Mortality and morbidity in scleroderma renal crisis: A systematic literature review.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to systematically review the mortality and morbidity associated with scleroderma renal crisis and to determine temporal trends.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from database inception to 10 February 2020. Bibliographies of selected articles were hand-searched for additional references.

Motoric cognitive risk syndrome and incident dementia in older adults from the Québec NuAge cohort.

Background: The co-occurrence of slow walking speed and subjective cognitive complaint (SCC) in non-demented individuals defines motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), which is a pre-dementia stage. There is no information on the association between MCR and incident dementia in Québec's older population.

Objective: The study aims to examine the association of MCR and its individual components (i.

Evidence from two cohorts for the frailty syndrome as an emergent state of parallel dysregulation in multiple physiological systems.

Frailty is a clinical syndrome often present in older adults and characterized by a heightened vulnerability to stressors. The biological antecedents and etiology of frailty are unclear despite decades of research: frailty is associated with dysregulation in a wide range of physiological systems, but no specific cause has been identified. Here, we test predictions stemming from the hypothesis that there is no specific cause: that frailty is an emergent property arising from the complex systems dynamics of the broad loss of organismal homeostasis.

Upper gastrointestinal safety of oral bisphosphonate in hospitalized patients.

Unlabelled: Oral bisphosphonates are effective medications for the prevention of fractures in people suffering from osteoporosis. They are associated with gastrointestinal adverse reactions the most severe being an esophageal ulcer. It is unclear if oral bisphosphonates have a similar gastrointestinal safety profile in the hospital setting as in the community setting because hospitalized patients are often bedridden which may hinder proper drug administration.

Relationship between motoric cognitive risk syndrome, cardiovascular risk factors and diseases, and incident cognitive impairment: Results from the "NuAge" study.

Background: Motoric Cognitive Risk syndrome (MCR), which combines Subjective Cognitive Complaint (SCC) and slow gait speed in individuals free of dementia and gait disability, is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and diseases as well as incident cognitive impairment. Little information on MCR exists in the Canadian population. This study aims to examine these associations in community-dwelling elderly people living in Quebec, which is a Canadian province.

Global opioid agonist treatment: a review of clinical practices by country.

Aims: We assessed how opioid agonist treatment (OAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD), specifically methadone and buprenorphine, including buprenorphine-naloxone, is delivered in routine clinical practice, with a focus on factors that affect access to and delivery of these services. The aims of this review were to summarize eligibility criteria for entry to OAT, doses in routine clinical practice, access to and eligibility for unsupervised dosing and urine drug screening practices in OAT programs globally.

Methods: We completed searches of PubMed, Embase, and grey literature databases for cross-sectional or observational cohort studies of OAT using either methadone or buprenorphine.

Pre-clinical evaluation of an image-guided in-situ Raman spectroscopy navigation system for targeted prostate cancer interventions.

Purpose: Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) image guidance is the standard of care for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in prostate cancer (PCa) patients, but can lead to high false-negative rates, compromising downstream effectiveness of therapeutic choices. A promising approach to improve in-situ detection of PCa lies in using the optical properties of the tissue to discern cancer from healthy tissue. In this work, we present the first in-situ image-guided navigation system for a spatially tracked Raman spectroscopy probe integrated in a PCa workflow, capturing the optical tissue fingerprint.

The Consortium for the early identification of Alzheimer's disease-Quebec (CIMA-Q).

Introduction: The Consortium for the early identification of Alzheimer's disease-Quebec (CIMA-Q) created a research infrastructure to recruit, characterize, and track disease progression in individuals at risk of dementia.

Methods: CIMA-Q established standardized clinical, neuropsychological, neuroimaging, blood (plasma, serum, RNA, genomic DNA), cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and cerebrospinal fluid collection protocols. These data and biological materials are available to the research community.

Lidocaine With Epinephrine Versus Bupivacaine With Epinephrine as Local Anesthetic Agents in Wide-Awake Hand Surgery: A Pilot Outcome Study of Patient's Pain Perception.

Purpose: Wide-awake local anesthesia hand surgery has many advantages over other forms of anesthesia, including faster recovery, lower cost, and improved patient safety; however, few studies compare postoperative pain and analgesic consumption after long- and short-acting anesthetics. This is important because surgeons seek to minimize opioid consumption during the opioid epidemic.

Methods: This was a double-blinded, prospective, randomized, parallel design pilot study.

Nutrient Patterns, Cognitive Function, and Decline in Older Persons: Results from the Three-City and NuAge Studies.

Dietary patterns, or the combination of foods and beverages intake, have been associated with better cognitive function in older persons. To date, no study has investigated the link between a posteriori nutrient patterns based on food intake, and cognitive decline in longitudinal analyses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nutrient patterns and cognitive function and decline in two longitudinal cohorts of older persons from France and Canada.

Prediction outcomes for anterior vertebral body growth modulation surgery from discriminant spatiotemporal manifolds.

Purpose: Anterior vertebral body growth modulation (AVBGM) is a minimally invasive surgical technique that gradually corrects spine deformities while preserving lumbar motion. However, identifying suitable patients for surgery is based on clinical judgment and surgical experience. This process would be facilitated by the identification of patients responding to AVBGM prior to surgery using data-driven models trained on previous instrumented cases.

