Towards a histological diagnosis of childhood small vessel CNS vasculitis.

Background: Primary small vessel CNS vasculitis (sv-cPACNS) is a challenging inflammatory brain disease in children. Brain biopsy is mandatory to confirm the diagnosis. This study aims to develop and validate a histological scoring tool for diagnosing small vessel CNS vasculitis.

Childhood trauma and dissociation in patients with panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Part 2: Therapeutic effectiveness of combined cognitive behavioural therapy and pharmacotherapy in treatment-resistant inpatients.

Introduction: PAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with an increased risk of mental health issues in general, but their relationship with panic disorder (PD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has received less attention compared to borderline personality disorder (BPD). Dissociative experiences are significant predictors of increased symptoms, reduced treatment adherence, and poor prognosis in several psychiatric conditions, including PD, OCD, and BPD; still, their impact remains underexplored. This part of the study focuses on the overall efficiency of psychotherapeutic programs on treatment-resistant patients diagnosed with PD, OCD, and BPD (or combined), as well as the relationship between ACEs, dissociation rates, and treatment results.

Describing a Transition to Adult Type 1 Diabetes Care Model at the McGill University Health Centre.

Aims: To describe a type 1 diabetes melllitus (T1DM) transition care model by assessing clinic attendance, glycemic management, and diabetes-related hospitalizations.

Methods: This is a descriptive longitudinal single-center study of patients with T1DM aged 18 to 25 referred to our transition clinic from 2012 to 2021 (N=179).

Results: Our data analysis demonstrates an average clinic attendance rate of 79% and mean time between last pediatric and first adult visit of 6.

Simplified Approach to Managing Newly Diagnosed Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Hypertension in Routine Clinical Practice.

Introduction: The aim of the observational SIMPLE study was to assess real-life effectiveness and safety of a single-pill combination (SPC) of perindopril arginine/amlodipine in a broad range of subjects with newly diagnosed mild-to-moderate hypertension treated in Canadian general practice.

Methods: Treatment-naïve participants aged 18-65 years with mild-to-moderate hypertension, whose physicians decided to initiate the perindopril/amlodipine SPC, were recruited from Canadian clinical practice from October 2017 to February 2019. Participants were followed at 3- (M3) and 6-month (M6) visits after treatment initiation.

Diagnostic and prognostic potential of left atrial strain in cardiovascular disease: a narrative review.

Left atrial strain (LAS) was recently introduced as a parameter that reflects on left atrial function. Consequently, changes in LAS can inform the development of cardiovascular diseases, hence providing a window for non-invasive and cost-effective testing of these diseases and their complications at early stages of development, potentially offering a segway towards preventive interventions. LAS has yet to be implemented into standard practice.

Assessing the impact of the iPeer2Peer program for adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a mixed-methods randomized controlled trial.

Background: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a chronic pediatric illness, whereby youth experience physical, emotional and psychosocial challenges that result in reduced health related quality of life (HRQL). Peer mentoring has been shown to improve disease self-management in adults with chronic conditions, with mixed results in younger populations. Building on our pilot work - which supported the feasibility and initial effectiveness of the iPeer2Peer program - the objective of this study was to assess the clinical effectiveness of the program in youth with JIA through a waitlist randomized controlled trial.

Assessment and ascertainment in psychiatric molecular genetics: challenges and opportunities for cross-disorder research.

Psychiatric disorders are highly comorbid, heritable, and genetically correlated [1-4]. The primary objective of cross-disorder psychiatric genetics research is to identify and characterize both the shared genetic factors that contribute to convergent disease etiologies and the unique genetic factors that distinguish between disorders [4, 5]. This information can illuminate the biological mechanisms underlying comorbid presentations of psychopathology, improve nosology and prediction of illness risk and trajectories, and aid the development of more effective and targeted interventions.

Bioluminescent Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli for whole-cell screening of antibacterial and adjuvant compounds.

Continued efforts to discover new antibacterial molecules are critical to achieve a robust pre-clinical pipeline for new antibiotics. Screening of compound or natural product extract libraries remains a widespread approach and can benefit from the development of whole cell assays that are robust, simple and versatile, and allow for high throughput testing of antibacterial activity. In this study, we created and validated two bioluminescent reporter strains for high-throughput screening, one in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and another in a hyperporinated and efflux-deficient Escherichia coli.

Urban environment during pregnancy, cognitive abilities, motor function, and externalizing and internalizing symptoms at 2-5 years old in 3 Canadian birth cohorts.

Background: More than 80% of the Canadian population lives in urban settings. Urban areas usually bring exposure to poorer air quality, less access to green spaces, and higher building density. These environmental factors may endanger child development.

