Challenging perceptions about rural practice using narratives: a living library approach in medical education.

Introduction: The shortage of physicians in rural Canada is a continuing challenge. Canadian medical schools have adapted strategies to increase the supply of rural physicians. This study appraises the effectiveness of the living library (also called Human Library©) in medical education, as an avenue for medical and pre-medical students to engage in dialogue with rural health professionals.

Breaking Down Bias: A Methodological Primer on Identifying, Evaluating, and Mitigating Bias in Cardiovascular Research.

Systematic error, often referred to as bias is an inherent challenge in observational cardiovascular research, and has the potential to profoundly influence the design, conduct, and interpretation of study results. If not carefully considered and managed, bias can lead to spurious results, which can misinform clinical practice or public health initiatives and compromise patient outcomes. This methodological primer offers a concise introduction to the identification, evaluation, and mitigation of bias in observational cardiovascular research studies assessing the causal association of an exposure (or treatment) on an outcome.

Impact of nanoparticle properties on immune cell interactions in the lymph node.

The lymphatic system plays an important role in health and many diseases, such as cancer, autoimmune, cardiovascular, metabolic, hepatic, viral, and other infectious diseases. The lymphatic system is, therefore, an important treatment target site for a range of diseases. Lymph nodes (LNs), rich in T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages, are also primary sites of action for vaccines and immunotherapies.

Cholic-Acid Derived, Guanidine-Functionalized Polymers as Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Agents.

In this study, we report the design of a new guanylated, cholic-acid-based monomer (GM) to combat antimicrobial resistance. The microbial activity stems from the interfacial amphiphilicity of cholic acid, while guanidine shows a strong association with phosphate, which promotes binding to membrane phospholipids. The monomer showed strong antimicrobial activity; however, surprisingly, homopolymers synthesized by photoiniferter reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization of GM completely lost their activity likely due to the conformation of the polymer.

Defining a core set of research and development priorities for virtual care in the post-pandemic environment: a call to action.

Objectives: To identify research and development priorities for virtual care following the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic from the perspective of key stakeholders (patients, clinicians, informaticians and academics).

Design: Qualitative study using a modified nominal group technique.

Setting: Online semi-structured interviews and workshops held in November 2022 and February 2023.