Understanding the impact of racism on surgical outcomes in settler nation-states USA and Canada: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: To improve surgical quality and safety, health systems must prioritise equitable care for surgical patients. Racialised patients experience worse postoperative outcomes when compared with non-racialised surgical patients in settler colonial nation-states. Identifying preventable adverse outcomes for equity-deserving patient populations is an important starting point to begin to address these gaps in care.

Efficacy of the Foodbot Factory digital curriculum-based nutrition education intervention in improving children's nutrition knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in elementary school classrooms: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Schools are an important setting for supporting children's development of food literacy, but minimal research has assessed which strategies are most suitable for school nutrition education. The Foodbot Factory intervention, consisting of serious game (ie, a digital game designed for education) and curriculum-based lesson plans, was developed to support teachers and children ages 8-12 with nutrition education. Pilot data have demonstrated that Foodbot Factory can significantly improve children's nutrition knowledge, but it has not yet been evaluated in classrooms.

Latest revisions to the International Health Regulations will fail to prevent future travel chaos.

The poor management of public health risks associated with travel by most countries proved among the most contentious issue areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence from previous outbreaks suggested travel restrictions were largely unnecessary and counterproductive to timely reporting. This led to initial WHO recommendations against the use of travel restrictions.

Regional anesthesia in the patient receiving antithrombotic or thrombolytic therapy: American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Evidence-Based Guidelines (fifth edition).

Hemorrhagic complications associated with regional anesthesia are extremely rare. The fifth edition of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine's Evidence-Based Guidelines on regional anesthesia in the patient receiving antithrombotic or thrombolytic therapy reviews the published evidence since 2018 and provides guidance to help avoid this potentially catastrophic complication.The fifth edition of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine's Evidence-Based Guidelines on regional anesthesia in the patient receiving antithrombotic or thrombolytic therapy uses similar methodology as previous editions but is reorganized and significantly condensed.

Antidepressants versus placebo for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).

Background: Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental health condition characterised by excessive anxiety and worry about everyday events. GAD is a common disorder and generally affects women twice as often as men. Treatments include various psychological and pharmacological therapies.

Peripheral Artery Disease Centres of Excellence in Canada - A Call to Action.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is responsible for a significant burden of morbidity and mortality in Canada. Despite the publication of recent guidelines outlining the diagnosis and management of PAD, delivery of care continues to be fragmented. With a growing number of medical and surgical techniques available, Centres of Excellence are a natural evolution in the advancement of care for patients living with PAD.

Anaphylaxis definition, overview, and clinical support tool: 2024 consensus report.

Background: The 2006 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease/Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (NIAID/FAAN) anaphylaxis criteria are widely used in clinical care and research. In 2020, the World Allergy Organization (WAO) published modified criteria that have not been uniformly adopted. Different criteria contribute to inconsistent care and research outcomes.

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the GAD-7 across time, sex, and language in young adults.

Introduction: The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale (GAD-7) is widely used to measure anxiety symptom severity. One-factor, two-factor, and bifactor latent structures are supported by previous research. Yet, measurement invariance of the GAD-7 across sex and language (i.

Stabilised hyaluronic acid gel marker versus surgical clips for tumour bed delineation in breast cancer radiotherapy using MRI-simulation.

Background And Purpose: Compare breast cancer tumour bed (TB) delineation using stabilised hyaluronic acid (sHA) gel and MRI-simulation versus surgical clips and CT-simulation within same patient cohort.

Materials And Methods: Prospective single arm study of patients undergoing breast conserving surgery. Patients had both clips (≥5) and sHA gel markers inserted to define the TB and underwent MRI and CT simulation scans.

Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency Targeted Testing and Augmentation Therapy: A Canadian Thoracic Society Meta-analysis and Clinical Practice Guideline.

Alpha-1-Antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency is a common hereditary disorder associated with increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Many individuals with severe A1AT deficiency go undiagnosed, or are diagnosed late, and fail to benefit from disease-specific counseling and modifying care. Since the 2012 Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) A1AT deficiency clinical practice guideline, new approaches to optimal diagnosis using modern genetic testing and studies of A1AT augmentation therapy have been published.

Production and use of lignocellulosic wood vinegar and tar as organic pesticides to fight bacterial canker disease.

This study investigated the production and application of lignocellulosic wood vinegar and tar as organic pesticides to combat bacterial canker disease in trees, caused by pathogenic bacteria. Lignocellulosic wood vinegar and tar were produced from various lignocellulosic wastes through pyrolysis at different temperatures, with sawdust at 300 °C, 350 °C, and 400 °C yielding the highest quantity and quality of vinegar. Chemical analysis revealed that the lignocellulosic vinegar contained significant concentrations of acetic acid, methanol, and phenolic compounds, all known for their strong antimicrobial properties.

