Background Applicants to integrated plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS) residency in the United States spend exorbitant amounts of time and money throughout the interview process. Outside of first-hand experience through a visiting rotation, applicants utilize various resources in learning about a program. Today’s applicants are “Millennials,” the demographic cohort raised during the information age and proficient with digital technology. The authors evaluated whether programs have a presence on social media, and whether applicants are following these accounts.Methods An online survey was sent to applicants to a single integrated plastic surgery program evaluating basic demographics, social media utilization, and sources of information accessed throughout the residency application process. A manual search of popular social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) was performed in October 2019. Accounts affiliated with integrated PRS programs were identified and analyzed.Results Eighty-four of 222 applicants (37.8%) completed the survey. Ninety-six percent of applicants were within the Millennial demographic. Ninety-six percent of applicants had some form of social media presence, with Facebook (90%) and Instagram (87%) being the most popular platforms. Seventy-three percent of applicants reported following a PRS residency social media account. As of October 2019, 59 integrated residency programs (73%) have active Instagram accounts.Conclusions Applicants still rely on the program website when researching potential residencies, but social media is being rapidly adopted by programs. Program social media accounts should be used as a dynamic form of communication to better inform applicants of program strengths and weaknesses.

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It has been suggested that voltage-dependent anion channels (VDACs) control the release of superoxide from mitochondria. We have previously shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide (O) and hydrogen peroxide (HO) stimulate epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs) in sodium-transporting epithelial tissue, including cortical collecting duct (CCD) principal cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that VDACs could regulate ENaC by modulating cytosolic ROS levels. Herein, we find that VDAC3-knockout(KO) mice can maintain normal salt and water balance on low-salt and high-salt diets. However, on a high-salt diet for 2 weeks, VDAC3-KO mice had significantly higher systolic blood pressure than wildtype mice. Consistent with this observation, after a high-salt diet for 2 weeks, ENaC activity in VDAC3-KO mice was significantly higher than wildtype mice. EM analysis disclosed a significant morphological change of mitochondria in the CCD cells of VDAC3-KO mice compared with wildtype mice, which may have been caused by mitochondrial superoxide overload. Of note, compared with wildtype animals, ROS levels in VDAC3-KO animals fed a normal or high-salt diet were consistently and significantly increased in renal tubules. Both the ROS scavenger 1-oxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-hydroxypiperidine (TEMPOL) and the mitochondrial ROS scavenger (2-(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl-4-ylamino)-2-oxoethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride (mito-TEMPO) could reverse the effect of high-salt on ENaC activity and systolic blood pressure in the VDAC3-KO mice. Mito-TEMPO partially correct the morphological changes in VDAC3-KO mice. Our results suggest that knocking out mitochondrial VDAC3 increases ROS, alters renal sodium transport, and leads to hypertension.

Nanoparticles offer many promising advantages for improving current surgical regimens through their ability to detect and treat disseminated colorectal cancer (CRC). Hybrid Donor-Acceptor Polymer Particles (HDAPPs) have recently been shown to fluorescently detect and thermally ablate tumors in a murine model. Here, HDAPPS were functionalized with hyaluronic acid (HA) to improve their binding specificity to CT26 mouse CRC cells using HA to target the cancer stem cell marker CD44. In this work, we compared the binding of HA functionalized HDAPPs (HA-HDAPPs) in in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo environments. The HA-HDAPPs bound to CT26 cells 2-fold more in vitro and 2.3-fold higher than un-functionalized HDAPPs ex vivo. Compared to intraoperative abdominal perfusion, intraperitoneal injection prior to laser stimulation for nanoparticle heat generation provides a superior modality of HA-HDAPPs delivery for CRC tumor selectivity. Photothermal treatment of disseminated CRC showed that only HA-HDAPPs delivered via intraperitoneal injection had a reduction in the tumor burden, and these nanoparticles also remained in the abdomen following resolution of the tumor. The results of this work confirm that HA-HDAPPs selectively bind to disseminated CRC, with ex vivo tumors having bound HA-HDAPPs capable of photothermal ablation. HA-HDAPPs demonstrated superior binding to tumor regions compared to HDAPPs. Overall, this study displays the theranostic potential of HDAPPs, emphasizing their capacity to detect and photothermally treat disseminated CRC tumors.

Background: Mitochondria can sequester calcium and regulate signaling processes in epithelia. Results: Intracellular calcium regulates the renal epithelial sodium channel in a polarized fashion, and this polarity is dependent on mitochondrial calcium uptake. Conclusion: Mitochondria maintain calcium polarity in renal epithelia. Significance: Identifying subcellular calcium signaling domains in renal epithelia is essential to understanding ion channel regulation.