PLASMA BIOCHEMISTRY PROFILES OF WILD WESTERN TIGER SNAKES (NOTECHIS SCUTATUS OCCIDENTALIS) BEFORE AND AFTER SIX MONTHS OF CAPTIVITY.

Urban wildlife often suffer poorer health than their counterparts living in more pristine environments due to exposure to anthropogenic stressors such as habitat degradation and environmental contamination. As a result, the health of urban versus nonurban snakes might be assessed by differences in their plasma biochemistries. We compared the plasma profiles of western tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus occidentalis) from a heavily urbanized wetland and a natural, nonurbanized wetland.

Digital health interventions for the management of mental health in people with chronic diseases: a rapid review.

Objective: Determine the effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for individuals with a concomitant chronic disease.

Design: We conducted a rapid review of systematic reviews. Two reviewers independently conducted study selection and risk of bias evaluation.

Revisiting the Concept of Othering: A Structural Analysis.

The various ways in which nurses relate and interact with patients, who are considered marginal, vulnerable, and in some ways "different," tend to revolve around the concept of othering. To date, much attention has been given to the immediate situation in which othering may take place, both in terms of process (occurring within interactions) and outcomes (exclusion and marginalization). Drawing on current literature from feminist studies and critical theory, we have drawn attention to broader historical, political, cultural, and social factors that come to shape nurse-patient relationships and propose a new dimension to the concept: structural othering.

Altered expression of fractalkine in HIV-1-infected astrocytes and consequences for the virus-related neurotoxicity.

HIV-1 infection in the central nervous system (CNS) causes the release of neurotoxic products from infected cells which trigger extensive neuronal loss. Clinically, this results in HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). However, the effects on neuroprotective factors in the brain remain poorly understood and understudied in this situation.

Bile acids during pregnancy: Trimester variations and associations with glucose homeostasis.

Background And Aims: Bile acids are known to contribute to hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism regulation. Although glucose homeostasis sustains well-characterized modifications during uncomplicated pregnancies, changes in bile acids concentrations and relative proportions throughout pregnancy remain unknown. Furthermore, literature shows strong associations between bile acids profiles and glucose homeostasis under normal metabolic conditions.

Temporal variations and pond age effect on plankton communities in semi-intensive freshwater marron ( Austin and Ryan, 2002) earthen aquaculture ponds in Western Australia.

The abundance and diversity of the plankton community represents the health of the aquatic ecosystem, and plays an important role in the growth of cultured animals under aquaculture conditions. The temporal variations of plankton abundance, taxonomic composition, diversity, evenness and species richness were studied in three old and three new semi-intensive marron ( Austin and Ryan, 2002) ponds. Water parameters such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, TAN, nitrite, nitrate and reactive phosphate were recorded, and plankton samples were collected every two months, for one year of juvenile production cycle.

Snake scales record environmental metal(loid) contamination.

Wetland snakes, as top predators, are becoming globally recognised as bioindicators of wetland contamination. Livers are the traditional test organ for contaminant exposure in organisms, but research is moving towards a preference for non-lethal tissue sampling. Snake scales can be used as an indicator of exposure, as many metals bind to the keratin.

Patient and public involvement in health technology assessment: update of a systematic review of international experiences.

Objective: To summarize current evidence on patient and public involvement (PPI) in health technology assessment (HTA) in order to synthesize the barriers and facilitators, and to propose a framework to assess its impact.

Methods: We conducted an update of a systematic review published in 2011 considering the recent scientific literature (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies). We searched papers published between March 2009 (end of the initial search) and December 2019 in five databases using specific search strategies.

Potentiation of B2 receptor signaling by AltB2R, a newly identified alternative protein encoded in the human bradykinin B2 receptor gene.

Recent functional and proteomic studies in eukaryotes (www.openprot.org) predict the translation of alternative open reading frames (AltORFs) in mature G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) mRNAs, including that of bradykinin B2 receptor (B2R).

Philosophy for children and mindfulness during COVID-19: Results from a randomized cluster trial and impact on mental health in elementary school students.

Background: Preliminary evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on children's mental health. Given these problems can have significant impacts throughout the lifespan, preventing the negative repercussions of COVID-19 on children's mental health is essential. Philosophy for children (P4C) and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) show promise in this regard.

Determinants of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Adherence Among Female Sex Workers in a Demonstration Study in Cotonou, Benin: A Study of Behavioral and Demographic Factors.

Background: HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) efficacy is closely linked to adherence, and factors associated with PrEP adherence are not well understood and may differ across populations. As PrEP demonstration projects and implementation are ongoing, it is essential to understand factors associated with adherence to oral PrEP to design effective adherence interventions and maximize the public health impact of PrEP. We thus aimed to assess demographic and behavioral factors associated with optimal PrEP adherence (100%) among female sex workers (FSWs) participating in a demonstration project in Cotonou, Benin.

Involuntary stabilization care of youth who overdose: a call for evidence- and ethics-informed substance use policy.

As is the case across Canada, the province of British Columbia is in the midst of an opioid overdose crisis. In response to the devastating impacts of this crisis on youth (under 19 years of age), the provincial government is considering amending the Mental Health Act to allow for involuntary, hospital-based stabilization care of youth following an overdose. This policy change represents one concrete action that the provincial government is exploring in response to public advocacy for enhanced supports for youth who overdose.

Impact of a Combined Philosophy and Mindfulness Intervention on Positive and Negative Indicators of Mental Health Among Pre-kindergarten Children: Results From a Pilot and Feasibility Study.

