Role of primary care enrolment in advanced cervical cancer diagnosis: a population-based case-control study.

Introduction: The elimination of cervical cancer will only be achievable through primary and secondary prevention. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of primary care enrolment on the prevention of advanced cervical cancer.

Methods: Using a population-based case-control study, all women (n=5548) above 18 years of age who were diagnosed with cervical cancer between January 2006 and December 2015 in Ontario, Canada were selected for the analysis.

Development and field testing of a tool to elicit women's preferences among cervical cancer screening modalities.

Objective: The objective of the present study is to describe the development and field testing of a preference-elicitation tool for cervical cancer screening, meeting International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) quality criteria.

Methods: We developed a tool designed to elicit women's preferences among cervical cancer screening modalities. The Ottawa Decision Support Framework and IPDAS systematic development process guided the design, and we followed IPDAS criteria for conducting a field test in a real-world setting.

Measuring colposcopy quality in Canada: development of population-based indicators.

Background: Colposcopy is a key part of cervical cancer control. As cervical cancer screening and prevention strategies evolve, monitoring colposcopy performance will become even more critical. In the present paper, we describe population-based colposcopy quality indicators that are recommended for ongoing measurement by cervical cancer screening programs in Canada.

A National Survey of Canadian Adults on HPV: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Barriers to the HPV Vaccine.

Objective: Identifying human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination motivators and barriers among adults could lead to new approaches to improve HPV vaccination rates in non-pediatric populations. This Canadian survey aimed to assess current knowledge of, attitudes towards, and barriers to the HPV vaccine among the general public.

Methods: An online panel was used to survey HPV unvaccinated women (n = 802) and vaccinated women (n = 250) 18 to 45 years old, as well as 18- to 26-year-old men (n = 200), in May and June 2016.

A National Survey of Canadian Physicians on HPV: Knowledge, Barriers, and Preventive Practices.

Objective: Physicians are the sole prescribers of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for adults in Canada. This survey of Canadian physicians aimed to explore knowledge, barriers, and preventive practices regarding HPV vaccination.

Method: A survey of general practitioners (GPs) (n = 337) and obstetrician/gynaecologists (OB/GYNs) (n = 81) was conducted in May and June 2016 using an online panel.

Is Immigrant Status Associated With Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women in Canada? Results From a Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Cervical cancer accounts for the highest mortality rate from cancer in women worldwide. Despite widespread availability of cervical cancer screening programs in Canada, immigrant women are largely underscreened. The most recently published Canadian-wide study evaluated screening uptake from 2001 to 2002.

"They Should Be Asking Us": A Qualitative Decisional Needs Assessment for Women Considering Cervical Cancer Screening.

In this study, we examine from multiple perspectives, women's shared decision-making needs when considering cervical screening options: Pap testing, in-clinic human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, self-collected HPV testing, or no screening. The Ottawa Decision Support Framework guided the development of the interview schedule. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven screen-eligible women and five health care professionals (three health care providers and two health system managers).

Eliciting women's cervical screening preferences: a mixed methods systematic review protocol.

Background: With the accumulation of evidence regarding potential harms of cancer screening in recent years, researchers, policy-makers, and the public are becoming more critical of population-based cancer screening. Consequently, a high-quality cancer screening program should consider individuals' values and preferences when determining recommendations. In cervical cancer screening, offering women autonomy is considered a "person-centered" approach to health care services; however, it may impact the effectiveness of the program should women choose to not participate.

Microfluidic cell-phoresis enabling high-throughput analysis of red blood cell deformability and biophysical screening of antimalarial drugs.

Changes in red blood cell (RBC) deformability are associated with the pathology of many diseases and could potentially be used to evaluate disease status and treatment efficacy. We developed a simple, sensitive, and multiplexed RBC deformability assay based on the spatial dispersion of single cells in structured microchannels. This mechanism is analogous to gel electrophoresis, but instead of transporting molecules through nano-structured material to measure their length, RBCs are transported through micro-structured material to measure their deformability.

Silica microspheres are superior to polystyrene for microvesicle analysis by flow cytometry.

Background: Cell-derived microvesicles (MVs) in biological fluids are studied for their potential role in pathological conditions. Flow cytometry is used to characterize MVs. Polystyrene microspheres are often used in flow cytometry to distinguish MV from cells by setting a 1-μm MV gate in a side-scatter (SSC) vs.

Highly selective biomechanical separation of cancer cells from leukocytes using microfluidic ratchets and hydrodynamic concentrator.

The separation of cells based on their biomechanical properties, such as size and deformability, is important in applications such as the identification of circulating tumor cells, where morphological differences can be used to distinguish target cancer cells from contaminant leukocytes. Existing filtration-based separation processes are limited in their selectivity and their ability to extract the separated cells because of clogging in the filter microstructures. We present a cell separation device consisting of a hydrodynamic concentrator and a microfluidic ratchet mechanism operating in tandem.

Technologies for label-free separation of circulating tumor cells: from historical foundations to recent developments.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are malignant cells shed into the bloodstream from a tumor that have the potential to establish metastases in different anatomical sites. The separation and subsequent characterization of these cells is emerging as an important tool for both biomarker discovery and the elucidation of mechanisms of metastasis. Established methods for separating CTCs rely on biochemical markers of epithelial cells that are known to be unreliable because of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, which reduces expression for epithelial markers.

