BackgroundEpithelial and endothelial barrier integrity, essential for homeostasis, is maintained by cellular boarder structures known as tight junctions (TJs). In critical illness, TJs may become disrupted, resulting in barrier dysfunction manifesting as capillary leak, pulmonary edema, gut bacterial translocation, and multiple organ failure. We aim to provide a clinically focused overview of TJ structure and function and systematically review and analyze all studies assessing markers of endothelial and epithelial TJ breakdown correlated with clinical outcomes in critically ill humans.MethodsWe systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed. Additional articles were identified by targeted searches. We included studies that looked at the relationship between biomarkers of endothelial or epithelial TJ structure or function and critical illness. Results were qualitatively analyzed due to sample size and heterogeneity.ResultsA total of 5297 abstracts met search criteria, of which 150 articles met requirements for full text review. Of these, 30 studies met inclusion criteria. Fifteen of the 30 reports investigated proteins of endothelial tight junctions and 15 investigated epithelial TJ markers, exclusively in the gastrointestinal epithelium. No studies investigated TJ-derived proteins in primary cardiac or pulmonary pathology.ConclusionsTJ integrity is essential for homeostasis. We identified multiple studies that indicate TJs are disrupted by critical illness. These studies highlight the significance of barrier disruption across many critical disease states and correlate TJ-associated markers to clinically relevant outcomes. Further study on the role of multiple tissue-specific claudins, particularly in the setting of respiratory or cardiac failure, may lead to diagnostic and therapeutic advances.Systematic review registrationThis systematic review is registered in the PROSPERO database: CRD42017074546.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40635-018-0203-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BACKGROUND: Burnout is high in primary care physicians and negatively impacts the quality of patient care. While many studies have evaluated burnout, there have been few which investigate those physicians who are satisfied with their careers and life-a phenomenon we term "thriving." OBJECTIVE: To identify factors contributing to both career and life satisfaction through qualitative interviews. PARTICIPANTS: The subjects were primary care physicians. APPROACH: Qualitative interviews were performed between July 2018 and March 2020. Physicians were identified by snowball sampling and were asked to complete validated instruments to identify job/life satisfaction and lack of burnout. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, focused on aspects of participants' career and life which contributed to their thriving, including work environment, social networks, family life, institutional support, coping strategies, and extracurricular activities. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis using a grounded theory approach. MAIN MEASURES: Personal, professional, and life factors that contributed to achieving career and life satisfaction in primary care physicians and potential solutions for burnout. RESULTS: Thirty-two physicians were interviewed (9.4% family physicians, 9.4% combined internists-pediatricians, 40.6% internists, and 40.6% pediatricians) with a mean age 54.7 years and 23.8 years in practice. No physicians included met the criteria for burnout. All met the criteria for career and life satisfaction. Five themes were identified as critical to thriving: an intrinsic love for the work, a rich social network, a fulfilling doctor-patient relationship, a value-oriented belief system, and agency in the work environment. CONCLUSIONS: Several factors contribute to professional fulfillment and life satisfaction among primary care physicians, which we propose as a model for physicians thriving. Some factors were intrinsic, s u c h a s h a v i n g v a l u e -o r i e n t e d b e l i e f s a n d inherent love for medicine, while others were extrinsic, such as having a fulfilling social network. Barriers and opportunities to apply these lessons for the wider physician community are discussed.

To identify access barriers to healthcare and potential interventions to improve access for Iraqi refugee children. Four focus groups were conducted using consecutive sampling of Iraqi refugee parents residing in the US for 8 months to 5 years. Eight key-informant interviews also were conducted with employees of organizations serving Iraqi refugee families, recruited using snowball sampling. Focus groups and interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using margin coding and grounded theory. Iraqi refugees identified provider availability, Medicaid maintenance and renewal, language issues, and inadequate recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder as barriers to care for their children. Interviewees cited loss of case-management services and difficulties in understanding the Medicaid renewal process as barriers. Potential interventions to improve access include community-oriented efforts to educate parents on Medicaid renewal, obtaining services, and accessing specialists. Given the enduring nature of language and Medicaid renewal barriers, policies addressing eligibility alone are insufficient.

Asian American adolescents have been reported to have the lowest amount of communication with health care providers regarding sexual health topics (sexual activity, contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy prevention). This study identified Asian American adolescents' attitudes/beliefs regarding how health care providers can be most helpful in communicating about sexual health topics. Twenty participants revealed the following information: (a) confidentiality concerns resulted in lying to health care providers about sexual histories or refusing hormonal contraception,