Andrea L. Klein

Prior to the 1937 invention of the Raney clip, surgeons relied on hemostatic sutures, pneumatic tourniquets, sequentially applied hemostatic forceps, and the administration of local vasoconstrictive agents to achieve scalp hemostasis. The Raney clip is now the quintessential tool for achieving scalp hemostasis in cranial neurosurgery; with nearly 13.8 million cranial neurosurgical cases per year globally, Raney clips are in high demand and their use is ubiquitous. What is less known, however, is the story of their invention and the related stories of those who bear the Raney name. This paper fills these gaps in neurosurgical history, using information obtained during an extensive series of contemporary interviews and correspondence with the Raney family.

The rapid growth of nanotechnology and the development of novel nanomaterials with unique physicochemical characteristics provides potential for the utility of nanomaterials in theranostics, including neuroimaging, for identifying neurodegenerative changes or central nervous system malignancy. Here we present a systematic and thorough review of the current evidence pertaining to the imaging characteristics of various nanomaterials, their associated toxicity profiles, and mechanisms for enhancing tropism in an effort to demonstrate the utility of nanoparticles as an imaging tool in neuro-oncology. Particular attention is given to carbon-based and metal oxide nanoparticles and their theranostic utility in MRI, CT, photoacoustic imaging, PET imaging, fluorescent and NIR fluorescent imaging, and SPECT imaging.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in innumerable unprecedented challenges in the medical education system. Among other factors, personal protective equipment restrictions, contact limitations, and social distancing measures have all significantly altered the structure of undergraduate medical education and have required rapid adaptation to an ever-changing environment. For the majority of institutions, in-person courses and clerkships were halted abruptly in mid-March as schools were forced to transition to a completely virtual learning environment for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year. Heading into the 2020-2021 academic year with the knowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic would affect the fall semester at the very least, many medical schools developed plans to reopen in some capacity. Methods The publicly available reopening plans of U.S. MD programs were evaluated at the start of fall semester and at the end of fall semester. Results All schools adopted a version of hybrid medical education, and mask use, social distancing of more than 6 feet at all times, and enhanced disinfection of common areas were universally implemented. 23 of 25 medical schools continued to require that students attend activities like anatomy lab and clinical skills simulations in-person. Every school prohibited clinical students from taking care of patients with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. Discussion As the pandemic surpasses one year in duration and the undergraduate medical education system concludes its first full pandemic year, this paper focuses on how medical schools have responded thus far to this crisis, where the current data stands in relation to safety of school reopening, and how the structure of undergraduate medical education has been changed forever.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in innumerable unprecedented challenges in the medical education system. Among other factors, personal protective equipment restrictions, contact limitations, and social distancing measures have all significantly altered the structure of undergraduate medical education and have required rapid adaptation to an ever-changing environment. For the majority of institutions, in-person courses and clerkships were halted abruptly in mid-March as schools were forced to transition to a completely virtual learning environment for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year. Heading into the 2020-2021 academic year with the knowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic would affect the fall semester at the very least, many medical schools developed plans to reopen in some capacity. Method The publicly available reopening plans of U.S. MD programs were evaluated at the start of fall semester and at the end of fall semester. Results All schools adopted a version of hybrid medical education, and mask use, social distancing of more than 6 feet at all times, and enhanced disinfection of common areas were universally implemented. 23 of 25 medical schools continued to require that students attend activities like anatomy lab and clinical skills simulations in-person. Every school prohibited clinical students from taking care of patients with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. Discussion As the pandemic surpasses one year in duration and the undergraduate medical education system concludes its first full pandemic year, this paper focuses on how medical schools have responded thus far to this crisis, where the current data stands in relation to safety of school reopening, and how the structure of undergraduate medical education has been changed forever.