Diagnosis and management of invasive fungal diseases by next-generation sequencing: are we there yet?

Introduction: Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) are a serious threat to immunocompromised patients. Routine diagnostic methods have limited performance in identifying IFDs. Next-generation sequencing (NGS), including metagenomic NGS (mNGS) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS), recently emerged as diagnostic methods that could provide more accurate and timely diagnoses and management of IFDs.

Representativeness and adverse event reporting in late-phase clinical trials for rifampin-susceptible tuberculosis: a systematic review.

We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of trials of treatment for rifampicin-susceptible tuberculosis to evaluate the representativeness of participants compared with characteristics of the global population of people with tuberculosis, and the adequacy of adverse event reporting. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from Jan 1, 2000, to Dec 10, 2023, for trials that had greater than or equal to 50 participants per arm and had follow-up to at least treatment completion. Studies were excluded if they compared different formulations of standard drugs (eg, fixed-dose combination tablets); aimed to primarily enrol participants with isoniazid-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis; evaluated treatment to prevent tuberculosis infection; tested dietary or vitamin supplementation; tested vaccines or other immune-based interventions; tested adherence support or system-related mechanisms; or enrolled participants with tuberculosis, but tuberculosis treatment itself was not randomised (ie, trials of the timing of antiretroviral therapy initiation).

Mobility changes following COVID-19 stay-at-home policies varied by socioeconomic measures: An observational study in Ontario, Canada.

In Canada, lower income households and essential workers were disproportionately at risk of SARS-CoV-2. Early in the pandemic, stay-at-home restriction policies were used to limit virus transmission. There remains an evidence gap in how changes in mobility, in response to the policies, varied across socioeconomic measures in Canada.

Resilience throughout and beyond COVID-19: a longitudinal analysis.

Defined as the ability to adapt to adversity with a positive and stable mindset, resilience should be an important factor in coping with long-term evolving setbacks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the negative mental health impacts of the pandemic are well-documented, the course of resilience during the pandemic and recovery periods remains understudied. This study examined resilience trajectories among respondents in the Canadian Personal Impacts of COVID-19 Survey (PICS) who provided data for at least two timepoints ( = 741).

"Will I survive this?": A qualitative exploration of the wider impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of pregnant and parenting youth and their children in Canada.

Background: Pregnant and parenting youth in Canada face multiple challenges in fulfilling their parenting responsibilities while meeting their own unique needs. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated public health restrictions exacerbated their challenges by reducing access to support networks, limiting opportunities to promote growth and well-being, and destabilizing their financial and economic standing. The impacts of the pandemic on the mental, physical, and emotional health of individuals are well-documented in the literature.

Rat Hepatitis E Virus Isolates Cluster among Urban Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) across a Roadway.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a globally distributed pathogen that causes acute hepatitis in people. Recent human cases of HEV arising after contact with urban rats (Rattus spp.) have raised concerns regarding whether rats may be a source of HEV infection.

Healthcare utilization among COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-associated myocarditis cases: a matched retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: We evaluated all-cause healthcare utilization among those with vaccine-associated myocarditis, compared to vaccinees without postvaccination myocarditis.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in individuals aged 12 and older who received COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in British Columbia. Exposure was defined as an ED visit or hospitalization for myocarditis within 21 days postvaccination.

Risk of Reinfection and Incidence of Chronic Symptoms After SARS-CoV-2 Infections.

This study showed that a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection reduced the risk of reinfection among vaccinated individuals by 0.50 (95% CI, 0.39-0.

In-person vs mobile app facilitated life skills education to improve the mental health of internally displaced persons in Nigeria: protocol for the RESETTLE-IDPs cluster randomized hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation trial.

Background: Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria face a high burden of mental health disorders, with limited access to evidence-based, culturally relevant interventions. Life skills education (LSE) is a promising approach to promote mental health and psychosocial well-being in humanitarian settings. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a culturally adapted LSE program delivered through in-person and mobile platforms among IDPs in Northern Nigeria.

Neutralizing Antibody Responses to Chlamydia trachomatis in Women and Associations with Chlamydia Outcomes.

We assessed neutralizing antibody responses in a well-characterized cohort of 60 women with different Chlamydia trachomatis infection outcomes noted at a treatment visit and 3-month follow-up. We found varying rates of neutralization (inhibition of C. trachomatis) in sera at different dilution levels and varying neutralizing antibody titers across outcomes.

Pragmatic randomised trial assessing the impact of peer comparison and therapeutic recommendations, including repetition, on antibiotic prescribing patterns of family physicians across British Columbia for uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a personalised audit and feedback prescribing report (AF) and brief educational summary (ES) on empiric treatment of uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections (UTIs) by family physicians (FPs).

Design: Cluster randomised control trial.

Setting: The intervention was conducted in British Columbia, Canada between 23 September 2021 and 28 March 2022.

Participant-reported neurological events following immunization in the Canadian National Vaccine Safety Network-COVID-19 vaccine (CANVAS-COVID) study.

Introduction: The Canadian National Vaccine Safety Network (CANVAS) conducted active participant-based surveillance for adverse events following immunization during the COVID-19 vaccine campaign. This study evaluated the association between COVID-19 vaccination and neurological adverse events.

Methods: Participants were invited to complete online surveys to report health events that prevented daily activities and/or required medical attention within 7 days after COVID-19 vaccination or 7 days prior to the survey (unvaccinated controls); follow-up surveys were sent 7 months later.

Everything but the kitchen sink: The use of multiple hypothesis generation methods to investigate an outbreak of Enteritidis associated with frozen profiteroles and eclairs.

In December 2018, an outbreak of Enteritidis infections was identified in Canada by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). An investigation was initiated to identify the source of the illnesses, which proved challenging and complex. Microbiological hypothesis generation methods included comparisons of isolate sequence data to historical domestic outbreaks and international repositories.

A multi-provincial outbreak of Newport infections associated with red onions: A report of the largest outbreak in Canada in over 20 years.

An investigation into an outbreak of Newport infections in Canada was initiated in July 2020. Cases were identified across several provinces through whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Exposure data were gathered through case interviews.

Bifidobacterium longum and microbiome maturation modify a nutrient intervention for stunting in Zimbabwean infants.

Background: Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS), which has been widely tested to reduce child stunting, has largely modest effects to date, but the mechanisms underlying these modest effects are unclear. Child stunting is a longstanding indicator of chronic undernutrition and it remains a prevalent public health problem. The infant gut microbiome may be a key contributor to stunting; and mother and infant fucosyltransferase (FUT) phenotypes are important determinants of infant microbiome composition.