Digital Commons Network^™

Prospective Study Of Recovery From Copperhead Snake Envenomation: An Observational Study, Eric J. Lavonas, Charles J. Gerardo, Rebecca C. Bowers, Joann Short, Copperhead Snakebite Recovery Outcome Group

Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Although much is known about signs, symptoms, and management in the acute phase of crotaline snake envenomation, little is known about signs, symptoms, function, and quality of life during the recovery phase. The purpose of this observational pilot investigation is to evaluate the utility of several clinical outcome instruments in the setting of copperhead snakebite, and to characterize the clinical course of recovery.

METHODS: This is a multi-center prospective, open-label, observational study of patients envenomated by copperhead snakes. We administered the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), Patient-Specific Functional Scale …

Cytoskeletal Dynamics: A View From The Membrane, Magdalena Bezanilla, Amy S. Gladfelter, David R. Kovar, Wei-Lih Lee

Dartmouth Scholarship

Many aspects of cytoskeletal assembly and dynamics can be recapitulated in vitro; yet, how the cytoskeleton integrates signals in vivo across cellular membranes is far less understood. Recent work has demonstrated that the membrane alone, or through membrane-associated proteins, can effect dynamic changes to the cytoskeleton, thereby impacting cell physiology. Having identified mechanistic links between membranes and the actin, microtubule, and septin cytoskeletons, these studies highlight the membrane’s central role in coordinating these cytoskeletal systems to carry out essential processes, such as endocytosis, spindle positioning, and cellular compartmentalization.

Depressive And Anxiety Symptom Trajectories From School Age Through Young Adulthood In Samples With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Developmental Delay., Katherine Gotham, Steven M. Brunwasser Phd, Catherine Lord

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to model growth in anxiety and depressive symptoms from late school age through young adulthood in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and controls with developmental delay (DD), and to assess relationships among internalizing growth patterns, participant characteristics, baseline predictors, and distal outcomes.

METHOD: Data were collected between ages 6 and 24 years in 165 participants (n = 109 with ASD; n = 56 with nonspectrum DD), most of whom received diagnostic evaluations in both childhood and early adulthood. Questionnaires were collected approximately every 3 to 6 months between ages 9 and 24 …

Evidence For Patterns Of Selective Urban Migration In The Greater Indus Valley (2600-1900 Bc): A Lead And Strontium Isotope Mortuary Analysis, Benjamin Valentine, George D. Kamenov, Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, Vasant Shinde, Veena Mushrif-Tripathy, Erik Otarola-Castillo, John Krigbaum

Dartmouth Scholarship

Just as modern nation-states struggle to manage the cultural and economic impacts of migration, ancient civilizations dealt with similar external pressures and set policies to regulate people’s movements. In one of the earliest urban societies, the Indus Civilization, mechanisms linking city populations to hinterland groups remain enigmatic in the absence of written documents. However, isotopic data from human tooth enamel associated with Harappa Phase (2600-1900 BC) cemetery burials at Harappa (Pakistan) and Farmana (India) provide individual biogeochemical life histories of migration. Strontium and lead isotope ratios allow us to reinterpret the Indus tradition of cemetery inhumation as part of a …

Eleven Years Of Data On The Jefferson Scale Of Empathy-Medical Student Version (Jse-S): Proxy Norm Data And Tentative Cutoff Scores., Mohammadreza Hojat, Joseph S. Gonnella

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to provide typical descriptive statistics, score distributions and percentile ranks of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Medical Student version (JSE-S) of male and female medical school matriculants to serve as proxy norm data and tentative cutoff scores.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The participants were 2,637 students (1,336 women and 1,301 men) who matriculated at Sidney Kimmel (formerly Jefferson) Medical College between 2002 and 2012, and completed the JSE at the beginning of medical school. Information extracted from descriptive statistics, score distributions and percentile ranks for male and female matriculants were used to develop proxy norm data and …

Preempting Performance Challenges: The Effects Of Inoculation Messaging On Attacks To Task Self-Efficacy, Ben Jackson, Josh Compton, Ryan Whiddett, David R. Anthony, James A. Dimmock

