Intervention reporting quality of randomized control trials in plastic surgery

Background: With the increasing number of RCTs being conducted and published in plastic surgery, clear, accurate, and complete reporting of trial information is critical for readers to properly evaluate a trial's methodology and arrive at appropriate conclusions about its merits and applicability to patients. The Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist was introduced to address the limited guidance for reporting trial interventions. In the present study, we will apply the TIDieR checklist to evaluate the completeness of intervention reporting of RCTs in plastic surgery, compare the quality of intervention reporting before and after the guideline was published and evaluate characteristics associated with TIDieR compliance.Methods: A PubMed search was conducted to identify two trial cohorts — the first cohort published prior to the release of TIDieR and the second cohort published after its release. A random sample of 150 trials from each cohort was screened based upon predefined inclusion criteria. From the final sample, the TIDieR checklist was applied to intervention descriptions and relevant study characteristics were extracted. All screening and data extraction were conducted in duplicate, blinded manner, and discrepancies were resolved by group discussion.Results: Following screening, 130 trials were included for analysis. The mean TIDieR score was 6.4 of a possible 12. Five items were reported 90% of the time, while 4 items were reported fewer than 10% of the time. We found that TIDieR publication did not affect intervention reporting (p=.22). Several trial characteristics were associated with both poorer and greater TIDieR adherence.Conclusion: Our study identified areas in which intervention reporting could be improved. Furthermore, the extent of TIDieR adoption by trialists appears to be limited, and greater efforts are needed to disseminate this reporting guideline if widespread uptake is to be expected. Alternately, it may be more beneficial to incorporate TIDieR into the more widely recognized CONSORT statement

Publication trends among emergency medicine residents, fellows, and graduates and its relationship to future academic achievement

Purpose: Scholastic activity through research involvement is a fundamental aspect of a physician's training, and may have a significant influence on residency and fellowship match success. Despite this fact, little is known regarding the pursuit of academia and/or fellowships in emergency medicine graduates. In this review, we will (1) describe factors involved in academic research including peer-reviewed publications among emergency medicine residency graduates and (2) determine if a relationship exists between publication rates before, during, and after emergency medicine residency.Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, we analyzed the research output of emergency medicine graduates and its relationship to future academic involvement from a random sample of 50 emergency medicine programs' graduates. Data were extracted for each graduate and analyzed using STATA 15.1 and Microsoft Excel. A public protocol is available here: https://osf.io/pwa6d/.Results: Using Doximity, we identified 238 emergency medicine residency programs of which we sampled 50. Of the 50 included programs, 6 programs were included, amounting in 154 graduates available for analysis. Of the 154 analyzed graduates, 97 (63.0%) were male, 91 (59.1%) were osteopathic graduates, and 91 (59.1%) had zero publications. Additionally, we found that 26/154 (16.9%) pursued academia and 16/164 (10.4%) pursued a fellowship, with 4/16 (25%) in medical toxicology and 4/16 (25%) in emergency medical services. The mean number of publications for each graduate was 0.87. Of the graduates with research, more research was published on average after graduation from residency (0.42) compared to before residency (0.17) and during residency (0.34).Conclusion: While a majority of psychiatry graduate's publications were post-residency, many publications occurred during residency, with the lowest number of publications occurring pre-residency

Cross-sectional review of publication trends among OBGYN graduates

Objective: Research and other scholarly activities are essential components to medical training and may predict (i) success for matching into residency or fellowship programs and (ii) a future in academia. Despite this importance, little is known about the research outputs of obstetrics and gynecology residency graduates. In this cross-sectional analysis, we explored the characteristics of published, peer-reviewed publications of obstetrics and gynecology residency graduates and publication rates before, during, and after residency.Study Design: We employed a cross-sectional study design using a random sample of 50 obstetrics and gynecology residency programs found on the 2019-2020 Doximity residency navigator (Doximity Residency Navigator). Data were extracted for each graduate of the included programs with a pilot-tested Google Form and then analyzed using STATA 15.1 and Microsoft Excel. A protocol is publicly available. Publication Trends Among Medical Resi...)Results: We identified 281 residency programs, from which we randomly sampled 50. Among the 50 programs, 15 were included, totaling 303 obstetrics and gynecology residency graduates available for analysis. Of the 303 graduates, a total of 111 (36.6%) produced no publications, 137 (45.2%) produced 1-5 total publications, 28 (9.2%) produced 6-10 publications, 15 (5.0%) produced 11-15 publications, and 12 (4.0%) produced 16-20 publications. Of the graduates we analyzed, 79 (79/303, 26.1%) pursued fellowships, with most in maternal and fetal medicine (23/79, 29.1%). Academia was pursued by 46/303 (15.2%) of graduates. The mean number of publications per resident was 2.9 (SD). Our results showed an increase of publications during the progression of training with a mean of 0.38 publications prior to residency, 0.8 during residency, and 1.75 after residency.Conclusion: Our results showed that the majority of obstetrics and gynecology graduates do not go on to pursue a fellowship or career in academia. According to the ACGME, the average number of research experiences (poster or abstract presentations, publications, etc.) for matched residents as a whole was 3.3 while matched obstetrics and gynecology residents averaged 3.4 research experiences1. While matched obstetrics and gynecology residents only averaged slightly more research experiences than the average resident, publications throughout obstetrics and gynecology training trended upward as training progressed. The highest average of publications was seen post- residency, which suggests there may be an opportunity for residents to increase their scholastic activity while in training. We propose that one way to increase the scholarly activity while in training is to encourage collaborative research involvement between medical students, residents, and attending physicians. This joint effort will not only increase resident scholarly activity but will also facilitate teaching research principles to medical students early in medical training and provide opportunities for networking and knowledge sharing

