Comparative analysis of the Potter Tower and a new Track Sprayer for the application of residual sprays in the laboratory.

Background: Efforts to evaluate the residual efficacy of new indoor residual spraying (IRS) formulations have identified limitations with the industry standard laboratory sprayer, the Potter Spray Tower (PT). Calibrating the PT can be time-consuming, and the dosing of surfaces may not be as accurate or uniform as previously assumed.

Methods: To address these limitations, the Micron Horizontal Track Sprayer with Spray Cabinet (TS) was developed to provide higher efficiency, ease of operation and deposition uniformity equal to or better than the PT.

Emerging innovations and advancements in the treatment of extremity and truncal soft tissue sarcomas.

In this special edition update on soft tissue sarcomas (STS), we cover classifications, emerging technologies, prognostic tools, radiation schemas, and treatment disparities in extremity and truncal STS. We discuss the importance of enhancing local control and reducing complications, including the role of innovative imaging, surgical guidance, and hypofractionated radiation. We review advancements in systemic and immunotherapeutic treatments and introduce disparities seen in this vulnerable population that must be considered to improve overall patient care.

Novel 3D-printed foot orthoses with variable hardness: A comfort comparison to traditional orthoses.

Custom foot orthoses are used to treat a variety of foot pathologies. However, orthotic production requires significant hands-on fabrication time and expertise to produce orthoses that are both comfortable and effective. This paper introduces a novel 3D printed orthosis and fabrication method that utilizes custom architectures to produce variable-hardness regions.

Evaluation of a modified radiographic union scale for tibial fractures scoring system in staged bilateral tibial plateau leveling osteotomy procedures and comparison of first and second side radiographic bone healing.

Objective: To evaluate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) modified radiographic union scale for tibial fractures (mRUST), a semiquantitative scoring system, as compared with the subjective evaluation of radiographic union for staged TPLOs.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Animals: Forty-eight dogs, 96 stifles.

Enhancing the Quality of Spray Application in IRS: Evaluation of the Micron Track Sprayer.

Indoor residual spraying (IRS) has changed little since its introduction in the 1940s. Manual spraying is still prone to variation in insecticide dose. To improve the application of IRS in experimental hut trials, an automated track sprayer was developed, which regulates the speed of application and the distance of the nozzle from the wall, two key sources of variation.

A high-throughput HPLC method for simultaneous quantification of pyrethroid and pyriproxyfen in long-lasting insecticide-treated nets.

Long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) play a crucial role in preventing malaria transmission. LLINs should remain effective for at least three years, even after repeated washings. Currently, monitoring insecticides in LLINs is cumbersome, costly, and requires specialized equipment and hazardous solvents.

Intraoperative Cryotherapy in the Treatment of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma of the Bone.

Osseous metastases in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are a heterogeneous mix of cells with hypervascular and rapidly destructive properties that frequently exhibit resistance to both radiation and chemotherapy. Despite this, some patients with isolated and oligometastatic disease have the potential to be cured. Regardless, aggressive metastatic control is critical to minimizing morbidity and mortality for all patients with metastatic RCC.

The impact of local health professions education grants: is it worth the investment?

Background: Local grants programs are important since funding for medical education research is limited. Understanding which factors predict successful outcomes is highly relevant to administrators. The purpose of this project was to identify factors that contribute to the publication of local medical education grants in a Canadian context.

Experimental Simulation Study to Assess Pressure Distribution of Different Compression Applications Applied Over an Innovative Primary Wound Dressing.

Introduction: Compression is integral to the management of edema and the prevention of venous leg ulcers (VLUs).

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the sub-bandage pressure distribution under 3 compression applications as well as to assess the impact of an innovative primary wound dressing, applied under the compression products, on pressure distribution.

Materials And Methods: A series of controlled tests were performed using a simulated leg model (SLM).

Bilateral ovarian metastasis of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma: A case report.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 2-3% of all adult malignancies. Clear-cell type RCC is the most common type, accounting for approximately 75% of all renal cancer cases. The most common sites of metastasis include the lung, bone, and liver.

Comparison of Antithrombin III Products in Pediatric Patients Receiving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

The study investigated the safety and efficacy of two antithrombin III (ATIII) products in pediatric patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) by performing a retrospective analysis of patients who received either recombinant ATIII (rATIII) or human-derived ATIII (hATIII). Twenty-two patients were included in the study from January 2014 to September 2015 and all received unfractionated heparin (UFH) as anticoagulation during ECMO. In total, 86 doses of ATIII were included in the analysis in which 37 doses (43%) were rATIII and 49 doses (57%) were hATIII.

Improving the performance of spray operators through monitoring and evaluation of insecticide concentrations of pirimiphos-methyl during indoor residual spraying for malaria control on Bioko Island.

Background: Quality control of indoor residual spraying (IRS) is necessary to ensure that spray operators (SOs) deposit the correct concentration of insecticide on sprayed structures, while also confirming that spray records are not being falsified.

Methods: Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), this study conducted quality control of the organophosphate insecticide pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic 300CS), during the 2018 IRS round on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Approximately 60 SOs sprayed a total of 67,721 structures in 16,653 houses during the round.

Characteristics and outcomes in a prospective cohort of patients with histologically diagnosed aortitis.

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate characteristics and prospective adverse aortic outcomes in a cohort of patients with non-infectious histological aortitis.

Methods: Patients with histological aortitis, diagnosed at the Ottawa Hospital after surgical repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms or dissections, consented to enrolment in a prospective observational cohort. Patients were assessed for an underlying inflammatory condition and followed prospectively with periodic clinical, laboratory and radiographic assessments.

