Informing Culturally Safe Advance Care Planning: An Interpretive Descriptive Study of Internationally Educated Nurses in Ontario.

Background: Maintaining cultural safety during advance care planning (ACP) discussions is an essential component of holistic care provision. Most nurses feel unprepared to engage in ACP and the current literature offers limited recommendations on how nurses can lead culturally safe ACP discussions. Internationally educated nurses (IENs) have unique personal and professional experiences to address this gap.

PP2A B55α inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition via regulation of Slug expression in non-small cell lung cancer.

PP2A B55α, encoded by PPP2R2A, acts as a regulatory subunit of the serine/threonine phosphatase PP2A. Despite a frequent loss of heterozygosity of PPP2R2A in cases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), research on PP2A B55α's functions remains limited and controversial. To investigate the biological roles of PP2A B55α, we conducted bulk RNA-sequencing to assess the impact of PPP2R2A knockdown using two shRNAs in a NSCLC cell line.

Differential dose responses of transcranial focused ultrasound at brain regions indicate causal interactions.

We have previously shown that focused ultrasound (FUS) pulses in low pressure range exerted bidirectional and brain state-dependent neuromodulation in the nonhuman primate somatosensory cortices by fMRI. Here we aim to gain insights about the proposed neuron selective modulation of FUS and probe feedforward versus feedback interactions by simultaneously quantifying the stimulus (FUS pressures: 925, 425, 250 kPa) and response (% BOLD fMRI changes) function at the targeted area 3a/3b and off-target cortical areas at 7T. In resting-state, lowered intensities of FUS resulted in decreased fMRI signal changes at the target area 3a/3b and off-target area 1/2, S2, MCC, insula and auditory cortex, and no signal difference in thalamic VPL and MD nuclei.

A reduced aperture allows for transcranial focus localization at lower pressure.

Localizing the focus during transcranial focused ultrasound procedures is important to ensure accurate targeting of specific brain regions and interpretation of results. Magnetic resonance acoustic radiation force imaging uses the displacement induced by the ultrasound focus in the brain to localize the beam, but the high pressure required to displace brain tissue may cause damage or confounds during subsequent neuromodulatory experiments. Here, reduced apertures were applied to a phased array transducer to generate comparable displacement to the full aperture but with 20% lower free field pressure.

Pedicle Morphometry of Subaxial Cervical Spine Using Computed Tomography Scans among Adult Ugandan Subpopulation.

Background: Accurate placement of pedicle screws in the subaxial cervical spine requires precise understanding of vertebra anatomy. Little is known about the morphometric characteristics of the subaxial cervical pedicle in the Ugandan population. The objective of the study was to determine the morphometric dimensions of pedicles in the subaxial cervical spine among the adult Ugandan population.

Conditional Vasospasm-Free Survival Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Background: Following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), patients are monitored closely for vasospasm in the intensive care unit. Conditional vasospasm-free survival describes the risk of future vasospasm as a function of time elapsed without vasospasm. Conditional survival has not been applied to this clinical scenario but could improve patient counseling and intensive care unit use.

Impact of postoperative dexamethasone on survival, steroid dependency, and infections in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients.

Background: We examined the effect of dexamethasone prescribed in the initial 3 postoperative weeks on survival, steroid dependency, and infection in glioblastoma patients.

Methods: In this single-center retrospective cohort analysis, we electronically retrieved inpatient administration and outpatient prescriptions of dexamethasone and laboratory values from the medical record of 360 glioblastoma patients. We correlated total dexamethasone prescribed from postoperative day (POD) 0 to 21 with survival, dexamethasone prescription from POD30 to POD90, and diagnosis of an infection by POD90.

Bidirectional and state-dependent modulation of brain activity by transcranial focused ultrasound in non-human primates.

Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) stimulation under MRI guidance, coupled with functional MRI (fMRI) monitoring of effects, offers a precise, noninvasive technology to dissect functional brain circuits and to modulate altered brain functional networks in neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here we show that ultrasound at moderate intensities modulated neural activity bi-directionally. Concurrent sonication of somatosensory areas 3a/3b with 250 kHz FUS suppressed the fMRI signals produced there by peripheral tactile stimulation, while at the same time eliciting fMRI activation at inter-connected, off-target brain regions.

