Sensory Health and Universal Health Coverage in Canada-An Environmental Scan.

: The World Federation of the Deafblind Global Report 2023 reports that many countries do not have a comprehensive identification, assessment, and referral system for persons with deafblindness, a combination of hearing and vision loss, across all age groups and geographic regions. The scan seeks to inform researchers, policymakers, and community-based organizations about the status of and gaps in sensory healthcare initiatives in Canada, with the intent to raise awareness to enhance the integration and coordination of eye and ear care services. : We conducted an environmental scan of Canada's healthcare system and current public health policies addressing vision and hearing care in Canada at the federal and provincial levels.

3D printing as assistive technology for individuals with deafblindness: perspectives of rehabilitation professionals.

There is a growing body of evidence on practical applications of three-dimensional (3D) printing to support the rehabilitation of individuals with sensory impairments. However, applications in the field of deafblindness, or the combination of vision and hearing impairment, remain scarce. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore actual and potential applications of 3D printing in deafblindness rehabilitation from the perspective of rehabilitation professionals in two focus group discussions that involved orientation and mobility specialists, vision rehabilitation specialists, audiologists, and braille technicians.

Development of core sets for deafblindness using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: the perspectives of individuals with lived experience.

Background: The needs of people with deafblindness remain poorly understood and addressed globally. This study is part of a larger body of work to develop Core Sets for deafblindness using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).

Aim: To determine the perspectives on functioning of individuals with lived experience of deafblindness as they relate to the ICF.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) core sets for deafblindness, part II of the systematic review: linking data to the ICF categories.

Introduction: Deafblindness, a health condition with varying combinations of hearing and vision impairment, affects functioning and social participation. In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) to examine human health and functioning. To use the ICF in clinical practice, smaller categories of ICF codes, referred to as Core Sets, were developed for specific health conditions.

Caregiving in long-term care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic magnified pre-existing socioeconomic, operational, and structural challenges in long-term care across the world. In Canada, the long-term care sector's dependence on caregivers as a supplement to care workers became apparent once restrictive visitation policies were employed. We conducted a scoping review to better understand the associations between caregiving and resident, formal and informal caregiver health in long-term care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Development of core sets for deafblindness: an international expert survey on functioning and disability of individuals living with deafblindness using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.

Background: The development of International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Core Sets greatly enhances the global recognition of health conditions, thereby advancing research, education, and care provision. Aside from the work of researchers, and the viewpoint of persons with lived experience, the development of Core Sets for deafblindness needs to include the viewpoints of professionals with expertise unique to this condition.

Aim: To represent the perspective of health and social service expert professionals in the development of ICF Core Sets for deafblindness.

Assessment of Trachyspermum ammi essential oil against Aspergillus flavus, aflatoxin B contamination, and post-harvest quality of Sorghum bicolor.

The present investigation explored the antifungal effectiveness of Trachyspermum ammi essential oil (TAEO) against Aspergillus flavus, aflatoxin B (AFB) contamination, and its mechanism of action using biochemical and computational approaches. The GC-MS result revealed the chemical diversity of TAEO with the highest percentage of γ-terpinene (39 %). The TAEO exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration against A.

Insights into the antimicrobial efficacy of Coleus aromaticus essential oil against food-borne microbes: Biochemical and molecular simulation approaches.

The study reported the antimicrobial efficacy of chemically characterized Coleus aromaticus essential oil (CEO) against food-borne bacteria, molds (Aspergillus flavus), aflatoxin B (AFB) and explored its mechanism of action using biochemical and molecular simulation approaches. The chemical profile of CEO was explored by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, which revealed thymol (46.0%) as the major compound.

Visual and cognitive functioning among older adults with low vision before vision rehabilitation: A pilot study.

Introduction: The occurrence of age-related vision changes is inevitable. However, some of these changes can become pathological. Research indicates that vision and hearing loss is correlated with age-related cognitive decline, and with a higher risk of developing dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

Continuum of Care for Older Adults With Concurrent Hearing and Vision Impairment: A Systematic Review.

Background And Objectives: A global report estimates up to 2% of the world population experience concurrent hearing and vision impairment (dual sensory impairment [DSI]). Older adults with DSI are often frequent users of health care, yet the evidence is limited to inform care delivery for this population. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence on tools and strategies for screening, assessment, and interventions that promote a continuum of care for older adults with DSI.

Prevalence of sensory impairments in home care and long-term care using interRAI data from across Canada.

Background: In the general population, sensory impairments increase markedly with age in adults over 60 years of age. We estimated the prevalence of hearing loss only (HL), vision loss only (VL), and a combined impairment (i.e.

Implementing accelerated dynamics to unravel the effects of high-fidelity Cas9 mutants on target DNA and guide RNA hybrid stability.

The clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and its associated nuclease (Cas9) offers a unique and easily reprogrammable system for editing eukaryotic genomes. Cas9 is guided to the target by an RNA strand, and precise edits are created by introducing double-stranded breaks. However, nuclease activity of Cas9 is also triggered at other sites other than the target sit, which is a major limitation for various applications.

Hearing disability and employment: a population-based analysis using the 2017 Canadian survey on disability.