Accuracy of 3-Dimensional Planning, Implant Templating, and Patient-Specific Instrumentation in Anatomic Total Shoulder Arthroplasty.

Background: Use of 3-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) preoperative planning and patient-specific instrumentation has been demonstrated to improve the accuracy of glenoid implant placement in total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of glenoid implant placement in primary TSA among different types of instrumentation used with the 3D CT preoperative planning.

Methods: One hundred and seventy-three patients with end-stage glenohumeral arthritis were enrolled in 3 prospective studies evaluating patient-specific instrumentation and 3D preoperative planning.

Treatment Algorithms for Systemic Sclerosis According to Experts.

Objective: There is a lack of agreement regarding treatment for many aspects of systemic sclerosis (SSc). We undertook this study to generate SSc treatment algorithms endorsed by a high percentage of SSc experts.

Methods: Experts from the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium and the Canadian Scleroderma Research group (n = 170) were asked whether they agreed with SSc algorithms from 2012.

Progression of Glenoid Morphology in Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis.

Background: Walch defined the pathologic characteristics of glenohumeral osteoarthritis on the basis of patterns of glenoid morphology and humeral head subluxation. However, it is unclear how pathologic changes evolve over time. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are common patterns of pathologic progression based on the Walch classification in primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis and if glenoid bone-loss patterns correlate with rotator cuff fatty infiltration.

Pediatric Anti--Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis: A Review with Pooled Analysis and Critical Care Emphasis.

Purpose: Anti--methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is being recognized with increasing frequency among children. Given the paucity of evidence to guide the critical care management of these complex patients, we provide a comprehensive review of the literature with pooled analysis of published case reports and case series.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science for relevant published studies.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Neonates with Congenital Renal and Urological Anomalies and Pulmonary Hypoplasia: A Case Report and Review of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry.

 Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract constitute up to 30% of anomalies identified in the neonatal period. In utero oligohydramnios is often associated with pulmonary hypoplasia and respiratory failure in the neonate who may not be responsive to mechanical ventilation. Placement of these neonates on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains controversial and is considered in most centers to be a relative contraindication.

Implementation of an ICU Bundle: An Interprofessional Quality Improvement Project to Enhance Delirium Management and Monitor Delirium Prevalence in a Single PICU.

Objectives: To examine the impact of an ICU bundle on delirium screening and prevalence and describe characteristics of delirium cases.

Design: Quality improvement project with prospective observational analysis.

Setting: Nineteen-bed PICU in an urban academic medical center.

Thermal Conductivity of Human Bone in Cryoprobe Freezing as Related to Density.

Cryoprobes create localized cell destruction through freezing. Bone is resistant to temperature flow but is susceptible to freezing necrosis at warmer temperatures than tumor cells. Few studies have determined the thermal conductivity of human bone.

The first potential energy surfaces for the C6H(-)-H2 and C6H(-)-He collisional systems and their corresponding inelastic cross sections.

Molecular anions have recently been detected in the interstellar and circumstellar media. Accurate modeling of their abundance requires calculations of collisional data with the most abundant species that are usually He atoms and H2 molecules. In this paper, we focus on the collisional excitation of the first observed molecular anion, C6H(-), by He and H2.

Comparison of bupivacaine and dexmedetomidine femoral and sciatic nerve blocks with bupivacaine and buprenorphine epidural injection for stifle arthroplasty in dogs.

Objective: To compare the quality of anesthesia and analgesia from femoral and sciatic nerve blocks (FS) with bupivacaine and dexmedetomidine with that from an epidural injection (EPI) with bupivacaine and buprenorphine in dogs undergoing unilateral stifle arthroplasty.

Study Design: Prospective, blinded, randomized, clinical comparison.

Animals: Twenty-six dogs weighing 36 ± 10 kg and aged 5 (1-11) years.

Effects of Clonidine on Withdrawal From Long-term Dexmedetomidine in the Pediatric Patient.

Objective: To compare withdrawal symptoms among pediatric intensive care patients receiving clonidine to those not receiving clonidine while being weaned from long-term dexmedetomidine.

Methods: This retrospective analysis evaluated Withdrawal Assessment Tool-1 (WAT-1) scores and hemodynamic parameters in pediatric patients on dexmedetomidine for 5 days or longer between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2012. The primary objective was to compare withdrawal symptoms based on the number of elevated WAT-1 scores among patients on clonidine to those not on clonidine, while being weaned from long-term dexmedetomidine.

The application of cryoprobe therapy in orthopedic oncology.

The cryoprobe is a relatively new surgical tool offering a more selective destruction of unwanted cells. Using expanded versions of basic thermodynamic formulas of conduction and convection, mathematical models are becoming more effective at mapping out the zone of destruction that can be expected when using cryoprobes. The development of this technology will allow for better surgical planning and postoperative care to decrease patient morbidity and mortality.

Correlations between changes in cytokines and clinical outcomes for early phase (proof of concept) trials in active diffuse systemic sclerosis using data from an imatinib study.

Objective: Data from a small study testing imatinib to treat SSc were used to determine if cytokine changes were related to differences in clinical parameters to model future early phase trials pairing cytokine changes and clinical parameters.

Methods: Plasma and punch skin biopsy specimens collected at baseline and 6 months were analysed for levels of 26 fibrotic and inflammatory cytokines using multiplexed immunoassays and ELISA. Seven of nine patients on active treatment had paired data.