An Integrated Multi-OMICS Approach Highlights Elevated Non-Esterified Fatty Acids Impact BeWo Trophoblast Metabolism and Lipid Processing.

Maternal obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are linked with impaired placental function and early onset of non-communicable cardiometabolic diseases in offspring. Previous studies have highlighted that the dietary non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) palmitate (PA) and oleate (OA), key dietary metabolites associated with maternal obesity and GDM, are potential modulators of placental lipid processing. Using the BeWo cell line model, the current study integrated transcriptomic (mRNA microarray), metabolomic, and lipidomic readouts to characterize the underlying impacts of exogenous PA and OA on placental villous trophoblast cell metabolism.

A Practical Guide for the Systemic Treatment of Biliary Tract Cancer in Canada.

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) are rare and aggressive tumors with poor prognosis. Radical surgery offers the best chance for cure; however, most patients present with unresectable disease, and among those receiving curative-intent surgery, recurrence rates remain high. While other locoregional therapies for unresectable disease may be considered, only select patients may be eligible.

The Quality of Preoperative Glycemic Control Predicts Insulin Sensitivity During Major Upper Abdominal Surgery: A Case-Control Study.

Objective: To examine the association of the quality of preoperative glycemic control and insulin sensitivity during major upper abdominal surgery.

Background: In cardiac surgery, glycated hemoglobin A (HbA), an indicator of glycemic control during the preceding 3 months, correlated with intraoperative insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, insulin resistance showed a significant association with adverse clinical outcomes.

Laryngeal Amyloidosis: What is the Role of Imaging?

Objective/hypothesis: To review the imaging findings of laryngeal amyloidosis and to identify radiological findings suggestive of this disease.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients with pathologically confirmed laryngeal amyloidosis was performed from 2009 to 2022.

Mechanical Properties of Synthetic Bones Made by Synbone: A Review.

Biomechanical engineers and physicists commonly employ biological bone for biomechanics studies, since they are good representations of living bone. Yet, there are challenges to using biological bone, such as cost, degradation, disease, ethics, shipping, sourcing, storage, variability, etc. Therefore, the Synbone® company has developed a series of synthetic bones that have been used by biomechanical investigators to offset some drawbacks of biological bone.

Biomechanical properties of artificial bones made by Sawbones: A review.

Biomedical engineers and physicists frequently use human or animal bone for orthopaedic biomechanics research because they are excellent approximations of living bone. But, there are drawbacks to biological bone, like degradation over time, ethical concerns, high financial costs, inter-specimen variability, storage requirements, supplier sourcing, transportation rules, etc. Consequently, since the late 1980s, the Sawbones® company has been one of the world's largest suppliers of artificial bones for biomechanical testing that counteract many disadvantages of biological bone.

Antibody neutralization capacity after coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination in people with HIV in Canada.

Objectives: Many vaccines require higher/additional doses or adjuvants to provide adequate protection for people with HIV (PWH). Here, we compare coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine-induced antibody neutralization capacity in PWH vs. HIV-negative individuals following two vaccine doses.

Advancing specificity in delirium: The delirium subtyping initiative.

Background: Delirium, a common syndrome with heterogeneous etiologies and clinical presentations, is associated with poor long-term outcomes. Recording and analyzing all delirium equally could be hindering the field's understanding of pathophysiology and identification of targeted treatments. Current delirium subtyping methods reflect clinically evident features but likely do not account for underlying biology.

Exception points for liver transplantation: A Canadian review.

Background: Exception points for liver transplant (LT) allocation are used to account for mortality risk not reflected by scoring systems such as the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease with sodium (MELD-Na). Currently, there is no formal policy regarding exception points in Canada, and differences across the country are not well understood. As such, a review of the criteria and exception points granted throughout the country for LT was conducted.

Biomechanics of plate fixation following traditional olecranon osteotomy versus novel proximal ulna osteotomy for visualizing a distal humerus injury.

