Interrater and Intrarater Reliability and Validity of 3 Measurement Methods for Shoulder-Position Sense.

Context: Joint-position sense (JPS) plays a critical role in the stability of shoulder joint. Restoration of JPS is essential to improve rehabilitation outcomes in individuals with shoulder injury. However, the number of affordable and reliable shoulder-JPS measurement methods for everyday clinical practice is limited.

Is HbA1c a valid surrogate for macrovascular and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes?

Recent recommendations regarding type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients' treatments have focused on personalizing glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) targets. Because the relationship between HbA1c and diabetes prognosis has been established from large prospective cohorts, it is valid to question the extrapolation from population-based risk reduction estimations to individual predictions. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between HbA1c reductions and clinical outcomes in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), using a meta-regression approach.

Metabolic activity and functional diversity changes in sediment prokaryotic communities organically enriched with mussel biodeposits.

This experimental microcosm study reports the influence of organic enrichments by mussel biodeposits on the metabolic activity and functional diversity of benthic prokaryotic communities. The different biodeposit enrichment regimes created, which mimicked the quantity of faeces and pseudo-faeces potentially deposited below mussel farms, show a clear stimulatory effect of this organic enrichment on prokaryotic metabolic activity. This effect was detected once a certain level of biodeposition was attained with a tipping point estimated between 3.

Impact of post-stroke unilateral spatial neglect on goal-directed arm movements: systematic literature review.

Background: Unilateral spatial neglect (USN), a highly prevalent post-stroke impairment, refers to one's inability to orient or respond to stimuli located in the contralesional visual hemispace. Unilateral spatial neglect has been shown to strongly affect motor performance in functional activities, including non-affected upper extremity (UE) movements. To date, our understanding of the effects of USN on goal-directed UE movements is limited and comparing performance of individuals post-stroke with and without USN is required.

Quality of work life of rural emergency department nurses and physicians: a pilot study.

Background: Information about recruitment and retention factors and quality of work life (QWL) in rural emergency departments (EDs) is limited. A pilot study was used to determine the feasibility of a large-scale study of these variables in Quebec EDs.

Methods: Two EDs, approximately 10,000 and 30,000 patients per year respectively, were selected as convenience samples.

Use of prothrombin complex concentrate in warfarin anticoagulation reversal in the emergency department: a quality improvement study of administration delays.

Background: Quick reversal of warfarin anticoagulation is important in life threatening bleeding. The aim of this study is to improve the administration delay when using Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (PCC) for the emergent reversal of warfarin anticoagulation in the emergency department.

Methods: An audit and feedback quality improvement project was conducted in three phases: a retrospective audit phase, an analysis and feedback phase and prospective evaluation phase.

Differences in access to services in rural emergency departments of Quebec and Ontario.

Introduction: Rural emergency departments (EDs) are important safety nets for the 20% of Canadians who live there. A serious problem in access to health care services in these regions has emerged. However, there are considerable geographic disparities in access to trauma center in Canada.

Resilience and adjustments of surface sediment bacterial communities in an enclosed shallow coastal lagoon, Magdalen Islands, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada.

Bacteria regulate global biogeochemical cycles and much of this activity occurs in shallow coastal sediments; however, little is known of the seasonality or how changes in environmental conditions influence the active sediment bacterial communities. Havre-aux-Maisons (Magdalen Islands, Canada), a relatively pristine enclosed shallow coastal lagoon, is of particular biological interest since it has no inflowing rivers and provides an opportunity to investigate non-estuarine shallow marine sediments. Potentially active taxa in surface sediments were identified over a 15-month period using high-throughput rRNA amplicon sequencing.

The Quebec rural emergency department project: a cross-sectional study of a potential two-pronged strategy in the knowledge transfer process.

Introduction: Health services research generates useful knowledge. Promotion of implementation of this knowledge in medical practice is essential. Prior to initiation of a major study on rural emergency departments (EDs), we deployed two knowledge transfer strategies designed to generate interest and engagement from potential knowledge users.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Wiki Involving Multiple Stakeholders Including Patients in the Promotion of Best Practices in Trauma Care: The WikiTrauma Interrupted Time Series Protocol.

Background: Trauma is the most common cause of mortality among people between the ages of 1 and 45 years, costing Canadians 19.8 billion dollars a year (2004 data), yet half of all patients with major traumatic injuries do not receive evidence-based care, and significant regional variation in the quality of care across Canada exists. Accordingly, our goal is to lead a research project in which stakeholders themselves will adapt evidence-based trauma care knowledge tools to their own varied institutional contexts and cultures.

Effectiveness of functional electrical stimulation in improving clinical outcomes in the upper arm following stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Different therapeutic methods are being used to prevent or decrease long-term impairments of the upper arm in stroke patients. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is one of these methods, which aims to stimulate the nerves of the weakened muscles so that the resulting muscle contractions resemble those of a functional task.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to review the evidence for the effect of FES on (1) shoulder subluxation, (2) pain, and (3) upper arm motor function in stroke patients, when added to conventional therapy.

