Future of Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis-A Narrative Review.

While corticosteroids have led to significant reduction in ASUC mortality over the last few decades, they are associated with significant side effects and up to 30% of patients have steroid refractory ASUC, which means we require safer and better therapies for patients with ASUC. Several salvage therapies have been proposed in guidelines; however, we lack high quality head-to-head randomised controlled trials to assess effectiveness and safety of these agents. Furthermore, the role of newer novel agents in ASUC management is unclear.

Caregivers' Experiences of Nursing Home Restrictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Pandemic-related restrictions in nursing homes have undermined the critical role that family and friend caregivers play in enhancing resident quality of life.

Objective: We examined how family caregiver access restrictions in nursing homes were implemented and how they impacted the mutual well-being of and relationships between residents and their caregivers over time. s Between March 2021 and march 2022, 24 'designated caregivers' in Atlantic Canada were interviewed three times.

Sharing data matters: exploring the attitudes of older consumers on an emerging healthy ageing data platform using electronic health records for research.

Background: In Australia, with the recent introduction of electronic health records (EHRs) into hospitals, the use of hospital-based EHRs for research is a relatively new concept. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of older healthcare consumers on sharing their health data with an emerging EHR-based Research Data Platform within the National Centre for Healthy Ageing.

Methods: This was a qualitative study.

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in children: evaluating the importance of diagnosis and follow-up during childhood.

Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) is a rare inherited connective tissue disorder predominantly caused by pathogenic COL3A1 variants. Characteristic arterial and intestinal fragility and generalised severe tissue friability can lead to clinical events from childhood. We highlight a paucity of literature regarding children diagnosed with vEDS, possibly explained by a restraint in predictive testing, and present data on 63 individuals (23 index cases) with a clinical and genetic diagnosis of vEDS in childhood (<18 years) to address this.

Navigating Awareness and Strategies to Support Dementia Advocacy on Social Media During World Alzheimer's Month: Infodemiology Study.

Background: Understanding advocacy strategies is essential to improving dementia awareness, reducing stigma, supporting cognitive health promotion, and influencing policy to support people living with dementia. However, there is a dearth of evidence-based research on advocacy strategies used to support dementia awareness.

Objective: This study aimed to use posts from X (formerly known as Twitter) to understand dementia advocacy strategies during World Alzheimer's Awareness Month in September 2022.

Vectorized Human Antibody-Mediated Anti-Eosinophil Gene Therapy.

Chronic hypereosinophilia, defined as persistent elevated blood levels of eosinophils ≥1,500/μL, is associated with tissue infiltration of eosinophils and consequent organ damage by eosinophil release of toxic mediators. The current therapies for chronic hypereosinophilia have limited success, require repetitive administration, and are associated with a variety of adverse effects. As a novel approach to treat chronic hypereosinophilia, we hypothesized that adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated delivery of an anti-human eosinophil antibody would provide one-time therapy that would mediate persistent suppression of blood eosinophil levels.

Review of methodology and re-analysis of lipidomic data focusing on specialised pro-resolution lipid mediators (SPMs) in a human model of resolving inflammation.

Using a model of UV-killed E. coli driven dermal inflammation in healthy human volunteers, we originally reported that following inflammatory resolution there was infiltration of macrophages, which, through prostanoids including prostaglandin (PG) E, imprints long-term tissue immunity. In addition to the prostanoids, data on levels of Specialised Pro-Resolution Lipid Mediators (SPMs) throughout inflammatory onset, resolution and post-resolution phases of this model were presented, but as illustrations rather than as primary data.

Transition experiences of adolescents and young adults working with a patient navigator.

Introduction: The transition from pediatric to adult care poses challenges for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with chronic conditions and their caregivers. A patient navigator (PN) intervention may mitigate transition-related barriers.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted within a pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

Upadacitinib induction is effective and safe in ulcerative colitis patients including those with prior exposure to tofacitinib: a multicenter real-world cohort study.

Background/aims: Upadacitinib is a novel selective Janus kinase inhibitor approved for use in ulcerative colitis. Clinical trials had rigorous criteria and excluded many patient subgroups. Given limited real-world effectiveness data, we examined outcomes of patients treated with upadacitinib for ulcerative colitis in a real-world population.

Nutrition biomarker assessment and exploration of the role of country foods to improve food security in the Sahtú Region, Canada.

Country foods (i.e. wild traditional food) are associated with improved nutrition for northern populations.

Global CO uptake by cement materials accounts 1930-2023.

