The human health effects of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) chemical exposures: a scoping review of the toxicological literature.

Many chemicals associated with unconventional oil and natural gas (UOG) are known toxicants, leading to health concerns about the effects of UOG. Our objective was to conduct a scoping review of the toxicological literature to assess the effects of UOG chemical exposures in models relevant to human health. We searched databases for primary research studies published in English or French between January 2000 and June 2023 on UOG-related toxicology studies.

Screening for harmful substance use in emergency departments: a systematic review.

Background: Substance use-related emergency department (ED) visits have increased substantially in North America. Screening for substance use in EDs is recommended; best approaches are unclear. This systematic review synthesizes evidence on diagnostic accuracy of ED screening tools to detect harmful substance use.

The human health effects of unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD): A scoping review of epidemiologic studies.

Objective: Unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD, sometimes termed "fracking" or "hydraulic fracturing") is an industrial process to extract methane gas and/or oil deposits. Many chemicals used in UOGD have known adverse human health effects. Canada is a major producer of UOGD-derived gas with wells frequently located in and around rural and Indigenous communities.

Evaluating treatment outcomes in pharmacogenomic-guided care for major depression: A rapid review and meta-analysis.

Pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing may increase the probability of remission and response in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) undergoing pharmacotherapy. Given the potential implications of these outcomes and recent proliferation of PGx studies, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of PGx testing on clinical outcomes in patients with MDD as compared to treatment as usual (TAU). MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, and CENTRAL were searched for English-language articles from 2000 to 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing PGx-guided treatment vs.

A Systematic Review of Kidney Transplantation Decision Modelling Studies.

Background: Genome-based precision medicine strategies promise to minimize premature graft loss after renal transplantation, through precision approaches to immune compatibility matching between kidney donors and recipients. The potential adoption of this technology calls for important changes to clinical management processes and allocation policy. Such potential policy change decisions may be supported by decision models from health economics, comparative effectiveness research and operations management.

Prevention of alcohol withdrawal seizure recurrence and treatment of other alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the emergency department: a rapid review.

Background: Patients who experience harms from alcohol and other substance use often seek care in the emergency department (ED). ED visits related to alcohol withdrawal have increased across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. ED clinicians are responsible for risk-stratifying patients under time and resource constraints and must reliably identify those who are safe for outpatient management versus those who require more intensive levels of care.

Short communication: Systematic review on effectiveness of micro-induction approaches to buprenorphine initiation.

Background/objectives: Micro-induction is a novel buprenorphine induction approach that seeks to avoid withdrawal and minimize precipitated withdrawal, both barriers to standard inductions. We aimed to synthesize evidence on micro-induction effectiveness, and regimens described.

Methods: We searched scientific databases and grey literature for studies including adolescents or adults with opioid use disorder who received buprenorphine micro-induction.

Effectiveness of micro-induction approaches to buprenorphine initiation: A systematic review protocol.

Background: Buprenorphine is first-line opioid agonist therapy for opioid use disorder. Standard regimens require that patients be in opioid withdrawal prior to induction, which is a barrier for many. Micro-induction is a novel induction approach that does not require patients to be in withdrawal.

A research agenda to improve patients' experience of knee replacement surgery: a patient-oriented modified Delphi study of patients of South Asian origin in British Columbia.

Background: Up to 1 in 5 patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) express dissatisfaction with their surgery. Our goal was to understand the experiences of patients of South Asian origin who undergo TKA and to identify a research agenda for this patient population.

Methods: We undertook a modified Delphi study in British Columbia to generate and prioritize potential research topics.

Patient-oriented research competencies in health (PORCH) for researchers, patients, healthcare providers, and decision-makers: results of a scoping review.

Plain English Summary: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded a program, "patient-oriented research" (POR), to change the way health research is done. POR involves patients and their families/caregivers as equal partners on research teams with researchers, healthcare providers and decision-makers. The authors of this paper work through a unit in British Columbia, Canada that functions to help research teams learn how to do patient-oriented research.

Naloxone dosing in the era of ultra-potent opioid overdoses: a systematic review.

Objectives: Evaluate the relationship between naloxone dose (initial and cumulative) and opioid toxicity reversal and adverse events in undifferentiated and presumed fentanyl/ultra-potent opioid overdoses.

Methods: We searched Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, DARE, CINAHL, Science Citation Index, reference lists, toxicology websites, and conference proceedings (1972 to 2018). We included interventional, observational, and case studies/series reporting on naloxone dose and opioid toxicity reversal or adverse events in people >12 years old.

Risk Factors for Misuse of Prescribed Opioids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Objective: Increasing opioid prescribing has been linked to an epidemic of opioid misuse. Our objective is to synthesize the available evidence about patient-, prescriber-, medication-, and system-level risk factors for developing misuse among patients prescribed opioids for noncancer pain.

Methods: We performed a systematic search of the scientific and gray literature for studies reporting on risk factors for prescription opioid misuse.

