The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Sep 2021
Thoracic surgery program websites: Bridging the content gap for improved applicant recruitment.
To evaluate the website content of all US thoracic training programs, assessing the available content to identify areas for improvement. ⋯ This study identifies gaps in content for prospective thoracic surgery applicants. Important information such as retention rate, social media links, exam pass rates, outcomes of graduates, call duties, cases performed, and salary/benefits were lacking in program websites. The improvement of websites may represent a straightforward and low-cost intervention that programs can undertake to enhance the recruitment of prospective applicants.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Sep 2021
Exosomes isolated from human cardiosphere-derived cells attenuate pressure overload-induced right ventricular dysfunction.
Cardiosphere-derived cell (CDC) transplantation has been shown to attenuate right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. However, live cell transplantation requires complex handling protocols that may limit its use. Exosomes are protein and nucleic acid-containing nanovesicles secreted by many cell types, including stem cells, which have been shown to exert a cardioprotective effect comparable with whole cells following myocardial injury. We therefore sought to evaluate 3 human CDC-derived exosome preparations in a juvenile porcine model of acute pressure-induced RV dysfunction. ⋯ Human CDC-derived exosome administration was associated with significant preservation of RV systolic function in the setting of acute pressure overload. Such acellular preparations may prove superior to whole cells and may represent a novel therapeutic approach to clinical myocardial injury.