Publications by authors named "Vivian Tsang"

Article Synopsis
  • A study investigated the safety and efficacy of combining regorafenib and low-dose methotrexate for patients with advanced -mutant NSCLC, as there are limited treatment options available beyond G12C inhibitors.
  • The study included 18 patients, revealing a median progression-free survival of 3.7 months and a median overall survival of 10.4 months, with a 16.7% objective response rate.
  • The treatment caused notable toxicity, leading to dose adjustments and discontinuations; consequently, the study did not meet its primary goal of improving progression-free survival.
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Introduction: Cannabis products have been used in the management of headaches in adults and may play a role in pediatric chronic pain. Canadian pediatricians report increasing use of cannabis for the management of chronic headaches, despite no well-controlled studies to inform its dosing, safety, and effectiveness. The aim of our clinical trial is to determine the dosing and safety of a Cannabidiol (CBD)-enriched Cannabis Herbal Extract (CHE) for the treatment of chronic headaches in adolescents.

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Previous findings demonstrate that people often do not feel how they want to feel, supporting the distinction between "actual affect" and "ideal affect." But are there certain activities that reduce the discrepancy between actual and ideal affect? Based on flow theory and socioemotional selectivity theory, we examined whether the discrepancy between people's actual and ideal positive affect would be smaller during activities that were more conducive to flow (a state of intense absorption and concentration), pleasant, and familiar. In Study 1, U.

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The number of overdose-related fatalities continues to reach historic levels across Canada, despite ongoing efforts by authorities. To reduce mortality, a clinical trajectory ranging from preventative measures to crisis intervention, skill training to treatment, and risk assessment to risk management needs to be supported. The web-based Risk Assessment and Management Platform (RAMP) was developed to realize this concept and to empower people who use drugs through an integrated tool that allows them to better understand and manage their risk of overdose.

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Objectives: Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid and has, until recently, been considered an unwanted contaminant in the street drug supply among people who use drugs (PWUD). However, it has become a drug of choice for an increasing number of individuals. This systematic review evaluated intentional non-medical fentanyl use among PWUD, specifically by summarizing demographic variance, reasons for use, and resulting patterns of use.

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Youth have a right to participate in research that will inform the care that they receive. Engagement with children and young people has been shown to improve rates of enrollment and retention in clinical trials as well as reduce research waste. The aim of the study is to gain practical insight on the design of trials specifically on (1) recruitment and retention preferences, (2) potential barriers to research, and (3) study design optimization.

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The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased among healthcare providers, while the effectiveness of conventional treatments remains limited. Ketamine-assisted therapy offers a promising alternative; however, few have integrated ketamine with a group-based therapeutic modality. We report a retrospective, secondary analysis of a 12-week pilot of a Community of Practice (CoP) oriented group therapy program with optional, adjunct ketamine for depression, anxiety, and PTSD in a sample of 57 healthcare providers.

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Introduction: Abiraterone acetate (ABI) or docetaxel (DOC), in addition to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), are current treatment options for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). No randomized head-to-head trial has compared these 2 mHSPC treatments, and real-world data regarding their outcomes in Asian patients are lacking.

Patients And Methods: The medical records of mHSPC patients who began upfront ABI or DOC treatment in addition to ADT at seven public oncology centers in Hong Kong between 2015 and 2021 were reviewed.

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Evidence suggests that psilocybin has therapeutic benefit for treating depression. However, there is little consensus regarding the mechanism by which psilocybin elicits antidepressant effects. This systematic review summarizes existing evidence.

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Article Synopsis
  • Engaging youth and parents in clinical research enhances project credibility as they contribute valuable insights from their personal experiences, making them essential members of research teams.
  • A case study illustrates how youth and parents collaborated in creating a questionnaire about pediatric headache treatments, emphasizing the importance of their involvement from both researcher and participant perspectives.
  • The researchers found that including a youth and parent engagement plan improved the questionnaire's content validity and aimed to share their challenges and successes to encourage better engagement practices in future pediatric research.
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Background: In the last few years, ketamine is becoming increasingly common in the treatment of mental health conditions, but there is a lack of safety data informing intramuscular and sublingual dosing in a community-focused group psychotherapy setting. The Roots To Thrive ketamine-assisted therapy (RTT-KaT) program is a unique 12-week RTT-KaT program with 12 community of practice (a form of group therapy) sessions and three ketamine medicine sessions.

