Risk factors for opioid toxicity requiring naloxone rescue in adults: a case-control study.

Background: Opioid-induced sedation and respiratory depression (OSRD) is a potentially life-threatening side effect of opioid analgesia. However, little is known about the individual and clinical-related factors associated with OSRD in the New Zealand context.

Aim: To identify risk factors for OSRD in patients admitted to a large regional health board in New Zealand-Auckland District Health Board (ADHB).

Unsettling the Settlers: Principles of a Decolonial Approach to Creating Safe(r) Spaces in Post-secondary Education.

In this paper we discuss the ongoing colonial relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada with a consideration of how to align the principles and core values of community psychology in relation to Indigenous rights, decolonization, and social justice. In working with Community Psychology values to address issues of social justice it is necessary to recognize that empowerment alone is only one half of the solution. While our discipline focuses on oppression and the empowerment of vulnerable and disenfranchised populations we generally fail to consider the relational aspects of power and justice.

Multi-frequency localization of aberrant brain activity in autism spectrum disorder.

Objective: The abnormality of intrinsic brain activity in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is still inconclusive. Contradictory results have been found pointing towards hyper-activity or hypo-activity in various brain regions. The present research aims to investigate the spatial and spectral signatures of aberrant brain activity in an unprecedented frequency range of 1-2884 Hz at source levels in ASD using newly developed methods.

From patient to participant: enhancing the validity and ethics of cancer research through participatory research.

Participatory health research involves a wide spectrum of participation from the population of study. We describe the participatory research processes of a large mixed method study on the psychosocial impact of dragon boating in individuals with breast cancer. In particular, we discuss the involvement of a Community Advisory Group (consisting of five breast cancer patients/survivors) in the development of the research study, data collection and analysis, and dissemination of the study results.

Understanding the patients' perspective of emotional support to significantly improve overall patient satisfaction.

This article presents the results of a research study that laid out important considerations for organizations to improve their patient satisfaction scores. It addresses a dimension of patient satisfaction that appears to garner little attention in healthcare contexts: emotional support. Though the literature strongly suggests that emotional support is correlated to overall patient satisfaction, few organizations have systematically attempted to understand the elements of outstanding emotional support.

Use of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) in a clinical setting.

The aim of this study was to examine the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) as it is commonly used in clinical practice. ADOS classifications were compared to final diagnoses given by a multidisciplinary team to 584 children referred for evaluation for possible autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. A total of 177 children were evaluated with a Module 1 (87 No Words), 198 with a Module 2 (90 < 5 years) and 209 with a Module 3.

Teaching the anatomy of oncology: evaluating the impact of a dedicated oncoanatomy course.

Purpose: Anatomic considerations are often critical in multidisciplinary cancer care. We developed an anatomy-focused educational program for radiation oncology residents integrating cadaver dissection into the didactic review of diagnostic, surgical, radiologic, and treatment planning, and herein assess its efficacy.

Methods And Materials: Monthly, anatomic-site based educational modules were designed and implemented during the 2008-2009 academic year at Duke University Medical Center.

"Below their notice": exploring women's subjective experiences of cancer system exclusion.

Background: The experiences that marginalized breast cancer populations have in common are rarely considered.

Methods: The authors look across 3 qualitative studies to explore the experiences of older, lower-income, and Aboriginal women diagnosed with cancer and treated by the cancer care system in Ontario, Canada.

Results: The research examines critical moments in participants' narratives that parallel one another and are categorized within 2 themes: Not Getting Cancer Care and Not Getting Supportive Care.

An interactive method for teaching anatomy of the human eye for medical students in ophthalmology clinical rotations.

Much research has shown the benefits of additional anatomical learning and dissection beyond the first year of medical school human gross anatomy, all the way through postgraduate medical training. We have developed an interactive method for teaching eye and orbit anatomy to medical students in their ophthalmology rotation at Duke University School of Medicine. We provide review lectures on the detailed anatomy of the adult human eye and orbit as well as the developmental anatomy of the eye.

Difference in age at regression in children with autism with and without Down syndrome.

Objective: Autism occurs more frequently in individuals with Down syndrome than it does in the general population. Among children with autism and Down syndrome, regression is reported to occur in up to 50%. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare regression in children with autism with and without Down syndrome.

A survey of attitudes of clinicians towards the diagnosis and treatment of mild cognitive impairment in Australia and New Zealand.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the attitudes of clinicians to the diagnostic construct of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), their approach to relaying the diagnosis to patients and families, and recommended treatment and follow-up.

