Grand View University

There is a gap in objective methods to review applications for advanced medical training. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a new machine learning-based residency and fellowship applicant review program, Halsted (Medicratic) in urogynecology fellowship applicant selection compared with program director (PD) review. This Institutional Review Board-approved study compared PD's standard assessment of fellowship applicants to the Halsted-based assessment at 3 programs in the 2023-2024 application cycle. Each program provided a score for each candidate on a 100-point scale in several domains. After the conclusion of the match, each PD completed a profile within Halsted that identified their preferred qualities in applicants. Halsted scores were obtained, which were compared with PD scores. A total of 126 applications were reviewed, with 59 applicants reviewed by more than 1 program. Program 1 ( r =0.60; P =0.0019) and Program 2 ( r =0.58; P <0.001) exhibited a significantly strong positive correlation between PD-assigned overall application scores and Halsted scores, while Program 3 exhibited a weak positive correlation between scores ( r =0.33; P =0.0225). There were significant differences in the scoring of the same applicant between programs for PD-assigned mean overall scores ( P <0.001) and Halsted scores ( P <0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between Halsted rankings of applicants and rankings assigned by PDs. In addition, significant differences in interprogram rankings of applicants suggest that there is a range of qualities that each program values and that application review is individualized. Machine learning assistance in application review is a developing tool with the potential to reduce bias and decrease program administrative burden.

While undergraduate research has been deeply rooted in other disciplines, far less attention has been given to its role in journalism and media studies. This study addresses that gap through 11 in-depth interviews with administrators guiding such efforts. Findings reveal a tension: Administrators are eager to expand undergraduate research, but face obstacles to building necessary support for faculty. Results highlight the perceived importance of undergraduate research to the field’s future amid an underdeveloped culture for its current success within journalism and media programs. The study showcases that effective allocation of resources is critical to the success of undergraduate research programming.

Objective This meta‐analysis aims to evaluate whether racial and ethnic disparities exist in outcomes following endovascular therapy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods A systematic literature search was conducted through June 2024. We used Review Manager to pool data and calculate odds ratios (ORs) for categorical outcomes and mean differences (MDs) for continuous outcomes, all reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Our primary outcomes of interest were functional recovery and mortality 90 days after stroke. Results Eleven studies involving 49,040 patients were included. Compared to non‐Hispanic patients, Hispanic patients had significantly higher odds of poor functional recovery (mRS 3‐6) at 90 days (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.20‐1.98; P&lt;0.01) (figure 1A), though mortality and sICH rates were similar. When comparing White and non‐White patients, White patients had significantly higher 90‐day mortality (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.15‐1.60; P&lt;0.01) (figure 1B), with no statistically significant difference between the White and non‐White in sICH (OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.52‐1.16, P=0.21) (Figure 1C). Similarly, any intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) showed no statistically significant difference between the White and non‐White with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.68‐1.29, P=0.70) (Figure 1D). Regarding successful recanalization. (TICI 2B‐3), there was no statistically significant difference between the White and non‐White groups (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.96‐1.43, P=0.12) (Figure 1E). Regarding Excellent functional recovery (mRS 0‐1) at 90 days, there was no statistically significant difference between the White and non‐White groups, (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.81‐1.40, P=0.64) (Figure 1F). Finally, there was no statistically significant difference in poor functional recovery (mRS 3‐6) between the White and non‐White groups, (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.78‐1.06, P=0.24). Conclusions Disparities in EVT outcomes for AIS appear to be driven more by post‐procedural and systemic factors than by differences in the procedure itself. Hispanic patients face worse functional recovery despite similar acute outcomes, suggesting barriers in post‐stroke care. Improved access to rehabilitation and culturally tailored support may help close these gaps. image

