Effects of a GnRH agonist on sex behavior in females of the southern giant pouched rat.

In general, males should be particularly attentive to cues of sexual availability and females should advertise accordingly. Vaginal patency (i.e.

Association between stool consistency and clinical variables among infants with cystic fibrosis: Findings from the BONUS study.

Background: Concerns related to stool consistency are common in the first year of life among children with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, normal stool patterns for infants with CF have not been described.

Methods: Secondary analysis was completed from the previously described BONUS cohort which followed 231 infants with CF through the first 12 months of life.

Making BRCA1 genetic test reports easier to understand through user-centered design: A randomized trial.

Purpose: Our objective was to apply a user-centered design process to identify phrases, graphics, and ways of communicating numerical risks that could be used to help patients understand their cancer risk and next steps on receiving BRCA1 genetic test results (positive, negative, and variants of uncertain significance).

Methods: The first phase of the study, a user-centered design process, consisted of 4 rounds of interviews (N = 42, including 13 health care professionals and 16 patients having undergone BRCA testing). The second was a randomized, between-participants experimental study of 456 United Kingdom residents that compared the resulting reports to reports used in a United Kingdom national genomic laboratory hub.

Sulfur- and phosphorus-standardized metal quantification of biological specimens using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

This protocol describes how inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) can quantify metals, sulfur, and phosphorus present in biological specimens. The high sensitivity of ICP-MS enables detection of these elements at very low concentrations, and absolute quantification is achieved with standard curves. Sulfur or phosphorus standardization reduces variability that arises because of slight differences in sample composition.

Changes in Food and Nutrient Intake and Diet Quality on a Low-Fat Vegan Diet Are Associated with Changes in Body Weight, Body Composition, and Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Consuming different food groups and nutrients can have differential effects on body weight, body composition, and insulin sensitivity.

Objective: The aim was to identify how food group, nutrient intake, and diet quality change relative to usual-diet controls after 16 weeks on a low-fat vegan diet and what associations those changes have with changes in body weight, body composition, and measures of metabolic health.

Design: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial conducted between October 2016 and December 2018 in four replications.

A post-outbreak assessment of exposure proximity and Ebola virus disease-related stigma among community members in Kono District, Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Based on findings from other contexts, informed by intergroup contact theory, that more contact is associated with less stigma, we hypothesized that community members with greater exposure to cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) were less likely to report EVD-related stigma towards EVD survivors. We assessed personal stigmatizing attitudes towards Ebola survivors, which reflects personal fear and judgement, as well as perceived stigma towards EVD survivors, which reflects an individual's perception of the attitudes of the community towards a stigmatized group.

Methods: From September 2016 to July 2017, we conducted a cross-sectional, community-based study of EVD-related stigma among individuals who did not contract Ebola in four EVD-affected rural communities of Kono District, Sierra Leone.

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion With a No-Profile Integrated Fixation Allograft Device: An In Vitro Biomechanical Analysis and Clinical Case Series.

Background: No-profile anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) devices are commonplace in spinal surgery. Contained within the intervertebral margins, these devices diminish risks associated with anterior cervical plating, while also marginalizing cage migration and subsidence. However, these devices have been limited in their scope of implant material.

Implementation of a new clinical and organisational practice to improve access to primary care services: a protocol for an effectiveness-implementation hybrid study.

Introduction: In Canada, as in most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, healthcare systems face significant challenges in ensuring better access to primary care. A regional healthcare organisation in Quebec (Canada) serving a population of approximately 755 459 citizens has implemented a standardised access approach to primary care services for this population. The objective of this new clinical and organisational practice is to ensure that users benefit from the same referral process, regardless of the entry point, in order to be directed to the right services.

Diagnostic potential of radiological apical tumor involvement.

We commend Veerman et al. for investigating the diagnostic performance of radiological apical tumor involvement (radATI) in preoperative prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its impact on clinical outcomes in patients with localized prostate cancer. This retrospective study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of MRI to detect pathological ATI (pathATI) in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy specimens.

