The Use of Silver Oxynitrate Wound Dressings in the Treatment of Chronic Wounds: A Feasibility Pilot Study.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a silver oxynitrate (Ag 7 NO 11 ) dressing on wound healing in patients with stalled chronic wounds.

Methods: A prospective pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility and effect of using silver oxynitrate dressings within an outpatient setting in Alberta, Canada. A total of 23 patients (12 women and 11 men; mean age, 66.

Muslim perspectives on advance care planning: a model for community engagement.

Background: Advance care planning is the process of communicating and documenting a person's future health care preferences. Despite its importance, knowledge of advance care planning is limited, especially among the Islamic community. In addition, little is known about how the Islamic community views advance care planning in the context of their religious and cultural beliefs.

The impact of the use of video-based educational interventions on patient outcomes in hospital settings: A scoping review.

Objective: To summarize the literature on the impact of video-based educational interventions on patient outcomes in inpatient settings as compared to standard education techniques.

Methods: This review followed a scoping review methodology. English language articles were searched in Pubmed, Medline, Cochrane, and CINAHL databases.

A Scoping Review of the Use of Silver-impregnated Dressings for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds.

Topical silver agents and dressings are used to control infection and promote healing in chronic wounds, but reviews published from 2006 to 2011 found heterogeneous results regarding their effectiveness. A scoping review was conducted to examine the extent, range, and nature of research activity surrounding chronic wound care that employed silver-impregnated dressings; identify research gaps in the existing literature; and summarize the evidence to provide recommendations for future clinical studies. Ten (10) electronic databases and additional sources were screened from their inception to May 2016; search terms for the different databases included but were not limited to silver, chronic, complications, wound, ulcer, and sore.

Environmental scan of infection prevention and control practices for containment of hospital-acquired infectious disease outbreaks in acute care hospital settings across Canada.

Background: Ward closure is a method of controlling hospital-acquired infectious diseases outbreaks and is often coupled with other practices. However, the value and efficacy of ward closures remains uncertain.

Purpose: To understand the current practices and perceptions with respect to ward closure for hospital-acquired infectious disease outbreaks in acute care hospital settings across Canada.

Use of ward closure to control outbreaks among hospitalized patients in acute care settings: a systematic review.

Background: Though often used to control outbreaks, the efficacy of ward closure is unclear. This systematic review sought to identify studies defining and describing ward closure in outbreak control and to determine impact of ward closure as an intervention on outbreak containment.

Methods: We searched these databases with no language restrictions: MEDLINE, 1946 to 7 July 2014; EMBASE, 1974 to 7 July 2014; CINAHL, 1937 to 8 July 2014; and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2005 to May 2014.

NO-β-catenin crosstalk modulates primitive streak formation prior to embryonic stem cell osteogenic differentiation.

Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to play a crucial role in bone formation in vivo. We sought to determine the temporal effect of NO on murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) under culture conditions that promote osteogenesis. Expression profiles of NO pathway members and osteoblast-specific markers were analyzed using appropriate assays.

Diversity in public views toward stem cell sources and policies.

Studies of public views on stem cell research have traditionally focused on human embryonic stem cells. With more recent scientific research on developing other stem cell sources, a series of focus group studies was undertaken with Canadian adults to examine their views on different stem cell sources (adult, umbilical cord blood, human embryonic stem cells, somatic cell nuclear transfer or SCNT, and interspecies nuclear transfer, or iSCNT). Views on three different policy models--a permissive, middle-of-the-road and restrictive policy approach--were also explored.

Evaluating online direct-to-consumer marketing of genetic tests: informed choices or buyers beware?

Commercialization of genetic technologies is expanding the horizons for the marketing and sales of genetic tests direct-to-consumers (DTCs). This study assesses the information provision and access requirements that are in place for genetic tests that are being advertised DTC over the Internet. Sets of key words specific to DTC genetic testing were entered into popular Internet search engines to generate a list of 24 companies engaging in DTC advertising.

Stem cell research ethics: consensus statement on emerging issues.

This article is a consensus statement by an international interdisciplinary group of academic experts and Canadian policy-makers on emerging ethical, legal and social issues in human embryonic stem cells (hESC) research in Canada. The process of researching consensus included consultations with key stakeholders in hESC research (regulations, stem cell researchers, and research ethics experts), preparation and distribution of background papers, and an international workshop held in Montreal in February 2007 to discuss the papers and debate recommendations. The recommendations provided in the consensus statement focus on issues of immediate relevance to Canadian policy-makers, including informed consent to hESC research, the use of fresh embryos in research, management of conflicts of interest, and the relevance of public opinion research to policy-making.

Prior deafferentation confers long term protection to CA1 against transient forebrain ischemia and sustains GluR2 expression.

Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons undergo delayed neurodegeneration after transient forebrain ischemia, and the phenomenon is dependent upon hyperactivation of l-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) subtype of glutamate receptors, resulting in aberrant intracellular calcium influx. The GluR2 subunit of AMPA receptors is critical in limiting the influx of calcium. The CA1 pyramidal neurons are very sensitive to ischemic damage and attempts to achieve neuroprotection, mediated by drugs, have been unsuccessful.