Cultural adaptation of an internet-based self-help app for grieving Syrian refugees in Switzerland.

Background: Loss and grief pose significant challenges for victims of armed conflicts, such as Syrian refugees. Internet-based interventions (IBIs) present a promising solution to address this treatment gap and provide adequate support. However, research on grief, grief support, and IBIs remain largely limited to Western cultural contexts, and culturally adapted IBIs for grief are needed.

Competencies for proficiency in basic point-of-care ultrasound in anesthesiology: national expert recommendations using Delphi methodology.

Purpose: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) allows for rapid bedside assessment and guidance of patient care. Recently, POCUS was included as a mandatory component of Canadian anesthesiology training; however, there is no national consensus regarding the competencies to guide curriculum development. We therefore aimed to define national residency competencies for basic perioperative POCUS proficiency.

Spatiotemporal monitoring of climate change impacts on water resources using an integrated approach of remote sensing and Google Earth Engine.

In this study, a data-driven approach employed by utilizing the product called JRC-Global surface water mapping layers V1.4 on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) to map and monitor the effects of climate change on surface water resources. Key climatic variables affecting water bodies, including air temperature (AT), actual evapotranspiration (ETa), and total precipitation, were analyzed from 2000 to 2021 using the temperature-vegetation index (TVX) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products.

Exploring Patient Advisors' Perceptions of Virtual Care Across Canada: Qualitative Phenomenological Study.

Background: While virtual care services existed prior to the emergence of COVID-19, the pandemic catalyzed a rapid transition from in-person to virtual care service delivery across the Canadian health care system. Virtual care includes synchronous or asynchronous delivery of health care services through video visits, telephone visits, or secure messaging. Patient advisors are people with patient and caregiving experiences who collaborate within the health care system to share insights and experiences in order to improve health care.

Defining a Framework and Evaluation Metrics for Sustainable Global Surgical Partnerships: A Modified Delphi Study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to use expert consensus to build a concrete and realistic framework and checklist to evaluate sustainability in global surgery partnerships (GSPs).

Background: Partnerships between high-resourced and low-resourced settings are often created to address the burden of unmet surgical need. Reflecting on the negative, unintended consequences of asymmetrical partnerships, global surgery community members have proposed frameworks and best practices to promote sustainable engagement between partners, though these frameworks lack consensus.

De-escalation of surgery for occult breast cancer with axillary metastasis.

Occult breast cancer presenting as axillary metastasis is rare and remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Evidence to guide clinical management is limited, and locoregional treatment remains nonstandardized and highly varied nationally. Historically, occult breast cancer was managed with modified radical mastectomy ± radiotherapy; however, equivalent local control and survival are observed with breast preservation and adjuvant whole breast radiotherapy.

Tannic acid-coated cellulose nanocrystals with enhanced mucoadhesive properties for aquaculture.

Mucoadhesion can be exploited as a strategy to target drug and nutrient delivery to the outer mucosal layers of fish in aquaculture farms. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) derived from cellulose pulp fibers can interact with the mucosal membranes via hydrogen bonding, however, their mucoadhesive properties are weak and should be enhanced. In this study, CNC were coated with tannic acid (TA), a plant polyphenol with excellent wet-resistant bioadhesive properties, to strengthen their mucoadhesive capability.

Application of Pickering emulsions in probiotic encapsulation- A review.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer health benefits to host organisms when consumed in adequate amounts and are often incorporated into foods for human consumption. However, this has negative implications on their viability as large numbers of these beneficial bacteria are deactivated when subjected to harsh conditions during processing, storage, and passage through the gastrointestinal tract. To address these issues, numerous studies on encapsulation techniques to protect probiotics have been conducted.

High-fidelity, simulation-based microsurgical training for neurosurgical residents.

Objective: Simulation is increasingly recognized as an important supplement to operative training. The live rat femoral artery model is a well-established model for microsurgical skills simulation. In this study, the authors present an 11-year experience incorporating a comprehensive, longitudinal microsurgical training curriculum into a Canadian neurosurgery program.

SAVI SCOUT® localization of metastatic axillary lymph node prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for targeted axillary dissection: a pilot study.

Purpose: In clinically node-positive breast cancer, axillary staging after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is optimized with targeted axillary dissection (TAD), which includes removal of the biopsy-proven metastatic lymph node (LN) in addition to sentinel lymph nodes (SLN). Localization of the clipped node is currently performed post-NAC; however, technical limitations can make detection and localization of the treated LN challenging. We prospectively evaluated the feasibility of localizing the metastatic LN with a SAVI SCOUT® reflector (SAVI) prior to NAC for targeted removal at surgery.

Updates on treating ductal carcinoma in situ: what's to know in 2021.

Purpose Of Review: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a noninvasive stage of disease but understood to be a nonobligate precursor to invasive breast cancer. As such, women with DCIS are routinely recommended for standard breast cancer treatment to prevent progression to invasive disease. DCIS, however, represents a heterogeneous group of lesions that differs in its biologic behavior and risk of progression.

Can Women With HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Be Cured?

Breast cancer that is characterized by amplification or over expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) accounts for 15% to 20% of all forms of the disease. Although HER2 amplification has been associated with aggressive disease behavior and poor prognosis, the development and availability of a number of HER2-targeted agents has led to improved outcomes for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, with data suggesting that overall survival has substantially improved in the past 2 decades. An increasing proportion of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer is diagnosed as de novo stage IV disease.

A model for global surgical training and capacity development: the Children's of Alabama-Viet Nam pediatric neurosurgery partnership.

Introduction: Training capable and competent neurosurgeons to work in underserved regions of the world is an essential component of building global neurosurgical capacity. One strategy for achieving this goal is establishing longitudinal partnerships between institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and their counterparts in high-income countries (HICs) utilizing a multi-component model. We describe the initial experience of the Children's of Alabama (COA) Global Surgery Program partnership with multiple Vietnamese neurosurgical centers.