Exploring the perspectives of non-insured individuals utilizing emergency departments in Toronto: a qualitative study.

Objective: Non-insured individuals face unique challenges when accessing emergency department (ED) care in Canada. This qualitative study explores the firsthand experiences of non-insured patients within the ED to understand how we can improve the system of care.

Methods: This community-based research was conducted in collaboration with a community health center which has multiple service locations in Toronto, Ontario.

Co-expression of LPHN3 and NKX3.1 as a predictive biomarker for metastasis in breast cancer.

Objectives: To assess latrophilin-3 (LPHN3) and Homeobox protein (NKX- 3.1) protein expression in breast cancer, and the association with metastasis.

Methods: The case-control study was conducted at the Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, and comprised breast carcinoma tissue sections diagnosed between July and November 2022.

Photothermal-Photocatalytic Ternary Heterostructure for Solar Light-Driven Highly Efficient Degradation of Antimicrobial Agents and Inactivation of Superbugs.

A significant proportion of antimicrobial agents, such as different antibiotics discharged into the environment via human and animal waste, poses significant problems for ecological balance and human health. Moreover, widespread overuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to antibiotic-resistant bacteria (superbugs), which is one of the biggest global health problems in the 21st century. Since the utilization of solar energy, which is an abundant and natural resource for the photocatalytic system, we report the design of a photothermal-photocatalytic dual-functional light absorber-based ternary heterostructure using plasmonic gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-anchored WO nanoplatelet (WO NPL)-decorated reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) (AuNP/WO NPL/r-GO), which exhibits strong absorption between 400 and 900 nm regions and has the capability for the sunlight-driven 100% degradation of doxycycline antibiotics.

Assessing the Risks and Cultural Relativity of Diabetes in Black Individuals of African Caribbean Ancestry (ACB) Aged 18-39 Years in Toronto.

Diabetes rates are high in Black and some other ethnic communities, often leading to more severe complications. We conducted a study to identify the prevalence and risk of diabetes among African Caribbean Black (ACB) individuals aged 18-39 and to assess the sensitivity of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) compared to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to diagnose diabetes. In this mixed-methods study, maximum variation sampling was used to recruit 272 ACB participants from fourteen African and five Caribbean countries from Toronto.

Early Postoperative Outcome of Continuous Heparin Infusion versus Intermittent Intravenous Heparin after Initial Bolus Dose during Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: An Eminent Time worthy Study.

Heparin is an anticoagulant used invariably in all cardiac surgery. Heparin dosing and its reversal were determined by monitoring activated clotting time (ACT). Intermittent heparin dosing after initial bolus dose is widely practiced to maintain ACT level 200-300 seconds in Off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB).

Vaccine hesitancy among Syrian refugee parents in Canada: A multifaceted challenge in public health.

Vaccine hesitancy presents a significant public health challenge, particularly among Syrian refugee parents in Canada, who navigate unique barriers to vaccination. This cross-sectional study explores the determinants of vaccine hesitancy, considering socio-demographic factors, resettlement conditions, health assessments, and healthcare system interactions. The study involved 540 Syrian refugee parents residing in Ontario with at least one child under 18, interviewed from March 2021 to March 2022.

Programmable protein degraders enable selective knockdown of pathogenic β-catenin subpopulations and .

Aberrant activation of Wnt signaling results in unregulated accumulation of cytosolic β-catenin, which subsequently enters the nucleus and promotes transcription of genes that contribute to cellular proliferation and malignancy. Here, we sought to eliminate pathogenic β-catenin from the cytosol using designer ubiquibodies (uAbs), chimeric proteins composed of an E3 ubiquitin ligase and a target-binding domain that redirect intracellular proteins to the proteasome for degradation. To accelerate uAb development, we leveraged a protein language model (pLM)-driven algorithm called SaLT&PepPr to computationally design "guide" peptides with affinity for β-catenin, which were subsequently fused to the catalytic domain of a human E3 called C-terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein (CHIP).

Quintuplet pregnancy: a case report from Pakistan.

Introduction And Importance: Quintuplet pregnancies are exceptionally rare outcomes of fertility treatments, that is clomiphene citrate therapy. These high-order multiple pregnancies carry significant risks for both maternal and neonatal health, necessitating specialized care to manage complications effectively.

Case Presentation: A 26-year-old woman, gravida three para two, presented with preterm labor at 32 weeks gestation following clomiphene citrate self-medication.

Resilience Mechanisms and Coping Strategies for Forcibly Displaced Youth: An Exploratory Rapid Review.

The global escalation of conflict, violence, and human rights violations sets a pressing backdrop for examining the resilience of forcibly displaced youth (FDY) in Canada. This study aims to unpack the multifaceted challenges and resilience mechanisms of FDY, focusing on their health, well-being, and integration into host communities. It seeks to identify current models of resilience, understand the factors within each model, and highlight gaps and limitations.

Effect of Interfacial Electric Field on 2D Metal/Graphene Electrocatalysts for CO Reduction Reaction.

Understanding the influence of local electric fields on electrochemical reactions is crucial for designing highly selective electrocatalysts for CO reduction reactions (CORR). In this study, we provide a theoretical investigation of the effect of the local electric field induced by the negative-biased electrode and cations in the electrolyte on the energetics and reaction kinetics of CORR on 2D hybrid metal/graphene electrocatalysts. Our findings reveal that the electronic structures of the CO molecule undergo substantial modification, resulting in the increased adsorption energy of CO on metal/graphene structures, thus reducing the initial barrier of the CORR mechanism.

Trends in cerebrovascular disease-related mortality among older adults in the United States from 1999 to 2020: An analysis of gender, race/ethnicity, and geographical disparities.

