Association of MASLD Phenotypes With Liver Fibrosis in Hepatitis C: The Role of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors.

Steatotic liver disease is prevalent among people with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The new definition of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) emphasises the metabolic drivers of steatosis and recognises its frequent coexistence with other chronic liver diseases, including HCV. We aimed to evaluate the association of coexisting MASLD and HCV with liver fibrosis.

Characteristics of relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients with durable responses to maveropepimut-S, pembrolizumab, and cyclophosphamide: Long-term follow-up from the SPiReL trial.

Introduction: Patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) have an unmet medical need. The objective of this trial was to assess the efficacy and toxicities of a novel triple immunotherapy regimen-pembrolizumab, low-dose cyclophosphamide, and maveropepimut-S (MVP-S). This regimen was designed to activate tumor-specific T cells by targeting the tumor-associated antigen survivin with MVP-S and reducing two important T cell inhibitory pathways: T cell exhaustion and regulatory T cells with pembrolizumab and metronomic cyclophosphamide, respectively.

Hyperthyroidism in a Twin Pregnancy With a Hydatidiform Mole and a Coexisting Live Fetus: Management Dilemmas.

Hyperthyroidism in twin pregnancies involving a hydatidiform mole and a coexisting live fetus is a rare condition requiring careful management. We present a 34-year-old pregnant woman at 12 weeks' gestation with severe nausea, vomiting, and mild vaginal bleeding. A transvaginal ultrasound revealed a dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy with 1 normal fetus and 1 hydatidiform mole, leading to hyperthyroidism from elevated β human chorionic gonadotropin levels.

Child- and Proxy-reported Differences in Patient-reported Outcome and Experience Measures in Pediatric Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Purpose: Pediatric health outcomes are often assessed using proxy reports, which may not fully capture children's experiences. Children with surgical conditions face unique, changing healthcare journeys, making accurate representation challenging. This review compares child-reported health status and treatment experiences from Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) with parent reports.

Racial and ethnic enrollment disparities in clinical trials leading to FDA approvals for gynecologic malignancies.

Background: Black women and other minorities have higher age adjusted incidence risk for cervical and endometrial cancer than White women. However, the extent of racial and ethnic disparities in clinical trial enrollment among studies performed mainly in North America and Europe for gynecologic malignancy is unknown.

Objective: This study analyzed enrollment rates by race/ethnicity in trials that led to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for gynecological cancers from 2010 to 2024.

The Importance of Post-Inflammatory Polyps (PIPs) in Colorectal Cancer Surveillance in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), encompassing Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn's Disease (CD), are chronic inflammatory disorders affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The association between IBD and colorectal cancer (CRC) is well-documented. Multiple factors have been identified as contributors to the risk of developing CRC in patients with IBD, including duration of disease, disease extension, family history of CRC, co-existance of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and potentially the presence of post-inflammatory polyps (PIPs).

Oncolytic Viruses and Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Uveal Melanoma and Retinoblastoma: The Current Landscape and Novel Advances.

Intraocular malignant tumors are rare; however, they can cause serious life-threatening complications. Uveal melanoma (UM) and retinoblastoma (RB) are the most common intraocular tumors in adults and children, respectively, and come with a great disease burden. For many years, several different treatment modalities for UM and RB have been proposed, with chemotherapy for RB cases and plaque radiation therapy for localized UM as first-line treatment options.

Controversial Roles of Regenerating Family Proteins in Tissue Repair and Tumor Development.

: Over the past 40 years since the discovery of regenerating family proteins (Reg proteins), numerous studies have highlighted their biological functions in promoting cell proliferation and resisting cell apoptosis, particularly in the regeneration and repair of pancreatic islets and exocrine glands. Successively, short peptides derived from Reg3δ and Reg3α have been employed in clinical trials, showing favorable therapeutic effects in patients with type I and type II diabetes. However, continued reports have been limited, presumably attributed to the potential side effects.

Artificial Intelligence-Driven Translation Tools in Intensive Care Units for Enhancing Communication and Research.

Unlabelled: There is a need to improve communication for patients and relatives who belong to cultural minority communities in intensive care units (ICUs). As a matter of fact, language barriers negatively impact patient safety and family participation in the care of critically ill patients, as well as recruitment to clinical trials. Recent studies indicate that Google Translate and ChatGPT are not accurate enough for advanced medical terminology.

The Influence of Mat Pilates Training on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Postmenopausal Women with Single or Multiple Cardiometabolic Diseases.

This study compared the effects of Mat Pilates training on cardiovascular risk markers in postmenopausal women with single or multiple cardiometabolic conditions. Forty-four women were divided into single-condition (SINGLE; = 20) and multiple-condition (MULTI; = 24) groups. Both groups completed Mat Pilates three times per week for 12 weeks.

Pediatric COVID-19 severity by SARS-CoV-2 lineage and vaccine status in Canada: an IMPACT study.

Background: Interpretations of pediatric COVID-19 severity are complicated by novel lineages and COVID-19 vaccine introduction. We estimated the risk of severe COVID-19 by SARS-CoV-2 lineage and vaccination status among hospitalized Canadian children.

Methods: Data were collected through the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (April 2020-May 2021) and Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program, ACTive (June 2021-December 2022).

Integrative proteogenomic analysis identifies COL6A3-derived endotrophin as a mediator of the effect of obesity on coronary artery disease.

Obesity strongly increases the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, yet the underlying mediators of this relationship are not fully understood. Given that obesity strongly influences circulating protein levels, we investigated proteins mediating the effects of obesity on coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. By integrating two-step proteome-wide Mendelian randomization, colocalization, epigenomics and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified five mediators and prioritized collagen type VI α3 (COL6A3).

