Geographic Trends in the Neurosurgery Match During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In the present article, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on geographical trends in the neurosurgery match in successfully matched applicants was analyzed. A cross-sectional analysis for the years from 2017 to 2021 was performed. Successful applicants' region, state, and medical school were compared with the location of their matched residency program. The number of applicants matching at a residency program within the same region or state as their home medical school or their own medical school was then evaluated. One hundred fifteen neurosurgery residency programs and 1066 successfully matched applicants were included in the analysis. When comparing 2021 with previous years, no significant change in the percentage of applicants matching at their home region (43.1% vs 49.7%, P = .09), home state (25.1% vs 26.3%, P = .69), or home program (19.9% vs 18.7%, P = .70) was found. The COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly affect geographic trends during the neurosurgery match in 2021. This is of note as the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the match in other competitive specialties, including plastic surgery, dermatology, and otolaryngology. Despite limited away rotations, it is possible that neurosurgery programs did not change their applicant selection criteria and implemented systems to virtually interact with applicants outside of their local region.

Experimental data on developmental elimination of retrosplenial cortex GABAergic interneurons in a mouse model of ethanol exposure during the last trimester of human pregnancy.

It has been previously shown that 40% of murine cortical interneurons are eliminated via apoptosis during the first two weeks of postnatal development [1], [2], [3]. Here, we report data on the effect of ethanol exposure on this process in a mouse model of binge-like alcohol exposure during last trimester of human pregnancy (equivalent to the first postnatal week in mice). We used transgenic mice that express the Venus fluorescent protein in GABAergic interneurons under the control of the vesicular GABA transporter promoter (VGAT-Venus mice) [4]. Mice were exposed to air (controls) or ethanol for 4 hr/day on postnatal days 4 to 9 using vapor inhalation chambers [5]. This exposure paradigm produces peak blood ethanol concentrations between 300 and 400 mg/dl. Transcardial perfusions were performed under anesthesia at postnatal days 5, 7, 10 and 30. Cryostat-prepared floating sections were stained with the fluorescent DNA dye, 4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). We then quantified the density of Venus-positive GABAergic interneurons in layers I, II-IV and V of the retrosplenial cortex, which is part of the limbic memory system [6], and is sensitive to ethanol-induced apoptosis during the first postnatal week in mice [7], [8], [9], [10], [11]. The data show that density of interneurons decreases in the retrosplenial cortex layers during the first week of life and that ethanol exposure does not significantly alter this process. These data may be of interest to investigators who are studying the effect of ethanol and other teratogenic agents on developing interneurons in the cerebral cortex.

COVID-19 and the Otolaryngology Match: An Increase in Applicants Remaining Close to Home.

INTRODUCTION: Otolaryngology residency remains one of the most competitive surgical subspecialties to apply for with a 63% match rate in 2021. This is a difficult and stressful process for applicants in any given year, and it was even further complicated by restrictions mandated by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) protections. Analyzing geographical trends in successfully matched applicants provides prospective applicants and programs with helpful information about how previous trends were affected by the pandemic as we look toward future match cycles. METHODS: The medical schools of 1,587 successfully matched applicants from 2017-2021 were identified and compared to the 116 otolaryngology residency programs. Successful applicants' medical school state and region were then compared to the location of their matched residency program state and region. From this, we evaluated the number of applicants matching at the residency program affiliated with their medical school or at a residency program within the same state or region as their home medical school. RESULTS: A significant increase in the percentage of applicants matching at their home program and within their home state (p < 0.001) occurred in 2021 when compared to previous years. Applicants matching within their home region was not found to increase significantly (p = 0.43) in 2021 compared to previously. The regions with the greatest increase in the percentage of applicants matching to their home programs were the Northeast and Midwest (12% increase), while the Midwest had the largest increase in percentage of applicants matching within their home state (15%). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the otolaryngology match in 2021 with applicants and programs alike choosing to stay closer to home with their residency match selections. Overall, regional location remains a major determinant of future residency location for otolaryngology applicants, and this did not change significantly during 2021, but applicants matched more frequently at their home medical school program. It is anticipated that the match process will be similar in 2022 given the ongoing pandemic, so the importance of home program and region will likely be emphasized again.