Accelerated carbonate biomineralisation of Venetia diamond mine coarse residue deposit (CRD) material - A field trial study.

Field trials combining mined kimberlite material (Coarse Residue Deposit; CRD) and mine derived microbes show accelerated kimberlite weathering at surface conditions - a potential method for accelerated carbon sequestration via mineral bio‑carbonation. A photosynthetic biofilm suspension (20L), sourced from the Venetia diamond mine (Limpopo, South Africa) pit wall, was cultured in 3 × 1000 L bioreactors using BG-11 medium. Bioreactors supplemented with Fine Residue Deposit (FRD) kimberlite material enhanced microbial growth and kimberlite weathering.

Accelerated mineral bio-carbonation of coarse residue kimberlite material by inoculation with photosynthetic microbial mats.

Microbiological weathering of coarse residue deposit (CRD) kimberlite produced by the Venetia Diamond Mine, Limpopo, South Africa enhanced mineral carbonation relative to untreated material. Cultures of photosynthetically enriched biofilm produced maximal carbonation conditions when mixed with kimberlite and incubated under near surface conditions. Interestingly, mineral carbonation also occurred in the dark, under water-saturated conditions.

Development and validation of an activPAL accelerometry count-based model of physical activity intensity in adults.

The activPAL linear cadence-metabolic equivalents (METs) equation poorly estimates activity intensity. The magnitude of acceleration in three directional planes may be a superior predictor of activity intensity than stepping cadence, with accelerometry count thresholds developed in children/adolescent populations. We extracted the proprietary accelerometer-derived information to develop a counts-METs model and cross-validates it in laboratory and free-living conditions.

Improving the criterion validity of the activPAL in determining physical activity intensity during laboratory and free-living conditions.

The activPAL is a valid measure of step counts and posture, but its ability to determine physical activity intensity is unclear. This study tested the criterion validity of the activPAL using its built-in linear cadence-metabolic equivalents (METs) equation (activPAL-linear) versus an individualized height-adjusted curvilinear cadence-METs equation (activPAL-curvilinear) to estimate intensity-related physical activity. Forty adults (25±6 years, 23.

Biochemical synthesis of palladium nanoparticles: The influence of chemical fixatives used in electron microscopy on nanoparticle formation and catalytic performance.

Palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) can catalyse a range of reductive chemical reactions transforming both organic and inorganic environmental pollutants. PdNPs that ranged from <2 to 2-40 nm were synthesized using chemical methods, and bacterial biomass with/without chemical fixatives. PdNP formation was enhanced by adsorption of Pd(II) to bacterial biomass, followed by fixation with formate or glutaraldehyde.

Improving delivery of care in rural emergency departments: a qualitative pilot study mobilizing health professionals, decision-makers and citizens in Baie-Saint-Paul and the Magdalen Islands, Québec, Canada.

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) in rural and remote areas face challenges in delivering accessible, high quality and efficient services. The objective of this pilot study was to test the feasibility and relevance of the selected approach and to explore challenges and solutions to improve delivery of care in selected EDs.

Methods: We conducted an exploratory multiple case study in two rural EDs in Québec, Canada.

CAGI SickKids challenges: Assessment of phenotype and variant predictions derived from clinical and genomic data of children with undiagnosed diseases.

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) holds great potential as a diagnostic test. However, the majority of patients currently undergoing WGS lack a molecular diagnosis, largely due to the vast number of undiscovered disease genes and our inability to assess the pathogenicity of most genomic variants. The CAGI SickKids challenges attempted to address this knowledge gap by assessing state-of-the-art methods for clinical phenotype prediction from genomes.

Profile of trauma mortality and trauma care resources at rural emergency departments and urban trauma centres in Quebec: a population-based, retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: As Canada's second largest province, the geography of Quebec poses unique challenges for trauma management. Our primary objective was to compare mortality rates between trauma patients treated at rural emergency departments (EDs) and urban trauma centres in Quebec. As a secondary objective, we compared the availability of trauma care resources and services between these two settings.

The Revised-Panic Screening Score for emergency department patients with noncardiac chest pain.

Objectives: We sought to reduce the 90% rate of missed diagnoses of panic-like anxiety (panic attacks with or without panic disorder) among emergency department patients with low risk noncardiac chest pain by validating and improving the Panic Screening Score (PSS).

Method: A total of 1,102 patients with low risk noncardiac chest pain were prospectively and consecutively recruited in two emergency departments. Each patient completed a telephone interview that included the PSS, a brief 4-item screening instrument, new candidate predictors of panic-like anxiety, and the Anxiety Disorder Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Rural versus urban academic hospital mortality following stroke in Canada.

Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in Canada. While stroke care has improved dramatically over the last decade, outcomes following stroke among patients treated in rural hospitals have not yet been reported in Canada.

Objectives: To describe variation in 30-day post-stroke in-hospital mortality rates between rural and urban academic hospitals in Canada.