Fostering greater resiliency to stress, optimal psychosocial development and promoting better mental health and well-being in youth is an important goal of the Canadian and American elementary school systems (1, 2). Recent research on mindfulness and philosophy for children (P4C) has yielded promising results regarding innovative interventions that may be implemented in elementary school settings to foster greater child resiliency and well-being (3-5). The goal of this feasibility study was to pilot a new intervention, which combines mindfulness meditation and P4C activities, with the goal of improving mental health in pre-kindergarten children, assessed with positive (i.

Development of a decisional flowchart for meaningful patient involvement in Health Technology Assessment.

Introduction: This paper aims to describe the development of a flowchart to guide the decisions of researchers in the Spanish Network for Health Technology Assessment of the National Health System (RedETS) regarding patient involvement (PI) in Health Technology Assessment (HTA). By doing so, it reflects on current methodological challenges in PI in the HTA field: how best to combine PI methods and what is the role of patient-based evidence.

Methods: A decisional flowchart for PI in HTA was developed between March and April 2019 following an iterative process, reviewed by the members of the PI Interest Group and other RedETS members and validated during an online deliberative meeting.

Organizational readiness for artificial intelligence in health care: insights for decision-making and practice.

Purpose: Artificial intelligence (AI) raises many expectations regarding its ability to profoundly transform health care delivery. There is an abundant literature on the technical performance of AI applications in many clinical fields (e.g.

Seizure detection devices: A survey of needs and preferences of patients and caregivers.

Aims: Seizure detectors could have many positive effects on the quality of life of people with epilepsy (PWE) such as alarms to reduce seizure-related injuries or reliable seizure counts leading to improved epilepsy management. As seizure detection gains increasing interest within the epilepsy research community, guidelines for patient-centered designs are needed. This study aims to detail the preferences, needs and concerns regarding potential seizure detectors, of PWE and their caregivers across Canada.

Dual-Target Inhibitors of the Folate Pathway Inhibit Intrinsically Trimethoprim-Resistant DfrB Dihydrofolate Reductases.

Trimethoprim (TMP) is widely used to treat infections in humans and in livestock, accelerating the incidence of TMP resistance. The emergent and largely untracked type II dihydrofolate reductases (DfrBs) are intrinsically TMP-resistant plasmid-borne Dfrs that are structurally and evolutionarily unrelated to chromosomal Dfrs. We report kinetic characterization of the known DfrB family members.

Imaging Features of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 in the Abdomen and Pelvis.

Loss of the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) tumor suppressor protein causes uninhibited activation of the RAS oncogene, which leads to tumorigenesis in patients with NF1. This case-based review discusses imaging manifestations of NF1 in the abdomen and pelvis, highlighting key genetic associations and management to elucidate features different from the general population. The spectrum of pathologic findings includes gastrointestinal tumors such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors, genitourinary lesions including urogenital neurofibromas, vascular entities such as renal artery stenosis, and less common associations like lymphoma.

Overview and factors associated with pregnancies and abortions occurring in sex workers in Benin.

Background: Behavioural and structural factors related to sex work, place female sex workers (FSWs) at high risk of maternal mortality and morbidity (MMM), with a large portion due to unintended pregnancies and abortions. In the African context where MMM is the highest in the world, understanding the frequency and determinants of pregnancy and abortion among FSWs is important in order to meet their sexual and reproductive health needs.

Methods: Data from two Beninese cross-sectional surveys among FSWs aged 18+ (2013, N = 450; 2016, N = 504) were merged.

"It gets people through the door": a qualitative case study of the use of incentives in the care of people at risk or living with HIV in British Columbia, Canada.

Background: There has been growing interest in the use of incentives to increase the uptake of health-related behaviours and achieve desired health outcomes at the individual and population level. However, the use of incentives remains controversial for ethical reasons. An area in which incentives have been not only proposed but used is HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care-each one representing an interconnecting step in the "HIV Cascade.

Mathematical Model Impact Analysis of a Real-Life Pre-exposure Prophylaxis and Treatment-As-Prevention Study Among Female Sex Workers in Cotonou, Benin.

Background: Daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment-as-prevention (TasP) reduce HIV acquisition and transmission risk, respectively. A demonstration study (2015-2017) assessed TasP and PrEP feasibility among female sex workers (FSW) in Cotonou, Benin.

Setting: Cotonou, Benin.

Cardiorespiratory strain during stroke rehabilitation: Are patients trained enough? A systematic review.

Background: Rehabilitation is a mandatory component of stroke management, aiming to recover functional capacity and independence. To that end, physical therapy sessions must involve adequate intensity in terms of cardiopulmonary stress to meet the physiological demands of independent living.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to determine the current level of cardiopulmonary strain during rehabilitation sessions in stroke patients.

Adapting two American Decision Aids for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury to the Canadian Context Using the Nominal Group Technique.

Background: Decision aids are patient-focused tools that have the potential to reduce the overuse of head computed tomography (CT) scans.

Objective: The objective of this study was to create a consensus among Canadian mild traumatic brain injury and emergency medicine experts on modifications required to adapt two American decision aids about head CT use for adult and paediatric mild traumatic brain injury to the Canadian context.

Methods: We invited 21 Canadian stakeholders and the two authors of the American decision aids to a Nominal Group Technique consensus meeting to generate suggestions for adapting the decision aids.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Sexuality: User Experience Study of an Information Toolkit.

Background: After having sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), individuals are at risk of functional impairments in information processing, abstract reasoning, executive functioning, attention, and memory. This affects different aspects of communicative functioning. Specific strategies can be adopted to improve the provision of health information to individuals with TBI, including the development of written materials and nonwritten media.