Health-related quality of life measures in incarcerated populations: protocol for a scoping review.

Introduction: Incarcerated populations represent a vulnerable and marginalised segment of society, with increased health needs and a higher burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Traditional population health outcomes do not capture physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes attempt to measure these important parameters.

Discussing reproductive goals with healthcare providers among women living with HIV in Canada: the role of provider gender and patient comfort.

Antiretroviral therapy effectively prevents sexual and vertical transmission of HIV. Yet, some women living with HIV report having unmet needs for reproductive health care. This study measured the prevalence of women discussing reproductive goals with any current healthcare provider and assessed the effect of the current HIV care provider's gender on such discussions and whether comfort was a mediator.

Immunological and virological response to initial antiretroviral therapy among older people living with HIV in the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the adequacy of immunological recovery and virological suppression in response to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the growing population of older people living with HIV (PLWH), as treatment regimens become more effective and tolerable.

Methods: An interprovincial Canadian cohort of treatment-naïve PLWH who initiated ART after 1 January 2000 was used and age assessed in decades. Longitudinal absolute CD4 count response to treatment was modelled using generalized estimating equations.

Multimorbidity and mortality in Ontario, Canada: A population-based retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To examine the relationship between multimorbidity and mortality, and whether relationship varied by material deprivation/rural location and by age.

Methods: Retrospective population-based cohort study conducted using 2013-14 data from previously created cohort of Ontario, Canada residents classified according to whether or not they had multimorbidity, defined as having 3+ of 17 chronic conditions. Adjusted rate ratios were calculated to compare mortality rates for those with and without multimorbidity, comparing rates by material deprivation/rural location, and by age group.

Transmission reduction and prevention with HPV vaccination (TRAP-HPV) study protocol: a randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of HPV vaccination in preventing transmission of HPV infection in heterosexual couples.

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a causal agent of malignancies including cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal and oropharyngeal cancer, as well as benign conditions such as anogenital warts. HPV vaccination protects individuals against infections with the target HPV types and their clinical outcomes. However, little is known about the protection an immunised individual confers to their sexual partner or its impact on HPV transmission dynamics.

Clinically significant substance use and residential stability among homeless or vulnerably housed persons in Canada: a longitudinal cohort study.

Background: We examined clinically significant substance use among homeless or vulnerably housed persons in three Canadian cities and its association with residential stability over time using data from the Health and Housing in Transition study.

Methods: In 2009, 1190 homeless or vulnerably housed individuals were recruited in three Canadian cities and followed for 4 years. We collected information on housing and incarceration history, drug and alcohol use, having a primary care provider at baseline and annually for 4 years.

Health-related quality of life in neonates and infants: a conceptual framework.

Purpose: With reduced mortality of neonatal conditions, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become an important clinical outcome. However, since the meaning of HRQOL in dependent, non-autonomous infants and neonates remains largely undefined, HRQOL measurement and economic evaluation are limited due to the lack of age-specific methodology. The objective was to construct a conceptual framework of neonatal and infant HRQOL (NIHRQOL) which identifies factors relevant to the neonate and infant, their relationship with each other and the caregiving environment.

Picturing ELSI+: a visual representation of ethical, legal, and social issues, and patient experiences in Health Technology Assessment in Canada.

Objectives: Consideration of ethical, legal, and social issues plus patient values (ELSI+) in health technology assessment (HTA) is challenging because of a lack of conceptual clarity and the multi-disciplinary nature of ELSI+. We used concept mapping to identify key concepts and inter-relationships in the ELSI+ domain and provide a conceptual framework for consideration of ELSI+ in HTA.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review (Medline and EMBASE, 2000-2016) to identify ELSI+ issues in the HTA literature.

Vaccination of Young Women Decreases Human Papillomavirus Transmission in Heterosexual Couples: Findings from the HITCH Cohort Study.

Background: Vaccination against human papillomaviruses (HPV) prevents HPV infections and, consequently, cervical lesions. However, the effect of vaccination on HPV transmission within couples is unknown.

Methods: We used data from HITCH, a prospective cohort study of heterosexual couples (women ages 18-24 years) in Montreal, 2005 to 2013.

Human Papillomavirus Viral Load and Transmission in Young, Recently Formed Heterosexual Couples.

Background: We studied the association between human papillomavirus (HPV) viral load (VL) and HPV concordance.

Methods: The HITCH cohort study included young, heterosexual, recently formed, sexually active couples. Questionnaires and genital samples were collected at 0 and 4 months.

Acceptability, Feasibility and Uptake of HPV Self-Sampling Among Immigrant Minority Women: a Focused Literature Review.

This review uncovers the extent to which immigrant and minority women find HPV self-sampling an acceptable and feasible alternative to PAP testing for screening for cervical cancer. A focused literature review was conducted using CINAHL, Medline, Proquest and Pubmed databases to search for content relating to acceptability or feasibility of HPV self-testing for immigrant populations or minorities. 575 prospective relevant papers were included in the final analysis and 28 selected using the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

The association of the Bolsa Familia Program with children's oral health in Brazil.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated that Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs reduce poverty/inequity and childhood mortality. However, none of these studies investigated the link between CCT programs and children's oral health. This study examines the association between receiving the Brazilian conditional cash transfer, Bolsa Familia Program (BFP), and the oral health of five-year-old children in the Northeast of Brazil.