Comparison of access to services in rural emergency departments in Quebec and British Columbia.

Introduction: Although emergency departments (EDs) in Canada's rural areas serve approximately 20% of the population, a serious problem in access to health care services has emerged.

Objective: The objective of this project was to compare access to support services in rural EDs between British Columbia and Quebec.

Methods: Rural EDs were identified through the Canadian Healthcare Association's Guide to Canadian Healthcare Facilities.

Treatment for calcium channel blocker poisoning: a systematic review.

Context: Calcium channel blocker poisoning is a common and sometimes life-threatening ingestion.

Objective: To evaluate the reported effects of treatments for calcium channel blocker poisoning. The primary outcomes of interest were mortality and hemodynamic parameters.

Development and validation of questionnaires exploring health care professionals' intention to use wiki-based reminders to promote best practices in trauma.

Background: Little is known about factors influencing professionals' use of wikis.

Objective: We developed and validated two questionnaires to assess health care professionals' intention to use wiki-based reminders for the management of trauma patients.

Methods: We developed questionnaires for emergency physicians (EPs) and allied health professions (AHPs) based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and adapted them to the salient beliefs of each, identified in an earlier study.

Visually-guided correction of hand reaching movements: The neurophysiological bases in the cerebral cortex.

The ability of human and non-human primates to make fast corrections to hand movement trajectories after a sudden shift in the target's location is a key feature of visuo-motor behavior. In healthy individuals, hand movements smoothly adapt to a change in target location without needing to complete the movement to the first target location, as typical of parietal patients. This finding indicates that the nervous system continuously monitors the visual scene and is able to integrate new information in order to produce an efficient motor response.

Environmental drivers of the Canadian Arctic megabenthic communities.

Environmental gradients and their influence on benthic community structure vary over different spatial scales; yet, few studies in the Arctic have attempted to study the influence of environmental gradients of differing spatial scales on megabenthic communities across continental-scales. The current project studied for the first time how megabenthic community structure is related to several environmental factors over 2000 km of the Canadian Arctic, from the Beaufort Sea to northern Baffin Bay. Faunal trawl samples were collected between 2007 and 2011 at 78 stations from 30 to 1000 m depth and patterns in biomass, density, richness, diversity, and taxonomic composition were examined in relation to indirect/spatial gradients (e.

Diversity, abundance and community structure of benthic macro- and megafauna on the Beaufort shelf and slope.

Diversity and community patterns of macro- and megafauna were compared on the Canadian Beaufort shelf and slope. Faunal sampling collected 247 taxa from 48 stations with box core and trawl gear over the summers of 2009-2011 between 50 and 1,000 m in depth. Of the 80 macrofaunal and 167 megafaunal taxa, 23% were uniques, present at only one station.

Impact of forest harvesting on trophic structure of eastern Canadian Boreal Shield lakes: insights from stable isotope analyses.

Perturbations on ecosystems can have profound immediate effects and can, accordingly, greatly alter the natural community. Land-use such as forestry activities in the Canadian Boreal region have increased in the last decades, raising concerns about their potential impact on aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of forest harvesting on trophic structure in eastern Canadian Boreal Shield lakes.

Body size as a predictor of species loss effect on ecosystem functioning.

There is an urgent need to develop predictive indicators of the effect of species loss on ecosystem functioning. Body size is often considered as a good indicator because of its relationship to extinction risk and several functional traits. Here, we examined the predictive capacity of species body size in marine and freshwater multitrophic systems.

The potential impact of intelligent power wheelchair use on social participation: perspectives of users, caregivers and clinicians.

Purpose: To explore power wheelchair users', caregivers' and clinicians' perspectives regarding the potential impact of intelligent power wheelchair use on social participation.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with power wheelchair users (n = 12), caregivers (n = 4) and clinicians (n = 12). An illustrative video was used to facilitate discussion.

Power wheelchair driving challenges in the community: a users' perspective.

Purpose: There is limited information on the difficulties individuals experience in manoeuvring their power wheelchairs during daily activities. The aim of this study was to describe the nature and context of power wheelchair driving challenges from the perspective of the user.

Methods: A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with power wheelchair users.

Exploring powered wheelchair users and their caregivers' perspectives on potential intelligent power wheelchair use: a qualitative study.

Power wheelchairs (PWCs) can have a positive impact on user well-being, self-esteem, pain, activity and participation. Newly developed intelligent power wheelchairs (IPWs), allowing autonomous or collaboratively-controlled navigation, could enhance mobility of individuals not able to use, or having difficulty using, standard PWCs. The objective of this study was to explore the perspectives of PWC users (PWUs) and their caregivers regarding if and how IPWs could impact on current challenges faced by PWUs, as well as inform current development of IPWs.

Phylogenetic differences in attached and free-living bacterial communities in a temperate coastal lagoon during summer, revealed via high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Most of what is known about coastal free-living and attached bacterial diversity is based on open coasts, with high particulate and nutrient riverine supply, terrestrial runoffs, and anthropogenic activities. The Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada) are dominated by shallow lagoons with small, relatively pristine catchments and no freshwater input apart from rain.