Medical Specialties Commons^™

Cancer Awareness In Alternative Settings: Lessons Learned And Evaluation Of The Barbershop Men’S Health Project, Cheryl L. Holt, Theresa A. Wynn, Katrina Debnam, Mark S. Litaker, Sanford Jeames, Yu-Mei Schoenberger, Penny Southward, Virgil Simons

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Prostate and colorectal cancer are two of the leading causes of cancer deaths among African American men. This study describes lessons learned from the development, implementation and evaluation of a culturally appropriate, barbershop-based intervention to improve prostate and colorectal cancer screening awareness among African American men. Working with an Advisory Panel of shop owners, barbers, and cancer survivors, local barbers were recruited and trained as Community Health Advisors to educate, motivate, and assist their clients in becoming more knowledgeable about prostate and colorectal cancer. Survey results reveal increases in prostate and colorectal cancer knowledge and self-reported screening among participants. Lessons …

Characterization Of Species C Human Adenovirus Serotype 6 (Ad6), Eric A. Weaver, Reeti Khare, Mathew L. Hillestad, Donna Palmer, Philip Ng, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Adenovirus serotype (Ad5) is the most studied Ad. Ad1, 2, and 6 are also members of species C Ad and are presumed to have biologies similar to Ad5. In this work, we have compared the ability of Ad1, 2, 5, and 6 to infect liver and muscle after intravenous and intramuscular injection. We found that Ad6 was surprisingly the most potent at liver gene delivery and that Ad1 and Ad2 were markedly weaker than Ad5 and 6. To understand these differences, we sequenced the Ad6 genome. This revealed that the Ad6 fiber protein is surprisingly three shaft repeats shorter than …

Rates Of Iucd Discontinuation And Its Associated Factors Among The Clients Of A Social Franchising Network In Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Babar Tasneem Shaikh, Waqas Hameed, Mohsina Bilgrami, Ghulam Mustafa, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ishaque, Wajahat Hussain, Aftab Ahmed

Community Health Sciences

Background: Modern Intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) is very safe, highly effective reversible and inexpensive family planning method which offers 5-10 years of protection against pregnancy. The contraceptive use in Pakistan has been merely 30% for over a decade with IUCD being the least used method. Higher discontinuation rates are documented in developing countries; however no such data is available for Pakistan. Marie Stopes Society (MSS) established a social franchise outlets network branded as 'SURAJ' (Sun) in Pakistan to provide quality family planning services. This study attempts to determine IUCD discontinuation rates and its associated risk factors. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, …

A Role For Caveolin-1 In Desmoglein Binding And Desmosome Dynamics., D Brennan, S Peltonen, A Dowling, W Medhat, K J Green, J K Wahl, F Del Galdo, M G Mahoney

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

Desmoglein-2 (Dsg2) is a desmosomal cadherin that is aberrantly expressed in human skin carcinomas. In addition to its well-known role in mediating intercellular desmosomal adhesion, Dsg2 regulates mitogenic signaling that may promote cancer development and progression. However, the mechanisms by which Dsg2 activates these signaling pathways and the relative contribution of its signaling and adhesion functions in tumor progression are poorly understood. In this study we show that Dsg2 associates with caveolin-1 (Cav-1), the major protein of specialized membrane microdomains called caveolae, which functions in both membrane protein turnover and intracellular signaling. Sequence analysis revealed that Dsg2 contains a putative …

Heme Oxygenase-1 Regulates The Immune Response To Influenza Virus Infection And Vaccination In Aged Mice, Nathan W. Cummins, Eric A. Weaver, Shannon M. May, Anthony J. Croatt, Oded Foreman, Richard B. Kennedy, Gregory A. Poland, Michael A. Barry, Karl A. Nath, Andrew D. Badley