After a distal humeral injury, olecranon osteotomy (OO) is a traditional way to visualize the distal humerus for performing fracture fixation. In contrast, the current authors previously showed that novel proximal ulna osteotomy (PUO) allows better access to the distal humerus without ligamentous compromise. Therefore, this study biomechanically compared plating repair following OO versus PUO.

Decreased left heart flow in fetal lambs causes left heart hypoplasia and pro-fibrotic tissue remodeling.

Low blood flow through the fetal left heart is often conjectured as an etiology for hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). To investigate if a decrease in left heart flow results in growth failure, we generate left ventricular inflow obstruction (LVIO) in mid-gestation fetal lambs by implanting coils in their left atrium using an ultrasound-guided percutaneous technique. Significant LVIO recapitulates important clinical features of HLHS: decreased antegrade aortic valve flow, compensatory retrograde perfusion of the brain and ascending aorta (AAo) from the arterial duct, severe left heart hypoplasia, a non-apex forming LV, and a thickened endocardial layer.

A registry-based population study of the HLA in Québec, Canada.

As part of the worldwide effort to better characterize HLA diversity in populations, we have studied the population of Québec in Canada. This province has been defined by a complex history with multiple founder effects and migration patterns. We analyzed the typing data of 3806 individuals registered in Héma-Québec's Registry, which covered most administrative regions in Québec.

Primary eye health services for older adults as a component of universal health coverage: a scoping review of evidence from high income countries.

Unlabelled: In pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for eye health, countries must strengthen services for older adults, who experience the highest prevalence of eye conditions. This scoping review narratively summarised (i) primary eye health services for older adults in eleven high-income countries/territories (from government websites), and (ii) the evidence that eye health services reduced vision impairment and/or provided UHC (access, quality, equity, or financial protection) (from a systematic literature search). We identified 76 services, commonly comprehensive eye examinations ± refractive error correction.

CT Imaging With Machine Learning for Predicting Progression to COPD in Individuals at Risk.

Background: Identifying individuals at risk of progressing to COPD may allow for initiation of treatment to potentially slow the progression of the disease or the selection of subgroups for discovery of novel interventions.

Research Question: Does the addition of CT imaging features, texture-based radiomic features, and established quantitative CT scan to conventional risk factors improve the performance for predicting progression to COPD in individuals who smoke with machine learning?

Study Design And Methods: Participants at risk (individuals who currently or formerly smoked, without COPD) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD) population-based study underwent CT imaging at baseline and spirometry at baseline and follow-up. Various combinations of CT scan features, texture-based CT scan radiomics (n = 95), and established quantitative CT scan (n = 8), as well as demographic (n = 5) and spirometry (n = 3) measurements, with machine learning algorithms were evaluated to predict progression to COPD.

Measuring the Potential Effects of Mirror Therapy Added to the Gold Standard Facial Neuromuscular Retraining in Patients With Chronic Peripheral Facial Palsy: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Facial neuromuscular retraining (fNMR) is a noninvasive physical therapy widely used to treat peripheral facial palsies. It consists of different intervention methods that aim to reduce the debilitating sequelae of the disease. Recently, the use of mirror therapy in the acute facial palsy and postsurgical rehabilitation contexts has shown promising results, suggesting its use as an adjunct to fNMR in treating patients with later stages of paralysis, such as the paretic, early, or chronic synkinetic.

A Scoping Review of the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Mental Health Among Immigrants in Western Countries: An Integrated Bio-Psycho-Socio-Cultural Lens.

Epidemiological evidence suggests that regular physical activity (PA) positively impacts individuals' mental health (MH). The PA-MH relationship may be critical among immigrants owing to psycho-social-cultural influences. This scoping review of 61 studies employed a holistic bio-psycho-socio-cultural framework to thoroughly investigate the complex relationship between PA (across life domains) and immigrants' MH in Western countries.

International Survey of High-Flow Nasal Therapy Use for Respiratory Failure in Adult Patients.

(1) Background: High-flow nasal therapy (HFNT) has shown several benefits in addressing respiratory failure. However, the quality of evidence and the guidance for safe practice are lacking. This survey aimed to understand HFNT practice and the needs of the clinical community to support safe practice.