Research priorities of the Canadian chiropractic profession: a consensus study using a modified Delphi technique.

Background: Research funds are limited and a healthcare profession that supports research activity should establish research priority areas. The study objective was to identify research priority areas for the Canadian chiropractic profession, and for stakeholders in the chiropractic profession to rank these in order of importance.

Methods: We conducted a modified Delphi consensus study between August 2015 and May 2017 to determine the views of Canadian chiropractic organisations (e.

A scoping review on the study of siblings in pediatric pain.

: Sibling relationships are longstanding across an individual's life and are influential in children's development. The study of siblings in pediatric pain is, although in early stages, a growing field. : This scoping review sought to summarize and map the type of research available examining siblings and pediatric pain to identify gaps and directions for future research.

Upfront dilution of ferritin samples to reduce hook effect, improve turnaround time and reduce costs.

Introduction: Sandwich immunoassays offer advantages in the clinical laboratory but can yield erroneously low results due to hook (prozone) effect, especially with analytes whose concentrations span several orders of magnitude such as ferritin. This study investigated a new approach to reduce the likelihood of hook effect in ferritin immunoassays by performing upfront, five-fold dilutions of all samples for ferritin analysis. The impact of this change on turnaround time and costs were also investigated.

Preclinical testing of the glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitor tideglusib for rhabdomyosarcoma.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common childhood soft tissue sarcoma. RMS often arise from myogenic precursors and displays a poorly differentiated skeletal muscle phenotype most closely resembling regenerating muscle. GSK3β is a ubiquitously expressed serine-threonine kinase capable of repressing the terminal myogenic differentiation program in cardiac and skeletal muscle.

Age of first exposure to American football and long-term neuropsychiatric and cognitive outcomes.

Previous research suggests that age of first exposure (AFE) to football before age 12 may have long-term clinical implications; however, this relationship has only been examined in small samples of former professional football players. We examined the association between AFE to football and behavior, mood and cognition in a large cohort of former amateur and professional football players. The sample included 214 former football players without other contact sport history.

Predicting grief intensity after recent perinatal loss.

Objective: The Perinatal Grief Intensity Scale (PGIS) was developed for clinical use to identify and predict intense grief and need for follow-up after perinatal loss. This study evaluates the validity of the PGIS via its ability to predict future intense grief based on a PGIS score obtained early after a loss.

Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted with 103 international, English-speaking women recruited at hospital discharge or via the internet who experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death within the previous 8weeks.

The Penicillin for the Emergency Department Outpatient treatment of CELLulitis (PEDOCELL) trial: update to the study protocol and detailed statistical analysis plan (SAP).

Background: Cellulitis is a painful, potentially serious, infectious process of the dermal and subdermal tissues and represents a significant disease burden. The statistical analysis plan (SAP) for the Penicillin for the Emergency Department Outpatient treatment of CELLulitis (PEDOCELL) trial is described here. The PEDOCELL trial is a multicentre, randomised, parallel-arm, double-blinded, non-inferiority clinical trial comparing the efficacy of flucloxacillin (monotherapy) with combination flucloxacillin/phenoxymethylpenicillin (dual therapy) for the outpatient treatment of cellulitis in the emergency department (ED) setting.

Effectiveness of αagonists for sedation in paediatric critical care: study protocol for a retrospective cohort observational study.

Introduction: Mechanically ventilated children in paediatric intensive care units are commonly administered analgesics and sedative agents to minimise pain and distress and facilitate cooperation with medical interventions. Opioids and benzodiazepines are the most common analgesic and sedative agents but have safety concerns. The α agonists clonidine and dexmedetomidine are alternative sedatives in use despite neither having robust evidence to support their use.

Exogenous progesterone is neuroprotective following injury to the male zebra finch brain.

The use of progesterone following brain injury has a controversial history. On one hand, some lab-based models have showed progesterone as being neuroprotective, but on the other, clinical trials have showed quite the opposite. One of many complaints that arose from this discrepancy was the lack of a diverse pool of animal models and paradigms employed during the preclinical phase.

Heterodyne Phase-Sensitive Dispersion Spectroscopy in the Mid-Infrared with a Quantum Cascade Laser.