Background: One of the most prevalent causes of morbidity and death is cerebrovascular disease in the US. The manifestations and pathophysiology of cerebrovascular disease are significantly impacted by ageing and determine the quality of one's late life. However, contemporary mortality trends in cerebrovascular disease and comparison to older adults of different gender, race, and geographic disparities have not been fully examined.

A new ground electronic state potential energy surface of HeLiH+: Analytical representation and investigation of the dynamics of He + LiH+ (v = 0, j = 0) → LiHe+ + H reaction.

An improved global potential energy surface (PES) for the electronic ground state of the HeLiH+ system is reported. The data points are calculated at the full configuration-interaction level of theory and extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. The fitting procedure implements a combination of neural network and Aguado-Paniagua functional forms to fit the ab initio data points.

A novel flexible T-X family for generating new distributions with applications to lifetime data.

In recent decades, many research studies have been conducted for the development of some new modifications of different baseline distributions to cope with real-world problems. This paper proposes a novel generalization of probability distributions, called modified type- II half-logistic distribution. We have derived the new family of probability distributions using T-X family with input as a type II variant of the half-logistic distribution.

Influence of connection design and material properties on stress distribution and fatigue lifetime of zygomatic implants: A finite element analysis.

Zygomatic implants (ZIs) were developed as a graftless alternative to rehabilitate severely reabsorbed maxillae. This study aims to employ three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) to simulate the impact of external hexagonal implant connection (EHC) and internal hexagonal implant connection (IHC) on the stress distribution and fatigue lifetime within the ZI systems using parameters defined in ISO 14801:2016. Two ZI assemblies (Nobel Biocare and Noris Medical) were scanned in a micro-CT scanner and reconstructed using Nrecon software.

Fabrication, optimization, and validation of penicillin-loaded hydrogels for controlled drug delivery.

Bacterial infections present a major global challenge. Penicillin, a widely used antibiotic known for its effectiveness and safety, is frequently prescribed. However, its short half-life necessitates multiple high-dose daily administrations, leading to severe side-effects.

Gender, sexuality and cis-heteropatriarchal parental control: navigating the politics of neo-panopticon and the resilience of young Khawaja Sara and Hijra in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Background: Scholarly works have extensively explored the marginalized positions of transgender individuals in Pakistan. However, there is a noticeable gap in literature concerning the profound impact of cis-heteropatriarchal parental control on young Khawaja Sara and Hijra individuals-members of the transgender community-particularly when they reside in their parental homes in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Aim: Grounded in Foucault's panopticon concept, this study seeks to illuminate the pervasive surveillance experienced by young Khawaja Sara and Hijra within the confines of their familial environments.

Incidence of Hospitalization due to Influenza-Associated Severe Acute Respiratory Infection During 2010-2019 in Bangladesh.

Background: Global influenza-associated acute respiratory infections contribute to 3-5 million severe illnesses requiring hospitalization annually, with 90% of hospitalizations occurring among children < 5 years in developing countries. In Bangladesh, the inadequate availability of nationally representative, robust estimates of influenza-associated hospitalizations limits allocation of resources for prevention and control measures.

Methods: This study used data from the hospital-based influenza surveillance (HBIS) system in Bangladesh from 2010 to 2019 and healthcare utilization surveys to determine hospital utilization patterns in the catchment area.

Synergy of {Co(HO)} with a Polyoxometalate Leads to Aqueous Homogeneous Hydrogen Evolution: Experiments and Computations.

In this work, we have described a polyoxometalate (POM)-based inexpensive and easily synthesizable compound [Co(HO)][{K(HO)}VO]·2HO (), which exhibits electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution in its aqueous solution without its decomposition (or electrodeposition), acting as a rare homogeneous electrocatalyst. Even though the compound [Co(HO)][{K(HO)}VO]·2HO () (soluble in water) shows electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity because of the Coulombic attraction, including H-bonding interactions, between the [Co(HO)] cationic species and [{K(HO)}VO]anionic species, the individual homogeneous solutions of [VO] (source: Na[VO]·18HO) and [Co(HO)] (source: CoCl·6HO) do not show any electrocatalytic HER activity. We have thus established that the synergy of [VO] with [Co(HO)] in crystal matrix as well as in the aqueous solution of makes the compound a stable and highly active electrocatalyst for homogeneous HER in an aqueous solution.

Electrocatalysts for Inorganic and Organic Waste Nitrogen Conversion.

Anthropogenic activities have disrupted the natural nitrogen cycle, increasing the level of nitrogen contaminants in water. Nitrogen contaminants are harmful to humans and the environment. This motivates research on advanced and decarbonized treatment technologies that are capable of removing or valorizing nitrogen waste found in water.

Bioreversible Anionic Cloaking Enables Intracellular Protein Delivery with Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles.

Protein-based therapeutics comprise a rapidly growing subset of pharmaceuticals, but enabling their delivery into cells for intracellular applications has been a longstanding challenge. To overcome the delivery barrier, we explored a reversible, bioconjugation-based approach to modify the surface charge of protein cargos with an anionic "cloak" to facilitate electrostatic complexation and delivery with lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations. We demonstrate that the conjugation of lysine-reactive sulfonated compounds can allow for the delivery of various protein cargos using FDA-approved LNP formulations of the ionizable cationic lipid DLin-MC3-DMA (MC3).

A qualitative study on the Virtual Emergency Department care experiences of equity-deserving populations.

Patients from equity-deserving populations, such as those who are from racialized communities, the 2SLGBTQI+ community, who are refugees or immigrants, and/or who have a disability, may experience a unique set of challenges accessing virtual models of care. The objective of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of patients from equity-deserving communities and their family members who received care from a Virtual Emergency Department (ED) in Toronto, Canada. Forty-three participants (36 patients and 7 family caregivers) with different and intersecting identities who used the Virtual ED participated in the study.