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The burnout syndrome is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal achievement. Uncertainty exists about the prevalence of burnout among medical and surgical residents. Associations between burnout and gender, age, specialty, and geographical location of training are unclear. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to quantitatively summarize the global prevalence rates of burnout among residents, by specialty and its contributing factors. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and Web of Science to identify studies that examined the prevalence of burnout among residents from various specialties and countries. The primary outcome assessed was the aggregate prevalence of burnout among all residents. The random effects model was used to calculate the aggregate prevalence, and heterogeneity was assessed by I2 statistic and Cochran’s Q statistic. We also performed meta-regression and subgroup analysis. The aggregate prevalence of burnout was 51.0% (95% CI: 45.0−57.0%, I2 = 97%) in 22,778 residents. Meta-regression found that the mean age (β = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.28−0.40, p < 0.001) and the proportion of males (β = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.10−0.69, p = 0.009) were significant moderators. Subgroup analysis by specialty showed that radiology (77.16%, 95% CI: 5.99−99.45), neurology (71.93%, 95% CI: 65.78−77.39), and general surgery (58.39%, 95% CI: 45.72−70.04) were the top three specialties with the highest prevalence of burnout. In contrast, psychiatry (42.05%, 95% CI: 33.09−51.58), oncology (38.36%, 95% CI: 32.69−44.37), and family medicine (35.97%, 95% CI: 13.89−66.18) had the lowest prevalence of burnout. Subgroup analysis also found that the prevalence of burnout in several Asian countries was 57.18% (95% CI: 45.8−67.85); in several European countries it was 27.72% (95% CI: 17.4−41.11) and in North America it was 51.64% (46.96−56.28). Our findings suggest a high prevalence of burnout among medical and surgical residents. Older and male residents suffered more than their respective counterparts.

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) represent a novel class of RNAs with no functional protein-coding ability, yet it has become increasingly clear that interactions between lncRNAs with other molecules are responsible for important gene regulatory functions in various contexts. Given their relatively high expressions in the brain, lncRNAs are now thought to play important roles in normal brain development as well as diverse disease processes including gliomagenesis. Intriguingly, certain lncRNAs are closely associated with the initiation, differentiation, progression, recurrence and stem-like characteristics in glioma, and may therefore be exploited for the purposes of sub-classification, diagnosis and prognosis. LncRNAs may also serve as potential therapeutic targets as well as a novel biomarkers in the treatment of glioma. In this article, the functional aspects of lncRNAs, particularly within the central nervous system (CNS), will be briefly discussed, followed by highlights of the important roles of lncRNAs in mediating critical steps during glioma development. In addition, the key lncRNA players and their possible mechanistic pathways associated with gliomagenesis will be addressed.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common form of primary brain tumor, is highly resistant to current treatment paradigms and has a high rate of recurrence. Recent advances in the field of tumor-initiating cells suggest that glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) may be responsible for GBM’s rapid progression, treatment resistance, tumor recurrence and ultimately poor clinical prognosis. Understanding the biologically significant pathways that mediate GSC-specific characteristics offers promises in the development of novel biomarkers and therapeutics. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been increasingly implicated in the regulation of cancer cell biological behavior through various mechanisms. Initial studies strongly suggested that lncRNA expressions are highly dysregulated in GSCs and may play important roles in determining malignant phenotypes in GBM. Here, we review available evidence on aberrantly expressed lncRNAs identified by high throughput microarray profiling studies in GSCs. We also explore the potential functional pathways by analyzing their interactive proteins and miRNAs, with a view to shed lights on how this novel class of molecular candidates may mediate GSC maintenance and differentiation.