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Underlying mechanisms of individual variation in severity of influenza infection and response to vaccination are poorly understood. We investigated the effect of reduced heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression on vaccine response and outcome of influenza infection. HO-1-deficient and wild-type (WT) mice (kingdom, Animalia; phylum, Chordata; genus/species, Mus musculus) were infected with influenza virus A/PR/8/34 with or without prior vaccination with an adenoviral-based influenza vaccine. A genome-wide association study evaluated the expression of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HO-1 gene and the response to influenza vaccination in healthy humans. HO-1-deficient mice had decreased survival after influenza infection compared to WT mice (median …

Hemoglobin E Syndromes In Pakistani Population., Bushra Moiz, Amna Nasir, Anila Rashid, Tariq Moatter, Mashhooda Rasool Hashmi

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:Hemoglobin E is an important hemoglobin variant with a worldwide distribution. A number of hemoglobinopathies have been reported from Pakistan. However a comprehensive description of hemoglobin E syndromes for the country was never made. This study aimed to describe various hemoglobin E disorders based on hematological parameters and chromatography. The sub-aim was to characterize hemoglobin E at molecular level.

Methods:

This was a hospital based study conducted prospectively for a period of one year extending from January 1 to December 31, 2008. EDTA blood samples were analyzed for completed blood counts and hemoglobin variants through automated hematology analyzer and …

Motor Neuron Apoptosis And Neuromuscular Junction Perturbation Are Prominent Features In A Drosophila Model Of Fus-Mediated Als, Ruohan Xia, Yajuan Liu, Liuqing Yang, Jozsef Gal, Haining Zhu, Jianhang Jia

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of motor function. Several ALS genes have been identified as their mutations can lead to familial ALS, including the recently reported RNA-binding protein fused in sarcoma (Fus). However, it is not clear how mutations of Fus lead to motor neuron degeneration in ALS. In this study, we present a Drosophila model to examine the toxicity of Fus, its Drosophila orthologue Cabeza (Caz), and the ALS-related Fus mutants.

RESULTS: Our results show that the expression of wild-type Fus/Caz or FusR521G induced progressive toxicity in multiple tissues of the …

Vitamin D Levels In Asymptomatic Adults--A Population Survey In Karachi, Pakistan, Adil Sheikh, Zeb Saeed, Syed Ali Danial Jafri, Iffat Yazdani, Syed Ather Hussain

Section of Nephrology

Background: It is well established that low levels of 25(OH) Vitamin D (/dL) are a common finding world over, affecting over a billion of the global population. Our primary objective was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in the asymptomatic adult population of Karachi, Pakistan and the demographic, nutritional and co-morbidity characteristics associated with serum vitamin D levels. Methods: A cross-sectional population survey was conducted at two spaced out densely populated areas of the city. Serum levels of 25OH vitamin D were measured and GFR as renal function was assessed by using 4 variable MDRD formula. …

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Quality Of Life Of Patients In Karachi, Rozina Barolia, Fauziya Ali, Salma Jaffar

School of Nursing & Midwifery

In the Third World, cardiac Patients often suffer not only from the nature of their illnesses, but also the insufficiency of the facilities available. Although the effectiveness of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is being evaluated in terms of mortality, complications or recurrence of symptoms, empirical studies assessing the change in Patients' quality of life (QOL) after CABG within the Pakistani cultural context are lacking.
Aims: The aims of the present study are to assess and compare the change in health-related quality of life before and 1 month after CABG and to assess the differences in QOL with respect to …

Breast Cancer Screening Practices Among American Indians And Alaska Natives In The Midwest, Christine M. Daley, Melissa Filippi, Aimee S. James, Sarah Brokenleg, Stacy Braiuca, K. A. Greiner, Won S. Choi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women currently have some of the highest mortality rates from breast cancer for any racial/ethnic group in the United States and some of the lowest screening rates. However, current data are not available for regional differences in screening, which can result in dramatically different stage at diagnosis and mortality. We conducted surveys with 120 focus group participants in a needs assessment of mammography among AI/AN in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area and parts of Northeast Kansas. We found that among women under age 40, for whom recommended screenings include only annual clinical breast …