Molecular characterization, gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis, phytochemical screening and insecticidal activities of ethanol extract of Lentinus squarrosulus against Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus).

Mosquito-transmitted diseases like zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever are known to affect human health worldwide. Numerous synthetic insecticides have been used as vector control for these diseases, but there is the challenge of environmental toxicity and vector resistance. This study investigated the medicinal and insecticidal potential of Lentinus squarrosulus against Aedes aegypti.

Hydrocarbon Degradation and Enzyme Activities of and Isolated from Nigerian Crude Oil-Polluted Sites.

Many free-living saprobic fungi are nature recruited organisms for the degradation of wastes, ranging from lignocellulose biomass to organic/inorganic chemicals, aided by their production of enzymes. In this study, fungal strains were isolated from contaminated crude-oil fields in Nigeria. The dominant fungi were selected from each site and identified as and based on morphological and molecular characterization, with site percentage incidences of 56.

Hyperoxemia and Cerebral Vasospasm in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Background: Cerebral vasospasm is a major contributor to disability and mortality after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Oxidation of cell-free hemoglobin plays an integral role in neuroinflammation and is a suggested source of tissue injury after aneurysm rupture. This study sought to determine whether patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral vasospasm were more likely to have been exposed to early hyperoxemia than those without vasospasm.

Association of Fitness and Fatness with Clustered Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Nigerian Adolescents.

: This study examinedthe independent and joint association of fitness and fatness with clustered cardiovascular disease risk (CVDrs) in 11-18 year-old Nigerian adolescents. : A hundred and ninety seven adolescents (100 girls and 97 boys) were evaluated forfitness, fatness and CVDrs. Fitness was evaluated with the progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run test while fatness was assessed using body mass index.

Induced spawning and embryonic and early larval development of bonefish (Albula vulpes).

Bonefish (Albula vulpes L.) are a highly prized sport fish. Despite their economic importance, populations in the Florida Keys and Caribbean are in decline, with the early life history undescribed.

An Investigation of the Anti-Parkinsonism Potential of Co-enzyme Q and Co-enzyme Q /Levodopa-carbidopa Combination in Mice.

Despite decades of research, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease remain a leading cause of disability worldwide, due to the insufficient reduction of disease burden by available medications. Recently, the benefits of dietary supplements like co-enzyme Q in neurodegenerative diseases have been reported. ; Aim: The protective effects of supplemental co-enzyme Q (CQ) and possible additive benefits of CQ /Levodopa-Carbidopa (LD) in Chlorpromazine (CPZ)-induced Parkinsonism-like changes in mice were investigated.

Considerations for ultrasound exposure during transcranial MR acoustic radiation force imaging.

The aim of this study was to improve the sensitivity of magnetic resonance-acoustic radiation force imaging (MR-ARFI) to minimize pressures required to localize focused ultrasound (FUS) beams, and to establish safe FUS localization parameters for ongoing ultrasound neuromodulation experiments in living non-human primates. We developed an optical tracking method to ensure that the MR-ARFI motion-encoding gradients (MEGs) were aligned with a single-element FUS transducer and that the imaged slice was prescribed at the optically tracked location of the acoustic focus. This method was validated in phantoms, which showed that MR-ARFI-derived displacement sensitivity is maximized when the MR-ARFI MEGs were maximally aligned with the FUS propagation direction.

On the accuracy of optically tracked transducers for image-guided transcranial ultrasound.

Purpose: Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) is increasingly being explored to modulate neuronal activity. To target neuromodulation, researchers often localize the FUS beam onto the brain region(s) of interest using spatially tracked tools overlaid on pre-acquired images. Here, we quantify the accuracy of optically tracked image-guided FUS with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) thermometry, evaluate sources of error and demonstrate feasibility of these procedures to target the macaque somatosensory region.

Synergistic plant-microbes interactions in the rhizosphere: a potential headway for the remediation of hydrocarbon polluted soils.

