Pevonedistat Inhibits SOX2 Expression and Sphere Formation but Also Drives the Induction of Terminal Differentiation Markers and Apoptosis within Arsenite-Transformed Urothelial Cells.

Urothelial cancer (UC) is a common malignancy and its development is associated with arsenic exposure. Around 25% of diagnosed UC cases are muscle invasive (MIUC) and are frequently associated with squamous differentiation. These patients commonly develop cisplatin (CIS) resistance and have poor prognosis.

Identifying Targets to Improve the Management of Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy and Postpartum.

Objectives: To (1) define quality indicators, (2) describe care gaps, and (3) identify process issues in severe hypertension (sustained systolic blood pressure [BP] ≥160 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥110 mm Hg) management at our tertiary care centre.

Methods: Pregnant and postpartum persons diagnosed with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy from 2018 to 2019 were identified. A retrospective cohort of patients with severe hypertension was constructed, and data were collected through chart review.

Obstetrical and neonatal outcomes among pregnancies complicated by hyperparathyroidism.

Purpose: Severe hypercalcemia resulting from hyperparathyroidism may result in adverse perinatal outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate maternal and neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with hyperparathyroidism using a population database.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1999-2015.

Increasing conversations between older adults with dementia using textual stimuli.

Dementia often leads to behavior changes such as deficits in communication and social interaction; one effective antecedent strategy for improving communication involves rearranged or supplemental stimuli. In the present study, researchers placed individualized textual prompts on the dinner table of three women at an assisted-living facility. Textual stimuli included prompts such as "Debbie, ask Pat where she liked to travel," and led to increases in conversation duration.

Physician Perspectives on Including Pregnant Women in Covid-19 Clinical Trials: Time for a Paradigm Change.

Excluding pregnant people from Covid-19 clinical trials may lead to unintended harmful consequences. For this study, an online questionnaire was sent to physicians belonging to Canadian professional medical associations in order to evaluate their perspectives on the participation of pregnant women in Covid-19 clinical trials. The majority of respondents expressed support for including pregnant women in Covid-19 trials (119/165; 72%), especially those investigating therapies with a prior safety record in pregnancy (139/164; 85%).

Severe and critical COVID-19 in pregnancy: A case series from Montreal.

Background: Optimal obstetric management for women with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is not known. We describe the management of six pregnant women requiring in-hospital care for severe COVID-19.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify pregnant women who tested positive for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) between 15 March and 30 June 2020.

Cesarean delivery on maternal request in the United States from 1999 to 2015.

Background: The rate of cesarean delivery has increased in the United States over the last several decades. However, the rate of cesarean delivery on maternal request remains undetermined, and recent data on cesarean delivery on maternal request are lacking.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the prevalence and temporal trends of cesarean delivery on maternal request in the United States and characterize the population of women who elect to undergo a cesarean delivery in the absence of fetal or maternal indications.

Thromboelastography-Based Profiling of Coagulation Status in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: Analysis of 422 Patients.

Introduction/purpose: Some clinical indicators suggest hypercoagulability/hyperaggregability in patients with morbid obesity. Thromboelastography (TEG®) has been used to profile coagulation status in surgical patients. We aimed to assess coagulation profiles in patients with morbid obesity undergoing bariatric surgery by correlating demographic and patient characteristics to pre-operative TEG® values.

Obstetrical and Newborn Outcomes Among Patients With SARS-CoV-2 During Pregnancy.

We report on the perinatal outcomes of pregnant patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from 2 hospitals in Montréal, Québec. Outcomes of 45 patients with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy were compared with those of 225 patients without infection. Sixteen percent of patients with SARS-CoV-2 delivered preterm, compared with 9% of patients without (P = 0.

Virtual Reality Exposure Simulation for Student Veteran Social Anxiety and PTSD: A Case Study.

Exposure based exercises are a common element of many gold standard treatments for anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder and virtual reality simulations have been evaluated as a platform for providing clients with opportunities for repeated exposure during treatment. Although research on virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) indicates effectiveness and high levels of user satisfaction, VRETs require a participant to complete exposure exercises in-offices with specialized equipment. The current exploratory case method study evaluates the experience and outcomes of one student veteran with social anxiety disorder and PTSD completing twelve sessions of VRET exposure using a mobile phone simulation of a virtual grocery store.

Screening and Testing Pregnant Patients for SARS-CoV-2: First-Wave Experience of a Designated COVID-19 Hospitalization Centre in Montréal.

