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To evaluate differences in quantitative features between poorly versus highly rated patient ratings of radiology reports. A HIPAA-compliant, IRB-waived study was performed from October 2019 to June 2021. Patients completed an optional 2-question survey ("How helpful was the report?" with a 5-star scale and an open text box) embedded into the patient portal, and reports were assessed for readability and brevity. Quantitative analyses were performed between poorly (≤3 stars) and highly rated (>3 stars) CT and MRI reports, including the use of structured reporting, number of words, words per sentence, Flesch Reading Ease, and Flesh-Kincaid Grade level within the findings and impression sections of the radiology reports. A two-tailed nonparametric Mann U Whitney test was performed for continuous variables and Chi2 for categorical variables. Of the 490 responses, all 135 evaluating CT or MR were included (27%). 106/135 (78%) of the patients gave high ratings (score of 4 or 5). 46/135 (34%), the radiology reports were in a structured format. The proportion of highly rated reports were significantly higher for structured than freeform reports (93.5 vs. 70.8%, p = 0.002). In the findings section, highly rated reports had a lower Flesch Reading Ease score than poorly rated reports (19.6 vs. 28.9, p <0.01). No significant differences were observed between number of words (p=0.27), words per sentence (p=0.94), and Flesh-Kincaid Grade level (p=0.09) in the findings section. In the impression section, no differences were observed between highly vs. poorly rated reports among the measured parameters. Patients preferred highly rated reports that were structured and had lower Flesch Reading Ease scores in the findings section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent data show that aesthetic surgery research is lagging compared with reconstructive surgery: research funding and institutional disparities within aesthetic surgery are potential factors in this trend.Objectives: The authors sought to determine if disparities exist in aesthetic surgery research based on funding sources or practice settings.Methods: The authors reviewed Aesthetic Surgery Journal articles from 2009 to 2019. Chi-square, t test, bivariate, and multivariate regression analyses were employed to evaluate research trends.Results: A total of 2262 publications were identified, with 318 funded articles meeting inclusion criteria. The majority of studies (294, 92%) received external funding, with 281 (88%) being supported solely by external funds. Externally funded studies were financed by private industry (194, 66%), foundations/societies (53, 18%), government grants (23, 8%), or a combination of agencies (24, 8%). The majority of funded studies were at academic institutions (266, 84%), followed by private practice (46, 14%) and private industry (6, 2%). Analysis of annual publications revealed a rising percentage of academic-based research, which correlated with decreasing research from private practice (r = -0.95, r2 = 0.89, P < 0.001). Compared with academic institutions, private practice relied more heavily on industry funding (55% vs 87%, respectively, P = 0.001), exhibiting lower rates of foundational/societal (20% vs 2%), governmental (9% vs 0%), combined (8% vs 7%), and internal department funding (8% vs 4%). Article citations and level of evidence were unaffected by funding source, agency, or practice setting.Conclusions: Lack of diversity in research funding among private practice surgeons may explain the reported discrepancies that currently exist between aesthetic and reconstructive surgery research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular lipid metabolism, lipoprotein interactions, and liver X receptor (LXR) activation have been implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of cancer, although findings vary across cancer models and by lipoprotein profiles. In this study, we investigated the effects of human‐derived low‐density lipoproteins (LDL), high‐density lipoproteins (HDL), and HDL‐associated proteins apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1) and serum amyloid A (SAA) on markers of viability, cholesterol flux, and differentiation in K562 cells—a bone marrow‐derived, stem‐like erythroleukemia cell model of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). We further evaluated whether lipoprotein‐mediated effects were altered by concomitant LXR activation. We observed that LDL promoted higher K562 cell viability in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner and increased cellular cholesterol concentrations, while LXR activation by the agonist TO901317 ablated these effects. LXR activation in the presence of HDL, apoA1 and SAA‐rich HDL suppressed K562 cell viability, while robustly inducing mRNA expression of ATP‐binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1). HDL and its associated proteins additionally suppressed mRNA expression of anti‐apoptotic B‐cell lymphoma‐extra large (BCL‐xL), and the erythroid lineage marker 5′‐aminolevulinate synthase 2 (ALAS2), while SAA‐rich HDL induced mRNA expression of the megakaryocytic lineage marker integrin subunit alpha 2b (ITGA2B). Together, these findings suggest that lipoproteins and LXR may impact the viability and characteristics of CML cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate and compare parental leave policies from the top United States (US) hospitals with a focus on inclusivity of all types of parents., Methods: In September and October of 2021, the parental leave policies of the top 20 US hospitals, ranked by the 2021 US News & World report, were evaluated. Parental leave policies were obtained and reviewed through the hospitals' public websites. Hospitals' Human Relations (HR) departments were contacted to confirm the policies. Hospital policies were scored against a rubric created by the authors., Results: Among the top US hospitals (21 total hospitals), 17 (81%) had publicly available policies, and one policy was obtained by contacting HR. Fourteen of the 18 hospitals (77.8%) had a parental leave policy distinctive from short-term disability and offered paid paternity or partner leave. Thirteen hospitals (72.2%) offered parental leave for parents whose children were carried through surrogacy. Fourteen hospitals (77.8%) included adoptive parents; however, only five hospitals (27.8%) specifically included foster parents. The average paid leave for birthing mothers was 7.9 weeks compared to 6.6 weeks for nonbirthing parents. Only three hospitals offered the same leave for birthing and nonbirthing parents., Conclusion: While a few of the top 20 hospitals have paid parental leave policies that are inclusive and equivalent to all parents, many do not and represent an area for improvement. As healthcare industry leaders, these hospitals should strive for inclusive parental leave policies that care for their employees with the same high standards they set for caring for patients., Competing Interests: No competing financial interests exist., (© Molly B. Kraus et al., 2023; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)