Dartmouth Scholarship

Although inoculation messages have been shown to be effective for inducing resistance to counter-attitudinal attacks, researchers have devoted relatively little attention toward studying the way in which inoculation theory principles might support challenges to psychological phenomena other than attitudes (e.g., self-efficacy). Prior to completing a physical (i.e., balance) task, undergraduates (N = 127, M_age = 19.20, SD = 2.16) were randomly assigned to receive either a control or inoculation message, and reported their confidence in their ability regarding the upcoming task. During the task, a confederate provided standardized negative feedback to all participants regarding their performance, and following …

Can Shared Decision-Making Reduce Medical Malpractice Litigation? A Systematic Review, Marie-Anne Durand, Benjamin Moulton, Elizabeth Cockle, Mala Mann, Glyn Elwyn

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: To explore the likely influence and impact of shared decision-making on medical malpractice litigation and patients’ intentions to initiate litigation.

Methods: We included all observational, interventional and qualitative studies published in all languages, which assessed the effect or likely influence of shared decision-making or shared decision-making interventions on medical malpractice litigation or on patients ’ intentions to litigate. The following databases were searched from inception until January 2014: CINAHL, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Da tabase of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, HMIC, Lexis library, MEDLINE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, Open SIGLE, PsycINFO and Web of Knowledge. We also hand …

Identifying Cases Of Undiagnosed, Clinically Significant Copd In Primary Care: Qualitative Insight From Patients In The Target Population, Nancy K. Leidy, Katherine Kim, Elizabeth D. Bacci, Barbara P. Yawn, David M. Mannino, Byron M. Thomashow, R. Graham Barr, Stephen I. Rennard, Julia F. Houfek, Meilan K. Han, Catherine A. Meldrum, Barry J. Make, Russ P. Bowler, Anna W. Steenrod, Lindsey T. Murray, John W. Walsh, Fernando Martinez

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Many cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are diagnosed only after significant loss of lung function or during exacerbations.

AIMS: This study is part of a multi-method approach to develop a new screening instrument for identifying undiagnosed, clinically significant COPD in primary care.

METHODS: Subjects with varied histories of COPD diagnosis, risk factors and history of exacerbations were recruited through five US clinics (four pulmonary, one primary care). Phase I: Eight focus groups and six telephone interviews were conducted to elicit descriptions of risk factors for COPD, recent or historical acute respiratory events, and symptoms to inform the …

Management Of The Hospitalized Transplant Patient., Brian P. Boerner, Vijay Shivaswamy, Whitney Goldner, Jennifer Larsen

Journal Articles: Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism

Significant hyperglycemia is commonly observed immediately after solid organ and bone marrow transplant as well as with subsequent hospitalizations. Surgery and procedures are well known to cause pain and stress leading to secretion of cytokines and other hormones known to aggravate insulin action. Immunosuppression required for transplant and preexisting risk are also major factors. Glucose control improves outcomes for all hospitalized patients, including transplant patients, but is often more challenging to achieve because of frequent and sometimes unpredictable changes in immunosuppression doses, renal function, and nutrition. As a result, risk of hypoglycemia can be greater in this patient group when …

Implementing A Patient-Initiated Review System In Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Qualitative Evaluation., Sue Child, Victoria A. Goodwin, Mark G. Perry, Christian A. Gericke, Richard Byng

Peninsula Medical School

BACKGROUND: The management of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), a chronic relapsing condition primarily affecting joints usually entails regular hospital reviews with a specialist. These reviews can occur when the patient is well. This study forms part of a service evaluation of a system wide implementation of a patient initiated review appointment system which we have called Direct Access (DA). The aim was to explore the experiences of patients and staff of a DA system in order to understand the process of the implementation and to identify potential improvements. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with RA that had completed one year of follow-up on …

Core Intended Learning Outcomes For Tackling Health Inequalities In Undergraduate Medicine., Ae Williamson, R Ayres, J Allen, U Macleod

