Alleviating salinity stress in canola (Brassica napus L.) through exogenous application of salicylic acid.

Canola, a vital oilseed crop, is grown globally for food and biodiesel. With the enormous demand for growing various crops, the utilization of agriculturally marginal lands is emerging as an attractive alternative, including brackish-saline transitional lands. Salinity is a major abiotic stress limiting growth and productivity of most crops, and causing food insecurity.

Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma of the Spine: Report of a Rare Case.

This abstract discusses a rare case of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) involving the cervical and dorsal spine in a 17-year-old female. ALCL is a distinct subtype of lymphoma characterized by abnormal proliferation of lymphocytes and is divided into ALK-positive and ALK-negative subtypes. Spinal involvement in ALCL is uncommon, particularly in the cervical and dorsal regions.

A Race Against Time: Early-Onset Differentiation Syndrome Following All-Trans-Retinoic-Acid (ATRA) Therapy in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (AML-M3).

This study reports a case of differentiation syndrome, a rare complication of ATRA (all-trans-retinoic-acid) therapy, observed in a 20-year-old male with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML). Following the initiation of ATRA therapy for APML, the patient presented with fever, bleeding gums, bloody stool, and mouth ulcers. After 36 hours, he developed respiratory distress, hypotension, tachycardia, and hypoxemia, leading to the diagnosis of differentiation syndrome.

A Symphony of Challenges: Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, Pleurocutaneous Fistula, and Empyema Necessitans in Concert.

This case report details the clinical course of a 37-year-old male with multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) who initially presented with respiratory symptoms. Following a month of anti-TB therapy, the patient developed a painful chest swelling, diagnosed as empyema necessitans, with a subsequent spontaneous rupture leading to a pleurocutaneous fistula. Despite recommendations for surgery, the patient opted for active surveillance.

Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Endocarditis of a Native Valve: A Rare Case Presentation.

species is a rare cause of infective endocarditis that commonly involves a prosthetic or a previously damaged heart valve. We present a case of a 25-year-old young man with a one and a half month history of cough, fever, shortness of breath, and hemoptysis. Clinical examination revealed bilateral mid-zone crackles, palpable tip of the spleen, and an early diastolic murmur in the aortic (A2) area.

A Rare Presentation of Acute Kidney Injury in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Case Report.

Acute kidney injury from bilateral renal infiltration is rare in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We present the case of a 45-year-old woman with a three-month history of night sweats, weight loss, fever, and fatigue. Clinical evaluation revealed anemia, edema, cervical lymphadenopathy, and elevated blood pressure.

Myocardial strain assessment using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in recipients of implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is increasingly used in the evaluation of patients who are potential candidates for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy to assess left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF), myocardial fibrosis, and etiology of cardiomyopathy. It is unclear whether CMR-derived strain measurements are predictive of appropriate shocks and death among patients who receive an ICD. We evaluated the prognostic value of LV strain parameters on feature-tracking (FT) CMR in patients who underwent subsequent ICD implant for primary or secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death.

Deliver Cardiac Virtual Care: A Primer for Cardiovascular Professionals in Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its need for distancing, has necessitated the use of virtual care in never-before-seen volumes. This review article aims to provide a primer on virtual care for cardiovascular professionals in Canada. The technology to facilitate remote patient interactions is already available, but barriers exist.

Miniaturised Low-Cost Gamma Scanning Platform for Contamination Identification, Localisation and Characterisation: A New Instrument in the Decommissioning Toolkit.

Formerly clandestine, abandoned and legacy nuclear facilities, whether associated with civil or military applications, represent a significant decommissioning challenge owing to the lack of knowledge surrounding the existence, location and types of radioactive material(s) that may be present. Consequently, mobile and highly deployable systems that are able to identify, spatially locate and compositionally assay contamination ahead of remedial actions are of vital importance. Deployment imposes constraints to dimensions resulting from small diameter access ports or pipes.

Differences in Healthcare Use Between Patients With Persistent and Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Catheter-Based Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: A Population-Based Cohort Study From Ontario, Canada.

Background Patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing catheter-based AF ablation have lower success rates than those with paroxysmal AF. We compared healthcare use and clinical outcomes between patients according to their AF subtypes. Methods and Results Consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation were prospectively identified from a population-based registry in Ontario, Canada.

Post-operative pain following cardiac implantable electronic device implantation: insights from the BRUISE CONTROL trials.

Aims: Post-operative pain following cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) insertion is associated with patient dissatisfaction, emotional distress, and emergency department visits. We sought to identify factors associated with post-operative pain and develop a prediction score for post-operative pain.

Methods And Results: All patients from the BRUISE CONTROL-1 and 2 trials were included in this analysis.

A Hybrid Speller Design Using Eye Tracking and SSVEP Brain-Computer Interface.

Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) have been extensively utilized to develop brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) due to the advantages of robustness, large number of commands, high classification accuracies, and information transfer rates (ITRs). However, the use of several simultaneous flickering stimuli often causes high levels of user discomfort, tiredness, annoyingness, and fatigue. Here we propose to design a stimuli-responsive hybrid speller by using electroencephalography (EEG) and video-based eye-tracking to increase user comfortability levels when presented with large numbers of simultaneously flickering stimuli.

Effect of Direct Oral Anticoagulants, Warfarin, and Antiplatelet Agents on Risk of Device Pocket Hematoma: Combined Analysis of BRUISE CONTROL 1 and 2.