The neuroprotective effect of human umbilical cord MSCs-derived secretome against α-synuclein aggregates on the blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a specialized network that maintains central nervous system homeostasis. Disruption of the BBB can lead to neuronal damage and contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease (PD), characterized by alpha-synuclein (αSN) aggregation, which forms intracellular inclusions. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promise in alleviating the severity of neurological diseases through their paracrine secretions.

Individual vocal identity may be obscured following colony assembly in captive black-capped chickadees.

Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) vocalisations remain plastic throughout their lifespans. Although fledglings employ vocal plasticity to refine their vocalisations through the use of tutor mimicry, adults employ vocal plasticity to create unique population dialects. Vocal convergence is one mechanism by which flockmates' vocalisations become increasingly similar to each other and distinct from the calls of other flocks.

Evaluation of online videos and websites on inspiratory muscle training for individuals with chronic lung disease.

Background: Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is an effective rehabilitation modality for individuals with chronic lung disease. IMT can improve dyspnea, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life. Online resources are common sources of health information for individuals.

Rare Disease Policy in High-Income Countries: An Overview of Achievements, Challenges, and Solutions.

Objectives: To provide an overview of policy initiatives in high-income countries aimed at supporting the development and accessibility of treatments for rare diseases.

Methods: We examine how legislative, research, and pricing policies in high-income countries address barriers that have historically hindered innovation and access to rare disease treatments. By analysing examples from the EU, UK, US, Canada, Japan, and Australia, the article identifies ongoing initiatives, outlines current challenges, and explores proposed solutions to foster a sustainable, innovative, and accessible rare disease treatment ecosystem.

Non-atherosclerotic coronary causes of myocardial infarction in women.

Ischemic heart disease is the most common cardiovascular cause of death in women worldwide. Obstructive coronary atherosclerosis is the primary cause of myocardial infarction (MI), however, non-atherosclerotic mechanisms of MI, such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection, vasospasm, microvascular dysfunction, embolization, inflammation, coronary anomalies, infectious and infiltrative causes are increasingly being recognized. Emerging data suggest that women are two to five times more likely to have an MI in the absence of coronary atherosclerosis compared to men, but they continue to remain underdiagnosed and undertreated, partly due to underdiagnosis and limited understanding of these mechanisms.

Cadmium-cardiolipin disruption of respirasome assembly and redox balance through mitochondrial membrane rigidification.

The environmental pollutant cadmium (Cd) poses a threat to human health through consumption of contaminated foodstuffs culminating in chronic nephrotoxicity. Mitochondrial dysfunction and excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key to Cd cellular toxicity. Cd-lipid interactions have been less considered.

HS inhibition of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase conversion reduces uric acid levels and improves myoblast functions.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is an important gasotransmitter that regulates a wide range of pathophysiological processes. Higher uric acid levels are associated with an increased risk of metabolic diseases. The causal mechanism linking HS signalling and uric acid metabolism in skeletal muscles has not yet been elucidated.

A conserved chaperone protein is required for the formation of a non-canonical type VI secretion system spike tip complex.

Type VI secretion systems (T6SS) are dynamic protein nanomachines found in Gram-negative bacteria that deliver toxic effector proteins into target cells in a contact-dependent manner. Prior to secretion, many T6SS effector proteins require chaperones and/or accessory proteins for proper loading onto the structural components of the T6SS apparatus. However, despite their established importance, the precise molecular function of several T6SS accessory protein families remains unclear.

Cup-Cage Reconstruction for Pelvic Discontinuity: Encouraging Long-Term Survival.

Background: Pelvic discontinuity (PD) poses a difficult challenge in revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA). There is a paucity of evidence assessing five- to ten-year outcomes of cup cages for PD. This study aimed to review the survivorship and outcomes of cup-cage constructs for PD.

Latest clinical frontiers related to autism diagnostic strategies.

The diagnosis of autism is currently based on the developmental history, direct observation of behavior, and reported symptoms, supplemented by rating scales/interviews/structured observational evaluations-which is influenced by the clinician's knowledge and experience-with no established diagnostic biomarkers. A growing body of research has been conducted over the past decades to improve diagnostic accuracy. Here, we provide an overview of the current diagnostic assessment process as well as of recent and ongoing developments to support diagnosis in terms of genetic evaluation, telemedicine, digital technologies, use of machine learning/artificial intelligence, and research on candidate diagnostic biomarkers.

Sequence variants in HECTD1 result in a variable neurodevelopmental disorder.

Dysregulation of genes encoding the homologous to E6AP C-terminus (HECT) E3 ubiquitin ligases has been linked to cancer and structural birth defects. One member of this family, the HECT-domain-containing protein 1 (HECTD1), mediates developmental pathways, including cell signaling, gene expression, and embryogenesis. Through GeneMatcher, we identified 14 unrelated individuals with 15 different variants in HECTD1 (10 missense, 3 frameshift, 1 nonsense, and 1 splicing variant) with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and epilepsy.