Peninsula Medical School

BACKGROUND: Despite there being a concerted effort in recent years to influence what doctors can do to tackle health inequalities in the UK, there has been limited policy focus on what undergraduate students need to learn at medical school in preparation for this. This project led by members of the Health Inequalities Group of the Royal College of General Practitioners in collaboration with the Institute of Health Equity, University College London sought to fill this gap. DISCUSSION: We conducted a Delphi poll using our teaching and stakeholder networks. We identified 5 areas for learning focusing on key knowledge and skills. …

Early Lessons Learned In Implementing A Women's Health Educational And Virtual Consultation Program In Va, Kristina M. Cordasco, Jessica L. Zuchowski, Alison B. Hamilton, Susan Kirsh, Laure Veet, Joann O. Saavedra, Lisa Altman, Herschel Knapp, Mark Canning, Donna L. Washington

Project ECHO Bibliography

BACKGROUND: Many Veterans Health Administration primary care providers (PCPs) have small female patient caseloads, making it challenging for them to build and maintain their women's health (WH) knowledge and skills. To address this issue, we implemented a longitudinal WH-focused educational and virtual consultation program using televideo conferencing.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a formative evaluation of the program's development and implementation.

RESEARCH DESIGN: We used mixed methods including participant surveys, semi-structured interviews, stakeholder meeting field notes, and participation logs. We conducted qualitative content analysis for interviews and field notes, and quantitative tabulation for surveys and logs.

SUBJECTS: Veterans Health Administration WH PCPs. …

Narcotic-Induced Pain, Sudeep Thapa, Jason Schairer

Gastroenterology Articles

No abstract provided.

Point-Of-Care Ultrasonography By Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physicians., Jennifer R. Marin, Resa E. Lewiss, American Academy Of Pediatrics, Committee On Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Society For Academic Emergency Medicine, Academy Of Emergency Ultrasound, American College Of Emergency Physicians, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Committee, World Interactive Network Focused On Critical Ultrasound, Gregory P. Conners

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Emergency physicians have used point-of-care ultrasonography since the 1990 s. Pediatric emergency medicine physicians have more recently adopted this technology. Point-of-care ultrasonography is used for various scenarios, particularly the evaluation of soft tissue infections or blunt abdominal trauma and procedural guidance. To date, there are no published statements from national organizations specifically for pediatric emergency physicians describing the incorporation of point-of-care ultrasonography into their practice. This document outlines how pediatric emergency departments may establish a formal point-of-care ultrasonography program. This task includes appointing leaders with expertise in point-of-care ultrasonography, effectively training and credentialing physicians in the department, and providing ongoing …

Prenatal Diagnosis Of Left Pulmonary Artery-To-Pulmonary Vein Fistula And Its Successful Surgical Repair In A Neonate, Oleksii Ostras, Andrii Kurkevych, Lyubomyr Bohuta, Tetyana Yalynska, Tammo Raad, Mark Lewin, Illya Yemets

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula is a rare disease. To the best of our knowledge, prenatal diagnosis of a fistula between the left pulmonary artery and the left pulmonary vein has not been described in the medical literature. We report a case of the prenatal diagnosis of a left pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary vein fistula, followed by successful neonatal surgical repair.

Development And Pilot Feasibility Study Of A Health Information Technology Tool To Calculate Mortality Risk For Patients With Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis: The Carotid Risk Assessment Tool (Carat), Adrienne E. Faerber, Rebecca Horvath, Carey Stillman, Melissa L. O'Connell, Amy L. Hamilton, Karina A. Newhall, Donald S. Likosky, Philip P. Goodney

Dartmouth Scholarship

Patients with no history of stroke but with stenosis of the carotid arteries can reduce the risk of future stroke with surgery or stenting. At present, a physicians’ ability to recommend optimal treatments based on an individual’s risk profile requires estimating the likelihood that a patient will have a poor peri-operative outcomes and the likelihood that the patient will survive long enough to gain benefit from the procedure. We describe the development of the CArotid Risk Assessment Tool (CARAT) into a 2-year mortality risk calculator within the electronic medical record, integrating the tool into the clinical workflow, training the clinical …

