Adherence to perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis among orthopedic trauma patients.

Background: The goal of this study was to assess whether patients receive their antibiotic prophylaxis as prescribed. We also investigated what doses and durations of antibiotics are typically ordered, which patients actually receive antibiotics and factors causing the ordered antibiotic regimen to be altered.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 205 patient charts and sent a national survey to all surgeon members of the Canadian Orthopaedic Trauma Society (COTS) about antibiotic prophylaxis in the setting of surgical treatment for closed fractures.

Structural equation modeling in medical research: a primer.

Background: Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a set of statistical techniques used to measure and analyze the relationships of observed and latent variables. Similar but more powerful than regression analyses, it examines linear causal relationships among variables, while simultaneously accounting for measurement error. The purpose of the present paper is to explicate SEM to medical and health sciences researchers and exemplify their application.

Protective role of interleukin-17 in murine NKT cell-driven acute experimental hepatitis.

NKT cells are highly enriched within the liver. On activation NKT cells rapidly release large quantities of different cytokines which subsequently activate, recruit, or modulate cells important for the development of hepatic inflammation. Recently, it has been demonstrated that NKT cells can also produce interleukin-17 (IL-17), a proinflammatory cytokine that is also known to have diverse immunoregulatory effects.

Demyelinating symmetric motor polyneuropathy with high titers of anti-GM1 antibodies.

High titers of anti-GM1 ganglioside antibodies have been associated with multifocal motor neuropathy, a chronic asymmetric and exclusively motor disorder. We describe a patient with a progressive selective motor but symmetric polyneuropathy, followed over 5 years, with markedly elevated titers of anti-GM1 antibodies. The electrophysiological changes suggestive of motor demyelination were widespread, beyond conduction block alone, and involved contiguous nerve segments with complete sparing of sensory conduction.

Azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine for induction of remission in Crohn's disease.

Background: The results from controlled clinical trials investigating the efficacy of azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine for the treatment of active Crohn's disease were conflicting and controversial. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the effectiveness of these drugs for the induction of remission in active Crohn's disease.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine in inducing remission of active Crohn's disease.

Derivation of human embryonic stem cell lines after blastocyst microsurgery.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst. Because of their ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) provide an unlimited source of cells for clinical medicine and have begun to be used in clinical trials. Presently, although several hundred hESC lines are available in the word, only few have been widely used in basic and applied research.

Recent developments in immune activation by uric acid crystals.

Uric acid crystals, the causative agent of gout, have recently gained widespread attention due to their role as a natural endogenous adjuvant. Uric acid crystals, first sensed extracellularly by membrane lipid alterations, are internalized and subsequently activate the NLRP3 inflammasome. Currently, various aspects of this particular novel pathway are poorly defined.

Locum practice by recent family medicine graduates.

Objective: To explore the demographic characteristics of recent Alberta family medicine residency graduates choosing locum practice, as well as their reasons for choosing and leaving locum practice and the frustrations and rewards of locum placements.

Design: Web-based and mailed cross-sectional survey and interviews.

Setting: The family medicine residency training programs at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta.

Does job strain interact with psychosocial factors outside of the workplace in relation to the risk of major depression? The Canadian National Population Health Survey.

Objectives: To investigate whether job strain interacts with psychosocial factors outside of the workplace in relation to the risk of major depression and to examine the roles of psychosocial factors outside of the workplace in the relationship between job strain and the risk of major depression.

Methods: Data from the longitudinal cohort of the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS) were used. Major depressive episode (MDE) in the past 12 months was assessed by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form.

The immunopathogenesis of Entamoeba histolytica.

Amebiasis is the disease caused by the enteric dwelling protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. The WHO considers amebiasis as one of the major health problems in developing countries; it is surpassed by only malaria and schistosomiasis for death caused by parasitic infection. E.

Probiotic bacteria and intestinal epithelial barrier function.

The intestinal tract is a diverse microenvironment where more than 500 species of bacteria thrive. A single layer of epithelium is all that separates these commensal microorganisms and pathogens from the underlying immune cells, and thus epithelial barrier function is a key component in the arsenal of defense mechanisms required to prevent infection and inflammation. The epithelial barrier consists of a dense mucous layer containing secretory IgA and antimicrobial peptides as well as dynamic junctional complexes that regulate permeability between cells.

Hedgehog signaling via angiopoietin1 is required for developmental vascular stability.

