History of dental caries in Inuit populations: genetic implications and 'distance effect'.

Dental caries is considered the third most important scourge in the world. In North America, Inuit populations are the population the most severely affected by dental caries. It is often assumed that this situation can be explained by a combination of factors classical for Indigenous populations: remoteness (geographical distance), low economic status and low health literacy (cultural distance).

How Canadian Oncologists Use Oncotype DX for Treatment of Breast Cancer Patients.

Background: The literature suggests that medical oncologists differ on how they use the Oncotype DX (ODX) genomic assay for making decisions about systemic therapy in breast cancer patients. Given the emergence of data supporting the use of genomic profiling for the prognosis and predicting benefit of chemotherapy, we surveyed medical oncologists in Canada to assess their usage and perception of the ODX assay.

Methods: A 34-item survey was distributed to Canadian medical oncologists via the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists.

Developing recommendations for the safe handling of oral anti-cancer drugs in community pharmacies: A pan-Canadian consensus approach.

Purpose: To create a set of consensus-based and evidence-informed recommendations to provide guidance around the safe dispensing and handling of oral anti-cancer drugs in low-volume settings unique to the community pharmacy setting.

Methods: A review of published and grey literature (published in non-commercial domains such as national organizations and associations) documents and nine key informant interviews were conducted and a modified Delphi approach was taken to achieve consensus. The final list of 47 candidate recommendations was reviewed by a task force and validated by multi-disciplinary stakeholders.

Empowering cancer survivors to meet their physical and psychosocial needs: An implementation evaluation.

Our Wellness Beyond Cancer Survivorship Program was established and evaluated as a quality improvement project. Individualized survivorship care plans for survivors and primary care providers included cancer surveillance recommendations and survivors' self-reported physical and psychosocial needs. At the discharge visit, an oncology nurse reviewed the care plan and symptom management strategies with survivors.

Inhibition of soil microbial activity by nitrogen-based energetic materials.

We investigated individual toxicities of the nitrogen-based energetic materials (EMs) 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT); 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT); 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT); and nitroglycerin (NG) on microbial activity in Sassafras sandy loam (SSL) soil, which has physicochemical characteristics that support very high qualitative relative bioavailability for organic chemicals. Batches of SSL soil for basal respiration (BR) and substrate-induced respiration (SIR) assays were separately amended with individual EMs or acetone carrier control. Total microbial biomass carbon (biomass C) was determined from CO production increases after addition of 2500 mg/kg of glucose-water slurry to the soil.

Testing a novel account of the dissociation between self-reported memory problems and memory performance in chemotherapy-treated breast cancer survivors.

Background: A puzzling observation pertaining to the impact of breast cancer on memory is the frequently reported dissociation between breast cancer survivors' self-reported memory problems and memory performance. We evaluated the hypothesis that the dissociation is related to the fact that the objective memory measures previously used assessed retrospective memory (RM) and did not tap prospective memory (PM), a domain about which survivors are complaining.

Methods: In a case-healthy-control (N = 80) cross-sectional study, the Memory for Intention Screening Test was used to assess PM and the Wechsler Logical Memory Test was used to evaluate RM.

An exploratory study of patients' views about being at high-risk for breast cancer and risk management beliefs and intentions, before and after risk counselling: Preliminary evidence of the influence of beliefs on post-counselling prevention intentions.

Objectives: 1) To describe how women at high-risk for breast cancer (BC) perceive their at-risk status and the options available to manage this risk, before and after risk counselling; 2) to explore the contributions of pre-counselling demographic, clinical, cognitive and emotional factors to post-counselling risk management intentions.

Methods: 58 of 173 eligible patients (34%) enrolled and were asked to fill surveys including measures of 1) subjective risk, 2) illness (being at high-risk for BC) and 3) treatment (surveillance, lifestyle modifications, and chemoprevention) cognitions, 4) BC fear and 5) future risk management intentions, prior to and 3 months after risk consultation.

Results: 48 of 58 participants (83%) completed both surveys.

Prospective memory impairment in chemotherapy-exposed early breast cancer survivors: Preliminary evidence from a clinical test.

We report the results of a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study (Paquet et al., 2013 ) to evaluate the cognitive operations involved in prospective memory (PM) deficits exhibited by chemotherapy-exposed breast cancer (BC) survivors. PM was assessed with the memory for intentions screening test administered to 80 patients and 80 healthy controls.

Metamemory function in chemotherapy-treated patients with breast cancer: an explanation for the dissociation between subjective and objective memory measures?

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if a deficit in metamemory could account for the disparity between subjective and objective measures of memory function commonly observed in patients with breast cancer (BC). Metamemory refers to the awareness and management of one's own memory function. It is considered an aspect of executive functioning, one of the most common areas of cognitive compromise associated with BC and its treatment.

Environmental fate of 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) and its reduced products.

Several defense departments intend to replace 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in munitions formulations by the less sensitive 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN). To help understand environmental behavior and ecological risk associated with DNAN we investigated its key initial abiotic and biotic reaction routes and determined relevant physicochemical parameters (pKa, logKow, aqueous solubility (Sw), partition coefficient (Kd)) for the chemical and its products. Reduction of DNAN with either zero valent iron or bacteria regioselectively produced 2-amino-4-nitroanisole (2-ANAN) which, under strict anaerobic conditions, gave 2,4-diaminoanisole (DAAN).

Factors influencing Oncotype DX use in the management of early breast cancer: a single centre experience.