Soil pollution is an unavoidable evil; many crude-oil exploring communities have been identified to be the most ecologically impacted regions around the world due to hydrocarbon pollution and their concurrent health risks. Several clean-up technologies have been reported on the removal of hydrocarbons in polluted soils but most of them are either very expensive, require the integration of advanced mechanization and/or cannot be implemented in small scale. However, "Bioremediation" has been reported as an efficient, cost-effective and environment-friendly technology for clean-up of hydrocarbon"s contaminated soils.

Degradation of 2, 2-Dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate (dichlorvos) through the rhizosphere interaction between Panicum maximum Jacq and some selected fungi.

Many fungi have been reported to enhance the plant responses and degradation of several persistent pollutants in soils. In this study, five dominant fungi strains were identified from a pesticides polluted soil in Nigeria and screened for the expression of phosphoesterase (opd and mpd) and catechol 1, 2-dioxygenase (afk2 and afk4) genes using Reverse Transcriptase-PCR technique. Their rhizosphere interaction with plant (Panicum maximum) was further studied for the degradation of 2, 2 Dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate (dichlorvos).

A rare case of laryngeal cleft in association with VACTERL and malrotation.

We report a rare case of a neonatal girl who presented with coughing and dyspnea immediately after feeds. At birth, she was noted to have an imperforate anus with a posterior fourchette fistula from which she was stooling. Initial imaging with radiography showed a normal bowel gas pattern; however, lumbar vertebral anomalies were noted.

Transcriptomic responses of catalase, peroxidase and laccase encoding genes and enzymatic activities of oil spill inhabiting rhizospheric fungal strains.

Fungi are well associated with the degradation of hydrocarbons by the production of different enzymes, among which catalases (CBH), laccases (LCC) and peroxidases (LiP and MnP) are of immense importance. In this study, crude oil tolerance and enzyme secretions were demonstrated by rhizospheric fungal strains. Four most abundant strains were isolated from the rhizosphere of grasses growing in aged oil spill sites and identified through morphological characterization and molecular PCR-amplification of 5.

Synergistic rhizosphere degradation of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) through the combinatorial plant-fungal action.

Fungi are usually involved in degradation/deterioration of many anthropogenic wastes due to their verse enzyme secretions and adaptive capabilities. In this study, five dominant fungal strains were isolated from an aged lindane polluted site, they were all mixed (100 mg each) together with pent mushroom compost (SMC) and applied to lindane polluted soil (5 kg) at 10, 20, 30, 40% and control 0% (soil with no treatment), these were used to grow M. maximus Jacq for 3 months.

Synergistic action of rhizospheric fungi with Megathyrsus maximus root speeds up hydrocarbon degradation kinetics in oil polluted soil.

This study was aimed at combining the potentials of plant and some rhizospheric fungal strains in remediation of crude-oil polluted soil. Four new rhizospheric fungi were identified from an aged crude-oil polluted site and used with Megathyrsus maximus (guinea grass) for a 90 day synergistic remediation experiment. Cultures of these strains were first mixed with spent mushroom compost (SMC), the mixture was then applied to a sterilized crude oil polluted soil at concentrations of 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% potted in three replicates.

Volumetric MRI thermometry using a three-dimensional stack-of-stars echo-planar imaging pulse sequence.

Purpose: To measure temperature over a large brain volume with fine spatiotemporal resolution.

Methods: A three-dimensional stack-of-stars echo-planar imaging sequence combining echo-planar imaging and radial sampling with golden angle spacing was implemented at 3T for proton resonance frequency-shift temperature imaging. The sequence acquires a 188x188x43 image matrix with 1.

Mediational influence of spent mushroom compost on phytoremediation of black-oil hydrocarbon polluted soil and response of Megathyrsus maximus Jacq.

Ability of a plant to develop different adaptive strategies can also determine its capability for effective soil remediation. In this study, influence of spent mushroom compost (SMC) was tested on the phytoremediation of black oil hydrocarbon polluted soil and the response of Megathyrsus maximus (guinea grass). Studies were carried out in microcosm conditions by mixing different concentration of SMC viz.