Concurrent prescriptions for opioids and benzodiazepines and risk of opioid overdose: protocol for a retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data.

Introduction: Opioid overdoses have increased substantially over the last 20 years, with over 400 000 deaths in North America. While opioid prescribing has been a target of research, benzodiazepine and opioid co-intoxication has emerged as a potential risk factor. Our aim was to assess the risk of opioid overdose associated with concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines relative to opioids alone.

Democracy and Mobility: A preliminary analysis of global adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19.

In the absence of vaccines or therapeutics, and with cases of COVID-19 continuing to grow each day, most countries are relying on non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The goal of NPIs - decreasing mobility in order to decrease contact - comes with competing socioeconomic costs and incentives that are not well-understood. Using Google's Community Mobility data, we visualized changes in mobility and explored the effect of economic, social, and governmental factors on mobility via regression.

Desensitization of NMDA channels requires ligand binding to both GluN1 and GluN2 subunits to constrict the pore beside the activation gate.

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor channels are activated by glutamate (or NMDA) and glycine. The channels also undergo desensitization, which denotes decreased channel availability, after prolonged exposure to the activating ligands. Glycine apparently has a paradoxical negative effect on desensitization, as the increase in ambient glycine in concentrations required for channel activation would increase sustained NMDA receptor currents.

Network analysis of cases with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and controls in a large tertiary care facility.

Background: Despite increased awareness of infection control precautions, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) still spreads through patients and contaminated objects, causing a substantial burden of illness and cost. Our objective was to define risk factors for contracting MRSA in a tertiary health care facility using a historic case-control study and to validate health care network changes during pre-outbreak and outbreak periods.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study using secondary data on hospitalizations where infected or colonized cases were compared with matched controls who tested negative by age, sex, and campus over 1 year.

Quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccination in girls and the risk of autoimmune disorders: the Ontario Grade 8 HPV Vaccine Cohort Study.

Background: Despite demonstrated effectiveness in real-world settings, concerns persist regarding the safety of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV4) vaccine. We sought to assess the risk of autoimmune disorders following HPV4 vaccination among grade 8 girls eligible for Ontario's school-based HPV vaccination program.

Methods: We undertook a population-based retrospective cohort study using Ontario's administrative health and vaccination databases from 2007 to 2013.

Epidemiology of recurrent traumatic brain injury in the general population: A systematic review.

Objective: To comprehensively assess recurrent traumatic brain injury (rTBI) risk and risk factors in the general population.

Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the references of included studies until January 16, 2017, for general population observational studies reporting rTBI risk or risk factors. Estimates were not meta-analyzed due to significant methodologic heterogeneity between studies, which was evaluated using meta-regression.

A Novel Neuroscience Intermediate-Level Care Unit Model: Retrospective Analysis of Impact on Patient Flow and Safety.

Background And Purpose: Neurointensive care units have been shown to improve patient outcomes across a variety of neurological and neurosurgical conditions. However, the efficacy of less resource-intensive intermediate-level care units to deliver similar care has not been well studied. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of neurocritical specialist comanagement on patient flow and safety in a neuroscience intermediate-level care unit.

Variations in Resource Intensity and Cost Among High Users of the Emergency Department.

Objectives: High users of emergency department (ED) services are often identified by number of visits per year, with little exploration of the distribution/pattern of visits over time. The purpose of this study was to examine patient- and encounter-level factors and costs related to periods of short-term resource intensity among high users of the ED within a tertiary care teaching facility.

Methods: We identified all adults with at least three visits to the Ottawa Hospital ED within a 1-year period from April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013.

Quantification of in vivo doxorubicin transport from PLGA millirods in thermoablated rat livers.

The objective of this research was to quantify the key parameters governing the drug transport processes in radiofrequency (RF) thermoablated and non-ablated liver tissues. Experimentally, doxorubicin-containing polymer millirods were implanted in the ablated rat livers and spatial distribution of doxorubicin was measured by fluorescence imaging from 1 to 96 h after millirod implantation. At all time points, doxorubicin had significantly higher tissue penetration and retention in ablated tissues than in non-ablated tissues.

Model analysis of tissue responses to transient and chronic heating.

Thermal models are used to analyze responses of muscle and lung tissue to transient (30-45 min) and chronic (4-7 week) heating in vivo. The general bioheat model, which describes one-dimensional temperature dynamics, incorporates heat conductance and perfusion. In general, perfusion changes with time and distance from a heated surface.