An overview of Internal Medicine Point-of-Care Ultrasound rotations in Canada.

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a growing part of internal medicine training programs. Dedicated POCUS rotations are emerging as a particularly effective tool in POCUS training, allowing for longitudinal learning and emphasizing both psychomotor skills and the nuances of clinical integration. In this descriptive paper, we set out to review the state of POCUS rotations in Canadian Internal Medicine training programs.

First year internal medicine residents' self-report point-of-care ultrasound knowledge and skills: what (Little) difference three years make.

Background: With increasing availability of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) education in medical schools, it is unclear whether or not learning needs of junior medical residents have evolved over time.

Methods: We invited all postgraduate year (PGY)-1 residents at three Canadian internal medicine residency training programs in 2019 to complete a survey previously completed by 47 Canadian Internal Medicine PGY-1 s in 2016. Using a five-point Likert scale, participants rated perceived applicability of POCUS to the practice of internal medicine and self-reported skills in 15 diagnostic POCUS applications and 9 procedures.

Transformation of Australian Community Pharmacies Into Good Clinical Practice Compliant Trial Pharmacies for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.

In Australia, clinical trial drugs are conventionally dispensed through clinical trial pharmacies only, while community pharmacies dispense drugs approved by Australia's regulatory body. A large HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis study aimed to deliver clinical trial drug through community pharmacies to improve convenience and mimic real world prescribing. This paper describes the process of making community trials compliant with good clinical practice and reports outcomes of delivering clinical trial drug through community pharmacies.

Simian adenovirus vector production for early-phase clinical trials: A simple method applicable to multiple serotypes and using entirely disposable product-contact components.

A variety of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant processes have been reported for production of non-replicating adenovirus vectors, but important challenges remain. Most clinical development of adenovirus vectors now uses simian adenoviruses or rare human serotypes, whereas reported manufacturing processes mainly use serotypes such as AdHu5 which are of questionable relevance for clinical vaccine development. Many clinically relevant vaccine transgenes interfere with adenovirus replication, whereas most reported process development uses selected antigens or even model transgenes such as fluorescent proteins which cause little such interference.

Point of care ultrasound training for internal medicine: a Canadian multi-centre learner needs assessment study.

Background: Significant gaps currently exist in the Canadian internal medicine point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum. From a learner's perspective, it remains unknown what key POCUS skills should be prioritized. This needs assessment study seeks to establish educational priorities for POCUS for internal medicine residents at five Canadian residency training programs.

Insulin-producing intestinal K cells protect nonobese diabetic mice from autoimmune diabetes.

Background & Aims: Type 1 diabetes is caused by an aberrant response against pancreatic β cells. Intestinal K cells are glucose-responsive endocrine cells that might be engineered to secrete insulin. We generated diabetes-prone non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice that express insulin, via a transgene, in K cells.

Work limitations, workplace concerns, and job satisfaction of persons with chronic disease.

Introduction: This study investigates the workplace experiences of people with chronic diseases, including their work limitations, emotional health, concerns about discrimination, and support from colleagues and employer. This study identifies the factors that contribute to work adjustment (job tenure and job satisfaction).

Methods: A purposive sample of 136 persons aged 18 to 60 with chronic diseases who had been employed in the past 6 months completed a survey about their workplace experience.

Cerebral small vessel disease: genetic risk assessment for prevention and treatment.

Cerebrovascular disease is a major burden to individuals and their communities worldwide. Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability, and the prevention and treatment of stroke can be improved with a better understanding of its causation. Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is a subset of cerebrovascular disease, and has an equally large impact on an individual's quality of life.

Treatment of obesity and diabetes in mice by transplant of gut cells engineered to produce leptin.

Leptin injections evoke weight loss by causing a reduction in food consumption and an increase in energy expenditure. Also, the administration of leptin lowers blood glucose levels in some rodent models of diabetes and in humans with lipodystrophy. We explored the therapeutic potential of delivering leptin to obese, diabetic ob/ob mice and to mice fed on a high-fat diet (HFD), by transplanting gut-derived cells engineered to produce leptin, under the regulation of an inducing agent, mifepristone.

Cyclosporin monitoring in Australasia: survey of laboratory practices in 2000.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of cyclosporin has been established as part of the routine clinical management of patients following organ transplantation for some 20 years. The current practices of laboratories in Australia and New Zealand have been surveyed for the year 2000 to update previous similar surveys in the light of considerable changes in CsA formulation (now exclusively Neoral throughout Australasia), assay methods, and blood sampling strategies. The results, representing 93% of CsA laboratories in Australasia (n = 44), found that there was still a plethora of approaches adopted within each organ type for monitoring the established trough (C0) CsA concentration.