Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2021
Does double-blind peer review impact gender authorship trends? An evaluation of two leading neurosurgical journals from 2010 to 2019.
Publications are key for advancement within academia. Although women are underrepresented in academic neurosurgery, the rates of women entering residency, achieving board certification, and publishing papers are increasing. The goal of this study was to assess the current status of women in academic neurosurgery publications. Specifically, this study sought to 1) survey female authorship rates in the Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS [not including JNS: Spine or JNS: Pediatrics]) and Neurosurgery from 2010 to 2019; 2) analyze whether double-blind peer review (started in Neurosurgery in 2011) altered female authorship rates relative to single-blind review (JNS); and 3) evaluate how female authorship rates compared with the number of women entering neurosurgery residency and obtaining neurosurgery board certification. ⋯ This is the first report of female authorship in the neurosurgical literature. The authors found that single- versus double-blind peer review did not impact female authorship rates at two top neurosurgical journals.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2021
Long-term survival in patients with primary intracranial germ cell tumors treated with surgery, platinum-based chemotherapy, and radiotherapy: a single-institution study.
The current study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes and toxicities of patients with intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs). ⋯ The authors found that platinum-based chemotherapy and radiotherapy result in favorable survival outcomes in patients with germinomatous GCTs. Clinical outcomes were still unfavorable in the NGGCT intermediate prognosis and poor prognosis groups; therefore, a new protocol that increases the survival rate of patients belonging in both groups should be considered.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2021
ReviewAssessment of burnout prevention and wellness programs for US-based neurosurgical faculty and residents: a systematic review of the literature.
Neurosurgeon burnout is a serious and prevalent issue that has been shown to impact professionalism, physician health, and patient outcomes. Interventions targeting physician burnout primarily focus on improving physician wellness. Many academic neurosurgery programs have established wellness curricula to combat burnout and improve wellness. No official recommendations exist for establishing a wellness program that effectively targets sources of burnout. The aim of this review was to examine measures of burnout and report objective results of wellness interventions for neurosurgical faculty and residents. ⋯ Burnout among neurosurgical faculty and residents is prevalent and permeates the daily lives of neurosurgeons, negatively affecting patient outcomes, career satisfaction, and quality of life. Many neurosurgery programs have instituted wellness programs to combat burnout, but few have published evidence of improvement after implementation. While studies have shown that residents and faculty recognize the importance of wellness and look favorably on such initiatives, very few studies have reported objective outcomes.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2021
What have we learned from 8 years of deep brain stimulation of the anterior thalamic nucleus? Experiences and insights of a single center.
In the absence of a standard or guideline for the treatment of epilepsy patients with deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT), systematic single-center investigations are essential to establish effective approaches. Here, the authors report on the long-term results of one of the largest single-center ANT DBS cohorts. ⋯ The transventricular approach as well as double stimulation proved safe. The anteroventral ANT appeared to be the most efficacious stimulation site. This systematic investigation with reluctant medication changes allowed for the development of a better idea of the association between parameter changes and outcome in ANT DBS patients, but larger samples are still needed to assess the potential of bipolar stimulation and distinct cycling frequencies. Furthermore, more multifaceted and objective assessments of treatment outcome are needed to fully assess the effects of ANT DBS treatment.