Publications by authors named "Aaron Spahr"

Parents of children with genetically determined leukoencephalopathies play a major role in their children's health care. We sought to gain a better understanding of their experience with the public health care system in Quebec, Canada, to obtain suggestions for improving their services, and to identify modifiable factors to improve their quality of life. We conducted interviews with 13 parents.

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Biscationic quaternary phosphonium compounds (bisQPCs) represent a promising class of antimicrobials, displaying potent activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, we explored the effects of structural rigidity on the antimicrobial activity of QPC structures bearing a two-carbon linker between phosphonium groups, testing against a panel of six bacteria, including multiple strains harboring known disinfectant resistance mechanisms. Using simple alkylation reactions, 21 novel compounds were prepared, although alkene isomerization as well as an alkyne reduction were observed during the respective syntheses.

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Parents of children with genetically determined leukoencephalopathies play a major role in their children's health care. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many health care services were suspended, delayed or delivered remotely with telemedicine. We sought to explore the experience of parents of children with genetically determined leukoencephalopathies during the pandemic given the adapted health care services.

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Background: Rare diseases are estimated to affect 150-350 million people worldwide. With advances in next generation sequencing, the number of known disease-causing genes has increased significantly, opening the door for therapy development. Rare disease research has therefore pivoted from gene discovery to the exploration of potential therapies.

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