Advances In Ultrafast Time Resolved Fluorescence Physics For Cancer Detection In Optical Biopsy, R. R. Alfano

Publications and Research

We discuss the use of time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy to extract fundamental kinetic information on molecular species in tissues. The temporal profiles reveal the lifetime and amplitudes associated with key active molecules distinguishing the local spectral environment of tissues. The femtosecond laser pulses at 310 nm excite the tissue. The emission profile at 340 nm from tryptophan is non-exponential due to the micro-environment. The slow and fast amplitudes and lifetimes of emission profiles reveal that cancer and normal states can be distinguished. Time resolved optical methods offer a new cancer diagnostic modality for the medical community.

Hyperphosphorylation Of The Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor At Serine 2808 Is Not Involved In Cardiac Dysfunction After Myocardial Infarction., Hongyu Zhang, Catherine A Makarewich, Hajime Kubo, Wei Wang, Jason M Duran, Ying Li, Remus M Berretta, Walter J Koch, Xiongwen Chen, Erhe Gao, Héctor H Valdivia, Steven R Houser

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

RATIONALE: Abnormal behavior of the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) has been linked to cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure (HF) after myocardial infarction (MI). It has been proposed that protein kinase A (PKA) hyperphosphorylation of the RyR2 at a single residue, Ser-2808, is a critical mediator of RyR dysfunction, depressed cardiac performance, and HF after MI.

OBJECTIVE: We used a mouse model (RyRS2808A) in which PKA hyperphosphorylation of the RyR2 at Ser-2808 is prevented to determine whether loss of PKA phosphorylation at this site averts post MI cardiac pump dysfunction.

METHODS AND RESULTS: MI was induced in wild-type (WT) and S2808A …

Inhibition Of Fatty Acid Synthase Attenuates Cd44-Associated Signaling And Reduces Metastasis In Colorectal Cancer, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva, Piotr G. Rychahou, Pat Gulhati, Victoria Allison Elliott, William Conan Mustain, Kathleen O'Connor, Andrew J. Morris, Manjula Sunkara, Heidi L. Weiss, Eun Young Lee, B. Mark Evers

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) and ATP-citrate lyase, key enzymes of de novo lipogenesis, are significantly upregulated and activated in many cancers and portend poor prognosis. Even though the role of lipogenesis in providing proliferative and survival advantages to cancer cells has been described, the impact of aberrant activation of lipogenic enzymes on cancer progression remains unknown. In this study, we found that elevated expression of FASN is associated with advanced stages of colorectal cancer (CRC) and liver metastasis, suggesting that it may play a role in progression of CRC to metastatic disease. Targeted inhibition of lipogenic enzymes abolished expression of …

Patient Safety In Developing Countries: Retrospective Estimation Of Scale And Nature Of Harm To Patients In Hospital, R. M. Wilson, P. Michel, S. Olsen, R. W. Gibberd, C. Vincent, R. El-Assady, O. Rasslan, S. Qsous, William Macharia, A. Sahel, S. Whittaker, M. Abdo-Ali, M. Letaief, N. A. Ahmed, A. Abdellatif, I. Larizgoitia

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Objective: To assess the frequency and nature of adverse events to patients in selected hospitals in developing or transitional economies.

Design: Retrospective medical record review of hospital admissions during 2005 in eight countries.

Setting: Ministries of Health of Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan, South Africa and Yemen; the World Health Organisation (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean and African Regions (EMRO and AFRO), and WHO Patient Safety.

Participants: Convenience sample of 26 hospitals from which 15 548 patient records were randomly sampled.