Molecular dispersion spectroscopy encompasses a group of spectroscopic techniques for gas analysis that retrieve the characteristics of the sample from the measurement of the profile of its refractive index in the vicinity of molecular resonances. This approach, which is in clear contrast to traditional methods based on the detection of absorption, provides inherent immunity to power fluctuations, calibration-free operation, and an output that is linearly dependent on gas concentration. Heterodyne phase-sensitive dispersion spectroscopy (HPSDS) is a very recently proposed technique for molecular dispersion spectroscopy based on tunable lasers that is characterized by a very simple architecture in which data processing and concentration retrieval are straightforward.

The quality of mental health literacy measurement tools evaluating the stigma of mental illness: a systematic review.

Aims: Stigma of mental illness is a significant barrier to receiving mental health care. However, measurement tools evaluating stigma of mental illness have not been systematically assessed for their quality. We conducted a systematic review to critically appraise the methodological quality of studies assessing psychometrics of stigma measurement tools and determined the level of evidence of overall quality of psychometric properties of included tools.

Ivemark syndrome: bronchial compression from anomalous pulmonary venous anatomy.

Ivemark syndrome is a heterotaxy syndrome which affects multiple organs and affects roughly 1 in every 6000 deliveries. Specifically, it can cause total anomalous pulmonary venous return and cardiac defects, which ultimately lead to decreased life expectancy. In order to better understand the nature of cardiac structures, CT angiogram has been heavily relied upon as it also allows for 3D reconstruction and optimal visualization of those features.

The EXIT Strategy: an Approach for Identifying Bacterial Proteins Exported during Host Infection.

Exported proteins of bacterial pathogens function both in essential physiological processes and in virulence. Past efforts to identify exported proteins were limited by the use of bacteria growing under laboratory () conditions. Thus, exported proteins that are exported only or preferentially in the context of infection may be overlooked.

Protocol: a systematic review of studies developing and/or evaluating search strategies to identify prognosis studies.

Background: Prognosis research is on the rise, its importance recognised because chronic health conditions and diseases are increasingly common and costly. Prognosis systematic reviews are needed to collate and synthesise these research findings, especially to help inform effective clinical decision-making and healthcare policy. A detailed, comprehensive search strategy is central to any systematic review.

Prevalence of low back pain in emergency settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Low back pain may be having a significant impact on emergency departments around the world. Research suggests low back pain is one of the leading causes of emergency department visits. However, in the peer-reviewed literature, there has been limited focus on the prevalence and management of back pain in the emergency department setting.

Post-operative pain relief using local infiltration analgesia during open abdominal hysterectomy: a randomized, double-blind study.

Background: Post-operative pain is common and often severe after open abdominal hysterectomy, and analgesic consumption high. This study assessed the efficacy of local infiltration analgesia (LIA) injected systematically into different tissues during surgery compared with saline on post-operative pain and analgesia.

Methods: Fifty-nine patients were randomized to Group LIA (n = 29) consisting of 156 ml of a mixture of 0.

Measurement properties of mental health literacy tools measuring help-seeking: a systematic review.

Background: Mental health literacy is important to improve help-seeking behaviors. However, the quality of mental health help-seeking tools remains unknown.

Aims: We conducted a systematic review to appraise the quality of such tools.

Targeting the Opioid Pathway for Uremic Pruritus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Patients undergoing hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis often experience pruritus which is associated with morbidity and mortality. One proposed treatment approach is to target the opioid pathway using either µ-opioid antagonists or κ-opioid agonists.

Objective: To review the efficacy of targeting the opioid pathway for pruritus among dialysis patients (uremic pruritus).

Current management practices for patients presenting with low back pain to a large emergency department in Canada.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of disability. Presentations to the emergency department (ED) are common and consume significant healthcare resources. However, treatment of patients with LBP is variable and highly physician dependent.

Tomorrow's leaders - the role of leadership in medical -education and training.

Delivering safe, high-quality patient care is dependent on high-quality clinical leadership. The General Medical Council has outlined the capabilities expected to be achieved through the medical curricula leading to full registration and Certificate of Completion of Training but our training programmes are not yet consistent on how the capabilities are best acquired. Trainees can begin by understanding their own strengths and reflecting on how they interact in the team; trainers can use existing opportunities to enable greater and more specific learning on how to lead across all the opportunities available during routine clinical activity.

Rational and design of an individual participant data meta-analysis of spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low back pain-a protocol.

Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of pain and disability, resulting in a major socioeconomic impact. The Cochrane Review which examined the effect of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) for chronic LBP concluded that SMT is moderately effective, but was based on conventional meta-analysis of aggregate data. The use of individual participant data (IPD) from trials allows for a more precise estimate of the treatment effect and has the potential to identify moderators and/or mediators.