Recent Publications by CFE Educators

BACKGROUND

Because prenatal counseling is associated with adherence to weight gain guidelines, we sought to identify patient-level characteristics associated with the receipt of counseling on weight gain, nutrition, and exercise during prenatal care.

METHODS

We performed a secondary data analysis on a cohort of women enrolled in a prenatal counseling intervention study. We controlled for study group assignment (intervention versus usual care) as well as patient characteristics in a multivariable analysis. We performed three separate multivariable analyses for predictors of provider-patient discussions about (1) weight gain, (2) nutrition, and (3) exercise.

RESULTS

The cohort consisted of 311 predominantly low-income prenatal patients receiving care at several sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prepregnancy body mass index, nutrition knowledge, maternal age, parity, and type of insurance were not significantly associated with receipt of counseling about weight gain, nutrition, and exercise. In the multivariable analysis, white women were significantly less likely to be counseled about nutrition than non-white women (p=0.02). Former smokers were more likely to receive counseling about nutrition and exercise than never smokers (p0.05). More advanced gestational age was associated with a higher rate of counseling on weight gain (p=0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite having the highest rates of excessive weight gain nationally, white women were the least likely to receive counseling about nutrition during pregnancy. Interventions that prompt clinicians and simplify counseling may improve counseling rates for all patients during prenatal care.

The serine protease inhibitor (serpin) plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is associated with the pathophysiology of several diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. The extracellular matrix protein vitronectin increases at sites of vessel injury and is also present in fibrin clots. Integrins present on the cell surface bind to vitronectin and anchor the cell to the extracellular matrix. However, the binding of PAI-1 to vitronectin prevents this interaction, thereby decreasing both cell adhesion and migration. We previously developed PAI-1-specific RNA aptamers that bind to (or in the vicinity of) the vitronectin binding site of PAI-1. These aptamers prevented cancer cells from detaching from vitronectin in the presence of PAI-1, resulting in an increase in cell adhesion. In the current study, we used in vitro assays to investigate the effects that these aptamers have on human aortic smooth muscle cell (HASMC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration, adhesion, and proliferation. The PAI-1-specific aptamers (SM20 and WT15) increased attachment of HASMCs and HUVECs to vitronectin in the presence of PAI-1 in a dose-dependent manner. Whereas PAI-1 significantly inhibited cell migration through its interaction with vitronectin, both SM20 and WT15 restored cell migration. The PAI-1 vitronectin binding mutant (PAI-1AK) did not facilitate cell detachment or have an effect on cell migration. The effect on cell proliferation was minimal. Additionally, both SM20 and WT15 promoted tube formation on matrigel that was supplemented with vitronectin, thereby reversing the PAI-1's inhibition of tube formation. Collectively, results from this study show that SM20 and WT15 bind to the PAI-1's vitronectin binding site and interfere with its effect on cell migration, adhesion, and tube formation. By promoting smooth muscle and endothelial cell migration, these aptamers can potentially eliminate the adverse effects of elevated PAI-1 levels in the pathogenesis of vascular disease.

PURPOSE

The presence of women in urology has gradually increased in the last 35 years with an accelerated rate in the last decade. We evaluated manuscript authorship trends by gender. Manuscript authorship is a metric that has been used as a marker of academic productivity. We hypothesized that the number of first and last author publications by women has increased proportionately to the number of women in the field during the last 35 years.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a bibliometric study to examine authorship gender in The Journal of Urology® and Urology®. We reviewed all original articles published from American institutions in 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009.

RESULTS

Of the 8,313 articles reviewed 5,461 were from American institutions, including 97.5% for which we determined author gender. There were 767 articles with female authors, including 440 first and 327 last authors. First and last female authorship increased from 2.7% of all authors in 1979 to 26.5% in 2009 (test for trend p 0.001). This authorship rate surpasses the rate of growth of women in urology, which increased from 0.24% in 1975 to 6.2% in 2008.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on authorship gender analysis women urologists produce manuscripts at a rate that exceeds their number in the field. Findings show that women in urology are productive, active members of the academic community.

