Association between obstructive sleep apnea and persistent postural-perceptual dizziness.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked to vestibular dysfunction, but no prior studies have investigated the relationship between Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD), a common cause of chronic dizziness, and OSA.

Objective And Methods: We determined the frequency of OSA in an uncontrolled group of PPPD patients from a tertiary dizziness clinic based on polysomnogram (PSG). We then assessed the sensitivity and specificity of common OSA questionnaires in this population.

An aggressive central giant cell granuloma in a pediatric patient: case report and review of literature.

Background: Central giant cell granulomas are benign tumours of the mandible, presenting in children and young adults. Divided into non- and aggressive subtypes, the aggressive subtype is relatively rare and can occasionally progress rapidly, resulting in significant morbidity.

Case Presentation: We present a case of an aggressive central giant cell granuloma (CGCG) in a six year-old female.

Dizziness at a Canadian tertiary care hospital: a cost-of-illness study.

Background: In the Canadian health care system, determining overall costs associated with a particular diagnostic subgroup of patients, in this case dizzy patients, is the first step in the process of determining where costs could be saved without compromising patient care. This study is the first Canadian study that evaluates these costs at a tertiary care hospital and will allow for the extrapolation of cost data for other similar academic health science centers, regional health initiatives, and provincial healthcare planning structures.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients of any age presenting to The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), a tertiary care hospital, between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st 2014 with a main diagnosis of dizziness or dizziness-related disease.

Economic evaluation of floseal compared to nasal packing for the management of anterior epistaxis.

Objectives/hypothesis: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Floseal, a topically applied hemostatic agent, and nasal packing for the management of epistaxis in Canada.

Study Design: Outcomes research, a cost-utility analysis.

Methods: We developed a Markov model to compare the costs and health outcomes of Floseal with nasal packing over a lifetime horizon from the perspective of a publicly funded healthcare system.

Effect of Engineered Nanoparticles on Exopolymeric Substances Release from Marine Phytoplankton.

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), products from modern nanotechnologies, can potentially impact the marine environment to pose serious threats to marine ecosystems. However, the cellular responses of marine phytoplankton to ENPs are still not well established. Here, we investigate four different diatom species (Odontella mobiliensis, Skeletonema grethae, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Thalassiosira pseudonana) and one green algae (Dunaliella tertiolecta) for their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) release under model ENP treatments: 25 nm titanium dioxide (TiO), 10-20 nm silicon dioxide (SiO), and 15-30 nm cerium dioxide (CeO).

Thyroid Fine-needle aspiration biopsy: an evaluation of its utility in a community setting.

Background: Thyroid cancer rates are on the rise worldwide with over 5000 new cases estimated in Canada in 2012. The American Thyroid Association recommends the use of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) in the workup of thyroid nodules. Studies show that thyroid FNA accuracy may vary based on interpretation by cytopathologists in academic versus community centres.