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Since the first work by Laurencin and colleagues on the development of polymeric electrospinning for biomedical purposes, the use of electrospinning technology has found broad applications in such areas of tissue regeneration and drug delivery. More recently, coaxial electrospinning has emerged as an important technique to develop scaffolds for regenerative engineering incorporated with drug(s). However, the addition of a softer core layer leads to a reduction in mechanical properties. Here, novel robust tripolymeric triaxially electrospun fibrous scaffolds were developed with a polycaprolactone (PCL) (core layer), a 50:50 poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) (sheath layer) and a gelatin (intermediate layer) with a dual drug delivery capability was developed through modified electrospinning. A sharp increase in elastic modulus after the incorporation of PCL in the core of the triaxial fibers in comparison with uniaxial PLGA (50:50) and coaxial PLGA (50:50) (sheath)-gelatin (core) fibers was observed. Thermal analysis of the fibrous scaffolds revealed an interaction between the core-intermediate and sheath-intermediate layers of the triaxial fibers contributing to the higher tensile modulus. A simultaneous dual release of model small molecule Rhodamine B (RhB) and model protein Fluorescein isothiocynate (FITC) Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) conjugate incorporated in the sheath and intermediate layers of triaxial fibers was achieved. The tripolymeric, triaxial electrospun systems were seen to be ideal for the support of mesenchymal stem cell growth, as shrinkage of fibers normally found with conventional electrospun systems was minimized. These tripolymeric triaxial electrospun fibers that are biomechanically competent, biocompatible, and capable of dual drug release are designed for regenerative engineering and drug delivery applications.

HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects African-Americans more than any other racial or ethnic group in the USA. Currently representing only 12% of the US population, African-Americans now comprise close to half of the total reported HIV/AIDS cases in the USA according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the initial reporting of HIV/AIDS. In this paper, we examined the prevalence and current direction of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the African-American community especially in comparison to our first call to action in 2008. The situation remains dire and broader attention is necessary from the public health and medical sectors who serve the majority of African-American populations and the community at-large to work towards closing this health disparity gap. This paper thus recommends an action plan for community leaders (i.e., the public health sector, policy makers, public health practitioners, and other stakeholders) to reduce the disparity.

This report contains a summary of irradiation testing in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) of Nuclear Technology Research & Development Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF-1) experiments performed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in FY 2019. Additionally, three capsules met the sponsor-specified burnup targets, and five capsules were shipped from the ATR to the Hot Fuels Examination Facility (HFEF) at INL.

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Study Design. Descriptive Objective. The objective of this study is to analyze trends in racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in orthopedic spine surgery fellowship trainees. Summary of Background Data. Orthopedic surgery has consistently been labeled as one of the least diverse fields in Medicine. Although some effort has been made to combat this in recent years at the residency level, it is uncertain whether spine fellowships have had any changes in fellow demographics. Materials and Methods. Fellowship demographic data were collected through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Data collected included gender (male, female, and not reported) and race (White, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native Hawaiians, American Indian or Alaskan Native, other, and unknown). Percentage equivalents were calculated for each group from 2007 to 2008 to 2020 to 2021. A χ2 test for trend (Cochran-Armitage test) was done to determine whether there was a significant change in percentages of each race and gender during the study period. The results were considered statistically significant at P<0.05. Results. White, Non-Hispanic males represent the largest proportion of orthopedic spine fellowship positions each year. From 2007 to 2021, there were no significant changes in the representation of any race or gender of orthopedic spine fellows. Males ranged from 81% to 95%, Whites from 28% to 66%, Asians from 9% to 28%, Blacks from 3% to 16%, and Hispanics from 0% to 10%. Native Hawaiians and American Indians remained at 0% for all years included in the study. Females and all races, excluding Whites, continue to be under-represented in orthopedic spine fellowship. Conclusions. Orthopedic spine surgery fellowship programs have not made substantial progress in diversifying its population. More attention is needed to increase diversity in residency programs through pipeline programs, increased mentorship and sponsorship, and early exposure to the field. Level of Evidence. 1.

Background: Greater faculty diversity within orthopaedic residency programs has been associated with an increased application rate from students of similarly diverse demographic backgrounds. It is unknown whether these underrepresented student populations have an equitable likelihood of being highly ranked and matching at these programs. Thus, we sought to evaluate the relationship between faculty and resident diversity, with a specific focus on sex, racial/ethnic groups that are underrepresented in medicine (URiM), and international medical graduates (IMGs). Methods: The American Orthopaedic Association's Orthopaedic Residency Information Network database was used to collect demographic data on 172 US residency programs. Linear regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between the proportion of female or URiM attendings at a program and the proportion of female, URiM, or IMG residents or top-ranked applicants ( ‡25 rank). URiM was defined as "racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population." Results: A mean of 13.55% of attendings were female and 14.14% were URiM. A larger fraction of female attendings was a positive predictor of female residents (p < 0.001). Similarly, a larger percentage of URiM attendings was a positive predictor of URiM residents (p < 0.001), as well as of URiM (p < 0.001) and IMG (p < 0.01) students being ranked highly. There was no significant association between URiM attendings and female residents/overall top-ranked applicants, or vice versa. Conclusions: Residency programs with more female attendings were more likely to match female residents, and programs with more URiM attendings were more likely to highly rank URiM and IMG applicants as well as match URiM residents. Our findings indicate that orthopaedic surgery residencies may be more likely to rank and match female or URiM students at similar proportions to that of their faculty. This may reflect minority students preferentially applying to programs with more diverse faculty because they feel a better sense of fit and are likely to benefit from a stronger support system. Level of Evidence: III.