Transition to Whole Genome Sequencing Surveillance: The Impact on National Outbreak Detection and Response for , , Shiga Toxin-Producing , and Clusters in Canada, 2015-2021.

Between 2017 and 2019, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was replaced by whole genome sequencing (WGS) for identifying enteric disease clusters in Canada. The number and characteristics of all clusters of , , Shiga toxin-producing (STEC), and spp. between 2015 and 2021 were analyzed.

Multinational Outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes Infections Linked to Enoki Mushrooms Imported from the Republic of Korea 2016-2020.

Keeping the global food supply safe necessitates international collaborations between countries. Health and regulatory agencies routinely communicate during foodborne illness outbreaks, allowing partners to share investigational evidence. A 2016-2020 outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to imported enoki mushrooms required a multinational collaborative investigation among the United States, Canada, Australia, and France.

Screening method for the simultaneous determination of allantoin and uric acid from dried blood spots.

Uric acid and its oxidation product allantoin are excellent biomarkers of oxidative stress in humans. Currently, there are high requirements not only for tests monitoring oxidative stress but also for screening laboratory tests in general. The highest demand is imposed on the simplest sampling, easy transport of the sample, and the shortest possible analysis time.

Dried blood spot as an alternative sample for screening of fatty acid, amino acid, and keto acid metabolism in humans.

Dried blood spot (DBS) is a simple and noninvasive sample collection technique allowing self-collection at home. It can be used as an alternative sample for the screening of metabolism in humans because changes in the levels of some fatty acids (FAs), amino acids (AAs), and keto acids (KAs) can be associated with metabolic disorders (e.g.

Determination of selected α-keto acids in dried blood samples using HPLC with fluorescence detection.

The determination of α-keto acids derived from amino acids is currently the most reliable approach for the diagnosis of some congenital metabolic diseases. An HPLC method for the simultaneous measurement of selected α-keto acids in dried blood samples has been developed and evaluated. Blood spot samples from a group of healthy blood donors were collected onto #903 Specimen Collection Paper.

The dried blood spot sampling method in the laboratory medicine.

The minimization is currently expanding in all fields of human life. The smaller size of analytical instruments and their higher sensitivity enables an analysis of small amounts of a biological material with a very low consumption of chemicals, what is economically and also environmentally beneficial. A patient friendly and minimal invasive sample collection is therefore more than required.

Evaluation of whole-genome sequencing for outbreak detection of Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 from the Canadian perspective.

Background: Rapid and accurate identification of Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) O157:H7 is dependent on well-established, standardized and highly discriminatory typing methods. Currently, conventional subtyping tests for foodborne bacterial pathogen surveillance are rapidly being replaced with whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in public health laboratories. The capacity of WGS to revolutionize global foodborne disease surveillance has positioned this tool to become the new gold standard; however, to ensure evidence standards for public health decision making can still be achieved, the performance of WGS must be thoroughly validated against current gold standard methods prior to implementation.

The issue of HPLC determination of endogenous lipoic acid in human plasma.

Lipoic acid (LA) is used extensively as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of various diseases. Many methods have been reported for the determination of LA plasma levels and its metabolites after its supplementation, but available information concerning endogenous plasma levels is still scarce. Studies which directly focused on determining the endogenous plasma levels provided highly controversial results, <4.

Examination outcomes and work locations of international medical graduate family medicine residents in Canada.

Objective: To describe the postgraduate medical education (PGME) examination outcomes and work locations of international medical graduates (IMGs); and to identify differences between Canadians studying abroad (CSAs) and non-CSAs.

Design: Cohort study using data from the National IMG Database and Scott's Medical Database.

Setting: Canada.

Realization of entry-to-practice milestones by Canadians who studied medicine abroad and other international medical graduates: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: International medical graduates must realize a series of milestones to obtain full licensure. We examined the realization of milestones by Canadian and non-Canadian graduates of Western or Caribbean medical schools, and Canadian and non-Canadian graduates from other medical schools.

Methods: Using the National IMG Database (data available for 2005-2011), we created 2 cohorts: 1) international medical graduates who had passed the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part I between 2005 and 2010 and 2) those who had first entered a family medicine postgraduate program between 2005 and 2009, or had first entered a specialty postgraduate program in 2005 or 2006.

Retention Patterns of Canadians Who Studied Medicine Abroad and Other International Medical Graduates.

Objectives: Are Canadians who study abroad (CSAs) more likely to stay in Canada than other international medical graduates (IMGs)? We looked at retention patterns of CSAs and immigrant IMGs who completed post-graduate medical education (PGME) training in Canada to describe the proportion and predictors of those working in Canada and in rural communities in Canada in 2015.

Methods: We linked the National IMG Database to Scott's Medical Database to track the work locations of CSAs and immigrant IMGs in 2015.

Results: Of the 1,214 IMGs who entered PGME training in Canada between 2005 and 2011, most were working in Canada in 2015 (88.

Credentialing and retention of visa trainees in post-graduate medical education programs in Canada.

