Building a Genomics-Informed Nursing Workforce: Recommendations for Oncology Nursing Practice and Beyond.

Background: Genomics is a foundational element of precision health and can be used to identify inherited cancers, cancer related risks, therapeutic decisions, and to address health disparities. However, there are structural barriers across the cancer care continuum, including an underprepared nursing workforce, long wait times for service, and inadequate policy infrastructure that limit equitable access to the benefits of genomic discoveries. These barriers have persisted for decades, yet they are modifiable.

Original Research: Nurses' Perceptions of the Role of Nursing Organizations in Promoting Engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals: A Global Study.

Background: RNs are integral to achieving the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Professional nursing organizations can play a significant role in educating and preparing nurses to work more effectively toward achieving the SDGs. While there is much literature that speaks to the importance of nurses engaging in these goals, there is a lack of research that has explored nurses' perceptions of the role of professional nursing organizations in promoting SDG-related knowledge and engagement.

Optimizing the New Model of Nurse Practitioner Regulation in Canada to Support the Integration of Genomics.

The demand for genomic services has outpaced the capacity of the health system, thus creating opportunities for nurse practitioners (NPs) to develop genomic literacy and expand the genomics-informed services that NPs can offer to optimize safe and equitable healthcare. The new model of NP regulation that aims to educate all NPs, based on a set of common entry-level competencies, has the potential to accelerate the integration of genomics into education and practice. In this commentary, we explore opportunities within a new NP regulatory framework and highlight how NPs can strengthen Canadians' access to genomic technologies as clinicians, advocates, leaders, scholars and educators.

Fostering Pan-Canadian Collaboration to Advance Nursing Workforce Development: A Case Study From the Genomics Experience.

A skilled nursing workforce can ensure that Canadians have safe and equitable access to genomics-informed healthcare. Evidence-informed frameworks designed to support the implementation of genomics across nursing indicate that leadership and collaboration are critical to success. However, siloed provincial and territorial healthcare systems create challenges for harmonizing efforts.

Nursing strategies to address health disparities in genomics-informed care: a scoping review.

Objective: The objective of this review was to map the available global evidence on strategies that nurses can use to facilitate genomics-informed health care to address health disparities to inform the development of a research and action agenda.

Introduction: The integration of genomics into health care is improving patient outcomes through better prevention, diagnostics, and treatment; however, scholars have noted concerns with widening health disparities. Nurses work across the health system and can address health disparities from a clinical, research, education, policy, and leadership perspective.

Nursing Regulation Literature in Canada: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Background: Significant reforms are occurring in health practitioner regulation across Canada. Within the nursing profession, growing workforce challenges and health system demands have accelerated the pace of changes to nursing regulation policies and practices. There is significant political investment to modernize and harmonize nursing regulation across Canada, and evidence is needed to guide regulatory decision-making.

Combined Quantitative amyloid-β PET and Structural MRI Features Improve Alzheimer's Disease Classification in Random Forest Model - A Multicenter Study.

Rationale And Objectives: Prior to clinical presentations of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), neuropathological changes, such as amyloid-β and brain atrophy, have accumulated at the earlier stages of the disease. The combination of such biomarkers assessed by multiple modalities commonly improves the likelihood of AD etiology. We aimed to explore the discriminative ability of Aβ PET features and whether combining Aβ PET and structural MRI features can improve the classification performance of the machine learning model in older healthy control (OHC) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from AD.

Exploring the literature on racism and health practitioner regulation: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Racism in healthcare leads to significant harm to healthcare professionals and the clients, families and communities they serve. Increasingly, health practitioner regulators-responsible for protecting the public and ensuring practitioner competence-are recognising the importance of reforming policies and practices to contribute to antiracist regulatory approaches. Examples of this work include developing specific standards of practice related to antiracism and antidiscrimination, supporting education and training, re-evaluating discriminatory licensure policies for internationally educated professionals and reforming internal governance structures to address unconscious bias.

Original Research: Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding the Sustainable Development Goals: A Global Study.

Background: Nurses have a critical role to play in achieving the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While Goal 3 (good health and well-being) is of particular importance to nursing, every SDG contributes to the advancement of universal health and well-being. Yet many nurses are unfamiliar with the SDGs and how they relate to everyday nursing practices.

Professional regulation in the digital era: A qualitative case study of three professions in Ontario, Canada.

Technology is transforming service delivery and practice in many regulated professions, altering required skills, scopes of practice, and the organization of professional work. Professional regulators face considerable pressure to facilitate technology-enabled work while adapting to digital changes in their practices and procedures. However, our understanding of how regulators are responding to technology-driven risks and the impact of technology on regulatory policy is limited.

Developing Policy Infrastructure to Guide Genomics-Informed Oncology Nursing in Canada: An Interpretive Descriptive Study.

Background: Genomic technologies such as genetic testing and precision treatments are rapidly becoming routine in oncology care, and nurses play an increasingly important role in supporting the growing demands for genomics-informed healthcare. Policy infrastructure such as competencies, standards, scope of practice statements, and education and curriculum frameworks are urgently needed to guide these practice and education changes.

Purpose: This study is part of a larger three-phase project to develop recommendations and catalyze action for genomics-informed oncology nursing education and practice for the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.

Integrating genomics into Canadian oncology nursing policy: Insights from a comparative policy analysis.

Aim: To learn from two jurisdictions with mature genomics-informed nursing policy infrastructure-the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK)-to inform policy development for genomics-informed oncology nursing practice and education in Canada.

