Use of virtual care near the end of life before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based cohort study.

Background And Aims: The expanded use of virtual care may worsen pre-existing disparities in use and delivery of end-of-life care among certain groups of people. We measured the use of virtual care in the last three months of life before and after the introduction of virtual care fee codes that funded care delivery at the start of COVID-19 on March 14, 2020, and identified changes in the characteristics of people using it.

Methods: We used linked clinical and administrative datasets to study use of virtual care in the last three months of life among 411,564 adults who died between January 25, 2018, and November 30, 2022.

Self-assessment skills of undergraduate students in operative dentistry: Preclinical performance and gender.

Background: Self-assessment is key to improving the quality of work performed by dental professionals. The ability to accurately self-assess has been found to correlate with better clinical performance, making it an important skill for students to master during their dental education. Furthermore, studies conducted in dental schools across the world have shown that lower-performing students tend to overestimate their abilities compared to their peers.

Flap blood glucose measurement for flap monitoring and early detection of circulatory problems.

Postoperative monitoring of skin flaps is subjective and cannot detect early circulatory problems in the flap. Early detection and rapid remedial re-exploration are important for flap salvage. We evaluated flap glucose measurement to monitor the flaps for early detection of circulatory problems.

What is the quality of reporting in randomized controlled trials in spinal conditions.

Purpose: Substandard quality across published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is a major concern. Imperfect reporting has the potential to distort the evidence landscape and waste valuable health-care resources. In this study, we aim to assess the current quality of reporting in the field of spine using a modified version of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist.

Cost-Utility Analysis of Geriatric Assessment and Management in Older Adults With Cancer: Economic Evaluation Within 5C Trial.

Purpose: Geriatric assessment (GA) is a guideline-recommended approach to optimize cancer management in older adults. We conducted a cost-utility analysis alongside the 5C randomized controlled trial to compare GA and management (GAM) plus usual care (UC) against UC alone in older adults with cancer.

Methods: The economic evaluation, conducted from societal and health care payer perspectives, used a 12-month time horizon.

Effectiveness of geriatric assessment and management in older cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Frailty and multimorbidity among older cancer patients affect treatment tolerance and efficacy. Comprehensive geriatric assessment and management is recommended to optimize cancer treatment, but its effect on various outcomes remains uncertain.

Objective: Our objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cost-effectiveness studies comparing comprehensive geriatric assessment (with or without implementation of recommendations) to usual care in older cancer patients.

Treatment of primitive myxoid mesenchymal tumour of infancy: a management paradigm focusing on surgical nuances.

Primitive myxoid mesenchymal tumour of infancy (PMMTI) is a rare mesenchymal tumour that typically appears in those under 6 months of age and preferentially affects the deep soft tissues of the trunk and paravertebral spinal regions. PMMTI has only recently been described, and there is scarce literature reporting cases regarding the management paradigm of the tumour. We report the case of an 11-week-old male who presented with bilaterally reduced movement and brisk reflexes in his lower limbs, and irritability.

Kidney Ultrasonography After First Febrile Urinary Tract Infection in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Controversy exists on the clinical utility of kidney ultrasonography after first febrile urinary tract infection (UTI), and clinical practice guideline recommendations vary.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of urinary tract abnormalities detected on kidney ultrasonography after the first febrile UTI in children.

Data Sources: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched for articles published from January 1, 2000, to September 20, 2022.

Medicinal Mushroom Supplements in Cancer: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies.

Purpose Of Review: Patients seek clinical guidance on mushroom supplements that can be given alongside conventional treatments, but most research on such fungi has been preclinical. The current systematic review focused on clinical studies of mushrooms in cancer care conducted in the past 10 years. We searched Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Scopus (Wiley), and Cochrane Library to identify all mushroom studies conducted in humans published from January 2010 through December 2020.

A peek behind the curtain in the diagnosis and management of COVID‑19‑Associated Mucormycosis (CAM).

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis (CAM) is responsible for a high mortality rate due to its unique and severe host-pathogen interactions. Critically ill or immunocompromised COVID-19 patients are more prone to suffer from aggressive mycoses. Probable victims include those with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM), metabolic acidosis, prolonged neutropenia, increased ferritin levels, hypoxia, and prolonged hospitalization with/without mechanical ventilators and corticosteroids administration.