Background: Visa trainees are international medical graduates (IMG) who come to Canada to train in a post-graduate medical education (PGME) program under a student or employment visa and are expected to return to their country of origin after training. We examined the credentialing and retention of visa trainees who entered PGME programs between 2005 and 2011.

Methods: Using the Canadian Post-MD Education Registry's National IMG Database linked to Scott's Medical Database, we examined four outcomes: (1) passing the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part 2 (MCCQE2), (2) obtaining a specialty designation (CCFP, FRCPC/SC), and (3) working in Canada after training and (4) in 2015.

Determination of Selected Amino Acids in Serum of Patients with Liver Disease.

Background: The determination of amino acids can be a reliable approach for extended diagnosis of liver diseases. This is because liver disease can be a cause of impaired amino acid metabolism. Therefore, a method for the determination of serum amino acids, applicable for clinical purposes, is necessary.

Determination of selected fatty acids in dried sweat spot using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection.

A method is described for the determination of fatty acids in dried sweat spot and plasma samples using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Plasma and dried sweat spot samples were obtained from a group of blood donors. The sweat was collected from each volunteer during exercise.

Fatty acid profile in erythrocyte membranes and plasma phospholipids affects significantly the extent of inflammatory response to coronary stent implantation.

In coronary heart disease, the treatment of significant stenosis by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation elicits local and systemic inflammatory responses. This study was aimed at evaluation of the dynamics of inflammatory response and elucidation of the relationship between the fatty acid profile of red blood cell (RBC) membranes or plasma phospholipids and inflammation after PCI. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), serum amyloid A (SAA), malondialdehyde (MDA) and the fatty acid profiles were determined in patients with advanced coronary artery disease undergoing PCI before, 24 h and 48 h after drug-eluting stent implantation (n=36).

An HPLC method for the determination of selected amino acids in human embryo culture medium.

A method for the determination of selected amino acids in culture medium using HPLC with fluorescence detection is described. Twenty hours after intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, one randomly selected zygote was transferred to the culture medium. After incubation (72 h after fertilization), the culture medium in which the embryo was incubated and blank medium was immediately stored at -80°C.

Amino acid metabolism in human embryos.

The aim of this study was to find some relationship between amino acid metabolism and the embryo morphokinetic parameters studied via time-lapse analysis. Study included 48 human embryo samples and their culture media. Two groups of embryos were identified: embryos reached the 8-cell stage on day 3 (n=34) and embryos failed to develop at any point during the incubation (n=14).

Alterations in protein and amino acid metabolism in rats fed a branched-chain amino acid- or leucine-enriched diet during postprandial and postabsorptive states.

Background: Many people believe in favourable effects of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs; valine, leucine, and isoleucine), especially leucine, on muscle protein balance and consume BCAAs for many years. We determined the effects of the chronic intake of a BCAA- or leucine-enriched diet on protein and amino acid metabolism in fed and postabsorptive states.

Methods: Rats were fed a standard diet, a diet with a high content of valine, leucine, and isoleucine (HVLID), or a high content of leucine (HLD) for 2 months.

An Assay of Selected Serum Amino Acids in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. In case of insulin resistance, which is typical for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), proteolysis is increased and protein synthesis is decreased; therefore, we can observe changes in the levels of amino acids in diabetics vs. non-diabetics.

The ratio of oxidized and reduced forms of selected antioxidants as a possible marker of oxidative stress in humans.

Oxidative stress is an imbalance between reactive oxygen species exposure and the ability of organisms to detoxify the reactive intermediates and to repair the oxidative damage of biologically important molecules. Many clinical studies of oxidative stress unfortunately provide conflicting and contradictory results. The ability of antioxidant systems to adequately respond to oxidative stress can be used in laboratory diagnostics.

[Changes in the levels of selected metabolites in the culture medium as a possible tool for the embryo selection in assisted reproduction].

Despite the increasing success of infertility treatment methods of assisted reproduction, it still remains a problem how to select the best embryo that has the potential for further development and implantation. At the present time, embryo selection is based especially on morphological criteria. This approach is subjective; therefore there is a trend to find another more objective and robust method for embryo selection.

Determination of seminal plasma malondialdehyde by high-performance liquid chromatography in smokers and non-smokers.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish and validate a high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of malondialdehyde in seminal plasma in smokers and non-smokers and to find possible differences between the two groups.

Background: Malondialdehyde is used as a diagnostic marker of lipid peroxidation and indicator of oxidative stress. Smoking is suspected to be responsible for an increase in its level.

Determination of Total Glutathione in Dried Blood Spot Samples Using a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.

A method is described for the determination of total glutathione (TGSH) in dried blood spot (DBS) samples using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Whole blood and DBS samples were obtained from a group of blood donors. After GSH reduction with dithiothreitol and protein precipitation with ethanol, the samples were derivatized with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde to form a very stable, highly fluorescent derivative.

Effects of smoking on fatty acid composition of phospholipid sperm membrane and the malondialdehyde levels in human seminal plasma.

The aim of this study was to investigate fatty acids composition of sperm phospholipids, level of lipoperoxidation represented by malondialdehyde and to examine differences between recent smokers and nonsmokers. The levels of malondialdehyde were in the group of all patients 1.51 ± 0.