Projecting the end of the Zika virus epidemic in Latin America: a modelling analysis.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region in 2013, with serious implications for population health in the region. In 2016, the World Health Organization declared the ZIKV outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern following a cluster of associated neurological disorders and neonatal malformations. In 2017, Zika cases declined, but future incidence in LAC remains uncertain due to gaps in our understanding, considerable variation in surveillance and the lack of a comprehensive collation of data from affected countries.

Trends in mental health service utilisation in immigrant youth in Ontario, Canada, 1996-2012: a population-based longitudinal cohort study.

Objective: To describe trends in mental health service use of youth by immigration status and characteristics.

Design: Population-based longitudinal cohort study from 1996 to 2012 using linked health and administrative datasets.

Setting: Ontario, Canada.

Beyond the grey tsunami: a cross-sectional population-based study of multimorbidity in Ontario.

Objectives: To determine volumes and rates of multimorbidity in Ontario by age group, sex, material deprivation, and geography.

Methods: A cross-sectional population-based study was completed using linked provincial health administrative databases. Ontario residents were classified as having multimorbidity (3+ chronic conditions) or not, based on the presence of 17 chronic conditions.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ONTARIO DECISION FRAMEWORK: A VALUES BASED FRAMEWORK FOR HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT.

Objectives: In 2007, the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee (OHTAC) developed a decision framework to guide decision making around nondrug health technologies. In 2012, OHTAC commissioned a revision of this framework to enhance its usability and deepen its conceptual and theoretical foundations.

Methods: The committee overseeing this work used several methods: (a) a priori consensus on guiding principles, (b) a scoping review of decision attributes and processes used globally in health technology assessment (HTA), (c) presentations by methods experts and members of review committees, and (d) committee deliberations over a period of 3 years.

Study protocol: , the Mayi Kuwayu Study, a national longitudinal study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing.

Introduction: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are Australia's first peoples and have been connected to the land for ≥65 000 years. Their enduring cultures and values are considered critical to health and wellbeing, alongside physical, psychological and social factors. We currently lack large-scale data that adequately represent the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; the absence of evidence on cultural practice and expression is particularly striking, given its foundational importance to wellbeing.

Aqueous Humor Cytokine Levels and Anatomic Response to Intravitreal Ranibizumab in Diabetic Macular Edema.

Importance: Variability in response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment in diabetic macular edema (DME) remains a significant clinical challenge. Biomarkers could help anticipate responses to anti-VEGF therapy.

Objectives: To investigate aqueous humor cytokine level changes in response to intravitreal ranibizumab therapy for the management of DME, and to determine the association between baseline aqueous levels and anatomic response.

Combination Therapy with Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Emtricitabine/Elvitegravir/Cobicistat Plus Darunavir Once Daily in Antiretroviral-Naive and Treatment-Experienced Patients: A Retrospective Review.

Background: Patients with drug-resistant HIV often require complex antiretroviral regimens. However, combining fixed-dose combination tablets such as tenofovir-disoproxil-fumarate, emtricitabine, and cobicistat-boosted elvitegravir (TDF/FTC/EVG/cobi) with darunavir (DRV) can provide a simple, once-daily (QD), 2-tablet regimen for patients with drug-resistant HIV. Primary objective was to determine the percentage of patients with HIV-1 RNA <40 copies/mL at 48 weeks.

Connections between unemployment insurance, poverty and health: a systematic review.

Background: Since the global economic crisis in 2007, unemployment rates have escalated in most European and North American countries. Unemployment protection policies, particularly the unemployment insurance (UI) system, have become a weighty issue for many modern welfare states. Decades of research have established concrete findings on the adverse impacts of unemployment on poverty- and health-related outcomes.

A cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between diabetes and health access barriers in an urban First Nations population in Canada.

Objective: This study explores the relationship between health access barriers and diabetes in an urban First Nations population in Canada.

Design: Data from a self-identified urban First Nations population were collected using respondent-driven sampling (RDS). As no clear approach for regression modelling of RDS data is available, two logistic regression modelling approaches, including survey-based logistic and generalised linear mixed models, were used to explore the relationship between diabetes and health barriers of interest, including access to healthcare, food, housing and socioeconomic factors.

Migrant Live-in Caregivers Mental Health in Canada.

Empirical evidence suggests rapid health decline among temporary migrant workers but there is limited knowledge about their mental health. This study explored live-in care givers' (LCs) mental health and its determinants. Using a mixed methods design, a purposeful sample of 30 LCs was recruited.

Establishing stability: exploring the meaning of 'home' for women who have experienced intimate partner violence.

There is evidence that involuntary housing instability may undermine health and well-being. For women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), achieving stability is likely as important for other groups, but can be challenging. Through our analysis of 41 interviews with women who have experienced low income and IPV, we argue that definitions of housing stability are multifaceted and for many centred on a shared understanding of the importance of creating an environment of "home".