Main outcome measures: Two stage screening. Initial screening based on 18 explicit criteria. Records that screened positive were then reviewed …

Increase In Muscle Mitochondrial Biogenesis Does Not Prevent Muscle Loss But Increased Tumor Size In A Mouse Model Of Acute Cancer-Induced Cachexia., Xiao Wang, Alicia M Pickrell, Teresa A Zimmers, Carlos T Moraes

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Cancer-associated cachexia is a complex metabolic condition characterized by the progressive loss of body fat and deterioration of muscle mass. Although the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cachexia are incompletely understood, previous studies have suggested mitochondrial dysfunction in murine models of cancer cachexia. To better understand the metabolic shift in cancer-induced cachexia, we studied the effects of enhanced oxidative capacity on muscle wasting using transgenic mice over-expressing Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma Co-activator-1α (PGC-1α) in skeletal muscle in a Lewis lung carcinoma-implanted model. Increased mitochondrial biogenesis was observed in the skeletal muscle of tumor-implanted mice. However, these increases did not prevent …

Syndrome Of Hepatic Cirrhosis, Dystonia, Polycythemia, And Hypermanganesemia Caused By Mutations In Slc30a10, A Manganese Transporter In Man, Karin Tuschl, Peter T. Clayton, Sidney M., Jr. Gospe, Shamshad Gulab, Shahnaz Ibrahim, Pratibha Singhi, Roosy Aulakh, Reinaldo T. Ribeiro, Orlando G. Barsottini, Maha S. Zaki, Maria Luz Del Rosario, Sarah Dyack, Victoria Price, Andrea Rideout, Kevin Gordon, Ron A. Wevers, W. K. 'Kling' Chong, Philippa B. Mills

Section of Neurology

Environmental manganese (Mn) toxicity causes an extrapyramidal, parkinsonian-type movement disorder with characteristic magnetic resonance images of Mn accumulation in the basal ganglia. We have recently reported a suspected autosomal recessively inherited syndrome of hepatic cirrhosis, dystonia, polycythemia, and hypermanganesemia in cases without environmental Mn exposure. Whole-genome mapping of two consanguineous families identified SLC30A10 as the affected gene in this inherited type of hypermanganesemia. This gene was subsequently sequenced in eight families, and homozygous sequence changes were identified in all affected individuals. The function of the wild-type protein and the effect of sequence changes were studied in the manganese-sensitive yeast strain …

Gender-Sensitive Reporting In Medical Research., Shirin Heidari, Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Judith D Auerbach, Simone E Buitendijk, Pedro Cahn, Mirjam J Curno, Catherine Hankins, Elly Katabira, Susan Kippax, Richard Marlink, Joan Marsh, Ana Marusic, Heidi M Nass, Julio Montaner, Elizabeth Pollitzer, Maria Teresa Ruiz-Cantero, Lorraine Sherr, Papa Salif Sow, Kathleen Squires, Mark A Wainberg

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Sex and gender differences influence the health and wellbeing of men and women. Although studies have drawn attention to observed differences between women and men across diseases, remarkably little research has been pursued to systematically investigate these underlying sex differences. Women continue to be underrepresented in clinical trials, and even in studies in which both men and women participate, systematic analysis of data to identify potential sex-based differences is lacking. Standards for reporting of clinical trials have been established to ensure provision of complete, transparent and critical information. An important step in addressing the gender imbalance would be inclusion of …

Differential Analysis Of Ovarian And Endometrial Cancers Identifies A Methylator Phenotype, Diana L. Kolbe, Julie A. Deloia, Patricia Porter-Gill, Mary Strange, Hanna M. Petrykowska, Alfred Guirguis, Thomas C. Krivak, Lawrence C. Brody, Laura Elnitski

Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

Despite improved outcomes in the past 30 years, less than half of all women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer live five years beyond their diagnosis. Although typically treated as a single disease, epithelial ovarian cancer includes several distinct histological subtypes, such as papillary serous and endometrioid carcinomas. To address whether the morphological differences seen in these carcinomas represent distinct characteristics at the molecular level we analyzed DNA methylation patterns in 11 papillary serous tumors, 9 endometrioid ovarian tumors, 4 normal fallopian tube samples and 6 normal endometrial tissues, plus 8 normal fallopian tube and 4 serous samples from TCGA. For …