Predicted Protein-Protein Interactions In The Moss Physcomitrella Patens: A New Bioinformatic Resource., Scott Schuette, Brian Piatkowski, Aaron Corley, Daniel Lang, Matt Geisler

Publications

BACKGROUND: Physcomitrella patens, a haploid dominant plant, is fast becoming a useful molecular genetics and bioinformatics tool due to its key phylogenetic position as a bryophyte in the post-genomic era. Genome sequences from select reference species were compared bioinformatically to Physcomitrella patens using reciprocal blasts with the InParanoid software package. A reference protein interaction database assembled using MySQL by compiling BioGrid, BIND, DIP, and Intact databases was queried for moss orthologs existing for both interacting partners. This method has been used to successfully predict interactions for a number of angiosperm plants.

RESULTS: The first predicted protein-protein interactome for a bryophyte …

Metabolic Reprogramming Of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts By Idh3Α Downregulation, Daoxiang Zhang, Yongbin Wang, Zhimin Shi, Jingyi Liu, Pan Sun, Xiaodan Hou, Jian Zhang, Shimin Zhao, Binhua P. Zhou, Jun Mi

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) provide critical metabolites for tumor growth and undergo metabolic reprogramming to support glycolysis. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this change remain unclear. Here, we report that TGF-β1- or PDGF-induced CAFs switch from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis. We identify downregulation of isocitrate dehydrogenase 3α (IDH3α) as a marker for this switch. Furthermore, miR-424 downregulates IDH3α during CAF formation. Downregulation of IDH3α decreases the effective level of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) by reducing the ratio of α-KG to fumarate and succinate, resulting in PHD2 inhibition and HIF-1α protein stabilization. The accumulation of HIF-1α, in turn, promotes glycolysis by increasing …

Identification Of A Family Of Fatty Acid-Speciated Sonic Hedgehog Proteins, Whose Members Display Differential Biological Properties, Jun Long, Robert Tokhunts, William M. Old, Stephane Houel, Jezabel Rodgriguez-Blanco, Samer Singh, Neal Schilling, Anthony J. Capobianco, Natalie G. Ahn, David J. Robbins

Dartmouth Scholarship

Hedgehog (HH) proteins are proteolytically processed into a biologically active form that is covalently modified by cholesterol and palmitate. However, most studies of HH biogenesis have characterized protein from cells in which HH is overexpressed. We purified Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) from cells expressing physiologically relevant levels and showed that it was more potent than SHH isolated from overexpressing cells. Furthermore, the SHH in our preparations was modified with a diverse spectrum of fatty acids on its amino termini, and this spectrum of fatty acids varied dramatically depending on the growth conditions of the cells. The fatty acid composition of SHH …

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring: Mercury Rising, Jerry Yee

Nephrology Articles

No abstract provided.

Clinical Outcomes Of Splenectomy In Children: Report Of The Splenectomy In Congenital Hemolytic Anemia Registry., Henry E. Rice, Brian R. Englum, Jennifer Rothman, Sarah Leonard, Audra Reiter, Courtney Thornburg, Mary Brindle, Nicola Wright, Matthew M. Heeney, Charles Smithers, Rebeccah L. Brown, Theodosia Kalfa, Jacob C. Langer, Michaela Cada, Keith T. Oldham, J Paul Scott, Shawn D. St Peter, Mukta Sharma, Andrew M. Davidoff, Kerri Nottage, Kathryn Bernabe, David B. Wilson, Sanjeev Dutta, Bertil Glader, Shelley E. Crary, Melvin S. Dassinger, Levette Dunbar, Saleem Islam, Manjusha Kumar, Fred Rescorla, Steve Bruch, Andrew Campbell, Mary Austin, Robert Sidonio, Martin L Blakely, Splenectomy In Congenital Hemolytic Anemia (Sicha) Consortium