Objectives: This study reports on adverse effects of intramuscular and sublingual ketamine dosing in a community group psychotherapy setting among 128 participants across four cohorts.

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Background: Creating appropriate and sustainable treatment plans for patients with concurrent disorders presents a challenge to psychiatrists and addiction medicine specialists alike. Although varenicline has been found to be the most effective medication for smoking cessation and abstinence when compared to results from placebo medications, nicotine patches and bupropion, caution is needed when starting patients on this medication. With the high prevalence of concurrent mental health and substance use disorders in vulnerably-housed populations in Canada, it becomes increasingly important to advocate for increased guidance and research into treating concurrent disorders.

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Objectives: To assess the extent to which protection of healthcare workers (HCWs) as COVID-19 emerged was associated with economic inequality among and within countries.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of associations of perceptions of workplace risk acceptability and mitigation measure adequacy with indicators of respondents' respective country's economic income level (World Bank assessment) and degree of within-country inequality (Gini index).

Setting: A global self-administered online survey.

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Intravenous (IV) infiltration is a common problem associated with IV infusion therapy in clinical practice. A multitude of factors can cause the leakage of IV fluids into the surrounding tissues, resulting in symptoms ranging from temporary swelling to permanent tissue damage. Severe infiltration outcomes can be avoided or minimized if the patient's care provider is alerted of the infiltration at its earliest onset.

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Introduction: Phalloplasty is one of the genital genders affirming surgeries sought by transmasculine transgender patients during transition. Despite current advances in surgical techniques, the lack of consistency in outcomes evaluation for phalloplasty leads to significant challenges in guiding patients in clinical decision making.

Aims: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess outcomes for different phalloplasty surgical techniques.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious public health threat that many countries in the world are facing. While several measures are being taken to minimize the spread of infection, mental health efforts must address psychological challenges due to the pandemic. This commentary reflects on original research from earlier epicenters of COVID-19 and identifies effective practices and suggestions applicable to mental health interventions in the North American context.

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: Now more than ever, there is an obvious need to reduce the overall burden of disease and risk of premature mortality that are associated with mental health and substance use disorders among young people. However, the current state of research and evidence-based clinical care for high-risk substance use among youth is fragmented and scarce. The objective of the study is to establish consensus for the prevention, treatment, and management of high-risk substance use and overdose among youth (10 to 24 years old).

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Drug markets are dynamic systems which change based on demand, competition, legislation and revenue. Shifts that are not met with immediate and appropriate responses from the healthcare system can lead to public health crises with tragic levels of morbidity and mortality, as experienced Europe in the early 1990s and as is the case in North America currently. The major feature of the current drug market shift in North America is towards highly potent synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and fentanyl analogues.

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Background: A legacy of the South African gold mining industry, now in decline, is a large burden of silicosis and tuberculosis among former migrant miners from rural South Africa and surrounding countries, particularly Lesotho and Mozambique. This neglected population faces significant barriers in filing claims for compensation for occupational lung disease. The objective of the study was to gain insight into the extent of such barriers, particularly for former miners and cross-border migrants.

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Objective: Youth with chronic diseases are required to transition from pediatric to adult care across the world at variable ages in their adolescent years. The aim of this study is to examine perspectives of young patients, caregivers, and physicians in the transition process.

Methods: This 3-phase mixed methods research study gathered data using an iterative approach with the collaboration of youth coresearchers.

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In response to COVID-19, paediatric providers have shifted to providing outpatient health care appointments through telehealth. Youth perspectives on changes to health care access during the pandemic are important to consider when optimizing care for paediatric patients. Youth who contributed to this commentary reported that major benefits of virtual care included time savings, ease of access, continuity of care, and ability to participate in health appointments from the comfort of one's own home without a risk of COVID-19 exposure.

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused substantial disruptions in medical education. The University of British Columbia (UBC) MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) is the sixth-largest medical school in North America. MDUP students and faculty developed a joint response to these disruptions to address the curriculum and public health challenges that the pandemic posed.

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Background: The Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is a commonly used psychometric scale of depression. A four-factor structure (depressed affect, positive affect, somatic symptoms, and interpersonal difficulties) was initially identified in an American sample aged 18 to 65. Despite emerging evidence, a latent structure has not been established in adolescents.

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