Natural products that elicit discomfort or pain represent invaluable tools for probing molecular mechanisms underlying pain sensation. Plant-derived irritants have predominated in this regard, but animal venoms have also evolved to avert predators by targeting neurons and receptors whose activation produces noxious sensations. As such, venoms provide a rich and varied source of small molecule and protein pharmacophores that can be exploited to characterize and manipulate key components of the pain-signalling pathway. With this in mind, here we perform an unbiased in vitro screen to identify snake venoms capable of activating somatosensory neurons. Venom from the Texas coral snake (Micrurus tener tener), whose bite produces intense and unremitting pain, excites a large cohort of sensory neurons. The purified active species (MitTx) consists of a heteromeric complex between Kunitz- and phospholipase-A2-like proteins that together function as a potent, persistent and selective agonist for acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs), showing equal or greater efficacy compared with acidic pH. MitTx is highly selective for the ASIC1 subtype at neutral pH; under more acidic conditions (pH 6.5), MitTx massively potentiates (>100-fold) proton-evoked activation of ASIC2a channels. These observations raise the possibility that ASIC channels function as coincidence detectors for extracellular protons and other, as yet unidentified, endogenous factors. Purified MitTx elicits robust pain-related behaviour in mice by activation of ASIC1 channels on capsaicin-sensitive nerve fibres. These findings reveal a mechanism whereby snake venoms produce pain, and highlight an unexpected contribution of ASIC1 channels to nociception.

Sweet's syndrome is an acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis which usually presents as an idiopathic disorder but can also be drug induced, associated with hematopoetic malignancies and myelodysplastic disorders, and more, infrequently, observed in autoimmune disorders. Sweet's syndrome has been reported in three cases of neonatal lupus, three cases of hydralazine-induced lupus in adults, and in nine pediatric and adult systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. We describe three additional adult cases of Sweet's associated with SLE and provide a focused review on nondrug-induced, nonneonatal SLE and Sweet's. In two of three new cases, as in the majority of prior cases, the skin rash of Sweet's paralleled underlying SLE disease activity. The pathogenesis of Sweet's remains elusive, but evidence suggests that cytokine dysregulation may be central to the clinical and pathological changes in this condition, as well as in SLE. Further research is needed to define the exact relationship between the two conditions.

INTRODUCTION

Self-insertion of penile foreign bodies is performed worldwide, largely due to a perception that it will enhance sexual performance and virility. There are relatively few cases reported in the United States.

AIM

We report three cases of Hispanic men incarcerated in separate southwest United States prisons who utilized a similar technique to insert foreign bodies fabricated out of dominos into the subcutaneous tissues of the penis.

METHODS

Details of the three cases were retrospectively reviewed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Resolution of the case.

RESULTS

In each case, an incarcerated Hispanic male or fellow inmate filed a domino into a unique shape for placement under the penile skin. Utilizing the tip of a ballpoint pen or a sharpened shard of plastic to create a puncture wound, each man inserted the domino fragment into the subcutaneous tissue of the penis. All three men presented with infection requiring operative removal.

CONCLUSIONS

Incarcerated males put themselves at risk for injury and infection when attempting penile enhancement with improvised equipment.

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of research comparing resident training experiences of university, community, and military-affiliated surgical programs.

STUDY DESIGN

We reviewed a cross-sectional national survey (NEARS) involving all US categorical general surgery residents (248 programs). Demographics and level of agreement regarding training experiences were collected. Statistical analysis included chi-square, ANOVA, and hierarchical logistic regression modeling (HLRM).

RESULTS

There were 4,282 residents included (82.4% response rate). The majority (69%) trained in university programs. Types of programs differed by sex mix (p 0.001), racial makeup (p = 0.005), marital status profile (p = 0.002), and parental status profile (p 0.001). Community residents were most satisfied with their operative experience (community 84.5%, university 73.4%, military 62.4%; p 0.001), most likely to feel their opinions are important (76.0% vs 69.4% vs 67.9%, respectively; p 0.001), and least likely to believe attendings will think worse of them if residents asked for help with patient management (12.6% vs 15.9% vs 14.7%, respectively; p = 0.025). Military residents were least likely to report that surgical training is too long (military 7.4%, community 14.0%, university 23.8%; p 0.001). On HLRM, community programs were independently associated with residents feeling their opinions are important (odds ratio [OR] 1.91; p 0.001), and reporting satisfactory operative experience (OR 4.73; p 0.001). Residents training at military programs (OR 0.23; p = 0.002) or community programs (OR 0.31; p 0.001) were less likely to feel that surgical training is too long, or that attendings will think worse of them if asked for help with patient care (community OR 0.19; p 0.001; military OR 0.27; p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Residents at university, community, and military programs report distinct training experiences. These findings may inform programs of potential targeted strategies for enhanced support.