Recruitment of the diaphragm and sternocleidomastoid muscle during increasing inspiratory pressure loads in healthy young adults.

Background: Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is often employed to enhance improvement in inspiratory muscle strength. However, the relationship between inspiratory muscle recruitment patterns and increasing inspiratory load remains unclear. Furthermore, the effect of breathing instructions on diaphragm activity at various inspiratory loads is unknown.

Effects of inspiratory muscle training on pulmonary function, diaphragmatic thickness, balance and exercise capacity in people after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To examine the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on pulmonary and diaphragmatic function, exercise capacity, balance and quality of life (QOL), in post-stroke individuals.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, PEDro, Web of Science and China Biological Medicine databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a PEDro score ≥6 focusing on the effects of IMT were included.

rTMS for Poststroke Pusher Syndrome: A Randomized, Patient-Blinded Controlled Clinical Trial.

Background: Patients with poststroke pusher syndrome (PS) require longer duration of rehabilitation and more supplemental care after discharge. Effective treatment of PS remains a challenge. The role of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for PS has not been examined.

A case for implementing an HSV1/2, VZV, and syphilis lesion panel in Manitoba, Canada.

Syphilis, caused by subsp. (TPA), is becoming a significant public health concern, with rising incidence in Manitoba exceeding the national average. The province has also seen a demographic shift leading to women representing 51.

Management of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in the Asia-Pacific region and Russia: Recommendations from an expert working group.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the nasal and paranasal tissues, characterized by the presence of bilateral nasal polyps. An expert panel of specialists from the Asian-Pacific region and Russia was convened to develop regional guidance on the management of CRSwNP through a consensus approach. The present article presents the chief observations and recommendations from this panel to provide guidance for clinicians in these areas.

Temporal variations in the serogroup distribution of invasive meningococcal disease in Quebec, Canada, due to emerging unique clade of serogroup Y strain belonging to the Sequence Type-23 clonal complex.

Objective: To identify recent trends in invasive meningococcal diseases (IMD) in Quebec, Canada, with a focus on MenY cases and MenY strains.

Methods: IMD cases and MenY strains from January 1, 2015 to August 11, 2023 were analyzed for clonal analysis and prediction of susceptibility to MenB vaccines. MenY strains of ST-23 CC from Quebec were analyzed with global MenY strains by core-genomic multi-locus sequence typing (cg-MLST).

Carriage of serotype A in children: Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) study.

Background: serotype a (Hia) has recently emerged as an important cause of invasive disease, mainly affecting young Indigenous children. Carriage of is a pre-requisite for invasive disease and reservoir for transmission. To better understand the epidemiology of invasive Hia disease, we initiated a multicentre study of nasopharyngeal carriage among Canadian children.

Effects of online exercise intervention on physical and mental conditions in young adults with chronic neck pain.

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of online exercise therapy with conventional exercise therapy for young adults with chronic neck pain. A randomized clinical trial recruiting 35 university students with self-reported chronic neck pain was conducted. The experimental group receiving 6-week online exercise therapy and active control group receiving the same face-to-face conventional exercise therapy.

Adapting a Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Patients with Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis by Hong Kong Physiotherapists.

Knee and hip osteoarthritis are common disabling conditions globally. Although numerous international clinical practice guidelines exist to guide physiotherapy management, not all recommendations issued from these guidelines can be translated to other contexts without considering the cultural acceptability and clinical implementability of targeted countries. Because the ADAPTE framework provides a robust methodology to adapt guidelines to the local context, this study used its methodology to adapt high-quality guideline recommendations to promote optimal physiotherapy care for knee and hip osteoarthritis in Hong Kong.

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy on balance and gait in patients after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There is limited evidence to support the use of vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) on improving balance and gait in patients after stroke. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of VRT in addition to usual rehabilitation compared with usual rehabilitation on improving balance and gait for patients after stroke.

Methods: This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis statement guidelines.

Combining Transoral Nasopharyngeal Brush and Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus DNA in Detecting Locally Recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Objective: To evaluate the sensitivities and specificities of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in the detection of locally recurrent or persistent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) through nasopharyngeal (NP) brush biopsy and plasma, respectively, and whether a combination of both would be superior to the individual tests.