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of hearing disability on employment rates; examine how various factors are associated with employment; and identify workplace accommodations available to persons with hearing disabilities in Canada. A population-based analysis was done using the data collected through the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD), representing 6 million ( = 6 246 640) Canadians. A subset of the complete dataset was created focusing on individuals with a hearing disability ( = 1 334 520).

The development of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for deafblindness: A study protocol.

Background: Individuals with deafblindness experience a combination of hearing and vision impairments. The World Health Organization has developed a global framework referred to as the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to describe health and functioning. From the full ICF classification, a selection of categories, referred to as ICF Core Sets, provide users with a tool to describe functioning and disability in specific health conditions.

Use of three-dimensional printing as a rehabilitation tool for individuals with deafblindness or vision impairment: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: This scoping review aims to synthesize evidence on the practices involving additive manufacturing, also known as three-dimensional printing, as a rehabilitation tool to assist individuals with deafblindness or vision impairment, and to identify which International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health domains of functioning can be improved by its use. The goal is to inform health care professionals and family caregivers on how additive manufacturing may enhance the quality of life of people with deafblindness or vision impairment.

Introduction: Deafblindness and vision impairment impact many life domains, such as access to information, communication, and mobility.

Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults With Concurrent Hearing and Vision Impairment: A Systematic Scoping Review Protocol.

As the prevalence of age-related sensory impairment increases, more evidence emerges on the association between uni-sensory and cognitive impairment (CI) in older adults. However, the link between CI and concurrent hearing and vision impairment (referred to as dual sensory impairment/DSI) is not well-understood, and this combined effect may be additive or multiplicative. Moreover, the existing evidence on CI in older adults with DSI is scattered and limited.

Informed Consent or Assent Strategies for Research With Individuals With Deafblindness or Dual Sensory Impairment: A Scoping Review.

Objective: To synthesize evidence on existing informed consent/assent strategies and processes that enable the participation of individuazls with deafblindness or dual sensory impairment in research.

Data Sources: Five scientific databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, Web of Science, and PsycINFO) and other sources such as Google Scholar, , and were hand-searched from January 2015 until July 2020.

Study Selection: Studies were selected using inclusion criteria of sensory and cognitive disabilities and focused on consent/assent strategies and processes in research within this population.

Untangling the multi-regime molecular mechanism of verbenol-chemotype Zingiber officinale essential oil against Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B.

Aflatoxin B (AFB), the natural polyketide produced by Aspergillus flavus, has a potent carcinogenic effect on humans as well as animals. In the present study, the antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic B activity of chemically characterized Zingiber officinale essential oil (ZOEO) was investigated via in vitro analysis aided with molecular dynamics (MD) approaches. The GC-MS results revealed verbenol (52.

Effect of Reading Rehabilitation for Age-Related Macular Degeneration on Cognitive Functioning: Protocol for a Nonrandomized Pre-Post Intervention Study.

Background: Age-related vision impairments and dementia both become more prevalent with increasing age. Research into the mechanisms of these conditions has proposed that some of their causes (eg, macular degeneration/glaucoma and Alzheimer's disease) could be symptoms of an underlying common cause. Research into sensory-cognitive aging has provided data that sensory decline may be linked to the progression of dementia through reduced sensory stimulation.

Essential Elements That Contribute to the Recovery of Persons With Severe Mental Illness: A Systematic Scoping Study.

There is an increasing emphasis on recovery-oriented care in the design and delivery of mental health services. Research has demonstrated that recovery-oriented services are understood differently depending on the stakeholders involved. Variations in interpretations of recovery lead to challenges in creating systematically organized environments that deliver a consistent recovery-oriented approach to care.

Heterogeneity and Its Impact on Rehabilitation Outcomes and Interventions for Community Reintegration in People With Spinal Cord Injuries: An Integrative Review.

Various injury characteristics such as cause, level, severity, and time since injury divide individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) into many subgroups. The heterogeneity among individuals' injuries and personal characteristics has significant implications for SCI rehabilitation practice, specifically directed toward community reintegration, which is a key goal of rehabilitation interventions for people with disabilities. This study aims to summarize the evidence on attributes that make the SCI population heterogeneous, the impact of these attributes on community reintegration, and the implications of heterogeneity for rehabilitation interventions directed toward optimizing community reintegration.

Using the ICF to Identify Contextual Factors That Influence Participation of Persons With Deafblindness.

Objective: To identify and describe the contextual factors that influence the participation of people with deafblindness in India.

Design: Qualitative study, using directed content analysis approach and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework to analyze the data.

Setting: Community and social participation settings.

Physicochemical property based computational scheme for classifying DNA sequence elements of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

GenerationE of huge "omics" data necessitates the development and application of computational methods to annotate the data in terms of biological features. In the context of DNA sequence, it is important to unravel the hidden physicochemical signatures. For this purpose, we have considered various sequence elements such as promoter, ACS, LTRs, telomere, and retrotransposon of the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Meaning and experiences of participation: a phenomenological study with persons with deafblindness in India.

Deafblindness, also known as dual sensory loss, creates a distinct condition more disabling than either deafness or blindness alone. The participation experiences of persons with deafblindness have not been understood well. This phenomenological study aims to understand the meanings of participation for persons with deafblindness and identify the domains of life that are important to them.