Publications by authors named "S E McDonald"

Background: More than 80% of the Canadian population lives in urban settings. Urban areas usually bring exposure to poorer air quality, less access to green spaces, and higher building density. These environmental factors may endanger child development.

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Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common medical complication of pregnancy that leads to adverse outcomes for both infants and pregnant people. Early detection and treatment can mitigate these negative outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic strained healthcare and laboratory services, including GDM screening programs.

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Background: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is associated with social cognitive impairments, yet these impairments are often overlooked during clinical assessments. There are few validated and clinically appropriate measures of social cognition in ABI. The current study examined the validity of the Brief Assessment of Social Skills (BASS) in measuring social cognition following ABI.

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients exhibit compromised intestinal barrier function and decreased mucus accumulation, as well as increased inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer risk, with symptoms often being exacerbated in women during pregnancy. Here, we show that these IBD hallmarks can be replicated using human Organ Chips lined by IBD patient-derived colon epithelial cells interfaced with matched fibroblasts cultured under flow. Use of heterotypic tissue recombinants revealed that IBD fibroblasts are the primary drivers of multiple IBD symptoms.

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