Development and pilot testing of the 2019 Canadian Abortion Provider Survey.

Background: Substantial changes in abortion care regulations, available medications and national clinical practice guidelines have occurred since a 2012 national Canadian Abortion Provider Survey (CAPS). We developed and piloted the CAPS 2019 survey instrument to explore changes of the abortion provider workforce, their clinical care as well as experiences with stigma and harassment.

Methods: We undertook development and piloting in three phases: (1) development of the preliminary survey sections and questions based on the 2012 survey instrument, (2) content validation and feasibility of including certain content aspects via a modified Delphi Method with panels of clinical and research experts, and (3) pilot testing of the draft survey for face validity and clarity of language; assessing usability of the web-based Research Electronic Data Capture platform including the feasibility of complex skip pattern functionality.

Bifunctional Gas Diffusion Electrode Enables In Situ Separation and Conversion of CO to Ethylene from Dilute Stream.

The requirement of concentrated carbon dioxide (CO ) feedstock significantly limits the economic feasibility of electrochemical CO reduction (eCO R) which often involves multiple intermediate processes, including CO capture, energy-intensive regeneration, compression, and transportation. Herein, a bifunctional gas diffusion electrode (BGDE) for separation and eCO R from a low-concentration CO stream is reported. The BGDE is demonstrated for the selective production of ethylene (C H ) by combining high-density-polyethylene-derived porous carbon (HPC) as a physisorbent with polycrystalline copper as a conversion catalyst.

A novel case of tracheal deviation secondary to percutaneous tracheostomy.

Background: This is a novel case of iatrogenic airway stenosis and tracheal deviation in a patient with previous percutaneous dilational tracheostomy.

Case Presentation: This 65-year-old male presented with a short segment of combined flap-valve stenosis and tracheomalacia, with right tracheal deviation distal to the stenosis. Clinical staging of the stenosis corresponded to a Cotton-Meyer grade III and McCaffrey stage III.

Clinical consensus statement: Establishing the roles of locoregional and systemic therapies for the treatment of intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma in Canada.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide and approximately one-third of patients present with intermediate-stage disease. The treatment landscape of intermediate-stage HCC is rapidly evolving due to developments in local, locoregional and systemic therapies. Treatment recommendations focused on this heterogenous disease stage and that take into account the Canadian reality are lacking.

The Effect of Chronic Kidney Disease or End-stage Kidney Disease on Perioperative Outcomes and Healthcare Utilization in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery.

Background: As chronic kidney disease (CKD) has a higher prevalence in patients with obesity, there is an increasing need to understand the safety of bariatric surgery for patients with advanced CKD. This study determined if short-term bariatric surgical outcomes and healthcare utilization differ in patients with advanced CKD.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was performed.

An extension minimal important difference credibility item addressing construct proximity is a reliable alternative to the correlation item.

Objectives: Minimal important difference (MID), the smallest change or difference that patients perceive as important, aids interpretation of change in patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) scores. A credibility instrument that assesses the methodological rigor of an anchor-based MID includes one core item addressing the correlation between the PROM and the anchor. However, the majority of MID studies in the literature fail to report the correlation.

Validity of non-contact methods for diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Study Objective: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is associated with increased perioperative cardiac, respiratory and neurological complications. Pre-operative OSA risk assessment is currently done through screening questionnaires with high sensitivity but poor specificity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity and diagnostic accuracy of portable, non-contact devices in the diagnosis of OSA as compared with polysomnography.

Effective web-based clinical practice guidelines resources: recommendations from a mixed methods usability study.

Background: Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) are an important knowledge translation resource to help clinicians stay up to date about relevant clinical knowledge. Effective communication of guidelines, including format, facilitates its implementation. Despite the digitalization of healthcare, there is little literature to guide CPG website creation for effective dissemination and implementation.

LMS-based continuous reference percentiles for 14 laboratory parameters in the CALIPER cohort of healthy children and adolescents.

Objectives: Marked physiological changes in growth and development present challenges in defining pediatric reference intervals for biomarkers of health and disease. Lambda, Mu, and Sigma (LMS)-based statistical modeling provides a continuous normal distribution by negating skewness and variation, and is commonly used to establish growth charts. Such LMS reference curves are suggested to enhance laboratory test result interpretation.

Temperature variability and common diseases of the elderly in China: a national cross-sectional study.

Background: In the context of climate change, it has been well observed that short-term temperature variability (TV) could increase the overall and cause-specific mortality and morbidity. However, the association between long-term TV and a broader spectrum of diseases is not yet well understood, especially in the elderly.

Methods: Our study used data from the fourth Urban and Rural Elderly Population (UREP) study.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation to the angular gyrus modulates the temporal dynamics of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) delivered to the angular gyrus (AG) affects hippocampal function and associated behaviors (Thakral PP, Madore KP, Kalinowski SE, Schacter DL. Modulation of hippocampal brain networks produces changes in episodic simulation and divergent thinking. 2020a.