Coronary CTA plaque volume severity stages according to invasive coronary angiography and FFR.

Background: Atherosclerotic plaque characterization by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) enables quantification of coronary artery disease (CAD) burden and type, which has been demonstrated as the strongest discriminant of future risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). To date, there are no clinically useful thresholds to assist with understanding a patient's disease burden and guide diagnosis and management, as there exists with coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring. The purpose of this manuscript is to establish clinically relevant plaque stages and thresholds based on evidence from invasive angiographic stenosis (ICA) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) data.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Targeted Biopsies Compared to Transperineal Mapping Biopsies Before Focal Ablation in Localised and Metastatic Recurrent Prostate Cancer After Radiotherapy.

Background: Recurrent prostate cancer after radiotherapy occurs in one in five patients. The efficacy of prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in recurrent cancer has not been established. Furthermore, high-quality data on new minimally invasive salvage focal ablative treatments are needed.

Improving accuracy of ADHD subtype diagnoses with the ADHD symptom rating scale.

Neuropsychologists evaluate children and adults with ADHD to establish a diagnosis, quantify cognitive deficits associated with ADHD and other common comorbid conditions, and provide recommendations for education and vocational planning. Standardized instruments that align with DSM ADHD symptom criteria are recommended for increasing ADHD diagnostic accuracy. This study examined whether a brief DSM-based symptom rating scale would assist in differentiating subtypes of ADHD.

Association of Lower Exposure Risk With Paucisymptomatic/Asymptomatic Infection, Less Severe Disease, and Unrecognized Ebola Virus Disease: A Seroepidemiological Study.

Background: It remains unclear if there is a dose-dependent relationship between exposure risk to Ebola virus (EBOV) and severity of illness.

Methods: From September 2016 to July 2017, we conducted a cross-sectional, community-based study of Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases and household contacts of several transmission chains in Kono District, Sierra Leone. We analyzed 154 quarantined households, comprising both reported EVD cases and their close contacts.

Eosinophilia Associated With Immune Deficiency.

The differential diagnosis of eosinophilia is broad and includes infections, malignancies, and atopy as well as inborn errors of immunity (IEI). Certain types of IEIs are known to be associated with elevated numbers of eosinophils and frequently elevated serum IgE, whereas for others the degree and frequency of eosinophilia are less established. The molecular defects underlying IEI are heterogeneous and affect different pathways, which highlights the complex regulations of this cell population within the immune system.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? International Students' Decision-Making About Staying in Canada.

Recent decades have seen an increase in the popularity of international education. Approximately 500,000 international students were in Canada in 2018 and this number is projected to grow. While we know that many international students decide to stay in Canada, we do not fully understand the decision-making process employed by international students regarding staying in Canada or going back home after completing their education.

Elucidating early pubertal timing effects on disordered eating symptoms in young adult women.

Introduction: Early pubertal timing increases risk for disordered eating (DE) in females, but the extent to which associations persist after puberty and are relevant to all types of DE symptoms is unclear. Factors that link pubertal timing and DE also remain unknown, although leading theories posit that adiposity and body-focused psychosocial factors play a key role. Thus, this study examined pubertal timing effects on several types of DE symptoms in young adult women and evaluated whether body mass index (BMI), pressures for thinness, thin-ideal internalization, and/or history of weight-based teasing account for such associations.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Abbreviated Bi-Parametric MRI (a-bpMRI) for Prostate Cancer Detection and Screening: A Multi-Reader Study.

(1) Background: There is currently limited evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of abbreviated biparametric MRI (a-bpMRI) protocols for prostate cancer (PCa) detection and screening. In the present study, we aim to investigate the performance of a-bpMRI among multiple readers and its potential application to an imaging-based screening setting. (2) Methods: A total of 151 men who underwent 3T multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) of the prostate and transperineal template prostate mapping biopsies were retrospectively selected.