The Current Pediatric Surgery Job Market: A Perspective of Recent Fellowship Graduates

PurposeThis study describes the job market from the perspective of recent pediatric surgery graduates.MethodsAn anonymous survey was circulated to the 137 pediatric surgeons who graduated from fellowships 2019–2021.ResultsThe survey response rate was 49%. The majority of respondents were women (52%), Caucasian (72%), and had a median student debt burden of $225,000. Considering job opportunities, respondents strongly emphasized camaraderie (93%), mentorship (93%), case mix (85%), geography (67%), faculty reputation (62%), spousal employment (57%), compensation (51%), and call frequency (45%). 30% were satisfied with the employment opportunities available, and 21% felt strongly prepared to negotiate for their first job. All respondents were able to secure a job. Most jobs were university-based (70%) or hospital employed (18%) positions where surgeons covered median of two hospitals. 49% wanted protected research time, and 12% of respondents were able to secure substantial, protected research time. The median compensation for university-based jobs was $12,583 below the median AAMC benchmark for assistant professors for the corresponding year of graduation.ConclusionThese data highlight the ongoing need for assessment of the pediatric surgery workforce and for professional societies and training programs to further assist graduating fellows in preparing to negotiate their first job.Type of studySurveyLevel of EvidenceLevel V.     

中医药对淋巴管新生与回流功能的作用研究进展＊

淋巴管作为循环系统的重要组成部分之一，具有调节机体体液稳态，协助免疫监视和肠道脂质吸收等重要作用。淋巴管新生是机体生理和病理过程中维持脉管系统结构和功能正常的重要手段，淋巴管新生调控对于防治肿瘤、心血管等诸多疾病有着潜在的临床转化意义；淋巴回流功能则与关节炎症等疾病发病机制关系密切。在循环系统中，相较于中医药调控血管相关疾病的发病机制已取得很大进展，近年来对于淋巴管的研究则明显相对滞后。本文从中医药作用于淋巴管新生及回流功能角度对这一领域的研究进展作一综述，以期为临床上中医药治疗相关疾病提供新的思路与方法。     

Redox active or thiol reactive? Optimization of rapid screens to identify less evident nuisance compounds

Compounds that exhibit assay interference or undesirable mechanisms of bioactivity are routinely encountered in assays at various stages of drug discovery. We observed that assays for the investigation of thiol-reactive and redox-active compounds have not been collected in a comprehensive review. Here, we review these assays and subject them to experimental optimization to improve their reliability. We demonstrate the usefulness of our assay cascade by assaying a library of bioactive compounds, chemical probes, and a set of approved drugs. These high-throughput assays should complement the array of wet-lab and in silico assays during the initial stages of hit discovery campaigns to pursue only hit compounds with tractable mechanisms of action.     

糖尿病前期中医证型及证素特点分析＊

目的 探讨糖尿病前期的中医证型及证素分布特点。方法 检索中国知网、万方及维普三大数据库中收录的自建库以来有关糖尿病前期证型的临床研究文献，对中医证型进行规范整理，建立数据库，提取证素，运用数据挖掘技术中的关联分析、聚类分析探究证素分布规律。结果 共纳入10篇文献，总有效病例1620例，证型经规范处理后整理为18个，主要证型为脾虚痰湿证。共提取证素13个，主要病位证素为脾，主要病性证素为气虚、湿和痰，关联分析显示脾—湿支持度和置信度最高，聚类分析结果可得到3个聚类组。结论 糖尿病前期病位在脾，气虚、脾、痰、湿是常见证素，临床诊治糖尿病前期应注重从脾论治，需辨证施治。     

Sentinel lymph node localization and staging with a low-dose of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) enhanced MRI and magnetometer in patients with cutaneous melanoma of the extremity - The MAGMEN feasibility study

BackgroundIn patients with melanoma, sentinel lymph node (SLN) status is pivotal for treatment decisions. Current routine for SLN detection combines Technetium^99m (Tc⁹⁹) lymphoscintigraphy and blue dye (BD). The primary aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of using a low dose of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) injected intracutaneously to detect and identify the SLN, and the secondary aim was to investigate if a low dose of SPIO would enable a preoperative MRI-evaluation of SLN status.MethodsPatients with melanoma of the extremities were eligible. Before surgery, a baseline MRI of the nodal basin was followed by an injection of a low dose (0.02–0.5 mL) of SPIO and then a second MRI (SPIO-MRI). Tc⁹⁹ and BD was used in parallel and all nodes with a superparamagnetic and/or radioactive signal were harvested and analyzed.ResultsFifteen patients were included and the SLNB procedure was successful in all patients (27 SLNs removed). All superparamagnetic SLNs were visualized by MRI corresponding to the same nodes on scintigraphy. Micrometastatic deposits were identified in four SLNs taken from three patients, and SPIO-MRI correctly predicted two of the metastases. There was an association between MRI artefacts in the lymph node and the dose SPIO given.DiscussionIt is feasible to detect SLN in patients with melanoma using a low dose of SPIO injected intracutaneously compared with the standard dual technique. A low dose of SPIO reduces the lymph node MRI artefacts, opening up for a non-invasive assessment of SLN status in patients with cancer.     

Completeness and timeliness of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis,measles-mumps-rubella,and polio vaccines in young children with chronic health conditions: A systematic review

Objective

To systematically review literature on uptake and timeliness of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, measles-mumps-rubella, and/or polio-containing vaccines in infants who were born preterm, with a low birth weight, and/or with chronic health conditions that were diagnosed within the first 6?months of life.

Development of a core outcome set for venous leg ulceration (CoreVen) research evaluations (protocol)

BackgroundA venous leg ulcer is a chronic leg wound caused by poor venous blood circulation in the lower limbs. It is a recurring condition causing pain, malodour, reduced mobility, and depression. Randomised controlled trials evaluating treatments for venous leg ulcers provide important evidence to inform clinical decision-making. However, for findings to be useful, outcomes need to be clinically meaningful, consistently reported across trials, and fully reported. Research has identified the large number of outcomes reported in venous leg ulcer trials, impacting both synthesis of results, and clinical decision-making. To address this, a core outcome set will be developed. A core outcome set is an agreed standardised set of outcomes which should be, as a minimum, measured and reported in all trials which evaluate treatment effectiveness for a given indication. A core outcome set has the potential to reduce research waste, improve the utility of RCTs, reduce reporting bias, facilitate treatment comparisons across different sources of evidence and expedite the production of systematic reviews, meta-analyses and evidence-based clinical guidelines.AimThe aim of this project is to develop a core outcome set for research evaluating the effectiveness of interventions for treating venous leg ulceration.MethodsThrough a scoping review of the literature on venous leg ulceration, we will firstly identify a list of candidate outcome domains (broad categories in relation to what is being measured) from randomised controlled trials and qualitative research, and outcomes (specific methods in relation to what is being measured). In two further stages, we will use the resulting lists of outcome domains and outcomes to design two online surveys. A range of stakeholders will be invited to participate in the surveys and they will be asked to indicate which outcome domains and outcomes are most important and should be considered as core in future research reports.