Rise of the natural red pigment 'prodigiosin' as an immunomodulator in cancer.

Cancer is a heterogeneous disease with multifaceted drug resistance mechanisms (e.g., tumour microenvironment [TME], tumour heterogeneity, and immune evasion).

Pediatric Clinical Classification System for use in Canadian inpatient settings.

Background: A classification system that categorizes International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) diagnosis codes into clinically meaningful categories is important for pediatric clinical and health services research using administrative data. While a Pediatric Clinical Classification System (PECCS) is available for the United States ICD-10 system (i.e, ICD-10-CM), differences in the ICD-10 system between countries limits PECCS use in Canada.

Combining CuAAC reaction enables sialylated Bi- and triantennary pseudo mannose N-glycans for investigating Siglec-7 interactions.

Naturally occurring N-glycans display much diversity in modifications, linkages, and peripheral presentation of the oligosaccharide chain. Despite continued advancements in oligosaccharide synthesis, synthetic access to these natural glycans remains challenging. Biologically relevant complex N-glycan mimetics with various natural and unnatural modifications are an alternate way for investigating glycan-protein interactions.

Disengaging the COVID-19 Clutch as a Discerning Eye Over the Inflammatory Circuit During SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and leads to multiorgan dysfunction. Mitochondrial dynamics are fundamental to protect against environmental insults, but they are highly susceptible to viral infections. Defective mitochondria are potential sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Patient, Caregiver, and Clinician Participation in Prioritization of Research Questions in Pediatric Hospital Medicine.

Importance: The research agenda in pediatric hospital medicine has seldom considered the perspectives of young people, parents and caregivers, and health care professionals. Their perspectives may be useful in identifying questions on topics for research.

Objective: To prioritize unanswered research questions in pediatric hospital medicine from the perspectives of young people, parents/caregivers, and health care professionals.

Sugar nucleotide regeneration system for the synthesis of Bi- and triantennary N-glycans and exploring their activities against siglecs.

Enzymatic synthesis that is commenced by the sugar nucleotide regeneration system (SNRS) protocol can minimize 1) the consumption of exorbitant sugar nucleotides, 2) the amount of transferases required, and 3) byproduct feedback inhibition. In this study, LacNAc extensions/modifications of the N-linked mannose core were carried out efficiently with SNRS with high yields and purities on all branches in a uniform manner. In addition, we demonstrate that with SNRS, bacterial glycosyltransferases exhibit a wide acceptor tolerance for bi- and triantennary mannose core structures as substrates for target oligosaccharides.

Parenteral versus enteral fluid therapy for children hospitalised with bronchiolitis.

Background: The main focus of treatment for children hospitalised with bronchiolitis is supportive, including oxygen supplementation, respiratory support, and fluid therapy. Up to half of infants hospitalised with bronchiolitis require non-oral fluid therapy due to dehydration or concerns related to the safety of oral feeding. The two main modalities used for non-oral fluid therapy are parenteral (intravenous (IV)) and enteral tube (nasogastric (NG) or orogastric (OG)).

Development and Testing of a Community-Based Intervention to Address Intimate Partner Violence among Rohingya and Syrian Refugees: A Social Norms-Based Mental Health-Integrated Approach.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the leading form of gender-based violence globally and increases during times of conflict and displacement. To reduce IPV and encourage help-seeking, a two-phase community-based intervention was co-designed with Rohingya in Malaysia and Syrians in Lebanon. Three day workshops, utilizing a social norms-based mental health-integrated approach, were implemented for women and men in each country ( = 148).

The micro-shear bond strength of resin cements to aged laser bleached enamel after using different desensitizing agents.

Objectives: To evaluate the micro-shear bond strength of two resin cements to aged laser bleached enamel after the application of three different desensitizing agents.

Materials And Methods: Forty extracted human central and lateral incisors were prepared and bleached using laser activation bleaching protocol. The teeth were assigned randomly into four groups for desensitization; G1: No post-bleaching treatment, G2: GC MI Paste Plus, G3: Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (n-HAP) and G4: Flor-Opal.