Inverse Relationship Between Psa And Il-8 In Prostate Cancer: An Insight Into A Nf-Κb-Mediated Mechanism, Yong Xu, Daret K. St. Clair, Fang Fang, William H. St. Clair

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is traditionally used as an indicator for the presence of prostate cancer (PCa) and radiotherapy is generally used to treat inoperable and locally advanced PCa. However, how cellular PSA level is associated with sensitivity of PCa to radiotherapy is unknown. The previous finding that the RelB-based NF-κB alternative pathway differentially regulates PSA and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in aggressive PCa has directed our attention to the role of RelB in the response of PCa to radiotherapy.

Methodology/Principal Findings: RelB and its targets PSA and IL-8 in PCa cells were manipulated by ectopic expression in PCa …

Intraorbital Foreign Body Projectile As A Consideration For Unilateral Pupillary Defect., Craig N Czyz, Thomas P Petrie, Jonathan D Harder, Kenneth V Cahill, Jill A Foster

Trauma and Acute Care Articles

Intraorbital foreign bodies are frequently the result of high-velocity injuries with varying clinical presentations. The resultant diagnosis, management, and outcome depend on the type of foreign body present, anatomical location, tissue disruption, and symptomatology. A patient who presented to the Emergency Department with a large intraorbital foreign body projectile that was not evident clinically, but found incidentally on computed tomography and subsequent plain films is reported. The emergency room physician needs to be aware of the differential diagnosis of a unilateral irregular pupil with or without visual acuity changes. The differential diagnosis for any trauma patient with an irregular pupil …

Inhibition Of Adhesion And Invasion Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa To Lung Epithelial Cells: A Model Of Cystic Fibrosis Infection, Ayman Noreddin, Ghada Sawy, Walid Elkhatib, Ehab Noreddin, Atef Shibl

Pharmacy Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"Over their life time, CF patients experience multiple infections by various pneumoniacausing bacteria [6]. With more patients surviving to adulthood, chronic infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa are coming to the forefront as a leading cause of death [7]. Problems presented by infected CF lung are multi-dimensional; the electrolyte balance and pH of the fluids are abnormal. The mucus is thick and of an alternative composition compared to normal lung and may contribute to colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa [2, 3, 5]. As such, research is multi-pronged and includes gene therapy to correct the defective protein, amelioration of inflammatory response and thinning of …

Overlap Subtype Of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Is Associated With An Adverse Prognosis, Functional Impairment, And Inferior Patient-Reported Outcomes: A Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Consortium Study, Joseph Pidala, Georgia Vogelsang, Paul Martin, Xiaoyu Chai, Barry Storer, Steven Pavletic, Daniel Weisdorf, Madan Jagasia, Corey Cutler, Jeanne Palmer, David Jacobsohn, Sally Arai, Stephanie J. Lee

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background

The National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference proposed the term “overlap” graft-versus-host disease to describe the situation when both acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease are present.

Design and Methods

We examined whether the overlap subtype of graft-versus-host disease was associated with a different prognosis, functional limitations, or patient-reported outcomes compared to “classic” chronic graft-versus-host disease without any acute features.

Results

Prospective data were collected from 427 patients from nine centers. Patients were classified as having overlap (n=352) or classic chronic (n=75) graft-versus-host disease based on reported organ involvement. Overlap …

Recommendations For The Use Of Common Outcome Measures In Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Stephen R. Mccauley, Elisabeth A. Wilde, Vicki A. Anderson, Gary Bedell, Sue R. Beers, Thomas F. Campbell, Sandra B. Chapman, Linda Ewing-Cobbs, Joan P. Gerring, Gerard A. Gioia, Harvey S. Levin, Linda J. Michaud, Mary R. Prasad, Bonnie R. Swaine, Lyn S. Turkstra, Shari L. Wade, Keith O. Yeates