Naloxone interventions in opioid overdoses: a systematic review protocol.

Background: North America is in the midst of an unabated opioid overdose epidemic due to the increasing non-medical use of fentanyl and ultra-potent opioids. Naloxone is an effective antidote to opioid toxicity, yet its optimal dosing in the context of fentanyl and ultra-potent opioid overdoses remains unknown. This review aims to determine the relationship between the first empiric dose of naloxone and reversal of toxicity, adverse events, and the total cumulative dose required among patients with undifferentiated opioid overdoses and those with suspected toxicity from ultra-potent opioids.

Patient-Oriented Research Competencies in Health (PORCH) for patients, healthcare providers, decision-makers and researchers: protocol of a scoping review.

Background: Patient-Oriented Research (POR) is a Canadian initiative for health research that refers to research processes informed by full and active patient involvement in all aspects of the research. Ideally, POR results in a wide dissemination of the research findings and the uptake of such findings in both clinical practice and health policy. The Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) identifies four stakeholder groups that are involved in POR who are envisioned to take on a collaborative role in enacting this approach to research.

Risk factors for addiction among patients receiving prescribed opioids: a systematic review protocol.

Background: Opioid addiction prevention has become an urgent public health priority, with several countries declaring a state of emergency due to rising death tolls from opioid abuse. Reducing the risk of developing addiction among opioid-naïve patients exposed to prescribed opioids during the process of medical care may be an important primary prevention strategy. Our objective is to synthesize the available evidence about factors associated with the development of addiction among patients first exposed to prescribed opioids, with a focus on opioid-naïve patients.

Airway diseases and health literacy (HL) measurement tools: A systematic review to inform respiratory research and practice.

Objective: To identify and evaluate asthma/COPD measurement tools that assess any of the five health literacy (HL) domains: (1) access, (2) understand, (3) evaluate, (4) communicate, and (5) use, as well as numeracy.

Methods: MEDLINE/Embase (via Ovid) databases from 1974 to 2016 were searched and complimented by grey literature. Study selection and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers independently.

What is the relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus status and the neuroradiological correlates of cerebral small vessel disease in adults? Protocol for a systematic review.

Background: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a common cause of stroke, dementia, and functional decline. In recent years, neuroradiologic correlates of CSVD have been identified. These imaging findings, best characterized on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), include some combination of white matter hyperintensities, lacunes, cerebral microbleeds, enlarged perivascular spaces, and cerebral atrophy.

The application of health literacy measurement tools (collective or individual domains) in assessing chronic disease management: a systematic review protocol.

Background: The term "health literacy" (HL) was first coined in 1974, and its most common definition is currently defined as a person's ability to access, understand, evaluate, communicate, and use health information to make decisions for one's health. The previous systematic reviews assessing the effect of existing HL measurement tools on health outcomes have simply searched for the term "health literacy" only to identify measures instead of incorporating either one or more of the five domains in their search. Furthermore, as the domain "use" is fairly new, few studies have actually assessed this domain.

Adverse drug event reporting systems: a systematic review.

Aim: Adverse drug events (ADEs) are harmful and unintended consequences of medications. Their reporting is essential for drug safety monitoring and research, but it has not been standardized internationally. Our aim was to synthesize information about the type and variety of data collected within ADE reporting systems.

Using Economic Evidence to Set Healthcare Priorities in Low-Income and Lower-Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Methodological Frameworks.

Policy makers in low-income and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) are increasingly looking to develop 'evidence-based' frameworks for identifying priority health interventions. This paper synthesises and appraises the literature on methodological frameworks--which incorporate economic evaluation evidence--for the purpose of setting healthcare priorities in LMICs. A systematic search of Embase, MEDLINE, Econlit and PubMed identified 3968 articles with a further 21 articles identified through manual searching.

Exclusion Criteria in National Health State Valuation Studies: A Systematic Review.

Background: Health state valuation data are often excluded from studies that aim to provide a nationally representative set of values for preference-based health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instruments. The purpose was to provide a systematic examination of exclusion criteria used in the derivation of societal scoring algorithms for preference-based HRQoL instruments.

Methods: Data sources included MEDLINE, official instrument websites, and publication reference lists.

Choosing your partner for the PROM: a review of evidence on patient-reported outcome measures for use in primary and community care.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are assessments of health status from the patient's perspective. The systematic and routine collection and use of PROMs in healthcare settings adds value in several ways, including quality improvement and service evaluation. We address the issue of instrument selection for use in primary and/or community settings.

The effect of early in-hospital medication review on health outcomes: a systematic review.

Aims: Adverse drug events are an important cause of emergency department visits, unplanned admissions and prolonged hospital stays. Our objective was to synthesize the evidence on the effect of early in-hospital pharmacist-led medication review on patient-oriented outcomes based on observed data.

Methods: We systematically searched eight bibliographic reference databases, electronic grey literature, medical journals, conference proceedings, trial registries and bibliographies of relevant papers.