Gender and Intersecting Barriers and Facilitators to Access the HIV Cascade of Care in Manitoba, Canada, Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

Marginalized groups in Manitoba, Canada, especially females and people who inject drugs, are overrepresented in new HIV diagnoses and disproportionately affected by HIV and structural disadvantages. Informed by syndemic theory, our aim was to understand people living with HIV's (PLHIV) gendered and intersecting barriers and facilitators across the cascade of HIV care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was co-designed and co-led alongside people with lived experience and a research advisory committee.

Canadian Consensus Recommendations for Predictive Biomarker Testing in Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma.

Gastric cancer is common globally and has a generally poor prognosis with a low 5-year survival rate. Targeted therapies and immunotherapies have improved the treatment landscape, providing more options for efficacious treatment. The use of these therapies requires predictive biomarker testing to identify patients who can benefit from their use.

Systematic Review of Ex Vivo and In Vivo Pharmacokinetic Studies of Drugs Commonly Used During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a lifesaving treatment for critically ill patients in cardiac or respiratory failure refractory to conventional treatment. Patients on an ECMO circuit (pump, oxygenator, tubing) require numerous medications including sedatives, analgesics, cardioactive medications, and anticonvulsants. Currently, there are few dosing guidelines to optimize pharmacotherapy in this situation.

Osteocalcin in Infancy and Early Childhood and Its Correlation With Later Growth and Body Composition: A Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study.

Background: Osteocalcin is a metabolic active hormone, which correlates positively with bone formation and inversely with body mass index and waist circumference in adults.

Objectives: To investigate whether osteocalcin in infancy and early childhood were related to childhood growth or body composition.

Methods: A Swedish longitudinal birth cohort with blood samples from 551 children from birth until 5 years of age.

Decoding the connection: unraveling the role of gut microbiome in fibromyalgia.

The gut microbiome is emerging as a critical player in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia, offering mechanistic insights as well as potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Circulating Tumor Cells Culture: Methods, Challenges, and Clinical Applications.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a pivotal role in cancer metastasis and hold considerable potential for clinical diagnosis, therapeutic monitoring, and prognostic evaluation. Nevertheless, the limited quantity of CTCs in liquid biopsy samples poses challenges for comprehensive downstream analysis. In vitro culture of CTCs can effectively address the issue of insufficient CTC numbers.

What are the potential mechanisms of fatigue-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy with low-load resistance exercise training?

High-load resistance exercise (>60% of 1-repetition maximum) is a well-known stimulus to enhance skeletal muscle hypertrophy with chronic training. However, studies have intriguingly shown that low-load resistance exercise training (RET) (≤60% of 1-repetition maximum) can lead to similar increases in skeletal muscle hypertrophy as compared to high-load RET. This has raised questions about the underlying mechanisms for eliciting the hypertrophic response with low-load RET.

Frequency and antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated from clinical bovine mastitis cases in British Columbia, Canada.

is one of the most important bacteria responsible for clinical bovine mastitis globally, leading to significant economic losses in the dairy industry. Antimicrobials used to treat and prevent mastitis can lead to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in . We retrospectively evaluated AMR of isolates from clinical bovine mastitis cases submitted to the Animal Health Centre in British Columbia from 2013 to May 2024.

Non-Allergist Delabeling - Should penicillin allergy delabeling only be performed by allergists?

Penicillin allergy labels (PAL) are common but rarely correspond with a patient's likelihood to tolerate penicillin. This results in unnecessary penicillin avoidance in many patients, driving numerous negative health outcomes. Evaluation strategies for PAL are driven by risk stratification and include a spectrum of modalities such as delabeling without any testing, direct oral challenge, and skin testing followed by challenge testing.

Adults living with dementia and chronic wounds, wound types, care challenges, and impact across dementia stages: A scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to map the existing evidence on the epidemiology, care challenges, and impacts of various wound types among individuals living with dementia across different stages of the disease.

Introduction: Dementia is a growing global health concern, projected to rise significantly as the population ages. This condition not only affects cognitive function but also increases the risk of chronic wounds in part due to impairments in mobility, self-care, and communication.

Early safety after TAVR according to VARC-3 criteria: incidence, predictors, and clinical impact.

Introduction And Objectives: The Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-3 definition of the early safety (ES) composite endpoint after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) lacks clinical validation. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, predictors, and clinical impact of ES after TAVR as defined by VARC-3 criteria.

Methods: We performed a multicenter study including 10 078 patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transarterial TAVR.

The Toronto Tele-Retinal Screening Program for the Elderly in Long-Term Care: A Pilot Project.

Objective: To report the results and feasibility of a pilot expansion of the Toronto Tele-Retinal Screening Program in an elderly long-term care home.

Methods: Long term care patients with Type II diabetes mellitus (DM) were screened between April 1, 2022, and July 1, 2022. Demographic and health data were collected through surveys.