Analysis of Transesophageal Echocardiography Appropriateness for Diagnosing Infective Endocarditis: Insights From Two Tertiary-Care Hospitals.

Background: Echocardiography plays a key role in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE), and recommendations have been published regarding the appropriate use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The objective of this study is to evaluate the utilization of TEE in Regina, Saskatchewan, in the diagnosis of IE.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients aged ≥ 18 years who received a TEE test for the diagnosis of IE from January 1 to December 31, 2019.

Evaluating service needs for veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in Saskatchewan.

To determine the number of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who would be eligible to receive veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). We conducted a retrospective observational study of ARDS patients admitted to Regina General Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU). VV-ECMO eligibility was assessed using selection criteria from the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome trial (EOLIA), the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO), New South Wales (NSW), Critical Care Services Ontario (CCSO) and a Regina-restrictive criteria.

Treatments and Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients with spp. Colonization of the Lower Respiratory Tract in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Background: Among critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation, Candida spp. are commonly detected in the lower respiratory tract (LRT). This is generally considered to represent colonization.

External validation of the hospital frailty risk score among older adults receiving mechanical ventilation.

To externally validate the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) in critically ill patients. We selected older adult (≥ 75 years old) hospitalizations receiving mechanical ventilation, using the Nationwide Readmissions Database (January 1, 2016-November 30, 2018). Frailty risk was subcategorized into low-risk (HFRS score < 5), intermediate-risk (score 5-15), and high-risk (score > 15).

Long-term Safety of Directly Discharging Patients Home from the ICU Compared to Ward Transfer.

To evaluate the long-term safety of directly discharging intensive care unit (ICU) survivors to their home. A retrospective observational cohort of 341 ICU survivors who were directly discharged home from the ICU ("direct discharge") or discharged home ≤72 hours after ICU transfer to the ward ("ward transfer") was conducted in Regina, Saskatchewan ICUs between September 1, 2016 and September 30, 2018. The primary outcome was 90-day hospital readmission.

Hospital admissions and mortality due to complications of injection drug use in two hospitals in Regina, Canada: retrospective chart review.

Background: Infectious complications of injection drug use (IDU) often require lengthy inpatient treatment. Our objective was to identify the number of admissions related to IDU in Regina, Canada, as well as describe patient demographics and comorbidities, yearly mortality, readmission rate, and cumulative cost of these hospitalizations between January 1 and December 31, 2018. Additionally, we sought to identify factors that increased risk of death or readmission.

A Map of Human Mitochondrial Protein Interactions Linked to Neurodegeneration Reveals New Mechanisms of Redox Homeostasis and NF-κB Signaling.

Mitochondrial protein (MP) dysfunction has been linked to neurodegenerative disorders (NDs); however, the discovery of the molecular mechanisms underlying NDs has been impeded by the limited characterization of interactions governing MP function. Here, using mass spectrometry (MS)-based analysis of 210 affinity-purified mitochondrial (mt) fractions isolated from 27 epitope-tagged human ND-linked MPs in HEK293 cells, we report a high-confidence MP network including 1,964 interactions among 772 proteins (>90% previously unreported). Nearly three-fourths of these interactions were confirmed in mouse brain and multiple human differentiated neuronal cell lines by primary antibody immunoprecipitation and MS, with many linked to NDs and autism.