Method: An anonymous questionnaire was sent out to 503 members of the Australian Society for Geriatric Medicine (ASGM) and New Zealand Geriatrics Society (NZGS), of whom 163 replied.

Results: Most responders (83%) had diagnosed MCI.

Connection between the meaning of health and interaction with health professionals: caring for immigrant women.

The meaning of health perceived by adult immigrant women in Canada is discussed from the perspectives of immigration, culture, and lived experience to understand their encounters with health care professionals. Authors base their findings on the thematic analysis of focus group data. Immigrant women viewed health as the outcome of a web of interactions between conditions of mental, physical, social, emotional, environmental, and spiritual well-being, appealing to both biomedical and phenomenological ideologies.

Survivor dragon boating: a vehicle to reclaim and enhance life after treatment for breast cancer.

The authors investigated the psychosocial impact of dragon boat participation on women who have been treated for breast cancer. Open-ended qualitative interviews were completed by 10 new members recruited from two breast cancer survivor dragon boat teams. Our findings indicate that the women's experience of survivor dragon boating surpassed their expectations and offered them hope and increased strength and the ability to regain control of their lives.

Utilisation of intravenous immunoglobulin in New Zealand: a clinical audit.

Aim: To identify what diagnoses account for the utilisation of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in New Zealand (NZ), to establish regional differences in prescribing patterns, and to audit the appropriateness of its use in a subset of patients.

Methods: We accessed NZ Blood Service and NZ Health Information Service data to retrospectively determine the quantities of IVIG issued by each District Health Board (DHB) during 2004 and the diagnoses associated with each treatment episode. DHB-of-domicile data was used to explore the influence of cross boundary flow of patients.

One-year outcomes of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for morbidly obese adolescents: a multicenter study from the Pediatric Bariatric Study Group.

Background/purpose: Little is known about the metabolic outcomes of adolescent bariatric surgery. We report changes in weight, metabolic profile, and types of complications seen in a multicenter cohort.

Methods: One-year outcomes were included.

A survey of Canadian dental hygiene faculty needs and credentials.

The American Dental Education Association recently reported that the growing shortage of qualified faculty in dental hygiene education programs has reached a crisis situation. The authors hypothesized that Canadian dental hygiene programs will face a similar shortage. However, a review of the literature identified no studies that investigated Canadian dental hygiene faculty shortages.

Community-building versus career-building research: the challenges, risks, and responsibilities of conducting research with Aboriginal and Native American communities.

Background: The Aboriginal Women's Cancer Care Project used a participatory research model guided by an Aboriginal advisory group.

Methods: The researchers attempted to conduct cancer research with 5 culturally and geographically different communities in North America.

Results: We discuss the challenges of conducting ethical research in keeping with the emergent research principles of community ownership and control of the research process and products.

Community resilience or unidentified health risk?: health professional perceptions on the impact of the Swissair Flight 111 disaster on surrounding communities.

On September 2nd, 1998 Swissair Flight 111 crashed in Saint Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia. Surrounding coastal communities were immediately transformed into disaster response sites. Sixteen community health professionals were interviewed that identified several types of individual and community exposure, including exposure to human remains.

Socio-cultural influences on young people's sexual development.

Emerging evidence indicates that the mechanisms that create health (or ill health) at the population level exist at the intersection between the individual and more "upstream" forces that shape our social contexts. To investigate this proposition, we collected detailed descriptions of youth's perceptions about the socio-cultural and other structural aspects of their contexts that shape their sexual behaviour patterns, and ultimately their health outcomes. In this paper, we examine how social context shaped experiences and perceptions pertaining to sexual behaviour among 18-24 year olds living in two Canadian communities (one rural and one urban).

'We Will Never Ever Forget.': the Swissair flight 111 disaster and its impact on volunteers and communities.

In collaboration with a Community Advisory Group we examined the impact of the 1998 Swissair Flight 111 disaster on volunteer responders and surrounding communities. We conducted qualitative interviews and administered a set of structured questionnaires to 13 volunteer disaster workers and conducted a focus group with community leaders. Community silence and limited help-seeking behaviour were typical reactions to the SA 111 disaster.

The relations of PTSD symptoms to alcohol use and coping drinking in volunteers who responded to the Swissair Flight 111 airline disaster.

We investigated the effects of the 1998 Swissair Flight 111 (SA 111) disaster on a variety of indices of alcohol use among volunteer responders. We retrospectively administered standardized questionnaires and a semi-structured interview to 13 volunteer disaster workers recruited from the community. According to the interview, 54% of the volunteers were exposed to human remains.