A Pandemic Innovation: Student-Led Model to Increase Accessibility to Educational and Mentorship Opportunities.

The Canadian Ophthalmology Student Interest Group (COSIG) is the first national medical student-led specialty interest group in Canada. COSIG has run several initiatives aimed at increasing students' opportunities for ophthalmology exposure and learning, including a resident-medical student mentorship program, an annual 6-week introductory course, amongst other events, and webinars.

Isolated Intracranial Hypertension as a Presentation of Pediatric Lyme Borreliosis: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: It is extremely rare for Lyme borreliosis to present solely with features of increased intracranial pressure. The treatment of pediatric Lyme neuroborreliosis with oral versus intravenous antibiotics remains controversial.

Methods: Case report and literature review.

Orbital Edema Secondary to a Sphenoidal Mass as the Presenting Symptom of High-Risk Precursor B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Introduction: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy, known to present with ocular manifestations in rare cases.

Case Presentation: We describe the case of a 9-year-old previously healthy male who developed a 2-day history of periocular swelling and was found on MRI to have a large sphenoidal mass. Further work up showed involvement of the spinal cord, iliac crests, and kidneys.

Risk of ocular adverse events with aromatase inhibitors.

Objective: Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a class of medications used for adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. Recent case reports suggest that AIs may be associated with various ocular adverse events (AEs). This study evaluates the risk of ocular AEs in patients who take AIs.

Pyelonephritis and Bacteremia Caused by following Renal Transplantation.

() is a Gram-negative organism genetically similar to () that can cause a variety of diseases in humans. Bacteremia due to is associated with a higher mortality rate than bacteremia with . Here, we describe a 65-year-old woman who developed pyelonephritis 2 months after receiving a renal transplantation following a longstanding history of end-stage renal disease secondary to polycystic kidney disease.

Effect of COVID-19 on Canadian Medical Student Attitudes toward Ophthalmology Residency Application.

 This study aims to survey medical students interested in ophthalmology about how changes in electives and Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have affected their attitudes toward applying to ophthalmology residency.  This is a cross-sectional survey.  A total of 32 Canadian medical students interested in ophthalmology responded to the survey.

Recent advances and future directions on the use of optical coherence tomography in neuro-ophthalmology.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging technique used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze various layers of the retina. OCT of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) is particularly useful in neuro-ophthalmology for the evaluation of patients with optic neuropathies and retrochiasmal visual pathway disorders. OCT allows for an objective quantification of edema and atrophy of the RNFL and GCIPL, which may be evident before obvious clinical signs and visual dysfunction develop.

Acute Vision Loss as an Ophthalmic Complication of Dental Procedures.

Acute vision loss has been previously described as a complication of dental procedures through a variety of mechanisms. The vision loss is typically transient, although permanent loss has been reported. Physicians, including ophthalmologists, typically lack formal education around dental procedures and may be uninformed about the risks to ocular or periocular structures as well as the types of complications that can arise.

Late recurrence of idiopathic Brown's syndrome successfully treated with oral corticosteroids.

Introduction: Idiopathic Brown's syndrome is a restrictive strabismus of the superior oblique tendon that often presents in pediatric populations and rarely occurs in adults.

Case Description: We present here a case of a 41-year-old man with an idiopathic left Brown's syndrome that recurred after presenting with similar symptoms 14 years prior that was originally treated with oral corticosteroids. This patient had a negative work up for connective tissue disease and only exhibited subtle left trochlear thickening on orbital MRI with contrast.

Pharmacogenomics in Asian Subpopulations and Impacts on Commonly Prescribed Medications.

Asians as a group comprise > 60% the world's population. There is an incredible amount of diversity in Asian and admixed populations that has not been addressed in a pharmacogenetic context. The known pharmacogenetic differences in Asian subgroups generally represent previously known variants that are present at much lower or higher frequencies in Asians compared with other populations.

Perspectives About Time Frames in Stem Cell Research for Multiple Sclerosis: "Time Is Brain".

Background: Stem cell research has been a focus of inquiry in the field of neurology for nearly 3 decades and has led to much hope for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous studies, however, demonstrate that information about the pace of developments in the stem cell arena is less accessible than are representations of potential benefits.

Methods: To explore the understanding and perspectives of adult patients with MS and MS clinicians about the time frames associated with stem cell research, we conducted semistructured interviews with 20 patients with MS across Canada and 15 clinicians who specialize in MS.

Pharmacogenomics of Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity: Successes, Shortcomings, and Future Avenues of Research.

Cisplatin is a highly effective chemotherapeutic. Unfortunately, its use is limited by cisplatin-induced ototoxicity (CIO). Substantial research has been performed to uncover the genetic variants associated with CIO; however, there has been a lack of consistency in the results that have been reported.

Availability, readability, and content of privacy policies and terms of agreements of mental health apps.

Objective: To assess the availability, readability, and privacy-related content of the privacy policies and terms of agreement of mental health apps available through popular digital stores.

Materials And Methods: Popular smartphone app stores were searched using combinations of keywords "track" and "mood" and their synonyms. The first 100 apps from each search were evaluated for inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Treatment effects of the differential first-line antiretroviral regimens among HIV/HBV coinfected patients in southwest China: an observational study.

HIV with HBV co-infection can result in greater HIV-related immunosuppression, morbidity and mortality. Currently, there are few studies to evaluate direct treatment effects on mortality and attrition rates between first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) based-on tenofovir (TDF) and/or lamivudine (3TC) in a real-world setting. We used Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate direct treatment effects of the first-line ART containing stavudine (d4T), azidothymidine (AZT) and TDF on death and attrition among HIV patients with HBV coinfection.

Impact of PCSK9 loss-of-function genotype on 1-year mortality and recurrent infection in sepsis survivors.

Background: Reduced activity of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has been associated with decreased short-term death in patients with septic shock. Whether PCSK9 genotype influences long-term outcomes in sepsis survivors is unknown.

Methods: We evaluated the impact of PCSK9 loss-of-function (LOF) genotype on both 1-year mortality and infection-related readmission (IRR) after an index sepsis admission.

Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein Influences High-Density Lipoprotein Levels and Survival in Sepsis.

Rationale: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (HDL-C) levels decline during sepsis, and lower levels are associated with worse survival. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying changes in HDL-C during sepsis, and whether the relationship with survival is causative, are largely unknown.

Objectives: We hypothesized that variation in genes involved in HDL metabolism would contribute to changes in HDL-C levels and clinical outcomes during sepsis.

Reflections on translation: Views of participants in a multisite Canadian CCSVI clinical trial.

Background: We sought to characterize the perspectives of participants in Canada's phase I/II chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) clinical trial prior to and after the disclosure of trial results.

Methods: This was a researcher-administered survey of individuals who participated in Canada's CCSVI trial (Clincialtrials.gov, NCT01864941) about their (1) motivations for participating, (2) understanding of the trial process, and (3) perspectives on the social value of the trial.