Machine learning models provide modest accuracy in predicting clinical impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome type 2 in Canadian sow herds.

Objective: To determine the predictive potential of the open reading frame 5 nucleotide sequence of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus and the basic demographic data on the severity of the impact on selected production parameters during clinical PRRS outbreaks in Ontario sow herds.

Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study of clinical outbreaks in Ontario sow herds at various points between September 5, 2009, and February 5, 2019, was conducted using herds as units of analysis. Data were gathered from study sow farms in Ontario at the start of each clinical outbreak.

Reinterpretation of Report of Tetrataenite in Bulk Alloy Castings.

After the publication of "Direct formation of hard-magnetic tetrataenite in bulk alloy castings" Ivanov et al., Advanced Science 10 (2022) 2204315, the authors identified a potential misinterpretation of the experimental data. Further work confirms that the original conclusions cannot be supported, and accordingly the paper is retracted.

Ketamine Versus Etomidate for Rapid Sequence Intubation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials.

Objectives: To compare the safety and efficacy of ketamine and etomidate as induction agents to facilitate emergent endotracheal intubation.

Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Clinical Trials Register, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to April 3, 2024.

Titanium Surface Synergy: Strontium Incorporation and Controlled Disorder Nanotopography Optimize Osteoinduction.

Osteoporotic fractures and arthritis represent a major socioeconomic health burden. Fragility fracture fixation and joint replacement are often undertaken using titanium (Ti) or Ti alloy implants. Ideally these should induce bone formation and reduce osteoclast formation.

Occurrence of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome clinical outbreaks in Ontario sow herds, 2017 to 2019.

Background: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is one of the important endemic diseases in swine populations. Monitoring PRRS frequency in commercial herd populations has often been based on laboratory submissions. However, a limitation of this approach is that new clinical outbreaks of PRRS are challenging to identify if epidemiological information is not provided.

Dermacentor species (Acari: Ixodidae) in western Canada, with detection of Dermacentor similis.

Numerous tick species are undergoing significant range expansion in Canada, including several Dermacentor spp Koch (Acari: Ixodidae). With the recent description of Dermacentor similis Lado in the western United States, additional research is required to determine the current range of this species. Five hundred ninety-eight Dermacentor spp.

The decriminalization of illicit drugs in British Columbia: a national evaluation protocol.

Background: On January 31st, 2023, the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, was granted a federal exemption allowing adults (aged 18 +) to possess up to 2.5 g of select illicit drugs. The exemption will be in place for three years (2023-2026), marking the first formal decriminalization of illicit drug policy reform in Canada.

Effect of treatment frequency on the efficacy of superhydrophobic antimicrobial photodynamic therapy of periodontitis in a wistar rat model.

Superhydrophobic antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (SH-aPDT) is advantageous wherein airborne singlet oxygen (O) is delivered from a device tip to kill a biofilm with no photosensitizer exposure and no bacterial selectivity (Gram + or Gram -). For effective treatment of periodontitis, the frequency of treatment as well as the optical light fluence required is not known. Thus, we sought to determine whether single or repeated SH-aPDT treatments would work best in vivo using two fluence values: 60 and 125 J/cm.

COVID-19 in Perspective: A Witness Seminar.

In June 2023, we brought together leaders who responded to the emergency phase COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario as part of a "Witness Seminar." This approach to studying history was developed by the Institute of Contemporary British History. It has been extensively used in the history of science and medicine by the Wellcome Trust History of Twentieth Century Medicine.

Working in a relational way is everything: Perceptions of power and value in a drug policy-making network.

Background: The development of drug policies has been a major focus for policy-makers across North America in light of the ongoing public health emergency caused by the overdose crisis. In this context, the current study examined stakeholders' experiences and perceptions of power and value in a drug policy-making process in a North American city using qualitative, questionnaire, and social network data.

Methods: We interviewed 18 people who participated in the development of a drug policy proposal between October 2021 and March 2022.

Photosensitized Oxidative Damage from a New Perspective: The Influence of Before-Light and After-Light Reaction Conditions.

Photooxidative damage is heavily influenced by the presence of bioactive agents. Conversely, bioactive agents influence the local environment, which in turn is perturbed by photooxidative damage. These sorts of processes give rise to a version of the "chicken-and-egg" quandary.

Superhydrophobic Dressing for Singlet Oxygen Delivery in Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy against Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Biofilms.

The rise of antimicrobial resistance poses a critical public health threat worldwide. While antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has demonstrated efficacy against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, its effectiveness can be limited by several factors, including the delivery of the photosensitizer (PS) to the site of interest and the development of bacterial resistance to PS uptake. There is a need for alternative methods, one of which is superhydrophobic antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (SH-aPDT), which we report here.

Tracking Minority Species in Redox Reactions: A Quantitative Combined XAS and Modulation Excitation Study.

Understanding the nature of intermediates/active species in reactions is a major challenge in chemistry. This is because spectator species typically dominate the experimentally derived data and consequently active phase contributions are masked. Transient methods offer a means to bypass this difficulty.