Publication trends in Family Medicine graduates: A cross-sectional review

Purpose: The ACGME emphasizes the importance of research throughout residency as it establishes the basis of evidence-based medicine. As future physicians practicing evidence-based medicine, it is crucial that physicians in training are able to both interpret and produce quality research. Currently, the long-term impact of active research participation is unknown in this population. In this study, we aim to (1) explore research activity as measured by peer-reviewed publications among family medicine residency graduates and (2) determine if an association exists between publication rates before, during, or after family medicine residency.Methods: We utilized a cross-sectional study design analyzing research output by family medicine residency graduates in relation to future publications and academic involvement from a random sample of 50 family medicine programs. Data were extracted for each graduate and analyzed using STATA 15.1 and Microsoft Excel. The public protocol can be found here: https://osf.io/pwa6d/.Results: We identified 654 residency programs of which we randomly sampled 50. Among the 50 programs, 8 were included, totaling 101 graduates from family medicine residencies for analysis. Of the 101 analyzed residents, 76 (75.2%) produced zero publications. Of the analyzed residents, 30 (29.7%) pursued a fellowship, with most in sports medicine (5/101 [5.0%]). The mean number of publications for all analyzed residents was 0.8, with most publishing after completion of residency.Conclusion: While a majority of family medicine graduate's publications were post-residency, the average number of publications was lowest during residency training. Increased research opportunity and activity during residency may increase the proportion of family medicine graduates pursuing fellowships and careers in academia, as well as increase resident comfort with both interpretation and utilization of evidence-based interventions in clinical practice

Challenges of Data Management Training for Graduate Students at a Large Research University

Objective: To describe the challenges and outcomes of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries\u27 Data Working Group\u27s series of training workshops for graduate students on the subject of data management and preservation, with specific regard to the data management requirements of the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. Participants: The Libraries\u27 Data Working Group is composed of six members with expertise in project management, systems and web development, scholarly communication, digital archives and metadata, and science and social science librarianship. The Data Working Group is one of three subgroups of the Digital Strategies Group at the University Libraries. Description: The University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries provides a number of services to faculty and graduate students in support of research at an institution classified as a Research University with Very High research activity (RU/VH) by the Carnegie Foundation[1]. Recognizing a high demand for greater data education, the Libraries\u27 Data Working Group has conducted workshops for graduate students in specific disciplines -- humanities, social sciences, and sciences -- designed to address their data needs and highlight smart data management practices. Graduate students were also guided through the data management requirements of national funding agencies and potential solutions. Results: In its current capacity the Data Working Group provides educational workshops and individual consulting sessions for faculty and graduate students. The Data Working Group observed a significant portion of graduate students who had no prior experience with smart data practices or useful data management resources. This process has identified a clear need for wider, more intensive education for graduate students on data practices and the data management requirements of national funding agencies. [1] http://www.umass.edu/umhome/research.ph

Europe's future exploration of Main Belt Comets

We discuss possible European missions to explore the recently identified population of "main belt comets", which are small bodies with some asteroid-like properties and some comet-like ones. Various options have been proposed to ESA in recent years, and we will present these, and discuss future possibilities

Gender gap in surgery: Can integrated surgical programs increase the number of women in surgery?

Objective: To determine if the creation of integrated surgical programs has increased the recruitment of women into surgical residencies.Summary Background Data: Historically, there have been disproportionately lower numbers of women entering surgical residency programs compared to the percentage of women physicians. Per the ACGME, in 2017, women comprised 45.8% of all residents in training but just 29.9% of surgical residents. We sought to determine if certain factors, specifically integrated surgical programs, have made an impact on the number of women in surgical specialties.Methods: Data regarding surgical residents and physicians was extracted from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Data Resource Books and ACGME Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Physician Specialty Data Reports from 2007-2018.Results: Overall, integrated surgical programs consistently report increased percentages of women compared to non- integrated surgical programs.Conclusions: The creation of integrated surgical programs has increased and will likely continue to increase the proportion of women in surgical residencies

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

AbstractUnderstanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics.</jats:p