Primary hemostatic capacity of whole blood: a comprehensive analysis of pathogen reduction and refrigeration effects over time.

Background: Whole blood (WB) has been used in combat since World War I as it is readily available and replaces every element of shed blood. Component therapy has become standard; however, recent military successes with WB resuscitation have revived the debate regarding wider WB use. Characterization of optimal WB storage is needed.

Cell separation based on size and deformability using microfluidic funnel ratchets.

The separation of biological cells by filtration through microstructured constrictions is limited by unpredictable variations of the filter hydrodynamic resistance as cells accumulate in the microstructure. Applying a reverse flow to unclog the filter will undo the separation and reduce filter selectivity because of the reversibility of low-Reynolds number flow. We introduce a microfluidic structural ratchet mechanism to separate cells using oscillatory flow.

Deterministic microfluidic ratchet based on the deformation of individual cells.

We present a microfluidic ratchet that exploits the deformation of individual cells through microscale funnel constrictions. The threshold pressure required to transport single cells through such constrictions is greater against the direction of taper than along the direction of taper. This physical asymmetry combined with an oscillatory excitation can enable selective and irreversible transport of individual cells in low Reynolds number flow.

A multi-centre randomised phase III trial of Dexamethasone vs Dexamethasone and diethylstilbestrol in castration-resistant prostate cancer: immediate vs deferred Diethylstilbestrol.

Background: The role of further hormone therapy in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains unclear. We performed a multi-centre randomised phase III study comparing the use of Dexamethasone, Aspirin, and immediate addition of Diethylstilbestrol (DAiS) vs Dexamethasone, Aspirin, and deferred (until disease progression) addition of Diethylstilbestrol (DAdS).

Methods: From 2001 to 2008, 270 men with chemotherapy-naive CRPC were randomly assigned, in a 1 : 1 ratio, to receive either DAiS or DAdS.

Supernates from stored red blood cells inhibit platelet aggregation.

Background: Previously, we reported that red blood cells (RBCs) stored in AS-5 accumulated proinflammatory substances during storage. We observed in those studies that supernates from nonleukoreduced (NLR) RBCs reduced mean anti-CD41a-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) fluorescence on platelets (PLTs), indicative of decreased expression of glycoprotein (GP)IIb/IIIa on the PLT membrane. The objective of this study was to determine if supernates from stored RBCs impaired PLT aggregation as a consequence of reduction in GPIIb/IIIa expression.

The optimum organization for the delivery of colposcopy service in Ontario: a systematic review.

Objective: To determine the optimum organization for colposcopy service delivery in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: A multidisciplinary expert panel was convened to develop a systematic review to inform organizational guidelines. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, HealthSTAR, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched from 1996 to February 2006 for articles that reported guidance or outcomes relating to improved outcomes in colposcopy training, qualifications, accreditation, maintenance of competency, the delivery of colposcopy, reducing default from colposcopy clinics, and/or strategies to improve patient satisfaction or comfort.

Packed blood cells stored in AS-5 become proinflammatory during storage.

Background: Studies have shown that packed blood cells (PBCs) stored in AS-1 (Adsol, Baxter) and AS-3 (Nutricel, Medsep Corp.) accumulate proinflammatory substances, which may contribute to increased complications from allogeneic blood transfusion. This study assessed whether supernates from PBCs stored in AS-5 (Optisol, Terumo Corp.

Hedgehog signalling in androgen independent prostate cancer.

Objectives: Androgen-deprivation therapy effectively shrinks hormone-naïve prostate cancer, both in the prostate and at sites of distant metastasis. However prolonged androgen deprivation generally results in relapse and androgen-independent tumour growth, which is inevitably fatal. The molecular events that enable prostate cancer cells to proliferate in reduced androgen conditions are poorly understood.

A phase II study investigating the re-induction of endocrine sensitivity following chemotherapy in androgen-independent prostate cancer.

When chemotherapy is used in androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC), androgen deprivation is continued despite its failure. In this study, we investigated whether it was possible to re-induce hormone sensitivity in previously castrate patients by stopping endocrine therapy during chemotherapy. A phase II prospective study investigated the effects of reintroduction of endocrine therapy after oral chemotherapy in 56 patients with AIPC, which was given without concurrent androgen deprivation.

The efficacy and safety of irinotecan cisplatin and mitomycin chemotherapy in sunitinib pre-treated metastatic clear cell renal cancer.

Background: Sunitinib is widely used as first-line treatment for metastatic clear cell renal cancer (MCRC). No reports are known of treatment after sunitinib failure. As irinotecan, cisplatin, and mitomycin-C (IPM) chemotherapy has been reported to influence MCRC after progression on cytokine therapy, we report on the outcome of 11 patients treated with IPM after sunitinib failure.

Pro-inflammatory alterations and status of blood plasma iron in a model of blast-induced lung trauma.

Impact of blast shock waves (SW) with the body wall produces blast lung injuries characterized by bilateral traumatic hemorrhages. Such injuries often have no external signs, are difficult to diagnose, and therefore, are frequently underestimated. Predictive assessment of acute respiratory distress syndrome outcome in SW-related accidents should be based on experimental data from appropriate animal models.