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Publications

This article addresses the need for age-relevant outcome measures for traumatic brain injury (TBI) research and summarizes the recommendations by the inter-agency Pediatric TBI Outcomes Workgroup. The Pediatric Workgroup's recommendations address primary clinical research objectives including characterizing course of recovery from TBI, prediction of later outcome, measurement of treatment effects, and comparison of outcomes across studies. Consistent with other Common Data Elements (CDE) Workgroups, the Pediatric TBI Outcomes Workgroup adopted the standard three-tier system in its selection of measures. In the first tier, core measures included valid, robust, and widely applicable outcome measures with proven utility in pediatric TBI from …

Medical Education Digest, Vol. 14 No. 2 (March/April 2012), Nova Southeastern University

Medical Education Digest

No abstract provided.

Outer Space And Oocyte Developmental Competence., Andrew J Watson

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

No abstract provided.

Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Phosphatase-1 Inhibits Myocardial Tnf-Α Expression And Improves Cardiac Function During Endotoxemia, Ting Zhang, Xiangru Lu, Paul Arnold, Yin Liu, Reshma Baliga, Hong Huang, John Anthony Bauer, Yusen Liu, Qingping Feng

Paediatrics Publications

Aims: Myocardial tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression induces cardiac dysfunction in endotoxemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP1) pathway in myocardial TNF-α expression and cardiac function during endotoxemia. Methods and results: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increased MKP1 expression in the myocardium in vivo and in cultured neonatal cardiomyocytes in vitro. LPS-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and p38 phosphorylation in the myocardium was prolonged in MKP1 -/- mice. Myocardial TNF-α mRNA and protein levels were enhanced in MKP1 -/- compared with wild-type (WT) mice in endotoxemia, leading to a further decrease in …

Conformational Melding Permits A Conserved Binding Geometry In Tcr Recognition Of Foreign And Self Molecular Mimics, Oleg Y. Borbulevych, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Brian M. Baker

Food for Health: Publications

Molecular mimicry between foreign and self antigens is a mechanism of T cell receptor cross reactivity and is thought to contribute to the development of autoimmunity. The αβ TCR A6 recognizes the foreign antigen Tax from the virus HTLV-1 when presented by the class I MHC HLA-A2. In a possible link with the autoimmune disease HAM/TSP, A6 also recognizes a self peptide from the neuronal protein HuD in the context of HLA-A2. We found here that the complexes of the HuD and Tax epitopes with HLA-A2 are close but imperfect structural mimics, and that in contrast with other recent structures …

Endocrine Complications In Patients Of Beta Thalassemia Major In A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Amina Adil, Zain A. Sobani, Abdul Jabbar, Salman N Adil, Safia Awan

Section of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To determine the major endocrine complications present in patients of Thalassemia major presenting to a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan.

METHODS: Records of all thallasemia major patients at a Haematology Department in a tertiary care hospital of Karachi were retrospectively reviewed from May to August 2009 with specific focus on endocrine data and investigations. The patients' data was recorded in a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS v.17, frequencies and percentages along with corresponding 95% confidence interval were computed.

RESULTS: Our data revealed that a significantly small percentage of those under care received regular endocrine follow-up. Male hypo-gonadal abnormalities …

Neurology Training In Pakistan, Sarwar Jamil Siddiqui

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

No abstract provided.

Christian Albert Theodor Billroth, M.D., Founding Father Of Abdominal Surgery (1829-1894)., Zhi Ven Fong, B.S., Harish Lavu, Md, Ernest L. Rosato, Md, Charles J. Yeo, Md, Scott W. Cowan, Md

Department of Surgery Gibbon Society Historical Profiles

In the 1800s, the field of surgery was in its infancy, somewhat primitive and embryonic. The technical nature of surgery was the basis for the dividing line between the disciplines of surgery and internal medicine. Sterilization was not a common practice. Radical surgical resections and experimentation in medicine were shunned. With his boldness equaled only by his innovation and resourcefulness, Theodor Billroth would become a pioneer not only in the development of modern surgery, but also in the advancement of its cultural and historical significance.