on the development and validation of machine learning models (MLMs) and a novel retinopathy risk score (RRS) to detect patients at low risk for DR.

Subjects: All individuals aged ≥18 years of age who participated in the telemedicine retinal screening initiative through Temple University Health Systems from October 1, 2016 through December 31, 2020.

The evaluation of video-assisted debriefing for improving performance in simulated medical student resuscitations.

Objectives: Simulation-based training is commonly used in medical education. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding best practices in debriefing. We aimed to identify novel solutions to this by adapting video-assisted debriefing (VAD) methodologies used in athletic training.