Tulane University

About: Tulane University is a education organization based out in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Blood pressure. The organization has 24478 authors who have published 47205 publications receiving 1944993 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Louisiana.

Simulator Training for Laparoscopic Suturing Using Performance Goals Translates to the Operating Room

Abstract: Background The purpose of this study was to develop a performance-based laparoscopic suturing curriculum using simulators and to test the effectiveness (transferability) of the curriculum. Study design Surgical residents (PGY1 to PGY5, n=17) proficient in basic skills, but with minimal laparoscopic suturing experience, were enrolled in an IRB-approved, randomized controlled protocol. Subjects viewed an instructional video and were pretested on a live porcine laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication model by placing three gastrogastric sutures tied in an intracorporeal fashion. A blinded rater objectively scored each knot based on a previously published formula (600 minus completion time [sec] minus penalties for accuracy and knot integrity errors). Subjects were stratified according to pretest scores and randomized. The trained group practiced on a videotrainer suturing model until an expert-derived proficiency score (512) was achieved on 12 attempts. The control group received no training. Both the trained and control groups were posttested on the porcine Nissen model. Results For the training group, mean time to demonstrate simulator proficiency was 151minutes (range 107 to 224 minutes) and mean number of attempts was 37 (range 24 to 51 attempts). Both the trained and control groups demonstrated significant improvement in overall score from baseline. But the trained group performed significantly better than the control group at posttesting (389 ± 70 versus 217 ± 140, p Conclusions These data suggest that training to a predetermined expert level on a videotrainer suture model provides trainees with skills that translate into improved operative performance. Such curricula should be further developed and implemented as a means of ensuring proficiency.

CXCL12 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Synergistically Induce Neoangiogenesis in Human Ovarian Cancers

Abstract: Ovarian carcinomas have a poor prognosis, often associated with multifocal ip dissemination accompanied by intense neovascularization To examine tumor angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment, we studied malignant ascites and tumors of patients with untreated ovarian carcinoma We observed that malignant ascites fluid induced potent in vivo neovascularization in Matrigel assay We detected a sizable amount of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) in malignant ascites However, pathologic concentration of VEGF is insufficient to induce in vivo angiogenesis We show that ovarian tumors strongly express CXC chemokine stromal-derived factor (SDF-1/CXCL12) High concentration of CXCL12, but not the pathologic concentration of CXCL12 induces in vivo angiogenesis Strikingly, pathologic concentrations of VEGF and CXCL12 efficiently and synergistically induce in vivo angiogenesis Migration, expansion, and survival of vascular endothelial cells (VEC) form the essential functional network of angiogenesis We further provide a mechanistic basis for explaining the interaction between CXCL12 and VEGF We show that VEGF up-regulates the receptor for CXCL12, CXCR4 expression on VECs, and synergizes CXCL12-mediated VEC migration CXCL12 synergizes VEGF-mediated VEC expansion and synergistically protects VECs from sera starvation-induced apoptosis with VEGF Finally, we show that hypoxia synchronously induces tumor CXCL12 and VEGF production Therefore, hypoxia triggered tumor CXCL12 and VEGF form a synergistic angiogenic axis in vivo Hypoxia-induced signals would be the important factor for initiating and maintaining an active synergistic angiogeneic pathway mediated by CXCL12 and VEGF Thus, interrupting this synergistic axis, rather than VEGF alone, will be a novel efficient antiangiogenesis strategy to treat cancer

Symptoms and disease associations in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri) A case‐control study

Abstract: To identify the symptoms and coexisting medical conditions associated with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), we administered an 83-item questionnaire at the time of diagnosis to 50 IIH patients and 100 aged-matched controls. Ninety percent of the IIH patients were women; the mean age was 33. Obesity and recent weight gain were much more common among patients than controls. Symptoms most commonly reported by IIH patients were headache (94%), transient visual obscurations (TVO) (68%), and intracranial noises (ICN) (58%). Daily occurrence of these symptoms was much more common among patients than controls. Controls also reported these and other IIH symptoms, but at lower frequencies. Several conditions previously associated with IIH were no more common in patients than controls including iron deficiency anemia, thyroid disease, pregnancy, antibiotic intake, and use of oral contraceptives. We conclude that previous studies of IIH, mostly uncontrolled and retrospective, have underestimated the frequency of symptoms in IIH patients and reported chance and spurious associations with common medical conditions and medications. The profile of a young obese woman with headaches and either TVO or ICN should alert the clinician to the diagnosis of IIH, especially when the symptoms occur daily.

The Benefits of Financial Statement Comparability

Abstract: Investors, regulators, academics, and researchers all emphasize the importance of financial statement comparability. However, an empirical construct of comparability is typically not specified. In addition, little evidence exists on the benefits of comparability to users. This study attempts to fill these gaps by developing a measure of financial statement comparability. Empirically, this measure is positively related to analyst following and forecast accuracy, and negatively related to analysts’ dispersion in earnings forecasts. These results suggest that financial statement comparability lowers the cost of acquiring information, and increases the overall quantity and quality of information available to analysts about the firm.

A formalin-inactivated whole SIV vaccine confers protection in macaques

Abstract: A vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) would be highly effective in stopping the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. A comprehensive evaluation of potential vaccine methodologies can be made by means of the simian model for AIDS, which takes advantage of the similarities in viral composition and disease potential between simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus macaques and HIV infection in humans. Immunization with a formalin-inactivated whole SIV vaccine potentiated with either alum and the Syntex adjuvant threonyl muramyl dipeptide (MDP) or MDP alone resulted in the protection of eight of nine rhesus monkeys challenged with ten animal-infectious doses of pathogenic virus. These results demonstrate that a whole virus vaccine is highly effective in inducing immune responses that can protect against lentivirus infection and AIDS-like disease.