Long-term Mental Health Morbidity in Adult Survivors of COVID-19 Critical Illness - A Population-based Cohort Study.

Background: Survivorship after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) critical illness may be associated with important long-term sequelae, but little is known regarding mental health outcomes.

Research Question: What is the association between COVID-19 critical illness and new post-discharge mental health diagnoses.

Study Design: AND METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada (January 1, 2020-March 31, 2022).

Phase II Randomized Trial of BI 730357, a Novel Oral RORγt Inhibitor, for Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis.

Trial Design: This two-part, double-blinded trial assessed the truncated retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γ (RORγt) inhibitor BI 730357 in plaque psoriasis.

Methods: Part 1: patients were randomized 2:2:2:2:1 to BI 730357 25, 50, 100, 200 mg, or placebo once daily (qd; fasting conditions); non-responders switched to higher doses. Part 2: a separate patient set was randomized 4:4:1 to BI 730357 400 mg qd, 200 mg twice daily, or placebo (fed conditions).

Malperfusion in Patients with Acute Type A Aortic Dissection: A Nationwide Analysis.

Background: This study describes in detail the clinical burden of malperfusion associated with acute Type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) in a large, national cohort and the effect of treatment strategy on outcomes.

Methods: All patients undergoing repair of ATAAD between 2017 and 2020 in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database were studied. Malperfusion was defined using STS definitions based on imaging or surgeon's evaluation.

Risk of bias assessment tools often addressed items not related to risk of bias and used numerical scores.

Objective: We aimed to determine whether the existing risk of bias assessment tools addressed constructs other than risk of bias or internal validity, and whether they used numerical scores to express quality, which is discouraged and may be a misleading approach.

Methods: We searched Ovid MEDLINE and Embase to identify quality appraisal tools across all disciplines in human health research. Tools designed specifically to evaluate reporting quality were excluded.

Mobile App-Based Monitoring of Recovery After Knee Osteotomy: Patients Take Approximately Five Months to Return to Preoperative Step Counts Despite Limited App Uptake.

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of using mobile application (app) technology for monitoring recovery after knee osteotomy and to determine the time required for patients to return to their preoperative step counts.

Methods: This retrospective study included 329 patients who underwent coronal realignment surgery, including high tibial osteotomy (HTO) or distal femoral osteotomy (DFO) with a minimum follow-up of 1 year. The patients were grouped based on the type of osteotomy performed, i.

Sex-specific DNA methylation marks associated with sex-biased risk of recurrence in unprovoked venous thromboembolism.

Background: Whether to stop oral anticoagulants after a first unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) is challenging, partially due to an intriguingly higher risk of VTE recurrence (rVTE) in men after therapy discontinuation. DNA methylation (DNAm) differences between men and women might underly this sex-biased rVTE risk difference.

Aim: To investigate sex-specific associations between DNAm at cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites and rVTE.

Investigating the Relative Importance of Tear Homeostatic Signs for the Diagnosis of Dry Eye Disease.

Aim: Disease misdiagnosis is more likely if standardised diagnostic criteria are not used. This study systematically examined the effect on diagnosing dry eye disease (DED), when tests for evaluating tear film homeostasis were included/excluded from a multi-test protocol.

Method: For 1427 participants across five sites, data for the full suite of diagnostic tests defined in the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society Dry Eye Workshop II (TFOS DEWS II) Diagnostic Methodology report algorithm were evaluated; diagnostic sensitivity was calculated when individual signs were removed, and when different combinations of signs were required.

Nanoplastics in focus: Exploring interdisciplinary approaches and future directions.

Nanoplastics (NPs) are gaining increasing attention due to their widespread distribution and potential environmental and biological impacts. Spanning a variety of ecosystems - from soils and rivers to oceans and polar ice - NPs interact with complex biological and geochemical processes, posing risks to organisms across multiple trophic levels. Despite their growing presence, understanding the behavior, transport, and toxicity of nanoplastics remains challenging due to their diverse physical and chemical properties as well as the heterogeneity of environmental matrices.

Magnetic field probe-based co-simulation method for irregular volume-type inductively coupled wireless MRI radiofrequency coils.

Background: Inductively coupled wireless coils are increasingly used in MRI due to their cost-effectiveness and simplicity, eliminating the need for expensive components like preamplifiers, baluns, coil plugs, and coil ID circuits. Existing tools for predicting component values and electromagnetic (EM) fields are primarily designed for cylindrical volume coils, making them inadequate for irregular volume-type wireless coils.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to introduce and validate a novel magnetic (H-) field probe-based co-simulation method to accurately predict capacitance values and EM fields for irregular volume-type wireless coils, thereby addressing the limitations of current prediction tools.

Bidirectional Associations Between Parent-Child Conflict and Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Objective: To estimate the longitudinal bidirectional association between parent-child conflict and child externalizing and internalizing symptoms from the preschool years through adolescence.

Method: A nationally representative longitudinal study recruited 11,134 children at birth and followed them from December 2010 through June 2022. Primary caregivers completed validated measures at each follow-up, yielding data on parent-child conflict and child symptoms at ages 3, 5, 7, 9, and 13 years.

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).

Development of a health equity tool in resuscitation sciences and application to current research in extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for cardiac arrest.

Background: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is increasingly used for adults with cardiac arrest (CA) refractory to Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS). Concerns exist that adding ECPR could worsen health inequities, defined as differences in health outcomes that are unfair or unjust. Current guidelines do not explicitly address this issue.

The Role of Sex and Gender in Acute Kidney Injury - Consensus Statements from the 33 Acute Disease Quality Initiative.

