Biodiversity impacts of the 2019-2020 Australian megafires.

With large wildfires becoming more frequent, we must rapidly learn how megafires impact biodiversity to prioritize mitigation and improve policy. A key challenge is to discover how interactions among fire-regime components, drought and land tenure shape wildfire impacts. The globally unprecedented 2019-2020 Australian megafires burnt more than 10 million hectares, prompting major investment in biodiversity monitoring.

ELIME-IMS hybrid assay for Salmonella detection in swine mesenteric lymph nodes at slaughterhouse.

Salmonella contamination in pig slaughterhouses is linked to infection rate on farms. Accurate diagnosis in heavy pigs relies on isolating pathogens from the gut wall or lymph nodes. A key technique is Immunocapture using Magnetic Beads (IMS), which purifies target bacteria from Salmonella enrichment broths.

A Bayesian nonparametric approach for causal mediation with a post-treatment confounder.

We propose a new Bayesian nonparametric method for estimating the causal effects of mediation in the presence of a post-treatment confounder. The methodology is motivated by the Rural Lifestyle Intervention Treatment Effectiveness Trial (Rural LITE) for which there is interest in estimating causal mediation effects but is complicated by the presence of a post-treatment confounder. We specify an enriched Dirichlet process mixture (EDPM) to model the joint distribution of the observed data (outcome, mediator, post-treatment confounder, treatment, and baseline confounders).

Crossectional Study on the Performance of Screening Questionnaires for Prediction of Moderate to Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Women.

 The clinical manifestations of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are different between genders. Though there are several screening questionnaires for OSA, their performance in females is not fully understood, as women have been historically underrepresented in research studies.  To assess the performance of screening questionnaires and their capacity to identify a moderate to severe apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in women.

Understanding Clinician Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Relating to Nonpharmaceutical Fentanyl and Harm Reduction.

Background: Nonpharmaceutical fentanyl (NPF) is driving the national epidemic of opioid overdose deaths. Clinicians can play a role in fostering awareness of this growing risk and delivering interventions to reduce mortality. However, there is limited research assessing clinician knowledge, attitudes, and practices relating to NPF and harm reduction strategies.

Precarious work on the rise.

Precarious employment (PE) is non-standard employment with uncertain and unstable contract duration, low wages, and limited labour protections and rights. Research has associated PE with workers' poor mental health and well-being; however, this association has been studied primarily using quantitative methods. This qualitative study seeks to examine the mechanisms between PE and mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada.

Working Conditions, Worker Rights, and Managerial Domination During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessing Their Toll on Precariously Employed Workers and Family Well-Being.

Precarious Employment (PE) is characterized by job, income, and benefit insecurities. Studies surrounding PE and well-being have been predominantly quantitative, leaving a gap in rich descriptions of employment experiences. We recruited a sample of 40 adults aged 25-55 who were involved in PE during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic or lost employment due to the pandemic.

Thiol dioxygenases: from structures to functions.

Thiol oxidation to dioxygenated sulfinic acid is catalyzed by an enzyme family characterized by a cupin fold. These proteins act on free thiol-containing molecules to generate central metabolism precursors and signaling compounds in bacteria, fungi, and animal cells. In plants and animals, they also oxidize exposed N-cysteinyl residues, directing proteins to proteolysis.

Perceptions of an acceptance-based weight management treatment among adults living in rural areas.

Obesity and obesity-related comorbidities disproportionately affect rural communities. Research has emerged in support of a novel acceptance-based behavioural weight management treatment (ABT) that integrates the principles and procedures of acceptance-commitment therapy (ACT) with traditional components of standard behavioural treatment (SBT). The current study assessed the perceptions of community stakeholders in rural areas to session materials of a commercially available ABT program.

Opioids and Youth Athletes.

Context: The ongoing opioid epidemic and associated adverse effects impart a large burden on our current healthcare system. The annual economic and noneconomic cost of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose is currently estimated at $1 trillion.