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The outcomes of children with congenital hemolytic anemia (CHA) undergoing total splenectomy (TS) or partial splenectomy (PS) remain unclear. In this study, we collected data from 100 children with CHA who underwent TS or PS from 2005 to 2013 at 16 sites in the Splenectomy in Congenital Hemolytic Anemia (SICHA) consortium using a patient registry. We analyzed demographics and baseline clinical status, operative details, and outcomes at 4, 24, and 52 weeks after surgery. Results were summarized as hematologic outcomes, short-term adverse events (AEs) (≤30 days after surgery), and long-term AEs (31-365 days after surgery). For children with hereditary spherocytosis, …

Scoliosis Related Information On The Internet In China: Can Patients Benefit From This Information?, Hongda Bao, Feng Zhu, Fei Wang, Zhen Liu, Mike H. Bao, Shouyu He, Zezhang Zhu, Yong Qiu

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: There has been an increasing popularity of searching health related information online in recent years. Despite that considerable amount of scoliosis patients have shown interest in obtaining scoliosis information through Internet, previous studies have demonstrated poor quality of online information. However, this conclusion may vary depending on region and culture. Since China has a restricted Internet access outside of its borders, the aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of scoliosis information available online using recognized scoring systems and to analyze the Internet as a source of health information in China.

Methods: A survey-based questionnaire was distributed …

Modeling Neurovascular Coupling From Clustered Parameter Sets For Multimodal Eeg-Nirs, M. Tanveer Talukdar, H. Robert Frost, Solomon G. G. Diamond

Dartmouth Scholarship

Despite significant improvements in neuroimaging technologies and analysis methods, the fundamental relationship between local changes in cerebral hemodynamics and the underlying neural activity remains largely unknown. In this study, a data driven approach is proposed for modeling this neurovascular coupling relationship from simultaneously acquired electroencephalographic (EEG) and near-infrared spectroscopic (NIRS) data. The approach uses gamma transfer functions to map EEG spectral envelopes that reflect time-varying power variations in neural rhythms to hemodynamics measured with NIRS during median nerve stimulation. The approach is evaluated first with simulated EEG-NIRS data and then by applying the method to experimental EEG-NIRS data measured from …

Efficacy Of Transoral Fundoplication Vs Omeprazole For Treatment Of Regurgitation In A Randomized Controlled Trial., John G. Hunter, Peter J. Kahrilas, Reginald C.W. Bell, Erik B. Wilson, Karim S. Trad, James P. Dolan, Kyle A. Perry, Brant K. Oelschlager, Nathaniel J. Soper, Brad E. Snyder, Miguel A. Burch, William Scott Melvin, Kevin M. Reavis, Daniel G. Turgeon, Eric S. Hungness, Brian S. Diggs

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background

The aim of this randomized, crossover study was to determine if transoral fundoplication (TF) could further improve clinical outcomes in partial responders to high-dose (HD) proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy and to evaluate durability of TF.

Methods

In seven United States centers, patients with hiatal hernia ≤2 cm and abnormal esophageal acid exposure (EAE) were randomized to TF (n = 40) or HD PPIs (n = 23) group. At 6-month follow-up, PPI patients underwent crossover. We assessed clinical outcomes 6-month post TF in crossover patients (COP), as compared to 6-month of HD PPI therapy, and 12-month outcomes in patients initially …

A Quick Guide For Building A Successful Bioinformatics Community., Aidan Budd, Manuel Corpas, Michelle D Brazas, Jonathan C Fuller, Jeremy Goecks, Nicola J Mulder, Magali Michaut, B F Francis Ouellette, Aleksandra Pawlik, Niklas Blomberg

Computational Biology Institute

"Scientific community" refers to a group of people collaborating together on scientific-research-related activities who also share common goals, interests, and values. Such communities play a key role in many bioinformatics activities. Communities may be linked to a specific location or institute, or involve people working at many different institutions and locations. Education and training is typically an important component of these communities, providing a valuable context in which to develop skills and expertise, while also strengthening links and relationships within the community. Scientific communities facilitate: (i) the exchange and development of ideas and expertise; (ii) career development; (iii) coordinated funding …