Sex differences exist in acute kidney injury (AKI), and the role that sex and gender play along the AKI care continuum remains unclear. The 33 Acute Disease Quality Initiative meeting evaluated available data on the role of sex and gender in AKI and identified knowledge gaps. Data from experimental models, pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical care, gender, social determinants of health, education, and advocacy were reviewed.

Emotions & Heart:Exploring the Impact of Negative Emotions on Cardiovascular Health.

Negative emotions can have a significant impact on individuals, which then influences their cardiovascular system. However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical implications of this association remain inadequately defined. A narrative review of pertinent literature was conducted to examine the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment related to the interplay between emotions and conditions such as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, atherosclerosis, acute plaque rupture, and cardiac arrhythmias.

Comparison of Acute and Protracted Gamma Irradiation Effects During Perinatal Development in Beagle Dogs.

Ionizing radiation exposure during perinatal development can produce various biological effects on the developing offspring. These effects are dependent on a number of factors, including total dose, dose rate and the developmental processes occurring at the time of irradiation. The present study conducted an analysis of historical radiobiological archived data involving 60Co-gamma irradiation of beagle dogs at specific periods of prenatal or postnatal development.

Semaglutide in obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and type 2 diabetes across baseline HbA levels (STEP-HFpEF DM): a prespecified analysis of heart failure and metabolic outcomes from a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: About half of patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have type 2 diabetes. In the STEP-HFpEF DM trial of adults with obesity-related HFpEF and type 2 diabetes, subcutaneous once weekly semaglutide 2·4 mg conferred improvements in heart failure-related symptoms and physical limitations, bodyweight, and other heart failure outcomes. We aimed to determine whether these effects of semaglutide differ according to baseline HbA.

Assessment of radioactivity in soil samples from Wolaita Sodo town, Ethiopia: implications for environmental and public health.

This study assesses the activity concentrations of the radionuclides 238U, 232Th, and 40K in soil samples collected from Wolaita Sodo town, located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' (SNNP) Region, Ethiopia. A gamma-ray spectrometer equipped with a NaI(Tl) detector was used for the measurements. The concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K varied from 3.

Effects of lifetime feeding of hydrolyzed yeast to broiler breeders on egg production, quality, and hatchling attributes.

The effects of lifetime feeding of hydrolyzed yeast (HY) to broiler breeders (BB) on egg production, egg quality, and hatchling attributes were investigated. The birds were selected from two groups reared on diets with or without 0.05 % HY from hatch.

Review of the potential for selenium remobilization in semi-passive treatment systems of mine impacted waters.

Biological semi-passive mine water treatment technologies are used in the mining industry as an alternative to or in conjunction with active treatment systems to remediate mine impacted water (MIW) containing nitrate and selenium oxyanions such as selenate and selenite. In semi-passive biological treatment systems, MIW is pumped through a saturated, porous media (either a gravel bed or waste rock) which provides ample surface area for biofilm growth and the creation of anoxic, subaqueous environments. Additional nutrients and carbon sources are pumped into the system to encourage the growth of microbes that biochemically reduce selenate and selenite to insoluble reduced Se species such as selenium nanoparticles (SeNP) by respiring selenate and selenite.

National scale assessment of the occurrence and risk of trace organic contaminants in Canadian Lake sediments.

In Canada studies on the presence of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides and flame retardants in lakes have primarily focused on the water column at localized scales. To address this gap, the occurrence of 44 TrOCs, representative of various types of human activities, was investigated in surface sediments (0-2 cm) from 193 lakes across Canada. A total of 28 targeted TrOCs were detected, with 99.

Validation of the Portuguese version of the Movement Disorder Society non-motor rating scale (MDS-NMS) in Parkinson's disease.

Background: The Movement Disorder Society Non-Motor Rating Scale (MDS-NMS) serves as a comprehensive clinical assessment tool for non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) OBJECTIVES: This study aims to validate the Portuguese version of the MDS-NMS, addressing the critical need for culturally adapted rating scales in Portuguese-speaking populations.

Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional study engaged native Portuguese-speaking PD patients from 16 Movement Disorders Centers across Portugal and Brazil. We conducted a meticulous translation process into Portuguese, including forward-backward translation and cognitive pretesting.

Vibro-tactile stimulation of the neck induces head righting in people with cervical dystonia.

Introduction: Cervical dystonia (CD) is characterized by involuntary neck muscle spasms that lead to abnormal head movements or postures. It is associated with somatosensory (tactile and proprioceptive) dysfunction. Here we tested whether vibro-tactile stimulation (VTS) of the cervical muscles constitutes a non-invasive form of neuromodulation of the somatosensory system that can provide temporary symptom relief for people with CD.

Effects of various modes of forward and backward cycling on neuro-biomechanical outcomes in individuals after stroke and healthy controls.

Background: Stationary cycling is recommended for post-stroke rehabilitation. This study assessed neuro-biomechanical outcomes of forward and backward cycling in three different modes: free-pedalling, constant speed (30 RPM) and constant resistance (5 or 10 Nm) in healthy controls and individuals after stroke.

Methods: Ten individuals after stroke and 10 healthy controls performed 60s cycling trials in different directions and modes on a semi-recumbent bike prototype.

Eco-friendly synthesis of Arabinoxylan-Catechin conjugates: Enhanced functional and antioxidant properties via cold plasma and ultrasonic methods.

Arabinoxylan-catechin complexes were synthesized using two eco-friendly methods: cold plasma and ultrasonic treatments. Their physicochemical, structural and functional properties were evaluated. Cold plasma and ultrasonic treatments did not significantly alter the molecular structure of arabinoxylan, although a decrease Mw was noticed.