The Quebec emergency department guide: A cross-sectional study to evaluate its use, perceived usefulness, and implementation in rural emergency departments.

Objectives: The Quebec Emergency Department Management Guide (QEDMG) is a unique document with 78 recommendations designed to improve the organization of emergency departments (EDs) in the province of Quebec. However, no study has examined how this guide is perceived or used by rural health care management.

Methods: We invited all directors of professional services (DPS), directors of nursing services (DNS), head nurses (HN), and emergency department directors (EDD) working in Quebec's rural hospitals to complete an online survey (144 questions).

Rural emergency care 360°: mobilising healthcare professionals, decision-makers, patients and citizens to improve rural emergency care in the province of Quebec, Canada: a qualitative study protocol.

Introduction: Emergency departments (EDs) are an important safety net for rural populations. Results of our earlier studies suggest that rural Canadian hospitals have limited access to advanced imaging services and intensive care units and that patients are transferred over large distances. They also revealed significant geographical variations in rural services.

A closer look at the relationships between panic attacks, emergency department visits and non-cardiac chest pain.

This study examined the prevalence of emergency department visits prompted by panic attacks in patients with non-cardiac chest pain. A validated structured telephone interview was used to assess panic attacks and their association with the emergency department consultation in 1327 emergency department patients with non-cardiac chest pain. Patients reported at least one panic attack in the past 6 months in 34.

Substituted Caffeic and Ferulic Acid Phenethyl Esters: Synthesis, Leukotrienes Biosynthesis Inhibition, and Cytotoxic Activity.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor that correlates with short patient survival and for which therapeutic options are limited. Polyphenolic compounds, including caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE, ), have been investigated for their anticancer properties in several types of cancer. To further explore these properties in brain cancer cells, a series of caffeic and ferulic acid esters bearing additional oxygens moieties (OH or OCH₃) were designed and synthesized.

Collaborative writing applications in healthcare: effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes.

Background: Collaborative writing applications (CWAs), such as wikis and Google Documents, hold the potential to improve the use of evidence in both public health and healthcare. Although a growing body of literature indicates that CWAs could have positive effects on healthcare, such as improved collaboration, behavioural change, learning, knowledge management, and adaptation of knowledge to local context, this has never been assessed systematically. Moreover, several questions regarding safety, reliability, and legal aspects exist.

Factors associated with pain level in non-cardiac chest pain patients with comorbid panic disorder.

Background: Panic disorder (PD) is highly prevalent in patients with non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). This study aims to explore the role of psychological factors (PD intensity, anxiety sensitivity, heart-related fear, attention and avoidance) common to NCCP and PD in predicting chest pain levels in patients with both conditions.

Methods: This association was investigated in emergency department patients with NCCP and PD receiving either evidence-based treatment of PD or treatment as usual.

The challenges of measuring quality-of-care indicators in rural emergency departments: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

Background: Evidence-based indicators of quality of care have been developed to improve care and performance in Canadian emergency departments. The feasibility of measuring these indicators has been assessed mainly in urban and academic emergency departments. We sought to assess the feasibility of measuring quality-of-care indicators in rural emergency departments in Quebec.

Dnmt3a deletion cooperates with the Flt3/ITD mutation to drive leukemogenesis in a murine model.

Internal tandem duplications of the juxtamembrane domain of FLT3 (FLT3/ITD) are among the most common mutations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Resulting in constitutive activation of the kinase, FLT3/ITD portends a particularly poor prognosis, with reduced overall survival and increased rates of relapse. We previously generated a knock-in mouse, harboring an internal tandem duplication at the endogenous Flt3 locus, which develops a fatal myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN), but fails to develop acute leukemia, suggesting additional mutations are necessary for transformation.

Portrait of trauma care in Quebec's rural emergency departments and identification of priority intervention needs to improve the quality of care: a study protocol.

Introduction: Trauma remains the primary cause of death in individuals under 40 years of age in Canada. In Quebec, the Trauma Care Continuum (TCC) has been demonstrated to be effective in decreasing the mortality rate among trauma victims. Although rural citizens are at greater risk for trauma and trauma death, no empirical data concerning the effectiveness of the TCC for the rural population in Quebec are available.

Increased Skin Tumor Incidence and Keratinocyte Hyper-Proliferation in a Mouse Model of Down Syndrome.

Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21). People with DS display multiple clinical traits as a result of the dosage imbalance of several hundred genes. While many outcomes of trisomy are deleterious, epidemiological studies have shown a significant risk reduction for most solid tumors in DS.

Portrait of rural emergency departments in Québec and utilization of the provincial emergency department management Guide: cross sectional survey.

Background: Rural emergency departments (EDs) constitute crucial safety nets for the 20% of Canadians who live in rural areas. Pilot data suggests that the province of Québec appears to provide more comprehensive access to services than do other provinces. A difference that may be attributable to provincial policy/guidelines "the provincial ED management Guide".