Microfluidic Integration of Magnetically Functionalized Microwires for Flow Cytometry Protein Quantification.

A novel approach to protein quantification utilizing a microfluidic platform activated by a magnetic assembly of functionalized magnetic beads around soft magnetic capture centers is presented. Functionalized magnetic beads, known for their high surface area and facile manipulation under external magnetic fields, are injected inside microfluidic channels and immobilized magnetically on the surface of glass-coated soft magnetic microwires placed along the symmetry axis of these channels. A fluorescent (Cy5) immunomagnetic sandwich ELISA is then performed by sequentially flowing the sample and all necessary reagents in the microfluidic channels.

Toward Equitable Access to Psychosocial Screening in Canada: Validation of the French-Canadian Psychosocial Assessment Tool.

Objective: The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) is a brief caregiver report, family-centered, psychosocial risk screening tool widely used in pediatrics and available in many languages. Although French is an official language of Canada, a French-Canadian version of the PAT has not yet been validated, which impedes access to this tool for family psychosocial screening. This study aimed to translate, adapt as necessary, and validate the French-Canadian version of the PAT.

Evaluation and Management of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection.

The purpose of this review is to serve as an update on congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) evaluation and management for obstetrician-gynecologists and to provide a framework for counseling birthing people at risk for or diagnosed with a primary CMV infection or reactivation or reinfection during pregnancy. A DNA virus, CMV is the most common congenital viral infection and the most common cause of nongenetic childhood hearing loss in the United States. The risk of congenital CMV infection from transplacental viral transfer depends on the gestational age at the time of maternal infection and whether the infection is primary or nonprimary.

Synthesis and characterization of photo-cross-linkable quince seed-based hydrogels for soft tissue engineering applications.

The convenience, versatility, and biocompatibility of photocrosslinkable hydrogel precursors make them promising candidates for developing tissue engineering scaffolds. However, the current library of photosensitive materials is limited. This study reports, for the first time, the modification of quince seed mucilage (QS) with glycidyl methacrylate (GM), resulting in the synthesis of methacrylated QS (QSGM).

Outcomes of extremely preterm infants who participated in a randomised trial of dopamine for treatment of hypotension (the HIP trial) at 2 years corrected age.

Objective: To determine survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in the Hypotension in Preterm (HIP) trial.

Design: Prospective follow-up of infants enrolled in randomised controlled trial.

Participants: 58 infants born before 28 weeks of gestation with low mean arterial blood pressure.

Bridging Needs and Expectations of Individuals With Physical Disabilities and Community Services Stakeholders for the Cocreation of an Adapted Physical Activity Platform in Virtual Reality: Qualitative Study.

Background: Physical activity supports the health and well-being of individuals with physical disabilities. Despite the significance of engaging in physical activity, barriers faced by individuals with disabilities, such as limited access to adapted facilities and lack of transportation, can restrict their participation. Community organizations play a role in addressing these challenges, but virtual reality (VR) also offers a way to diversify adapted activities.

The role of meal timing in appetitive responses to acute exercise in adolescents with and without obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Physical activity has been shown to improve various aspects of metabolic health and is frequently applied as an intervention in the management and prevention of overweight/obesity. Chrono-exercise can be studied in relation to time of day and timing in relation to a meal, which encompasses chronology and duration of the temporal interval, but the latter has received limited attention to date. This brief review and meta-analysis investigates whether the timing of a meal subsequent to acute exercise, in children and adolescents with and without overweight/obesity, moderates eating behaviour and appetite.

Impulsivity behaviors and white matter mediate the relationship between genetic risk for cannabis use disorder and early cannabis use in adolescents.

Background And Aim: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is strongly influenced by genetic factors; however the mechanisms underpinning this association are not well understood. This study investigated whether a polygenic risk score (PRS) based on a genome-wide association study for CUD in adults predicts cannabis use in adolescents and whether the association can be explained by inter-individual variation in structural properties of brain white matter or risk-taking behaviors.

Design And Setting: Longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses using data from the IMAGEN cohort, a European longitudinal study integrating genetic, neuroimaging and behavioral measures.

The level of cognitive functioning in school-aged children is predicted by resting EEG Directed Phase Lag Index.

Quantifying cognitive potential relies on psychometric measures that do not directly reflect cortical activity. While the relationship between cognitive ability and resting state EEG signal dynamics has been extensively studied in children with below-average cognitive performances, there remains a paucity of research focusing on individuals with normal to above-average cognitive functioning. This study aimed to elucidate the resting EEG dynamics in children aged four to 12 years across normal to above-average cognitive potential.

Parental and Medical Classification of Neurodevelopment in Children Born Preterm.

Background And Objectives: The likelihood and severity of neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) affects critical health care decisions. NDI definitions were developed without parental perspectives. We investigated the agreement between parental vs medical classification of NDI among children born preterm.

Age-Related Choroidal Involution Is Associated with the Senescence of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in the Choroid.

Choroidal involution is a common feature of age-related ischemic retinopathies such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is now well recognized that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are essential to endothelial repair processes and in maintaining vascular integrity. However, the contribution of EPCs and the role of senescence in age-related choroidal vascular degeneration remain to be investigated.

Blazing the Trail of Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening Expanded Use: Healthcare Providers' Perspectives.