Background: Oncotype DX recurrence score is a multi-gene assay which quantifies the risk of distant recurrence in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early breast cancer (EBC) treated with tamoxifen, and predicts the magnitude of clinical benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. This retrospective study examined factors that were associated with use of Oncotype DX assay at a tertiary care cancer centre in Ottawa, Canada.

Methods: One hundred consecutive patients (pts) diagnosed with HR+, HER2/neu negative EBC (stage I-II), who underwent Oncotype DX testing (Test Group) between 1st April 2010, and 30th June 2011 were included in the study.

Ecotoxicological assessment of a high energetic and insensitive munitions compound: 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN).

The high explosive nitroaromatic 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) is less shock sensitive than 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), and is proposed as a TNT replacement for melt-cast formulations. Before using DNAN in munitions and potentially leading to environmental impact, the present study examines the ecotoxicity of DNAN using selected organisms. In water, DNAN decreased green algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata growth (EC50 = 4.

The impact of endocrine therapy on sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women with early stage breast cancer: encouraging results from a prospective study.

The goal of this project was to investigate the contentious issue of a possible effect of endocrine therapy (ET) on sexual dysfunction (SD) in postmenopausal early stage breast cancer survivors. To date, few studies have assessed sexual functioning prior to initiating ET and none have taken sexual distress into account when reporting the prevalence of ET-induced SD. We report the findings of a study on the change in SD (defined as experiencing sexual problems causing distress) during the first 6 months of ET usage.

A pilot study of prospective memory functioning in early breast cancer survivors.

Aims: To evaluate prospective memory (PM) functioning in early breast cancer (BC) survivors and its association with fatigue and depression.

Methods: The Memory for Intention Screening Test, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue subscale were administered to 80 patients and 80 aged-matched healthy controls.

Results: Patients performed more poorly than controls on the memory test (p < 0.

Bronchoprotection in conscious guinea pigs by budesonide and the NO-donating analogue, TPI 1020, alone and combined with tiotropium or formoterol.

Background And Purpose: Inhaled corticosteroids, anticholinergics and β₂-adrenoceptor agonists are frequently combined for treating chronic respiratory diseases. We examine the corticosteroid, budesonide, and novel NO-donating derivative, TPI 1020, against histamine- and methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction and whether they enhance the β₂-adrenoceptor agonist formoterol or muscarinic antagonist tiotropium in conscious guinea pigs.

Experimental Approach: Dunkin-Hartley guinea pigs received inhaled histamine (3 mM) or methacholine (1.

Microwave-assisted extraction of lignin from triticale straw: optimization and microwave effects.

Presently lignin is used as fuel but recent interests in biomaterials encourage the use of this polymer as a renewable feedstock in manufacturing. The present study was undertaken to explore the potential applicability of microwaves to isolate lignin from agricultural residues. A central composite design (CCD) was used to optimize the processing conditions for the microwave (MW)-assisted extraction of lignin from triticale straw.

Phytotoxicity and uptake of nitroglycerin in a natural sandy loam soil.

Nitroglycerin (NG) is widely used for the production of explosives and solid propellants, and is a soil contaminant of concern at some military training ranges. NG phytotoxicity data reported in the literature cannot be applied directly to development of ecotoxicological benchmarks for plant exposures in soil because they were determined in studies using hydroponic media, cell cultures, and transgenic plants. Toxicities of NG in the present studies were evaluated for alfalfa (Medicago sativa), barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli), and ryegrass (Lolium perenne) exposed to NG in Sassafras sandy loam soil.

Analysis of the key intermediates of RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) in groundwater: occurrence, stability and preservation.

Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) is a widely used explosive that is present in soils at a number of military sites, including training and testing ranges. Because of its relatively weak adsorption to soil, RDX frequently migrates through the unsaturated zone and causes groundwater contamination. In the environment, RDX can transform to produce mono-, di-, and tri-nitroso derivatives (MNX, DNX, and TNX) and the ring cleavage products methylenedinitramine (MEDINA) and 4-nitro-2,4-diazabutanal (NDAB).

Trust in physician in relation to blame, regret, and depressive symptoms among women with a breast cancer experience.

Following a diagnosis of breast cancer women experience considerable distress and often present with elevated symptoms of depression. A woman's relationship with her oncologist, and particularly trust in the physician, might influence depressive symptoms, as well as emotional and cognitive reactions to medical decisions made concerning treatment. To assess these relationships, women currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer (n = 40) and women who had previously been treated for breast cancer (n = 74) were asked about (1) trust in their physician, (2) who they blamed for negative events during treatment, (3) who made the treatment decisions, (4) regret, and (5) depressive symptoms.

Guideline adaptation: an approach to enhance efficiency in guideline development and improve utilisation.

Background: Developing and updating high-quality guidelines requires substantial time and resources. To reduce duplication of effort and enhance efficiency, we developed a process for guideline adaptation and assessed initial perceptions of its feasibility and usefulness.

Methods: Based on preliminary developments and empirical studies, a series of meetings with guideline experts were organised to define a process for guideline adaptation (ADAPTE) and to develop a manual and a toolkit made available on a website (http://www.

Exploring cancer treatment decision-making by patients: a descriptive study.

Objective: Using an interview-guided survey, our descriptive study aimed to document the extent to which cancer patients perceive they are involved in making treatment decisions and the factors that influence patient involvement.

Patients And Methods: Our study enrolled patients from a Canadian ambulatory oncology program who were undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or both, for cancer. The adapted Control Preferences Scale was used to survey perceived and preferred roles in decision-making.