Welcome to Benchmarks, a weekly collection of research news and notes featuring Mass General investigators. With a research community of over 9,500 people that spans more than 30 departments centers and institutes, there’s more news each week that we can get to. Here are a few highlights:

Telling Left From Right: Cilia as Cellular Force Sensors During Embryogenesis

Although the human body is externally symmetric across the left-right axis, there are remarkable left-right asymmetries in the shape and positioning of most internal organs including the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, and brain.

Left-right asymmetry is known to be established during early embryogenesis by a small cluster of cells termed the left-right organizer.

Within this organizer, motile cilia, hair-like structures on the cell surfaces, beat rapidly to create a leftward directional flow of extracellular fluid, which is the first outward sign of a left-right difference.

This early flow has been shown to be critical to the distinction of right from left; however, how this flow is sensed and translated into left-right asymmetry has been unknown.

A new study led by Shiaulou Yuan, PhD, of the Cardiovascular Research Center at Mass General shows that cilia in the organizer also act as sensors for the biomechanical forces exerted by the flow to shape the left-right body plan of the developing embryo. Read more.

Short Dose of Intravenous Sedative May Help Prevent Postoperative Delirium After Heart Surgery

Postoperative delirium—a behavioral state characterized by confused thinking and a lack of awareness—occurs in 10–30% of older patients who are recovering from heart surgery.

It has been linked with long-term cognitive deficits, prolonged hospitalization and institutionalization, and an increased risk of early death, resulting in total attributable healthcare costs of approximately $32.9 billion annually.

Results from a recent clinical trial led by Seun Johnson-Akeju, MD, indicates that nighttime treatment with the sedative dexmedetomidine following surgery may help to prevent postoperative delirium in these patients. Read more.

Tweets of the Week

This Week in Mass General History

Mass General Doctor Discovers Cause of Tropical Ulcer

January 2, 1904—According to the Minneapolis Journal, Dr. J. .H. Wright, director of the pathological laboratory of the Massachusetts General Hospital, has announced the discovery that “tropical ulcer,” a peculiar skin affection, common to tropical countries, is caused by microorganisms of the protozoa classification.

This conclusion is the same as that recently reached by Dr. Frank Burr Millery of Harvard University with reference to the scarlet fever, and it is thought that the discoveries of these physicians will prompt research in a practically new field.

Pioneering X-Ray Scientist Treated at Mass General for Injuries Sustained During Research

Jan 8, 1926 — Infected by X-ray nin the course o£ research work, for science and his patients. Dr. James A. Day, of Waltham, is in Massachusetts General Hospital with his lower right arm and three fingers of his left hand amputated and little hope is held for his recovery.

The two remaining fingers are infected, and physicians said that there was no known method for checking the disease, reported the Cornell Daily Sun.

“Dr. Day told a reporter at his bedside today that he thought his failure to wear gloves while at work with the rays had caused infection of the finger tissues, or that a slight cut on his hand was responsible. He is ranked as a pioneer in the use of X-rays in New England.”

About the Mass General Research Institute
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. Our research includes fundamental, lab-based science; clinical trials to test new drugs, devices and diagnostic tools; and community and population-based research to improve health outcomes across populations and eliminate disparities in care.
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