Cytometric Characterization Of Circulating Tumor Cells Captured By Microfiltration And Their Correlation To The Cellsearch(®) Ctc Test., Daniel L Adams, Steingrimur Stefansson, Christian Haudenschild, Stuart S Martin, Monica Charpentier, Saranya Chumsri, Massimo Cristofanilli, Cha-Mei Tang, R Katherine Alpaugh

Pathology Faculty Publications

Recent studies reporting hundreds, to thousands, of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of cancer patients have raised questions regarding the prevalence of CTCs, as enumerated by the CellSearch(®) CTC Test. Although CellSearch has been shown to consistently detect clinically relevant CTCs; the ability to only capture EpCAM positive cells has led to speculation that it captures limited subsets of CTCs. In contrast, alternative approaches to CTC isolation are often cited as capturing large numbers of CTCs from patient blood. Not surprisingly the number of cells isolated by alternative approaches show poor correlations when compared to CellSearch, even when …

Francis Daniels Moore: One Of The Brightest Minds In The Surgical Field., Sara L. Low, Bs, Charles J. Yeo, Md, Scott W. Cowan, Md, Ashesh P. Shah, Md

Department of Surgery Gibbon Society Historical Profiles

Francis Daniels Moore was a pioneer ahead of his time who made numerous landmark contributions to the field of surgery, including the understanding of metabolic physiology during surgery, liver and kidney transplant, and the famous Study on Surgical Services of the United States (SOSSUS) report of 1975 that served for decades as a guideline for development of surgical residencies. He was the epitome of what a physician should be, a compassionate and dedicated surgeon, innovative scientist, and a medical professional dedicated to quality medical education across all specialties.

Transmission Of Infection To Liver Transplant Recipients From Donors With Infective Endocarditis: Lessons Learned, M. H. Miceli, M. Gonulalan, Mary Perri, Linoj Samuel, M. A. Al Fares, Kimberly Brown, D. A. Bruno, Marcus J. Zervos, Mayur Ramesh, George Alangaden

Infectious Diseases Articles

Donors not meeting standard criteria, such as those with bacteremia, are now being used in response to the increasing need for organs for transplantation. Recommended strategies to prevent the occurrence of donor-derived bacteremia include the use of directed antibiotic prophylaxis. However, this approach does not eliminate the risk of infection transmission. Similarly, the management of organ recipients from donors with infective endocarditis (IE) remains uncharacterized. We report 2 cases of donor-derived bacterial infections in liver transplant recipients despite pathogen-specific antibiotic prophylaxis. In both instances, the donors had documented IE treated with appropriate antimicrobial therapy and clearance of bacteremia. Recipients had …

Early Detection Of A Cavopulmonary Tumor Embolus With The Use Of Transesophageal Echocardiography, Magdy M El-Sayed Ahmed, Raed M Al-Najjar, Muhammad Aftab, James M Anton, John S Colen, Ross M Reul

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Pulmonary tumor embolization from renal cell carcinoma is associated with severe cardiopulmonary morbidity and high perioperative mortality rates. We report the case of a 71-year-old woman who presented with right-sided abdominal pain. Magnetic resonance images revealed a mass originating from the upper pole of the right kidney and extending into the infrahepatic portion of the inferior vena cava. Transesophageal echocardiography was continuously used to monitor the mass during intended radical nephrectomy and tumor resection. When the right kidney was mobilized, intracaval thrombus detached and migrated to the patient's right atrium, causing severe hemodynamic instability. After emergent sternotomy and during the …

Underlying Construct Of Empathy, Optimism, And Burnout In Medical Students., Mohammadreza Hojat, Michael Vergare, Gerald A. Isenberg, Mitchell Cohen, John Spandorfer

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to explore the underlying construct of measures of empathy, optimism, and burnout in medical students.

METHODS: Three instruments for measuring empathy (Jefferson Scale of Empathy, JSE); Optimism (the Life Orientation Test-Revised, LOT-R); and burnout (the Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI, which includes three scales of Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment) were administered to 265 third-year students at Sidney Kimmel (formerly Jefferson) Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Data were subjected to factor analysis to examine relationships among measures of empathy, optimism, and burnout in a multivariate statistical model.

RESULTS: Factor analysis (principal component with oblique …