Objectives: To analyze the development of publication numbers of female authors in high-, medium-, and low-impact radiological journals. Methods: In this bibliometric analysis, gender of the first (FA) and senior author (SA) was assigned to all original research articles and reviews, published in 10 high-, medium-, and low-impact radiological journals in 2007/8 and 2017/18. The adjusted event rate (AER) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) were calculated using mixed logistic and multinomial logistic regression models to assess and compare female publications according to impact factor, journal, author position, and combination. Results: The proportion of female FA and female SA in N = 6979 (2007/2008) and N = 7383 (2017/2018) articles increased to 29.1% and 16.1% in 2017/2018, respectively. While most female authorships were continuously observed in medium-impact journals, the strongest increase occurred for both female FA (AOR 2.0; p < .0001) and SA (AOR 2.1; p < .0001) in low-impact journals. Female SA published significantly more often in a low- (AOR 1.5) or medium- (AOR 1.8) than in a high-ranking journal. Among the high-ranking journals, female FA published most frequently in European Radiology (32.4%; 95% CI [29.3–35.8]; p < .0001), female SA in Investigative Radiology (15.9%; 95% CI [13.7–18.4]; p < .0001). Male same-sex authorships decreased (AOR 0.9), but remained at least twice as common as all-female or mixed authorships. Conclusion: The increase in female authorship is reflected in all impact areas. Female FA and SA increased most in low-ranking journals but are most common in medium-ranking journals. Female SA remain rare, especially in high impact journals. Key Points: • Compared to the proportion of female radiologists worldwide, female senior authors are underrepresented in all impact areas, in particular in high-impact journals.• Among the included high-ranking radiological journals, female first authors and senior authors were strongest represented in European Radiology and Investigative Radiology, while across all impact areas they mostly published in medium-ranking journals.• Female author combinations were more frequent in low- and medium- than in high-ranking journals, whereas male author combinations remained more common than female senior author collaborations in all impact areas.
Objectives: To evaluate work expectations of radiologists at different career levels, their fulfillment, prevalence of exhaustion, and exhaustion-associated factors. Methods: A standardized digital questionnaire was distributed internationally to radiologists of all career levels in the hospital and in ambulatory care via radiological societies and sent manually to 4500 radiologists of the largest German hospitals between December 2020 and April 2021. Statistics were based on age- and gender-adjusted regression analyses of respondents working in Germany (510 out of 594 total respondents). Results: The most frequent expectations were “joy at work” (97%) and a “good working atmosphere” (97%), which were considered fulfilled by at least 78%. The expectation of a “structured residency within the regular time interval” (79%) was more frequently judged fulfilled by senior physicians (83%, odds ratio (OR) 4.31 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.95–9.52]), chief physicians (85%, 6.81 [95% CI 1.91–24.29]), and radiologists outside the hospital (88%, 7.59 [95% CI 2.40–24.03]) than by residents (68%). Exhaustion was most common among residents (physical exhaustion: 38%; emotional exhaustion: 36%), in-hospital specialists (29%; 38%), and senior physicians (30%; 29%). In contrast to paid extra hours, unpaid extra hours were associated with physical exhaustion (5–10 extra hours: OR 2.54 [95% CI 1.54–4.19]). Fewer opportunities to shape the work environment were related to a higher probability of physical (2.03 [95% CI 1.32–3.13]) and emotional (2.15 [95% CI 1.39–3.33]) exhaustion. Conclusions: While most radiologists enjoy their work, residents wish for more training structure. Ensuring payment of extra hours and employee empowerment may help preventing burnout in high-risk groups. Key Points: • Most important work expectations of radiologists who work in Germany are “joy at work,” a “good working atmosphere,” “support for further qualification,” and a “structured residency within the regular time interval,” with the latter containing potential for improvement according to residents. • Physical and emotional exhaustion are common at all career levels except for chief physicians and for radiologists who work outside the hospital in ambulatory care. • Exhaustion as a major burnout criterion is associated with unpaid extra hours and reduced opportunities to shape the work environment.
Background: Career prospects in academic medicine are strongly linked to scientific authorship and this marker has been widely used as an indicator of gender equity in academia. However, direct comparisons of medical disciplines regarding their proportion of female physicians (FP) in different countries are missing. This study examines the gender parity and gender cooperation using first authorships (FA) and senior authorships (SA) of scientific publications in five medical disciplines and six different OECD countries over a 10-year time-trend. Methods: Articles from three high-impact journals in each of the medical discipline radiology, urology, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics from the years 2007/8 and 2017/18 were retrospectively reviewed. The gender and affiliation location of the FA and SA of original research articles and reviews were assigned and compared with the proportion of in each discipline for the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan. Mantel-Haenszel test and multinomial logistic regression models were used to calculate differences in proportions of women authors and FP and to assess trends and proportions of FA and SA. Results: 30,803 articles were evaluated. Equally, with rising proportions of FP in all disciplines, the number of women authors increased across years. The shares of women FAs were either significantly higher (urology/surgery/gynecology) or balanced (pediatrics/radiology) compared to the proportion of FP. In contrast, the shares of women SA were balanced only in disciplines with a low proportion of FP (urology and surgery) and otherwise reduced. Women same-gender cooperation was as common as men same-gender cooperation and preferred over a women-led mixed gender cooperation in disciplines where this seemed to be practicable due to the high proportions of FP. Conclusion: In contrast to FA, a significant disparity persists in SA, particularly in disciplines with a high proportion of FP. The discrepancy between FA and SA may reflect, among others, dropout from an academic career in early or mid-academic levels, for example, due to structural inequality; together with the findings on gender preference in authorship collaborations, this may inform future strategies for promoting equal career advancement for women physicians.
This review outlines recent preclinical and clinical advances in molecular imaging of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with a focus on molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In addition, developments in pharmacologic treatment of AAA targeting the ECM will be discussed and results from animal studies will be contrasted with clinical trials. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an often fatal disease without non-invasive pharmacologic treatment options. The ECM, with collagen type I and elastin as major components, is the key structural component of the aortic wall and is recognized as a target tissue for both initiation and the progression of AAA. Molecular imaging allows in vivo measurement and characterization of biological processes at the cellular and molecular level and sets forth to visualize molecular abnormalities at an early stage of disease, facilitating novel diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. By providing surrogate criteria for the in vivo evaluation of the effects of pharmacological therapies, molecular imaging techniques targeting the ECM can facilitate pharmacological drug development. In addition, molecular targets can also be used in theranostic approaches that have the potential for timely diagnosis and concurrent medical therapy. Recent successes in preclinical studies suggest future opportunities for clinical translation. However, further clinical studies are needed to validate the most promising molecular targets for human application.