Objective: Advancements in non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) could significantly alter prenatal screening by expanding the range of genetic conditions screened. This study aims to explore the perspectives of healthcare professionals (HCP) on the expanded use of NIPS and explore specifications for the inclusion of genetic conditions.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Canadian HCPs who counsel pregnant individuals about NIPS.

Multifunctional Carbon Dots In Situ Confined Hydrogel for Optical Communication, Drug Delivery, pH Sensing, Nanozymatic Activity, and UV Shielding Applications.

Inspired by the emerging potential of photoluminescent hydrogels, this work unlocks new avenues for advanced biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery applications. Carbon quantum dots (CDs) are deemed particularly promising among various optical dyes, for enhancing polymeric networks with superior physical and chemical properties. This study presents the synthesis of CDs derived from Prunella vulgaris, a natural plant resource, through a single-step hydrothermal process, followed by their uniform integration into hydrogel matrices via an in situ free radical graft polymerization.

Proposed Utilization of PlGF-Based Diagnostic Testing for Suspected Preeclampsia in Québec: Insights From an Expert Panel Discussion.

Prompt diagnosis of preeclampsia is key to ensure appropriate management and reduce associated adverse outcomes. Placental growth factor (PlGF)-based biomarkers have been shown to be safe and effective diagnostic tools for preterm preeclampsia, and their use is recommended by most recent Canadian guidelines. The present report summarizes an expert panel discussion that led to the development of a proposed utilization algorithm for PlGF-based diagnostic testing for suspected preeclampsia in Québec.

Molecular profiles of blood from numerous species that differ in sensitivity to acute inflammation.

Vertebrates differ over 100,000-fold in responses to pro-inflammatory agonists such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), complicating use of animal models to study human sepsis or inflammatory disorders. We compared transcriptomes of resting and LPS-exposed blood from six LPS-sensitive species (rabbit, pig, sheep, cow, chimpanzee, human) and four LPS-resilient species (mice, rats, baboon, rhesus), as well as plasma proteomes and lipidomes. Unexpectedly, at baseline, sensitive species already had enhanced expression of LPS-responsive genes relative to resilient species.

Association between maternal schizophrenia and risk of serious asthma exacerbations in childhood.

Background And Hypothesis: While maternal schizophrenia is linked to chronic childhood medical conditions, little is known about the risk of acute asthma exacerbations among children whose mothers have schizophrenia. This population-based study used health data for all of Ontario, Canada to evaluate whether having a mother with schizophrenia was associated with increased risk of asthma exacerbations.

Study Design: The study cohort included 385,989 children diagnosed with asthma from age 2 years onward, followed from the time of their asthma diagnosis up to a maximum of age 19 years.

Stimuli-responsive carrageenan-based biomaterials for biomedical applications.

Carrageenan-based biomaterials have attracted considerable attention in recent years due to their unique biological properties, including their biodegradability, compatibility, and lack of adverse effects. These biomaterials exhibit a variety of beneficial properties, such as antiviral, antitumor, and immunomodulatory effects, which set them apart from other polysaccharides. Stimuli-responsive carrageenan-based biomaterials have attracted particular attention due to their unique properties, such as reducing systemic toxicity and controlling drug release.

Molecular signatures associated with venous thromboembolism in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent complication of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Objectives: We aimed to identify molecular markers and signatures of leukemia microenvironment associated with VTE in childhood ALL, by dual-omics approach of gene expression (GEP) and DNA-methylation profiling.

Patients/methods: Eligible children were aged 1-21 years old with newly diagnosed ALL enrolled on the Dana Farber Cancer Institute 16-001 trial with available RNA sequencing data from bone marrow at diagnosis.

Levofloxacin Preventive Treatment in Children Exposed to MDR Tuberculosis.

Background: Worldwide, approximately 2 million children younger than 15 years of age are infected with multidrug-resistant (MDR) , with MDR tuberculosis developing in approximately 30,000 annually. Evidence from randomized, controlled trials on tuberculosis preventive treatment in persons exposed to MDR tuberculosis is lacking.

Methods: In this community-based, multisite, double-blind, cluster-randomized, placebo-controlled trial in South Africa, we assessed the efficacy and safety of levofloxacin as preventive treatment in children with household exposure to an adult with bacteriologically confirmed MDR pulmonary tuberculosis.

Efficacy and Safety of Dupilumab in Children With Peanut Allergy: A Multicenter, Open-Label, Phase II Study.

Background: Peanut allergy is a potentially life-threatening food allergy in children. This study explored whether dupilumab, a human monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig)G4 antibody that blocks the activity of interleukin (IL)-4/IL-13, improved safety and desensitization to peanut exposure in children with peanut allergy.

Methods: A Phase II, 24-week, multicenter, single-arm, open-label, proof-of-concept study was conducted in the USA and Canada (NCT03793608).

Effects of gene dosage on cognitive ability: A function-based association study across brain and non-brain processes.

Copy-number variants (CNVs) that increase the risk for neurodevelopmental disorders also affect cognitive ability. However, such CNVs remain challenging to study due to their scarcity, limiting our understanding of gene-dosage-sensitive biological processes linked to cognitive ability. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 258,292 individuals, which identified-for the first time-a duplication at 2q12.