Machine-learning-assisted Preoperative Prediction of Pediatric Appendicitis Severity.

Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of machine learning (ML) algorithms for improving the preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children, focusing on the accurate prediction of the severity of disease.

Methods: An anonymized clinical and operative dataset was retrieved from the medical records of children undergoing emergency appendectomy between 2014 and 2021. We developed an ML pipeline that pre-processed the dataset and developed algorithms to predict 5 appendicitis grades (1 - non-perforated, 2 - localized perforation, 3 - abscess, 4 - generalized peritonitis, and 5 - generalized peritonitis with abscess).

Interventions to improve health care provider implementation and patient adherence of patients to recommendations on geriatric assessment and management in older adults: A scoping review protocol.

The world population is aging. Comprehensive Geriatric assessment (CGA) has been proven to improve the well-being of older adults. However, evidence suggests not all clinicians implement these recommendations in their practice; nor do all patients adhere to them.

Population Pharmacokinetic Modelling of Apixaban in End-Stage Kidney Disease Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Receiving Haemodialysis.

Background And Objective: Apixaban is increasingly being used for stroke prevention in patients with end-stage kidney disease with atrial fibrillation undergoing haemodialysis, but no pharmacostatistical model is available for dosage adjustment. This study aimed to develop a population pharmacokinetic model of apixaban in these patients to characterise its dialytic clearance and determine optimal dosing regimens and discontinuation timing before surgery.

Methods: Patients received 2.

A Canadian Perspective on Systemic Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Although the majority of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) present with early-stage or locoregional disease that can be treated with definitive radiotherapy, approximately 20% of patients experience disease recurrence, and 15% present with metastatic disease that is not amenable to curative therapy. Management of patients with recurrent or metastatic (r/m) NPC who are not candidates for local salvage therapy is challenging in Canada, as there is uncertainty in extrapolating evidence that is largely generated from Southeast China to non-endemic regions such as Canada. Currently, treatment options in Canada are limited to chemotherapy regimens that can only achieve short-term response and prolongation of survival.

miR-1233-3p Inhibits Angiopoietin-1-Induced Endothelial Cell Survival, Migration, and Differentiation.

Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and its receptor Tie-2 promote vascular integrity and angiogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of many cellular functions, including endothelial cell (EC) survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Several reports indicate that these effects of miRNAs on EC functions are mediated through the modulation of angiogenesis factor signaling including that of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Effect of Sequential, Colocalized Radiofrequency and Pulsed Field Ablation on Cardiac Lesion Size and Histology.

Background: Sequential application of radiofrequency with pulsed field (PF) ablation may increase lesion depth while preserving the advantages of PF. The study's aim was to determine lesion dimensions of sequential, colocalized radiofrequency and PF ablation.

Methods: A preclinical study using swine (n=4) performed lesions in the right/left ventricles.

Balancing act: optimizing blue light for melanogenesis while minimizing cellular damage in primary human skin cells.

Introduction: Recent findings show that visible light, particularly blue light, stimulates melanogenesis in human skin, though the underlying mechanisms remain debated. This study aimed to determine the cell damage threshold of non-ionizing blue light on keratinocytes while preserving their ability to stimulate melanogenesis.

Methods: Human keratinocytes (N = 3) and melanocytes (N = 3) were isolated from skin samples of varying Fitzpatrick skin phototypes and irradiated with blue light (λpeak = 457 nm) and UVA light (λpeak = 385 nm).

Impact of interventions on mpox transmission during the 2022 outbreak in Canada: a mathematical modeling study of three different cities.

Objectives: The global mpox (clade II) outbreak of 2022 primarily affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) and was met with swift community and public health responses. We aimed to estimate the relative impact of changes in sexual behaviours, contact tracing/isolation, and first-dose vaccination on transmission in Canadian cities.

Methods: We estimated changes in sexual behaviours during the outbreak using 2022 data from the Engage Cohort Study which recruited self-identified GBM in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver (n=1,445).

Single-Cell Multi-Omics Profiling of Immune Cells Isolated from Atherosclerotic Plaques in Male ApoE Knockout Mice Exposed to Arsenic.

Background: Millions worldwide are exposed to elevated levels of arsenic that significantly increase their risk of developing atherosclerosis, a pathology primarily driven by immune cells. While the impact of arsenic on immune cell populations in atherosclerotic plaques has been broadly characterized, cellular heterogeneity is a substantial barrier to in-depth examinations of the cellular dynamics for varying immune cell populations.

Objectives: This study aimed to conduct single-cell multi-omics profiling of atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein E knockout () mice to elucidate transcriptomic and epigenetic changes in immune cells induced by arsenic exposure.

Estimating the Effect of Adhering to the Recommendations of the 2019 Canada's Food Guide on Health Outcomes in Older Adults: Protocol for a Target Trial Emulation.

Background: The 2019 Canada's Food Guide provides universal recommendations to individuals aged ≥2 years. However, the extent to which these recommendations are appropriate for older adults is unknown. Although ideal, conducting a large randomized controlled trial is unrealistic in the short term.

A Canadian real-world, multi-center, prospective, observational study assessing the treatment duration, the treatment sequence, and the overall survival for patients treated with endocrine therapy ± targeted therapy in HR + HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.

Purpose: Understanding real-world treatment patterns and their effectiveness in HR + HER2- advanced breast cancer (aBC) in Canadian patients.

Patient And Methods: This was a multi-center, observational, prospective cohort study including men and pre-/peri-/postmenopausal women with HR + HER2- aBC receiving endocrine therapy (ET) or ET + targeted therapy (ET + TT). The primary objective was duration of treatment (DOT) with ET and ET + TT.