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may present asymptomatically in a large proportion of cases in endemic areas. Accordingly, universal testing has been suggested as a potential strategy for reducing transmission in the obstetrical setting. We describe the clinical characteristics of patients who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during pregnancy at a designated COVID-19 hospitalization centre in Montréal, Québec.

Neurodegeneration in juvenile Iberian pigs with diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether juvenile Iberian pigs with diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cholestasis, and gut dysbiosis would develop histological and metabolic markers of neurodegeneration in the frontal cortex (FC) and whether supplementing probiotics would influence the response to the diet. Twenty-eight juvenile Iberian pigs were fed for 10 wk either a control (CON) or high-fructose high-fat (HFF) diet with or without a commercial probiotic mixture. Compared with CON, HFF-fed pigs had a decreased number of neurons and an increase in reactive astrocytes in FC tissue.

Mapping of Photochemically-Derived Dityrosine across Fe-Bound N-Acetylated α-Synuclein.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurological disease and belongs to a group of neurodegenerative disorders called synucleinopathies in which pathological aggregates of N-terminally acetylated α-synuclein (α-Syn) accumulate in various regions of the brain. In PD, these α-Syn aggregates have been found to contain covalent dityrosine crosslinks, which can occur either intermolecularly or intramolecularly. Cerebral metal imbalance is also a hallmark of PD, warranting investigations into the effects of brain biometals on α-Syn.

Ludwig's Angina in Pregnancy: A Case Report.

Background: Physiologic changes in pregnancy may predispose pregnant women to oral health problems. However, most women are not counselled on oral health during pregnancy. Lack of proper oral health care predisposes pregnant women to odontogenic infections, which can lead to severe complications.

Management of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Pregnancy: When Should Early Delivery Be Considered?

Background: The hemodynamic and physiological changes of pregnancy may predispose women to cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AF). Nevertheless, new-onset AF in pregnancy remains rare, and treatment is challenging. Current recommendations are to treat pregnant women with AF as non-pregnant adults, by using pharmacological or synchronized electrical cardioversion, without mention of gestational age or possibility of delivery.

Use of Triple Combination Antiretroviral Therapy With Raltegravir as Empiric HIV Therapy in the High-risk HIV-exposed Newborn.

The recent approval of raltegravir granules for suspension in the newborn population offers a new option for the antiretroviral prophylaxis of newborns for the prevention of perinatal transmission. However, there are little data on its use in preterm infants, nor on outcomes following its use as empiric HIV therapy for newborns subsequently found to be infected. We describe here the use of RAL granules for suspension in these cases.

Feasibility of the Tailored Activity Program for Hospitalized (TAP-H) Patients With Behavioral Symptoms.

Purpose Of The Study: To evaluate feasibility of implementing the Tailored Activity Program for Hospitals (TAP-H) to improve engagement in patients with dementia admitted for behavioral disturbances.

Design And Methods: TAP-H involves up to 11 in-hospital sessions to develop activities tailored to patient interests and capabilities and train staff/families in their use. Interventionists (occupational therapists) recorded session lengths, patient engagement (N = 20), and staff (N = 4) readiness to use activities.

Temperature-induced water stress in high-latitude forests in response to natural and anthropogenic warming.

The Arctic is particularly sensitive to climate change, but the independent effects of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration (pCO2 ) and temperature on high-latitude forests are poorly understood. Here, we present a new, annually resolved record of stable carbon isotope (δ(13) C) data determined from Larix cajanderi tree cores collected from far northeastern Siberia in order to investigate the physiological response of these trees to regional warming. The tree-ring record, which extends from 1912 through 1961 (50 years), targets early twentieth-century warming (ETCW), a natural warming event in the 1920s to 1940s that was limited to Northern hemisphere high latitudes.

A systematic review of strategies to foster activity engagement in persons with dementia.

Dementia is a growing public health issue. Activity, a positive therapeutic modality, has potential to enhance quality of life and reduce behavioral symptoms in persons with dementia--outcomes eluding pharmacological treatments. However, it is unclear how to effectively engage persons with dementia in activities for them to derive desired benefits.

An evaluation of procedures to increase cooperation related to hoarding in an older adult with dementia.

The prevalence of hoarding (collection of and refusal to discard unneeded items) is higher in older adults than the general population and has been correlated with dementia. Treatments to increase cooperation with discarding hoarded items have not been systematically evaluated. This study evaluated two procedures for increasing cooperation with handing over hoarded items in an older adult with dementia.