Publications by authors named "Sylvia Ota"
Background: With many global jurisdictions, Toronto, Canada, experienced an mpox outbreak in spring/summer 2022. Cases declined following implementation of a large vaccination campaign. A surge in early 2023 led to speculation that asymptomatic and/or undetected local transmission was occurring in the city.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Public health surveillance data do not always capture all cases, due in part to test availability and health care seeking behaviour. Our study aimed to estimate under-ascertainment multipliers for each step in the reporting chain for COVID-19 in Toronto, Canada.
Design And Methods: We applied stochastic modeling to estimate these proportions for the period from March 2020 (the beginning of the pandemic) through to May 23, 2020, and for three distinct windows with different laboratory testing criteria within this period.
Objective: To date, there are no standardized disease activity tools for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA). We developed a core set of disease activity measures for sJIA.
Methods: We conducted a validation study in patients with sJIA recruited from 3 Canadian institutions.
Objective: To determine the ability of the revised version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), the VAS, to detect clinical change over time in pediatric patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We studied the relative responsiveness of the VAS as compared to the original CHAQ-30 and revised CHAQ-38, as well as the parent-patient, physician-patient, and physician-parent concordance.
Methods: The CHAQ-38 and VAS were administered to 30 parents and patients (if older than 8 years) with any subtype of JIA before and after the start of a new treatment.
Purpose: Quality of life (QoL) is a ubiquitous yet poorly defined concept; the precise determinants of QoL are rarely identified. We used pilot data from the GapS Questionnaire to investigate the most important determinants of QoL in children with chronic somatic illness.
Methods: We enrolled 92 participants including 60 parents and 32 of their children.
Objectives: To determine and compare the prevalence of disturbed sleep in JIA and JDM and the relationship of sleep disturbance to pain, function, disease activity and medications.
Methods: One hundred fifty-five patients (115 JIA, 40 JDM) were randomly sampled and were mailed questionnaires. Sleep disturbance was assessed by the sleep self-report (SSR) and the children's sleep habits questionnaire (CSHQ).
Objective: There are a number of different approaches to the initial treatment of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). We assessed the therapeutic approaches of North American pediatric rheumatologists to inform future studies of therapy in JDM.
Methods: A survey describing clinical cases of JDM was sent to pediatric rheumatologists.
Background: North American pediatric rheumatologists have created an investigator-initiated research network (the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance - CARRA) to facilitate multi-centre studies. One of the first projects undertaken by this network was to define, by consensus, research priorities for the group, and if possible a first group-sponsored clinical trial in which all members could participate.
Methods: We determined consensus using the Delphi approach.
Validation of the oral mucositis assessment scale in pediatric cancer.
Pediatr Blood Cancer
August 2007
Background: Our objective was to examine the construct validity of the Oral Mucositis Assessment Scale (OMAS) in children receiving doxorubicin chemotherapy.
Methods: Children between 6 and 18 years of age with cancer receiving doxorubicin-containing chemotherapy were included. OMAS was measured on days 7, 10, 14, and 17 after chemotherapy.