Effects of Aging and Caloric Restriction on Fiber Type Composition, Mitochondrial Morphology and Dynamics in Rat Oxidative and Glycolytic Muscles.

Aging is associated with a progressive decline in muscle mass and strength, a process known as sarcopenia. Evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a causal role in sarcopenia and suggests that alterations in mitochondrial dynamics/morphology may represent an underlying mechanism. Caloric restriction (CR) is among the most efficient nonpharmacological interventions to attenuate sarcopenia in rodents and is thought to exert its beneficial effects by improving mitochondrial function.

Automatic self-gated 4D-MRI construction from free-breathing 2D acquisitions applied on liver images.

Purpose: MRI slice reordering is a necessary step when three-dimensional (3D) motion of an anatomical region of interest has to be extracted from multiple two-dimensional (2D) dynamic acquisition planes, e.g., for the construction of motion models used for image-guided radiotherapy.

Profiling obesity phenotypes and trajectories in older adults of the Quebec NuAge cohort on nutrition and successful aging: A cluster analysis.

Obesity in older adults results from several interacting factors. Consequently, interventions have shown mitigated effects. We determined (a) the different subgroups of older adults with obesity based on clusters of associated comorbidities and (b) the trajectory of these clusters to assess their stability over 3 years and factors contributing to transitions.

Potential organ donor identification and system accountability: expert guidance from a Canadian consensus conference.

Purpose: Deceased donation rates in Canada remain below the predicted potential and lag behind leading countries. Missing a potential donor leads to preventable death and disability of transplant candidates and increased healthcare costs.

Methods: Stakeholders were invited to a national consensus conference on improving deceased organ donor identification and referral (ID&R) and healthcare system accountability.

A direct interaction between two Restless Legs Syndrome predisposing genes: MEIS1 and SKOR1.

Restless Legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep disorder for which the genetic contribution remains poorly explained. In 2007, the first large scale genome wide association study (GWAS) identified three genomic regions associated with RLS. MEIS1, BTBD9 and MAP2K5/SKOR1 are the only known genes located within these loci and their association with RLS was subsequently confirmed in a number of follow up GWAS.

The Tyrosine Phosphatase STEP Is Involved in Age-Related Memory Decline.

Cognitive disabilities that occur with age represent a growing and expensive health problem. Age-associated memory deficits are observed across many species, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be fully identified. Here, we report elevations in the levels and activity of the striatal-enriched phosphatase (STEP) in the hippocampus of aged memory-impaired mice and rats, in aged rhesus monkeys, and in people diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

Using a Wireless Electroencephalography Device to Evaluate E-Health and E-Learning Interventions.

Background: Measuring engagement and other reactions of patients and health professionals to e-health and e-learning interventions remains a challenge for researchers.

Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using a wireless electroencephalography (EEG) device to measure affective (anxiety, enjoyment, relaxation) and cognitive (attention, engagement, interest) reactions of patients and healthcare professionals during e-health or e-learning interventions.

Methods: Using a wireless EEG device, we measured patient (n = 6) and health professional (n = 7) reactions during a 10-minute session of an e-health or e-learning intervention.

Association Between Anticholinergic Drug Use and Health-Related Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background: The use of drugs with anticholinergic properties (AC drugs) has been associated with decreased functioning and impaired cognition in older adults. Studies assessing the association between AC-drug use and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) show conflicting results.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the association between AC-drug use and HRQoL in community-dwelling older adults.

The IMPACT-CABG trial: A multicenter, randomized clinical trial of CD133 stem cell therapy during coronary artery bypass grafting for ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: The IMPACT-CABG trial is the first North American multicenter phase II randomized study of intramyocardial delivery of autologous CD133 stem cells in patients with chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. The primary objective was to demonstrate safety, including freedom from major adverse cardiac events. The secondary objective was to evaluate feasibility of same-day autologous cell preparation.

Relationships between physical activity across lifetime and health outcomes in older adults: Results from the NuAge cohort.

This study aims to (1) describe participation in four physical activity (PA) domains across life and (2) examine the influence of PA during adolescence, early, middle, and later adulthood on health variables at older age. This observational study was conducted in 1378 generally healthy older adults (age 67-84 at baseline in 2003-2005; 52% women) in Quebec, Canada. Using a modified version of the interviewer-administered Lifetime Total Physical Activity Questionnaire (LTPAQ) and life events calendar to facilitate the recall, participants reported the frequency, duration, and intensity of occupational (OPA), commuting (CPA), household (HPA), and leisure time (LTPA) they participated in at age 15, 25, 45, and 65, and at the first follow-up (age 68-85 in 2005-2006).

A scoping review of anorexia of aging correlates and their relevance to population health interventions.

Anorexia of aging (AA, i.e., loss of appetite and/or reduction of food intake with aging) is an important public health issue.

Nutrient Patterns and Their Food Sources in Older Persons from France and Quebec: Dietary and Lifestyle Characteristics.

Background: Dietary and nutrient patterns have been linked to health outcomes related to aging. Food intake is influenced by environmental and genetic factors. The aim of the present study was to compare nutrient patterns across two elderly populations sharing a common ancestral cultural background, but living in different environments.