Integrated access to cancer screening: expanding access for cervical and colorectal cancer screening in rural and remote Northern Alberta, Canada using a mobile service to bring cancer screening closer to home.

Background: The goal of the Integrated Access to Cancer Screening (IACS) initiative was to help reduce the disparity in cancer screening participation across Alberta by implementing an integrated mobile service delivery model for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening in rural and remote communities in Northern Alberta, performed by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) that addressed barriers to access. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes and impact the IACS initiative had on the communities and residents of Northern Alberta. This article describes the initiative design, implementation, outcomes, and impact of the initiative.

Refining α-synuclein seed amplification assays to distinguish Parkinson's disease from multiple system atrophy.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) are two distinct α-synucleinopathies traditionally differentiated through clinical symptoms. Early diagnosis of MSA is problematic, and seed amplification assays (SAAs), such as real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC), offer the potential to distinguish these diseases through their underlying α-synuclein (α-Syn) pathology and proteoforms. Currently, SAAs provide a binary result, signifying either the presence or absence of α-Syn seeds.

Neuronal α-synuclein toxicity is the key driver of neurodegeneration in multiple system atrophy.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare, rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disorder often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease (PD). While both conditions share some clinical features, MSA is distinct in its pathological hallmark: oligodendroglial cytoplasmic α-synuclein (α-Syn) inclusions, known as glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs). These GCIs are pathognomonic for MSA, but they do not lead to significant oligodendroglial cell loss.

Barcoded Hybrids of Extracellular Vesicles and Lipid Nanoparticles for Multiplexed Analysis of Tissue Distribution.

Targeted delivery of therapeutic agents is a persistent challenge in modern medicine. Recent efforts in this area have highlighted the utility of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as drug carriers, given that they naturally occur in bloodstream and tissues, and can be loaded with a wide range of therapeutic molecules. However, biodistribution and tissue tropism of EVs remain difficult to study systematically.

A macro-transection model of brain trauma for neuromaterial testing with functional electrophysiological readouts.

Functional recovery in penetrating neurological injury is hampered by a lack of clinical regenerative therapies. Biomaterial therapies show promise as medical materials for neural repair through immunomodulation, structural support, and delivery of therapeutic biomolecules. However, a lack of facile and pathology-mimetic models for therapeutic testing is a bottleneck in neural tissue engineering research.