Retrospective evaluation of cystoscopic-guided laser ablation of intramural ectopic ureters in female dogs.

Background: Cytoscopic-guided laser ablation (CLA) is a technique that can be used to correct intramural ectopic ureters (EUs) in dogs.

Hypothesis/objectives: To describe clinicopathologic, imaging, and cystoscopic findings in dogs undergoing CLA for intramural EU correction, and whether any of these findings are associated with continence outcomes.

Animals: Thirty-one client-owned dogs undergoing CLA between 2009 and 2019.

Pericardial Injection of Kainic Acid Induces a Chronic Epileptic State in Larval Zebrafish.

Epilepsy is a common disorder of the brain characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures, which develop gradually during a process called epileptogenesis. The mechanistic processes underlying the changes of brain tissue and networks toward increased seizure susceptibility are not fully understood. In rodents, injection of kainic acid (KA) ultimately leads to the development of spontaneous epileptic seizures, reflecting similar neuropathological characteristics as seen in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).

Developing the first pan-Canadian survey on patient engagement in patient safety.

Background: Patient safety is a worldwide problem, and the patient contribution to mitigate the risk of patient harm is now recognized as a cornerstone to its solution. In order to understand the nature of integrating patients into patient safety and healthcare organizations and to monitor their integration, a Canadian survey tool has been co-constructed by patients, researchers and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI). This questionnaire has been adapted from the French version of the patient engagement (PE) in patient safety (PS) questionnaire created for the province of Quebec, Canada.

Rhythmic Change of Cortical Hemodynamic Signals Associated with Ongoing Nociception in Awake and Anesthetized Individuals: An Exploratory Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

Background: Patients undergoing surgical procedures are vulnerable to repetitive evoked or ongoing nociceptive barrage. Using functional near infrared spectroscopy, the authors aimed to evaluate the cortical hemodynamic signal power changes during ongoing nociception in healthy awake volunteers and in surgical patients under general anesthesia. The authors hypothesized that ongoing nociception to heat or surgical trauma would induce reductions in the power of cortical low-frequency hemodynamic oscillations in a similar manner as previously reported using functional magnetic resonance imaging for ongoing pain.

The PCSK9 discovery, an inactive protease with varied functions in hypercholesterolemia, viral infections, and cancer.

In 2003, the sequences of mammalian proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) were reported. Radiolabeling pulse-chase analyses demonstrated that PCSK9 was synthesized as a precursor (proPCSK9) that undergoes autocatalytic cleavage in the endoplasmic reticulum into PCSK9, which is then secreted as an inactive enzyme in complex with its inhibitory prodomain. Its high mRNA expression in liver hepatocytes and its gene localization on chromosome 1p32, a third locus associated with familial hypercholesterolemia, other than LDLR or APOB, led us to identify three patient families expressing the PCSK9 variants S127R or F216L.

Asialoglycoprotein receptor 1 is a novel PCSK9-independent ligand of liver LDLR cleaved by furin.

The hepatic carbohydrate-recognizing asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGR1) mediates the endocytosis/lysosomal degradation of desialylated glycoproteins following binding to terminal galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine. Human heterozygote carriers of ASGR1 deletions exhibit ∼34% lower risk of coronary artery disease and ∼10% to 14% reduction of non-HDL cholesterol. Since the proprotein convertase PCSK9 is a major degrader of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), we investigated the degradation and functionality of LDLR and/or PCSK9 by endogenous/overexpressed ASGR1 using Western blot and immunofluorescence in HepG2-naïve and HepG2-PCSK9-knockout cells.

Stage of colorectal cancer diagnosis for immigrants: a population-based retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer death in Canada. Immigrants in Ontario, Canada's most populous province, are known to have lower rates of CRC screening, but differences in stage of CRC diagnosis are not known.

Methods: We utilized linked administrative databases to compare early (stage I-II) versus late (stage III-IV) stage of CRC diagnosis for immigrants versus long-term residents among patients diagnosed in Ontario between 2012 and 2017 (n = 37,717) and examined the association of immigration-related, sociodemographic, and healthcare-related factors with stage.

Identification of curcumin analogues with anti-seizure potential in vivo using chemical and genetic zebrafish larva seizure models.

Seizures are the outward manifestation of abnormally excessive or synchronous brain activity. While seizures can be somewhat symptomatically managed with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), many patients are still refractory to the currently available AEDs. As a result, there is a need to identify new molecules with anti-seizure properties.

infection has a detrimental impact on the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies.

