3D-printed neck phantoms with detailed anatomy for ultrasound-guided procedure and device testing.

Objectives: With rapid advances in ultrasound-guided procedures, there is an unmet need for echogenic phantoms with sufficient anatomical details for artificial intelligence and ultrasound-guided device testing. We developed a method for creating neck phantoms for novel otolaryngology-related device testing. To achieve accurate representation of the anatomy, we utilized CT scans and 3D printing technology to create customized agar molds, thus providing high-fidelity yet cost-effective tools.

Innovations report: A grading committee for a required fourth-year emergency medicine clerkship.

Background: Assessment of medical students in the clinical learning environment is fraught with challenges. Seemingly small variations in clinical clerkship evaluation can significantly impact a student's future. As such, the integrity of the grade selection process must be heavily scrutinized.

A case report of carbamazepine-induced oropharyngeal dysphagia in a patient with primary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Seventy-year-old male with primary progressive multiple sclerosis that had a severe episode of oropharyngeal dysphagia following initiation of carbamazepine. He was being treated for trigeminal neuralgia. Four days after discontinuation of carbamazepine resulted in a complete resolution of the patient's dysphagia, and he returned to baseline.

Development of a lecture evaluation tool rooted in cognitive load theory: A modified Delphi study.

Background: Didactics play a key role in medical education. There is no standardized didactic evaluation tool to assess quality and provide feedback to instructors. Cognitive load theory provides a framework for lecture evaluations.

Tissue plasminogen activator and patients with acute ischemic stroke: The litigation landscape.

Objective: Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is considered standard of care for acute ischemic stroke treatment, but some physicians withhold or delay this highly time-dependent therapy from stroke patients because they do not think it works well or they are worried about the adverse effects or fear medico-legal consequences. The authors sought to investigate whether litigation arises from physicians treating versus not treating acute ischemic stroke patients with tPA.

Methods: The authors examined closed cases from 1996 to 2020 in an online legal database, Westlaw, regarding alleged complaints for whether or not thrombolytic treatment was given for acute stroke.

N95 respirator and surgical mask effectiveness against respiratory viral illnesses in the healthcare setting: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To examine the results, level of evidence, and methodologic quality of original studies regarding surgical mask effectiveness in minimizing viral respiratory illness transmission, and, in particular, the performance of the N95 respirator versus surgical mask.

Methods: Meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines with use of PubMed, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library databases.

Results: Eight studies (9164 participants) were included after screening 153 articles.

Predicting outcome of patients with severe urinary tract infections admitted via the emergency department.

Objective: To evaluate clinical prediction tools for making decisions in patients with severe urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at 2 hospitals (combined emergency department (ED) census 190,000). Study patients were admitted via the ED with acute pyelonephritis or severe sepsis-septic shock related UTI.

The Presence of Alpha-Synuclein in Skin from Melanoma and Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Background: The misfolding and prion-like propagation of the protein α-synuclein (α-syn) is the leading molecular signature in Parkinson's disease (PD). There is a significant coincidence of PD and melanoma that may suggest a shared pathophysiology. This study compared the presence of α-syn in neural crest-derived tissues, such as nevi, melanoma, skin tags, and skin biopsies from patients with PD and healthy controls.