Objective: This review presents the prevalence, frequency of use, need, and effectiveness of opioid analgesia in the youth and adolescent athlete population.

A rapid review of current engagement strategies with people who use drugs in monitoring and reporting on substance use-related harms.

Background: The Canadian drug supply has significantly increased in toxicity over the past few years, resulting in the worsening of the overdose crisis. A key initiative implemented during this crisis has been data monitoring and reporting of substance use-related harms (SRH). This literature review aims to: (1) identify strategies used for the meaningful engagement of people who use drugs (PWUD) in local, provincial, and national SRH data system planning, reporting, and action and (2) describe data monitoring and reporting strategies and common indicators of SRH within those systems.

Predicting high-risk periods for weight regain following initial weight loss.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a predictive algorithm of "high-risk" periods for weight regain after weight loss.

Methods: Longitudinal mixed-effects models and random forest regression were used to select predictors and develop an algorithm to predict weight regain on a week-to-week basis, using weekly questionnaire and self-monitoring data (including daily e-scale data) collected over 40 weeks from 46 adults who lost ≥5% of baseline weight during an initial 12-week intervention (Study 1). The algorithm was evaluated in 22 adults who completed the same Study 1 intervention but lost <5% of baseline weight and in 30 adults recruited for a separate 30-week study (Study 2).

Lymph node staging in grade 1-2 endometrioid ovarian carcinoma apparently confined to the ovary: Is it worth?

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients with grade 1-2 endometrioid ovarian carcinoma apparently confined to the ovary, according to surgical staging.

Methods: Multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study. Patients with endometrioid ovarian carcinoma, surgical procedure performed between May 1985 and December 2019, stage pT1 N0/N1/Nx, grade 1-2 were included.

Therapeutic Potential of Tisotumab Vedotin in the Treatment of Recurrent or Metastatic Cervical Cancer: A Short Report on the Emerging Data.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in women worldwide. It is associated with a high death rate, despite the fact that it is a nearly 100% preventable disease because of very effective primary and secondary preventive strategies. Advanced and recurrent disease is uncurable with a high relapse risk and the second-line therapies are limited with modest response rates and short durability.

An evaluation of an employment assistance program focused on people living with HIV in Toronto, Canada.

Unemployment is more common among people living with HIV (PLWH) compared to the general population. PLWH who are employed have better physical and mental health outcomes compared to unemployed PLWH. The main objective of this mixed-methods study was to conduct a program evaluation of Employment Action (EACT), a community-based program that assists PLWH in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to maintain meaningful employment.

'I don't chase drugs as much anymore, and I'm not dead': Client reported outcomes associated with safer opioid supply programs in Ontario, Canada.

Introduction: The ongoing opioid overdose crisis, which has killed over 30,000 people in Canada since 2016, is driven by the volatility of an unregulated opioid drug supply comprised primarily of fentanyl. The Canadian government has recently funded safer opioid supply (SOS) programs, which include off-label prescriptions of pharmaceutical-grade opioids to high risk individuals with the goal of reducing overdose deaths.

Methods: In 2021, we examined the implementation and adaption of four SOS programs in Ontario.

[Stiff person syndrome associated with thymoma].

Stiff-person syndrome is a rare neurological condition characterized by muscular rigidity of the trunk and extremities and muscle spasms triggered by sensory or emotional stimuli, which progresses towards prostration. It has a pathophysiogenic mechanism with an immunological basis, in which autoantibodies, such as antiGAD65, play a central role. Likewise, the detection of these antibodies corroborates the diagnosis in a patient with a suggestive clinical picture.

Identification of Pinosylvin in subsp. : A Naturally Occurring Stilbenoid Suppressing LPS-Induced Expression of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and Mediators and Inhibiting the JAK/STAT Signaling Pathway.

Stilbenoids, a group of phytoalexin polyphenols produced by plants as a defence mechanism in response to stress conditions, are known for their anti-inflammatory potential. Pinosylvin, a naturally occurring molecule traditionally found in pinus trees, was here identified in subsp. var.