The molecular pathways by which newly formed, immature endothelial cell tubes remodel to form a mature network of vessels supported by perivascular mural cells are not well understood. The zebrafish iguana (igu) genetic mutant has a mutation in the daz-interacting protein 1 (dzip1), a member of the hedgehog signaling pathway. Loss of dzip1 results in decreased size of the cranial dorsal aortae, ultrastructural defects in perivascular mural cell recruitment and subsequent hemorrhage.

Leptomeningeal gliomatosis as the initial presentation of gliomatosis cerebri.

Leptomeningeal gliomatosis is a known, yet uncommon, complication of malignant gliomas. In rare instances it can present with non-specific symptoms prior to the development of detectable intraparenchymal lesions, posing a diagnostic challenge. Gliomatosis cerebri is also a rare disease, characterized by extensive diffuse infiltration of neoplastic glial cells.

Social class, gender, and time use: implications for the social determinants of body weight?

Background: The social gradient in body weight (for example, obesity) departs from the social gradient in other health outcomes. Innovative approaches are needed to understand the observed patterns. This study examines time-use patterns by indicators of socio-economic position, and considers the implications of variations in time use for the social gradient in weight reported in other studies.

Diabetes and failure of axon regeneration in peripheral neurons.

Peripheral neurons are targeted by a 'double hit' during diabetes mellitus. First, they are damaged directly; diabetic polyneuropathy is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that involves sensory, autonomic and eventually motor neurons. The second 'hit' involves a profound impairment in the ability of peripheral axons to regenerate.

Boundaries and overlap: Community medicine or public health doctors and primary care physicians.

Objective: To explore the boundaries and overlap of practice profiles of primary care physicians (PCPs), including FPs and GPs, and community medicine specialists (CMs), particularly in the area of community-oriented clinical care.

Design: Analysis of data from the 2004 National Physician Survey. Analyses included frequencies, cross-tabulations, and chi(2) statistics.

Examining the association between socioeconomic position and body mass index in 1978 and 2005 among Canadian working-age women and men.

Objectives: We examined the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and body mass index (BMI) among Canadian men and women in 1978 and 2005. We examined both the average SEP-BMI association, and variation in this association across the distribution of BMI.

Methods: We analysed data from two nationally representative surveys containing measured height and weight data: the Canada Health Survey (1978) and the Canadian Community Health Survey (2005).

Validation of a case definition to define hypertension using administrative data.

We validated the accuracy of case definitions for hypertension derived from administrative data across time periods (year 2001 versus 2004) and geographic regions using physician charts. Physician charts were randomly selected in rural and urban areas from Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, during years 2001 and 2004. Physician charts were linked with administrative data through unique personal health number.

Azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine for induction of remission in Crohn's disease.

Background: The results from controlled clinical trials investigating the efficacy of azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine for the treatment of active Crohn's disease were conflicting and controversial. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the effectiveness of these drugs for the induction of remission in active Crohn's disease.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine in inducing remission of active Crohn's disease.

Postnatal programming of the innate immune response.

A host's defensive response to a pathogen is a phylogenetically ancient reaction that consists of a CNS-mediated series of autonomic, hormonal and behavioral responses that combine to combat infection. The absence of such defense results in greater morbidity and mortality and thus, these responses are essential for survival. The postnatal period represents a malleable phase in which the long-term behavior and physiology of the developing organism, including its immune responses, can be influenced.

Effects of acute hypoxia and hyperthermia on the permeability of the blood-brain barrier in adult rats.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) develops within a few hours after arrival at high altitude and includes headache, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and malaise. This afflicts 15-25% of the general tourist population at moderate altitudes. High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) is considered to be the end stage of severe AMS and has been suggested to be a vasogenic edema, raising the possibility that acute hypoxia may increase blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability.

Neural stimulation does not mediate attenuated vascular response in ACL-deficient knees: potential role of local inflammatory mediators.

Chronic inflammation associated with osteoarthritis (OA) alters normal responses and modifies the functionality of the articular vasculature. Altered responsiveness of the vasculature may be due to excessive neural activity associated with chronic pain and inflammation, or from the production of inflammatory mediators which induce vasodilation. Using laser speckle perfusion imaging (LSPI), blood flow to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of adult rabbits was measured in denervated ACL transected knees (n = 6) and compared to unoperated control (n = 6) and 6-week anterial cruciate ligament (ACL)-transected knees (n = 6).