"It's going to get pretty tippy": Stakeholder perspectives on the (dys)function of a four pillars drug strategy.

A 'drug strategy' is a policy document that structures the priorities and directions for interventions for drug related issues within a particular jurisdiction and/or context. A 'pillars' drug strategy concentrates efforts through clustering separated columns of activity, such as law enforcement, harm reduction, treatment, and prevention. In this study, we examined drug policy stakeholders' perspectives on the structure, function, and fit of a four pillar drug strategy framework in Vancouver, Canada.

Ecological determinants of leishmaniasis vector, Lutzomyia spp.: A scoping review.

Leishmania spp. are zoonotic parasites transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies, including those of the Lutzomyia genus, which can cause leishmaniases in both humans and dogs. Lutzomyia spp.

Biosecurity perceptions among Ontario horse owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Disease outbreaks present a significant challenge to horse health and welfare and the economic stability of horse industries internationally. This is a particular concern in Ontario, Canada, where there have been frequent outbreaks of respiratory infectious diseases among horses. Despite these risks, there has been limited research on whether Ontario horse owners engage in biosecurity measures sufficient to mitigate risk of equine diseases, and whether current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic influence attitudes towards equine biosecurity practices.

Singlet oxygen generation on a superhydrophobic surface: Effect of photosensitizer coating and incident wavelength on O yields.

Photochemical generation of singlet oxygen (O) often relies on homogenous systems; however, a dissolved photosensitizer (PS) may be unsuitable for some applications because it is difficult to recover, expensive to replenish, and hazardous to the environment. Isolation of the PS onto a solid support can overcome these limitations, but implementation faces other challenges, including agglomeration of the solid PS, physical quenching of O by the support, photooxidation of the PS, and hypoxic environments. Here, we explore a superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (SH-PDMS) support coated with the photosensitizer 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)-21H,23H-porphyrin (TFPP).

Behavioural response to gastrointestinal parasites of yearling dairy calves at pasture.

Aims: To investigate the association between gastrointestinal parasites (GIP) and animal behaviour in dairy calves under New Zealand pastoral conditions, using animal-mounted, accelerometer-based sensors.

Methods: Thirty-six, 5-6-month-old, Friesian-Jersey, heifer calves fitted with animal activity sensors to track behaviour were randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups. Half the animals were challenged with an oral dose of 20,000 larvae of and once a week for 3 weeks and half were unchallenged.

Examining the effects of voluntary avoidance behaviour and policy-mediated behaviour change on the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2: A mathematical model.

Background: Throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, policymakers have had to navigate between recommending voluntary behaviour change and policy-driven behaviour change to mitigate the impact of the virus. While individuals will voluntarily engage in self-protective behaviour when there is an increasing infectious disease risk, the extent to which this occurs and its impact on an epidemic is not known.

Methods: This paper describes a deterministic disease transmission model exploring the impact of individual avoidance behaviour and policy-mediated avoidance behaviour on epidemic outcomes during the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Ontario, Canada (September 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021).

People who use drugs' prioritization of regulation amid decriminalization reforms in British Columbia, Canada: A qualitative study.

Background: North America and the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, is experiencing an unprecedented number of overdose deaths. In BC, overdose has become the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10-59 years old. In January 2023, BC decriminalized personal possession of a number of illegal substances with one aim being to address overdose deaths through stigma reduction and promoting access to substance use services.

An Evaluation of the Impact of an OPEN Stewardship Generated Feedback Intervention on Antibiotic Prescribing among Primary Care Veterinarians in Canada and Israel.

An interrupted time-series study design was implemented to evaluate the impact of antibiotic stewardship interventions on antibiotic prescribing among veterinarians. A total of 41 veterinarians were enrolled in Canada and Israel and their prescribing data between 2019 and 2021 were obtained. As an intervention, veterinarians periodically received three feedback reports comprising feedback on the participants' antibiotic prescribing and prescribing guidelines.

Awareness and knowledge of drug decriminalization among people who use drugs in British Columbia: a multi-method pre-implementation study.

Background: In January 2023, British Columbia implemented a three-year exemption to Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, as granted by the federal government of Canada, to decriminalize the personal possession of small amounts of certain illegal drugs. This decriminalization policy, the first in Canada, was announced in response to the overdose emergency in British Columbia as a public health intervention that could help curb overdose deaths by reducing the impact of criminalization and increasing access to health and social services through stigma reduction.

Methods: The current multi-method study examines people who use drugs' awareness and knowledge of British Columbia's decriminalization model through cross-sectional quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews among people who use drugs from September-November 2022, immediately prior to the implementation of decriminalization.

Forecasting seasonal influenza activity in Canada-Comparing seasonal Auto-Regressive integrated moving average and artificial neural network approaches for public health preparedness.

Introduction: Public health preparedness is based on timely and accurate information. Time series forecasting using disease surveillance data is an important aspect of preparedness. This study compared two approaches of time series forecasting: seasonal auto-regressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) modelling and the artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm.