Extant life detection using label-free video microscopy in analog aquatic environments.

The ability of microbial active motion, morphology, and optical properties to serve as biosignatures was investigated by in situ video microscopy in a wide range of extreme field sites where such imaging had not been performed previously. These sites allowed for sampling seawater, sea ice brines, cryopeg brines, hypersaline pools and seeps, hyperalkaline springs, and glaciovolcanic cave ice. In all samples except the cryopeg brine, active motion was observed without any sample treatment.

Multicenter observational study of patients who underwent cardiac surgery and were hospitalized in an intensive care unit (BraSIS 2): study protocol and statistical analysis plan.

Background: The perioperative management of patients undergoing cardiac surgery is highly complex and involves numerous factors. There is a strong association between cardiac surgery and perioperative complications. The Brazilian Surgical Identification Study (BraSIS 2) aims to assess the incidence of death and early postoperative complications, identify potential risk factors, and examine both the demographic characteristics of patients and the epidemiology of cardiovascular procedures.

Broadcasting American red squirrel vocalizations influences detection probability.

Territorial responses by North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) to conspecifics vary seasonally with peaks during mating and dispersal periods. Broadcast of squirrel vocalizations during surveys may elicit territorial defense behaviors such as calling and movement that make individuals more available for detection, with implications for subsequent occupancy and abundance analyses. We examined the effect of vocalization broadcasts on detection probability during point counts throughout a 14-month period at two locations (year-round study) and during two summers at a third location (summer-only study) on Newfoundland, Canada.

Pharmacist interventions in optimising opioid medication therapy in pain management for palliative care patients: A systematic review.

BackgroundOpioid therapy is a critical component in managing pain in palliative care, where pharmacists' specialised expertise is crucial in ensuring quality care for patients. This systematic review aims to document available evidence on pharmacist interventions and their impact on optimising opioid therapy for pain management in palliative care patients.MethodsWe searched Medline (OVID), Embase (OVID), APA PsycINFO and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) for relevant articles published from the beginning to 31 December, 2022.

An analysis of performance bottlenecks in MRI preprocessing.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) preprocessing is a critical step for neuroimaging analysis. However, the computational cost of MRI preprocessing pipelines is a major bottleneck for large cohort studies and some clinical applications. While high-performance computing and, more recently, deep learning have been adopted to accelerate the computations, these techniques require costly hardware and are not accessible to all researchers.

Computerized Dynamic Posturography-Guided Vestibular Rehabilitation Improves Vestibular Sensory Ratios.

Vestibular deficits are common and debilitating, and many patients struggle with dynamic balance, even after treatment with standard rehabilitation techniques. The objective of this study was to measure changes in computerized dynamic posturography sensory ratio information after computerized vestibular retraining therapy (CVRT). This prospective, single-group, interventional study enrolled adult participants with stable, unilateral vestibular deficits.

Individualized Hyaluronidase-Facilitated Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin 10% Administration in Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy: The Nurse's Role.

Hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin (fSCIG) 10% offers potential improvements in patient independence and tolerability versus intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) when used for the treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). fSCIG 10% also requires less frequent infusions and fewer infusion sites than conventional subcutaneous immunoglobulin (subcutaneous immunoglobulin without hyaluronidase). The ADVANCE-CIDP 1 study demonstrated fSCIG 10% efficacy and safety in preventing CIDP relapse and positive responses from patients in terms of satisfaction and treatment preference.

The true atomistic structure of a disordered crystal: a computational study on the photon upconverting material β-NaYF and its Er-, Tm-, and Yb-doped derivates.

Hexagonal (β-) NaYF and LiYF doped with trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln, , Er, Tm, and Yb) are well-known photon upconverting materials. This property is crucially determined by the precise location of the Ln dopant ions and their closest neighbouring ions in the host material. However, due to the inherent disorder of the crystal structures the atomistic structure of a disordered crystal such as β-NaYF is not unambiguously provided by X-ray diffraction techniques.

Decriminalization undone: Assessing the amendment to British Columbia's decriminalization of personal drug possession framework.

The Province of British Columbia (BC) is in the midst of an ongoing public health emergency, declared in 2016 in response to significant levels of drug poisonings/overdoses stemming from the unregulated drug supply. In response, BC implemented decriminalization in 2023, removing criminal sanctions for adults possessing up to 2.5 cumulative grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA.

Comprehensive substance use services within primary care settings: The Safer Opioid Supply program at London InterCommunity Health Centre.

Setting: This paper describes the Safer Opioid Supply (SOS) program, a public health intervention in London, Ontario, in response to the toxic unregulated drug supply which is driving the overdose crisis in Canada.

Intervention: The London InterCommunity Health Centre (LIHC) SOS program provides comprehensive harm reduction and primary health care services to individuals at risk of overdose from the toxic drug supply. Clients are prescribed high-dose pharmaceutical opioids as replacement for unregulated toxic substances within a low-barrier primary care clinic, with wraparound interdisciplinary social services, embedded in the Ontario Community Health Centre model of care.

Assessing the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary health behavior outcomes of a community-based virtual group health coaching for cancer survivors program.

Purpose: The primary purpose was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a group health coaching (GHC) program with cancer patients and survivors; secondarily, to determine the preliminary effects of GHC on several behavioral lifestyle factors.

Methods: GHC was provided to people diagnosed with cancer via videoconference by trained health coaches across six GHC sessions over a 3-month period. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected.

Evaluating PREDICT and developing outcome prediction models in early-onset breast cancer using data from Alberta, Canada.

Introduction: Outcome prediction research in early-onset breast cancer (EoBC) is limited. This study evaluated the predictive performance of NHS PREDICT v2.1 and developed two prediction models for 5-year and 10-year all-cause mortality in a cohort of EoBC patients in Alberta, Canada.

Identification of effect modifiers using a stratified Mendelian randomization algorithmic framework.

Mendelian randomization (MR) is a technique which uses genetic data to uncover causal relationships between variables. With the growing availability of large-scale biobank data, there is increasing interest in elucidating nuances in these relationships using MR. Stratified MR techniques such as doubly-ranked MR (DRMR) and residual stratification MR have been developed to identify nonlinearity in causal relationships.

Pharmacological inhibition of the Janus Kinases enhances ASCL1 protein stability and transcriptional activity.

Background: Achaete-Scute complex homolog 1 (ASCL1) is a multi-faceted pro-neural transcription factor, playing a role in several processes during embryonic development and into adulthood, including neural progenitor proliferation and neuronal differentiation. This versatility is achieved through tightly controlled expression of ASCL1, either via integrating intracellular signalling cues or stabilisation at the protein level. The role of kinases in ASCL1-mediated neurogenesis is emerging, but to date few kinases have been attributed to act directly or indirectly on ASCL1.

Identification and Seasonal Abundance of Web- and Air-Borne Sex Pheromone Components of Western Black Widow Spiders, Latrodectus hesperus.

Sex pheromones mediate mate location in many animal taxa. Widow spider males are attracted to sex pheromones disseminating from female webs. Upon arrival on a web, males court in response to web-borne contact pheromone components.

Can prenatal conditions impact the effect of omega-3 on bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very preterm infants? A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Unlabelled: To explore whether prenatal conditions (i.e. chorioamnionitis, preeclampsia or small-for-gestational age (SGA)) affect the very preterm infant's response to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), according to mode of delivery, an independent factor shown to modulate this association.

An adaptive, continuous substrate feeding strategy based on evolved gas to improve fed-batch ethanol fermentation.

Advances in the ethanol fermentation process are essential to improving the performance of bioethanol production. Fed-batch fermentation is a promising approach to increase the final ethanol titer, which benefits the recovery in the bioethanol industry's downstream process. However, the development of feeding strategies, a crucial control variable in the fed-batch approach, is limited.

Primary Care Visit Rates Among Canadian Veterans in Ontario: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Sex- and Length of Service-stratified Comparisons With Nonveterans.

Introduction: Research comparing primary care (PC) use among veterans and nonveterans has not widely considered the impact of sex and length of service on the association between veteran status and PC use. We calculated relative differences in the rate of PC visits between Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police veterans and nonveterans overall and by sex and length of service.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a matched, retrospective cohort study of Canadian veterans and nonveterans residing in Ontario, Canada between 1990 and 2019 using routinely collected linked administrative health care data held at ICES (formerly known as the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences).

IMproving Preclinical Assessment of Cardioprotective Therapies (IMPACT): a small animal acute myocardial infarction randomized-controlled multicenter study on the effect of ischemic preconditioning.

Although many cardioprotective interventions have been shown to limit infarct size (IS), in preclinical animal studies of acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), their clinical translation to patient benefit has been largely disappointing. A major factor is the lack of rigor and reproducibility in the preclinical studies. To address this, we have established the IMproving Preclinical Assessment of Cardioprotective Therapies (IMPACT) small animal multisite acute myocardial infarction (AMI) network, with centralized randomization and blinded core laboratory IS analysis, and have validated the network using ischemic preconditioning (IPC).

Rapid MRI for acute pediatric MSK infections: survey of current utilization and procedural practices.

Background: Some institutions have implemented rapid MRI protocols for acute musculoskeletal (MSK) infections as an attempt to improve early diagnosis.

Objective: To assess current utilization of pediatric rapid MSK MRI protocols (abbreviated protocol, no IV (intravenous) contrast, and no sedation) using a survey.

Materials And Methods: A 10-question survey was sent to members of the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) and the Society of Skeletal Radiology, which differed depending on whether a rapid protocol was used or not.

The Dermatologist is Out? Assessment of Dermatologists in Ontario Accepting Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) Referrals for Hair Loss Evaluation.

Background: The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) insures appointments for the assessment and diagnosis of hair loss, or alopecia. Although anecdotal, discussion suggests that, increasingly, dermatologists decline to see referrals of this nature. There has been a lack of objective surveillance to determine the proportion of dermatologists in practice who accept referrals for this concern.

Hepatitis B prevention interventions during HIV post-exposure prophylaxis visits: A retrospective chart review.

BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) disproportionately affects people at risk of HIV. Encounters for HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) create opportunities for HBV screening and prevention. We quantified HBV prevalence, susceptibility, and active/passive immunization use among patients seeking HIV PEP.

Patient Eczema Education Pictorial Study (PEEPS): A Pilot Investigation.

Background: For optimal control of atopic dermatitis (AD), patient education is essential to complement traditional therapy. Patient education has proven to benefit AD outcomes, but previous methods of delivery are costly and time-consuming.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a one-page pictorial education tool at improving AD quality of life (QoL) and disease severity.

Should Calcium Supplementation be Abandoned in Patients With Calcinosis Cutis?

Calcinosis cutis, characterized by the pathological deposition of insoluble calcium salts in the skin, is associated with several disease entities, particularly autoimmune conditions such as scleroderma and dermatomyositis. Lesions of calcinosis are often painful, prone to ulceration, and significantly impair quality of life. Despite the clinical impact, no effective treatments have been established to date, making prevention of this condition a critical priority.