The majority of the carbon footprint of the cement industry originates from the decomposition of alkaline carbonates during clinker production. Recent studies have demonstrated that calcium oxides and other alkaline oxides in cement materials can sequester CO through the carbonation process and partially offset the carbon emissions generated during cement production. This study employs a comprehensive analytical model to estimate the CO uptake via hydrated cement carbonation, including concrete, mortar, construction waste, and cement kiln dust (CKD), covering major cement production and consumption regions worldwide from 1930 to 2023.

Minimum dietary diversity behaviour among children aged 6 to 24 months and their determinants: insights from 31 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries.

Background: Feeding practices during infancy have a significant impact on a child's cognitive development and long-term health outcomes. Dietary diversity guidelines from the WHO and UNICEF recommend a diverse range of foods for children aged below 24 months for their optimal growth and development. However, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), little is known about the extent to which dietary diversity behaviour in children aged 6 to 24 months aligns with the recommendations and the factors associated with the differentials in dietary behaviour.

Mesenteric Visceral Lipectomy (MVL) Improves Glucose Tolerance in Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Pilot Study.

Context: Increased mesenteric visceral fat is associated with the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Using Targeted Cell Separation and Extraction Technology (TC-SET), we examined the effect of removal of intra-abdominal fat, specifically small bowel mesenteric fat, on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in 7 obese, poorly controlled type 2 diabetic individuals (HbA1c = 8.9±0.

The Maddox rod: Revisiting the optics.

The Maddox rod is a staple in the assessment of strabismus. However, its optics mechanism is puzzling. How is it that an orthogonal line focus is formed? Surprisingly, few texts offer an explanation and those that do either provide insufficient detail, contain misleading information or are difficult to follow.

Assessment of peroneal tendon lesions using 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional isotropic magnetic resonance imaging with surgical correlation.

Accurate diagnoses of peroneal pathologies remains a challenge due to limitations of conventional 2D (dimensional) imaging, which can impact long-term patient outcomes. This study evaluates MRI accuracy and inter-reader reliability of peroneal compartment pathology for 2D and 3D MRI. A consecutive series of patients who underwent peroneal compartment surgery with preoperative 1.

Asparagine availability controls germinal center B cell homeostasis.

The rapid proliferation of germinal center (GC) B cells requires metabolic reprogramming to meet energy demands, yet these metabolic processes are poorly understood. By integrating metabolomic and transcriptomic profiling of GC B cells, we identified that asparagine (Asn) metabolism was highly up-regulated and essential for B cell function. Asparagine synthetase (ASNS) was up-regulated after B cell activation through the integrated stress response sensor GCN2.

A standard procedure for constructing a multi-level social vulnerability index using CLSA and SOS data as working examples.

Background: The construct of social vulnerability attempts to understand social circumstances not merely as a descriptor, but as a predictor of adverse health events. It can be measured by aggregating social deficits in a social vulnerability index (SVI). We describe a standard procedure for constructing a multi-level SVI using two working examples.

Core elements of the perioperative medicine for older people undergoing surgery (POPS) model of care.

Purpose: Hospital surgical services that utilise the approach of the perioperative medicine for older people undergoing surgery (POPS) model of care improve outcomes for older people contemplating and undergoing surgery. Complex models of care like POPS may be difficult to implement without understanding the elements that comprise that model of care. Logic models can be used to aid implementation by visually depicting theoretical relationships between the elements of the model of care.

Impact of a national dementia research consortium: The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).

The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) was created by the Canadian federal government through its health research funding agency, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), in 2014, as a response to the G7 initiative to fight dementia. Two five-year funding cycles (2014-2019; 2019-2024) have occurred following peer review, and a third cycle (Phase 3) has just begun. A unique construct was mandated, consisting of 20 national teams in Phase I and 19 teams in Phase II (with research topics spanning from basic to clinical science to health resource systems) along with cross-cutting programs to support them.

Barriers to and facilitators of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening and cancer screening histories of Métis people in Alberta, Canada.

Comprehensive evaluation of cancer screening activities based on individual experiences is urgently needed to address the burden of cancer among Métis people. In this co-designed and co-led study, a cancer screening questionnaire developed for Métis people to evaluate their cancer screening histories and to explore barriers and facilitators to cancer screening was used. Adult Métis Albertans were invited to participate in the anonymous survey through a multi-modal strategy used for community consultations.

Enhancing dysarthric speech recognition through SepFormer and hierarchical attention network models with multistage transfer learning.

Dysarthria, a motor speech disorder that impacts articulation and speech clarity, presents significant challenges for Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems. This study proposes a groundbreaking approach to enhance the accuracy of Dysarthric Speech Recognition (DSR). A primary innovation lies in the integration of the SepFormer-Speech Enhancement Generative Adversarial Network (S-SEGAN), an advanced generative adversarial network tailored for Dysarthric Speech Enhancement (DSE), as a front-end processing stage for DSR systems.