Objective: In this study, we determined whether () infection dampens the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies.

Design: Using mouse models, we evaluated whether immune checkpoint inhibitors or vaccine-based immunotherapies are effective in reducing tumour volumes of -infected mice. In humans, we evaluated the correlation between seropositivity and the efficacy of the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade therapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Understanding cardiovascular disease in older adults with epilepsy.

Objective: This study was undertaken to investigate the distribution of social, lifestyle/behavior, and chronic disease risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people with epilepsy as compared to the general population. We also measured the cross-sectional association between epilepsy and CVD in older adults, with and without adjustments for a history of stroke.

Methods: We analyzed data for 44 817 participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, including 751 individuals with a lifetime history of epilepsy.

How Can Health Systems Better Prepare for the Next Pandemic? Lessons Learned From the Management of COVID-19 in Quebec (Canada).

The magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged societies around our globalized world. To contain the spread of the virus, unprecedented and drastic measures and policies were put in place by governments to manage an exceptional health care situation while maintaining other essential services. The responses of many governments showed a lack of preparedness to face this systemic and global health crisis.

Digital acoustic surveillance for early detection of respiratory disease outbreaks in Spain: a protocol for an observational study.

Introduction: Cough is a common symptom of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. However, objectively measuring its frequency and evolution is hindered by the lack of reliable and scalable monitoring systems. This can be overcome by newly developed artificial intelligence models that exploit the portability of smartphones.

Whether, when, how, and how much? General public's and cancer patients' views about the disclosure of genomic secondary findings.

Background: Data on the modalities of disclosing genomic secondary findings (SFs) remain scarce. We explore cancer patients' and the general public's perspectives about disclosing genomic SFs and the modalities of such disclosure.

Methods: Sixty-one cancer patients (n = 29) and members of the public (n = 32) participated in eight focus groups in Montreal and Quebec City, Canada.

Lung Cancer Inequalities in Stage of Diagnosis in Ontario, Canada.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer and cause of cancer death in Canada, with approximately 50% of cases diagnosed at stage IV. Sociodemographic inequalities in lung cancer diagnosis have been documented, but it is not known if inequalities exist with respect to immigration status. We used multiple linked health-administrative databases to create a cohort of Ontarians 40-105 years of age who were diagnosed with an incident lung cancer between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2017.

Impact of the Opioid Epidemic and Associated Prescribing Restrictions on People Who Live With Chronic Noncancer Pain in Canada.

Objectives: Little is known about the consequences of the opioid epidemic on people living with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP). This study examined this issue in people who lived in the most impacted province by opioid overdoses in Canada (British Columbia [BC]) or one of the least impacted (Quebec [QC]), and examined the factors associated with opioid use.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in adults living in BC (N=304) and QC (N=1071) who reported CNCP (≥3 months) and completed an online questionnaire that was tailored to their opioid status.

Usage of Digital Tools to Access Primary Care in Quebec: An Environmental Scan.

Timely access to care is a persistent challenge for health care systems. Providing the right care to the right patient at the right time is important to reduce inappropriate use and improve the performance of healthcare services. The complexity of accessing primary care contributes to the high usage of emergency rooms for not-urgent conditions.

Considerations for the Design and Implementation of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: Scoping Review.

Background: Given the magnitude and speed of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, achieving timely and effective manual contact tracing has been a challenging task. Early in the pandemic, contact tracing apps generated substantial enthusiasm due to their potential for automating tracing and reducing transmission rates while enabling targeted confinement strategies. However, although surveys demonstrate public interest in using such apps, their actual uptake remains limited.

PEER systematic review of randomized controlled trials: Management of chronic neuropathic pain in primary care.

Objective: To determine the proportion of patients with neuropathic pain who achieve a clinically meaningful improvement in their pain with the use of different pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and a gray literature search.

Study Selection: Randomized controlled trials that reported a responder analysis of adults with neuropathic pain-specifically diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, or trigeminal neuralgia-treated with any of the following 8 treatments: exercise, acupuncture, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), topical rubefacients, opioids, anticonvulsant medications, and topical lidocaine.

Use of dry dressings for central venous access devices (CVADs) to decrease central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) in a trauma intensive care unit (ICU).

In the 12 months following the change in practice, we noted a CLABSI reduction from 2.36/1,000 catheter days to zero, improvement in dressing audits from 19.61% to 85.