Study Design: A case-control study was conducted from September 2016 to June 2022.

Setting: A multicentre study at 3 tertiary referral centers in Hong Kong was conducted by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Intraoperative Imaging Techniques to Improve Surgical Resection Margins of Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Cancer: A Comprehensive Review of Current Literature.

Inadequate resection margins in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma surgery necessitate adjuvant therapies such as re-resection and radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and imply increasing morbidity and worse prognosis. On the other hand, taking larger margins by extending the resection also leads to avoidable increased morbidity. Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) are often difficult to access; resections are limited by anatomy and functionality and thus carry an increased risk for close or positive margins.

Recommendations for Epstein-Barr virus-based screening for nasopharyngeal cancer in high- and intermediate-risk regions.

A meeting of experts was held in November 2021 to review and discuss available data on performance of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-based approaches to screen for early stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and methods for the investigation and management of screen-positive individuals. Serum EBV antibody and plasma EBV DNA testing methods were considered. Both approaches were found to have favorable performance characteristics and to be cost-effective in high-risk populations.

Epidemiology of invasive serotype a disease in the North American , 2006-2017.

Invasive type a (iHia) disease was detected in Alaska and Northern Canada in 2002 and 2000, respectively. From 2006 to 2017, 164 iHia cases (Alaska=53, Northern Canada=111) were reported. Rates of iHia disease per 100,000 persons were higher in Northern Canada compared to Alaska and were significantly higher in Indigenous (Alaska 2.

International recommendations for plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA measurement in nasopharyngeal carcinoma in resource-constrained settings: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to constrain health-care staff and resources worldwide, despite the availability of effective vaccines. Aerosol-generating procedures such as endoscopy, a common investigation tool for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, are recognised as a likely cause of SARS-CoV-2 spread in hospitals. Plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA is considered the most accurate biomarker for the routine management of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Characteristics of polymerase chain reaction-positive syphilis cases in Manitoba, Canada, 2017 to 2020: Demographic analysis, specimen types, and gene targets.

Background: A resurgence of syphilis infections has been described in a number of countries including Canada in the last decade.

Methods: This study identified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive syphilis cases based on detection of genes (, , and ) in 3,350 clinical specimens obtained from patients in the province of Manitoba, Canada between 2017 and 2020. Patient demographics were obtained from specimen requisition forms.

Canadian Public Health Laboratory Network guidelines for the use of point-of-care tests for in Canada.

Over the past few years, the increase in infectious syphilis outbreaks in major urban centres and remote or rural locations in Canada, often affecting hard-to-reach patient populations, has renewed an interest and urgency in studying the use of point-of-care tests (POCTs) that can provide test results at the time and place of primary health care delivery, obviating the repeat visit necessary with traditional syphilis serology or molecular diagnostic tests. In 2015, the Canadian Public Health Laboratory Network released its first laboratory guideline for the use of POCTs in the diagnosis of syphilis in Canada. Although Canada has no licensed POCT, two POCTs (Syphilis Health Check and the DPP® HIV Syphilis System) have received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval under premarket approval applications.

Meningococcal disease in North America: Updates from the Global Meningococcal Initiative.

This review summarizes the recent Global Meningococcal Initiative (GMI) regional meeting, which explored meningococcal disease in North America. Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases are documented through both passive and active surveillance networks. IMD appears to be decreasing in many areas, such as the Dominican Republic (2016: 18 cases; 2021: 2 cases) and Panama (2008: 1 case/100,000; 2021: <0.

Retrospective Review on Role of Neck Dissection in Laryngectomy of Patients With N0 Laryngeal Carcinoma.

Objectives: The primary objective is to evaluate the incidence of occult nodal metastasis in patients undergoing total laryngectomy with cN0 disease. Other objectives are to compare the survival between different treatments of the neck, identify possible associated risk factors, and evaluate the effectiveness of elective neck dissection in this population with regards to oncological outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective review.