Decoding protein–protein interactions at the residue level is crucial for understanding cellular mechanisms and developing targeted therapeutics. We present Seq2Bind webserver, a computational framework that leverages fine-tuned protein language models (PLMs) to determine binding affinity between proteins and identify critical binding residues directly from sequences, eliminating the structural requirements that limit affinity prediction tools. We fine-tuned four architectures, including ProtBERT, ProtT5, Evolutionary Scale Modeling 2 (ESM2), and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory on the SKEMPI 2.0 dataset. Through systematic alanine mutagenesis on each residue for 6063 dimer proteins from Protein Data Bank, we evaluated each model’s ability to identify interface residues. Performance was assessed using N-factor metrics, where N-factor = 3 evaluates whether true residues appear within 3n top predictions for n-interface residues. ESM2 achieved 67.4% and ProtBERT 68.2% interface-residue recovery at N-factor = 3. On an independent panel of 14 human health-relevant protein complexes, Seq2Bind outperformed docking and mutation-based baselines, with ESM2 (37.2%) and ProtBERT (35.1%) exceeding the structural docking HADDOCK3 (32.1%) at N-factor = 2. Our sequence-based approach enables rapid screening, handles disordered proteins, and provides comparable accuracy, making Seq2Bind a valuable prior to steer blind docking protocols to identify putative binding residues from each protein for therapeutic targets. Seq2Bind webserver is freely accessible at https://agrivax.onrender.com/seq2bind/scan under StructF-suite.

Objective: Berberine (BBR), a natural plant isoquinoline alkaloid, has previously been shown to suppress IgE production in vitro by human myeloma cells (U266) in a dose-dependent manner as well as inhibit IgE production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We hypothesized that berberine may suppress IgE production by activated B cells derived from human tonsils. Methods: Eleven patients aged 6 to 25 years undergoing tonsillectomy at the Westchester Medical Center were recruited for the study after obtaining informed consent. Surgically removed tonsil samples were homogenized using DNase and collagenase to obtain single-cell suspensions. Cells (4x106/mL) were stimulated with human anti-CD40 and IL-4 in the presence or absence of BBR at concentrations of 10 μg/mL or 20 μg/mL for 10 days. Cell supernatants were harvested, and IgE levels were determined by ELISA. Results: All patients were diagnosed with chronic tonsillitis, tonsillar hypertrophy, and/or obstructive sleep apnea. Cell culture supernatant IgE levels were significantly reduced by BBR treatments at both 10 μg/mL (p<0.001) and 20 μg/mL (p<0.001) as compared to untreated controls, without any associated cell cytotoxicity. Conclusions: The inhibitory effect of berberine on IgE levels in anti-CD40/IL-4 stimulated human tonsil cells suggests promising directions for investigating molecular mechanisms associated with IgE inhibition.

Transparency in learning and teaching (TILT) has been a growing topic of interest in higher education. This study aimed to examine how a simple TILT manipulation could impact a well-established, popular, interdisciplinary semester- long research symposium that involves scores of undergraduates. TILTing the instructions for this symposium had a significant effect on all three TILT components (i.e., purpose, task, and criteria). Underclassmen benefited equally to upperclassmen in terms of understanding the importance and ways to be successful. Furthermore, although both majors and nonmajors benefited from the TILTed instructions, students studying a course outside their major benefited significantly more than students taking a course within their own program of study.

Context Immersive clinical education is an integral component of athletic training curricula. The flexibility in the requirements allows programs to be innovative in their curricular design and to meet the needs of their learners. Objective The purpose of this educational technique is to describe the process for empowering students to choose preceptors and clinical sites that meet their needs. Background Traditionally, program administrators assign students to preceptors and clinical sites based on proximity and availability of clinicians surrounding the institution. However, this may limit the options for students to find preceptors and mentors who are best suited to prepare them for future clinical practice. Description In our program, we empower students to pursue their immersive clinical education experience with a preceptor and/or clinical site that will meet their personal and professional needs as a learner and future clinician. Advantages Preceptors and alumni have noted increased engagement when students are invested in the selection process. Students are encouraged to advocate for their needs personally and professionally, to place themselves in the best environment for their future success. More specifically, historically marginalized students have the opportunity to identify a preceptor with similar demographic characteristics, who may be better suited to mentor them as a future professional, when geographic proximity has been a challenge in the past. Conclusions Students and program administrators partner to select preceptors who provide opportunities for a successful immersive clinical experience, who align with the student's future career goals, and who provide mentorship. Historically marginalized students in less diverse regions may benefit the most from this model because they can overcome geographic proximity challenges to identifying effective preceptors and mentors.

An empirical comparison between different skeleton-based methods for both pose estimation and action recognition speaker actions in lecture videos.