Identifying the areas of low self-reported confidence of internal medicine residents in geriatrics: a descriptive study of findings from a structured geriatrics skills assessment survey.

Background: Currently, no standardized methods exist to assess the geriatric skills and training needs of internal medicine trainees to enable them to become confident in caring for older patients. This study aimed to describe the self-reported confidence and training requirements in core geriatric skills amongst internal medicine residents in Toronto, Ontario using a standardized assessment tool.

Methods: This study used a novel self-rating instrument, known as the Geriatric Skills Assessment Tool (GSAT), among incoming and current internal medicine residents at the University of Toronto, to describe self-reported confidence in performing, teaching and interest in further training with regard to 15 core geriatric skills previously identified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Empowering Health Workers to Build Public Trust in Vaccination: Experience from the International Pediatric Association's Online Vaccine Trust Course, 2020-2021.

Background: The quality of interactions between health workers (HWs) and caregivers is key in vaccine acceptance. To optimize this, HWs need knowledge about best vaccine communication practices in person and on social media. Most pre-service curricula do not include such approaches.

The "STOP Pain" Questionnaire: using the Plan-Do-Study-Act model to implement a patient-family preferences-informed questionnaire into a pediatric transitional pain clinic.

Background: Patient engagement is an important tool for quality improvement (QI) and optimizing the uptake of research findings. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model is a QI tool that encourages ongoing evaluation of clinical care, thus improving various aspects of patient care. Ascertaining pediatric patient priorities for a pain questionnaire in the post-acute, or transitional pain, setting is important to guide clinical care since active engagement with the population of interest can optimize uptake.

Quantifying thermal cues that initiate mass emigrations in juvenile white sharks.

While the function of migration varies among species, environmental temperature is known to be one of the most important abiotic variables that drive animal migration; however, quantifying the thresholds and timing of the cues that influence a mass emigration is difficult, often due to lack of monitoring resolution, particularly for large, highly mobile species. We used acoustic telemetry tracking and high-resolution water temperature data over a relatively large spatial scale (5.5 km) to identify and quantify a thermal threshold for mass emigration of juvenile white sharks.

Construct validity and reliability of the Informal Caregiver Burden Assessment Questionnaire (QASCI) in caregivers of patients with COPD.

Introduction: COPD often leads to loss of independence in daily activities which may increase the dependency on the informal caregiver, resulting in caregiving burden. Several instruments have been used to assess caregiving burden in COPD; however, their measurement properties have been poorly investigated in this population. This study assessed the construct validity and reliability of the Informal Caregiver Burden Assessment Questionnaire (QASCI) in informal caregivers of patients with COPD.

Timeliness of reporting of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence results and their utility for infectious disease surveillance.

Seroprevalence studies have been used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to monitor infection and immunity. These studies are often reported in peer-reviewed journals, but the academic writing and publishing process can delay reporting and thereby public health action. Seroprevalence estimates have been reported faster in preprints and media, but with concerns about data quality.

Future public health emergencies and disasters: sustainability and insights into support programs for healthcare providers.

Background: The mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) has been at the forefront throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. While workplace-based support programs have been developed in hospitals globally, few systematically collected data. While critical to their success, information on these programs and the experience of mental healthcare providers (MHP) who support colleagues is limited.

The engineered AAV2-HBKO promotes non-invasive gene delivery to large brain regions beyond ultrasound targeted sites.

Magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound combined with microbubbles injected in the bloodstream (MRIgFUS) temporarily increases the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which facilitates the entry of intravenously administered adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) from the blood to targeted brain areas. To date, the properties of the AAVs used for MRIgFUS delivery resulted in cell transduction limited to MRIgFUS-targeted sites. Considering future clinical applications, strategies are needed to deliver genes to multiple locations and large brain volumes while creating minimal BBB modulation.

Viral dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant among household contacts with 2 or 3 COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Objectives: SARS-CoV-2 shedding has changed as new variants have emerged. It is important to understand the trajectory of PCR positivity due to Omicron in vaccinated populations.

Methods: Double- or triple-vaccinated adult household contacts of individuals with COVID-19 self-collected oral-nasal swabs for 14 days.

Barrett's Esophagus and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: A Histopathological Perspective.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is increasing in prevalence. Barrett's esophagus (BE) has long been recognized as the putative precursor lesion for EAC, but much is still unknown regarding its cell of origin and what molecular factors influence its neoplastic progression. Accurate pathologic assessment of BE biopsies is important for identifying patients most at risk of progressing to EAC, whereas pathologic assessment of EAC specimens plays a major role in influencing therapeutic decision-making.