Background: Oral anticoagulant use is common among patients undergoing pacemaker or defibrillator surgery. BRUISE CONTROL (Bridge or Continue Coumadin for Device Surgery Randomized Controlled Trial; NCT00800137) demonstrated that perioperative warfarin continuation reduced clinically significant hematomas (CSH) by 80% compared with heparin bridging (3.5% versus 16%).

Concomitant anti-platelet therapy in warfarin-treated patients undergoing cardiac rhythm device implantation: A secondary analysis of the BRUISE CONTROL trial.

Background: Anti-platelet therapy is commonly used in patients receiving oral anticoagulation and may increase bleeding risk among patients undergoing cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) surgery. We sought to determine the proportion of anticoagulated patients who are concomitantly receiving anti-platelet therapy, the associated risk of clinically significant hematoma (CSH), and the proportion of patients in whom anti-platelet usage is guideline-indicated.

Methods: A secondary analysis of the Bridge or Continue Coumadin for Device Surgery Randomized Controlled Trial (BRUISE CONTROL).

Acute Myeloid Leukemia with t(8;21)(q22;q22) and Trisomy 4: A Rare Occurrence in a Female Child.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with balanced translocation t (8;21) is one of the most frequent chromosomal abnormalities and carries a favorable clinical outcome. However, according to a literature review, additional chromosomal aberrations can affect the overall disease prognosis. Trisomy 4 is a rare numerical abnormality in AML patients with t (8;21), which can be associated with c-KIT gene involvement.

Hybrid EEG--Eye Tracker: Automatic Identification and Removal of Eye Movement and Blink Artifacts from Electroencephalographic Signal.

Contamination of eye movement and blink artifacts in Electroencephalogram (EEG) recording makes the analysis of EEG data more difficult and could result in mislead findings. Efficient removal of these artifacts from EEG data is an essential step in improving classification accuracy to develop the brain-computer interface (BCI). In this paper, we proposed an automatic framework based on independent component analysis (ICA) and system identification to identify and remove ocular artifacts from EEG data by using hybrid EEG and eye tracker system.

Evaluation of genes encoding for the transient outward current (Ito) identifies the KCND2 gene as a cause of J-wave syndrome associated with sudden cardiac death.

Background: J-wave ECG patterns are associated with an increased risk of sudden arrhythmic death, and experimental evidence supports a transient outward current (I(to))-mediated mechanism of J-wave formation. This study aimed to determine the frequency of genetic mutations in genes encoding the I(to) in patients with J waves on ECG.

Methods And Results: Comprehensive mutational analysis was performed on I(to)-encoding KCNA4, KCND2, and KCND3 genes, as well as the previously described J-wave-associated KCNJ8 gene, in 51 unrelated patients with ECG evidence defining a J-wave syndrome.

Reduction of physiological effects in fNIRS waveforms for efficient brain-state decoding.

This paper presents a methodology for online estimation of brain activities with reduction in the effects of physiological noises in functional near-infrared spectroscopy signals. The input-output characteristics of a hemodynamic response are modeled as an autoregressive moving average model together with exogenous physical signals (i.e.

Charting a course for cardiac electrophysiology training in Canada: the vital role of fellows in advanced cardiovascular care.

Canadian electrophysiology (EP) fellowship programs have evolved in an ad hoc fashion over 30 years. This evolution has occurred in many fields in medicine and is natural when innovators and pioneers attract research fellows who help change the status quo from predominantly research to a predominantly clinical application and focus. Fellows not only push their supervisors and their centres into new areas of inquiry but also function at the most advanced level to encourage and teach junior trainees and to provide examples of excellence to residents, medical students, and other health professionals.

Anticancer potential of rhamnocitrin 4'-β-D-galactopyranoside against N-diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats.

The hepatoprotective activity of flavonoid rhamnocitrin 4'-β-D-galactopyranoside (RGP) obtained from leaves of Astragalus hamosus L. against N-diethylnitrosamine (DENA)-induced hepatic cancer in Wistar albino rats was evaluated. Hepatic cancer in rats was induced by single-dose intraperitoneal administration of DENA (200 mg/kg).

Linear parameter-varying model and adaptive filtering technique for detecting neuronal activities: an fNIRS study.

Objective: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging non-invasive brain imaging technique that measures brain activities by using near-infrared light of 650-950 nm wavelength. The major advantages of fNIRS are its low cost, portability, and good temporal resolution as a plausible solution to real-time imaging. Recent research has shown the great potential of fNIRS as a tool for brain-computer interfaces.

Pre-hospital cardiac arrest in acute coronary syndromes: insights from the global registry of acute coronary events and the canadian registry of acute coronary events.

Objectives: Cardiac arrest in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We examined the clinical characteristics, contemporary management patterns and outcomes of ACS patients with pre-hospital cardiac arrest.

Methods: The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events and the Canadian Registry of Acute Coronary Events enrolled 14,010 ACS patients in 1999-2008.

Mexiletine as an adjunctive therapy to amiodarone reduces the frequency of ventricular tachyarrhythmia events in patients with an implantable defibrillator.

The most effective pharmacological management of frequent ventricular tachyarrhythmia events in patients with an implantable defibrillator who failed or did not tolerate amiodarone is unknown. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of mexiletine in such patients. The patients served as self-controls.