Design: Comparative document and policy analysis drawing on the 3i + E framework.

Methods: We drew on the principles of a rapid review and identified academic literature, grey literature and nursing policy documents through a systematic search of two databases, a website search of national genomics nursing and oncology nursing organizations in the US and UK, and recommendations from subject matter experts on an international advisory committee.

Genomics-informed nursing strategies and health equity: A scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to map the available evidence on strategies that nurses can use to facilitate genomics-informed healthcare to address health disparities.

Introduction: Advancements in genomics over the last two decades have led to an increase in the delivery of genomics-informed health care. Although the integration of genomics into health care services continues to enhance patient outcomes, access to genomic technologies is not equitable, exacerbating existing health disparities amongst certain populations.

Increasing the Visibility and Influence of Canadian Nurses within the United Nations System.

Founded in 1945, the United Nations (UN) system has become the place where countries come together to discuss complex and multifaceted issues that no one country can tackle alone. Civil society continues to be an integral part of the UN system, supporting the work of various entities and providing expertise on core pillars such as development, human rights and peace and security. Some global nursing leaders have made considerable progress in increasing nursing engagement and visibility across the system; however, representation remains small.

Disrupted Structural White Matter Network in Alzheimer's Disease Continuum, Vascular Dementia, and Mixed Dementia: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

Background: Dementia presents a significant burden to patients and healthcare systems worldwide. Early and accurate diagnosis, as well as differential diagnosis of various types of dementia, are crucial for timely intervention and management. However, there is currently a lack of clinical tools for accurately distinguishing between these types.

The Use of Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging for the Differential Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease Spectrum.

Structural and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) can be used to assess hippocampal macrostructural and microstructural alterations respectively, in Alzheimer's disease (AD) spectrum, spanning from subjective cognitive decline (SCD) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD. In this study, we explored the diagnostic performance of structural imaging and DKI of the hippocampus in the AD spectrum. Eleven SCD, thirty-seven MCI, sixteen AD, and nineteen age- and sex-matched normal controls (NCs) were included.

Asian Healthcare Workers and Their Experiences of Racism in North America: A Scoping Review.

Background: The rising rates of anti-Asian sentiments has recently been called into question by several community activists and scholars. While this collective work has heightened awareness to address anti-Asian racism, the experiences of Asian healthcare workers in particular remains limited.

Purpose: To map the existing literature on anti-Asian racism experienced by Asian healthcare workers in North American healthcare settings, identify gaps in the current literature base, and inform future areas of anti-Asian racism research.

Lessons from professional nursing associations' policy advocacy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: An interpretive description.

Background: Professional nursing associations across jurisdictions engaged in significant policy advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic to support nurses, the public and health systems. While professional nursing associations have a long history of engaging in policy advocacy, scholars have rarely critically examined this important function.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine how professional nursing associations engage in the process of policy advocacy and (b) to develop knowledge specific to policy advocacy in the context of a global pandemic.

Theory utilization in applied qualitative nursing research.

Aims: To explore the nuances of theory utilization in qualitative methodologies, discuss the different relationships that applied qualitative methodologies have with theory and use the foundational underpinnings of interpretive description to challenge strongly entrenched ideas of theory that have extended into applied qualitative nursing research.

Design: Methodology discussion paper.

Data Sources: Narrative literature review and personal observations.

Level of Amyloid-β (Aβ) Binding Leading to Differential Effects on Resting State Functional Connectivity in Major Brain Networks.

Introduction: Amyloid-β protein (Aβ) is one of the biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The recent application of interhemispheric functional connectivity (IFC) in resting-state fMRI has been used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for early dementia. In this study, we focused on the level of Aβ accumulated and its effects on the major functional networks, including default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN), salience network (SN), self-referential network (SRN) and sensory motor network (SMN).

Embedding a Global Perspective into Canadian Nursing's Policy Priorities: Observations from the International Council of Nurses' 2021 Congress.

Nursing is a global profession, and the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated just how interconnected and interdependent nursing and health systems are across jurisdictions. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nursing associations and serves as a key policy voice at the global level. Every two years, their congress brings together thousands of nurses and stakeholders to share and disseminate knowledge.

The fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations signals related to amyloid uptake in high-risk populations-A pilot fMRI study.

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) have a higher risk to develop Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Resting-state-functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was used to document neurological involvement in the two groups from the aspect of brain dysfunction. Accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) starts decades ago before the onset of clinical symptoms and may already have been associated with brain function in high-risk populations.

Incremental diagnostic value of 18F-Fluetemetamol PET in differential diagnoses of Alzheimer's Disease-related neurodegenerative diseases from an unselected memory clinic cohort.

To evaluate the incremental diagnostic value of 18F-Flutemetamol PET following MRI measurements on an unselected prospective cohort collected from a memory clinic. A total of 84 participants was included in this study. A stepwise study design was performed including initial analysis (based on clinical assessments), interim analysis (revision of initial analysis post-MRI) and final analysis (revision of interim analysis post-18F-Flutemetamol PET).

Experiences of Older Adults with Frailty Not Completing an Advance Directive: A Qualitative Study of ACP Conversations.

Advance care planning (ACP) facilitates individuals to proactively make decisions on their end-of-life care when they are mentally competent. It is highly relevant to older adults with frailty because they are more vulnerable to cognitive impairment, disabilities, and death. Despite devoting effort to promoting ACP among them, ACP and advance directive completion rates remain low.