An examination of cortical thickness relationships within the reading network of adults.

Much brain imaging work has underscored the functional connections among the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG; articulation), supramarginal gyrus (SMG; letter-sound correspondence), superior temporal gyrus (STG; sound) and fusiform gyrus (FFG; print) during basic reading processes. This reading network supports and coordinates the complex processes that contribute to successful reading. In line with the Hebbian notion that 'neurons that fire together, wire together' we examined cortical thickness among these regions and the extent to which these regions showed structural relationships in average and impaired readers.

Incidence and factors associated with new depressive episodes in adults with newly treated type 2 diabetes: A cohort study.

Aims: Several methods are available to help identify people with depression; however, there is little guidance on when to start screening. This study estimated the incidence of new depressive episodes and identified factors associated with onset in adults with newly treated type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Administrative health data from Alberta, Canada was used to identify people starting metformin between April 2011 and March 2015.

Liver assistive devices in acute liver failure: Current use and future directions.

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare syndrome where rapid deterioration of liver function occurs after an acute insult in a patient without prior chronic liver disease and leads to jaundice, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and oftentimes multiorgan failure (MOF). At this time, the only definitive treatment for ALF is LT but some patients, particularly APAP-induced ALF patients, may have ongoing regenerative capacity of the liver and may not require LT with ongoing supportive management. As a result, extracorporeal liver support (ECLS) has been a topic of interest both as a bridge to LT and as a bridge to spontaneous recovery and aims to remove damaging toxins that further aggravate liver failure, stimulate regeneration of the liver, and improve pathophysiologic consequences of liver failure.

Enhanced iodinated disinfection byproducts formation in iodide/iodate-containing water undergoing UV-chloramine sequential disinfection: Machine learning-aided identification of reaction mechanisms.

Restricted to the complex nature of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in various aquatic environments, the mechanisms of enhanced iodinated disinfection byproducts (I-DBPs) formation in water containing both I and IO (designated as I/IO in this study) during the ultraviolet (UV)-chloramine sequential disinfection process remains unclear. In this study, four machine learning (ML) models were established to predict I-DBP formation by using DOM and disinfection features as input variables. Extreme gradient boosting (XGB) algorithm outperformed the others in model development using synthetic waters and in cross-dataset generalization of surface waters.

Increased Infectious Risk Donor Status and Equity-Relevant Predictors of Organ Donation Organization Approach and Caregiver Consent for Deceased Organ Donation in a Canadian Province (2015-2021).

Background: Current donor risk assessments to identify risk of infectious transmission through transplantation have been criticized as unnecessarily discriminatory for sexual and gender minorities. Little is known about how increased infectious risk donor (IIRD) patients transition through the deceased donation system. We sought to evaluate how IIRD status and other equity-relevant identities impacted the likelihood of a caregiver of a deceased donor being approached for organ donation and the likelihood of caregiver consent.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation vs cardiopulmonary bypass in lung transplantation: an updated meta-analysis.

Aim: This meta-analysis aimed to compare the outcomes of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in lung transplantation.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases for studies comparing ECMO to CPB in lung transplantation. Odds ratios (ORs) for binary endpoints and mean differences (MDs) for continuous outcomes were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Feedback Survey for an Online Learning Module: Developing and Validating a Scale to Measure Nursing Students' Self-Assessed Knowledge and Perceptions of Older People and Confidence in Working With Them.

Purpose: To determine if an online learning module on older people's care improved nursing students' self-assessed knowledge, and perceptions of older people, we developed a brief Feedback Survey. The aim of this study was to examine the internal consistency (a type of reliability) and construct validity of the feedback survey.

Design And Methods: Secondary analysis of data from the Awakening Canadian's to Ageism and McCalla e-learning intervention studies for postsecondary nursing students.

Clinically relevant evaluation of the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of nanocrystalline and nanomolecular silver.

Burns and chronic wounds present significant challenges in wound management due to risks of infection, excessive inflammation, and prolonged healing. Silver-based treatments have long been central to burn care, but limitations have prompted the exploration of nanocrystalline silver as an alternative, with its nanoscale properties offering distinct benefits. This paper reviews the structure, properties, mechanisms of action, and clinical applications of nanocrystalline silver in burn and general wound management, with particular emphasis on how wound healing processes inform the application of these dressings.

Size threshold as a risk for malignant transformation in typical ovarian dermoid lesions: a scoping review.

Purpose: The O-RADS malignancy risk stratification of typical ovarian dermoid cysts by using a 10 cm threshold is based on expert consensus rather than analysis of objective clinical data. This comprehensive scoping review consolidated all currently available studies evaluating typical benign ovarian dermoid cyst size and risk for malignant transformation.

Methods: A systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and the Cochrane library was performed from inception to January 14, 2024, using PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Randomized trial investigating the utility of a liver tissue transcriptional biomarker in identifying adult liver transplant recipients not requiring maintenance immunosuppression.

The maintenance of stable allograft status in the absence of immunosuppression, known as operational tolerance, can be achieved in a small proportion of liver transplant recipients, but we lack reliable tools to predict its spontaneous development. We conducted a prospective, multi-center, biomarker-strategy design, immunosuppression withdrawal clinical trial to determine the utility of a predictive biomarker of operational tolerance. The biomarker test, originally identified in a patient cohort with high operational tolerance prevalence, consisted of a 5-gene transcriptional signature measured in liver tissue collected before initiating immunosuppression weaning.

Roles for Siglec-glycan interactions in regulating immune cells.

Cell surface complex carbohydrates, known as glycans, are positioned to be the first point of contact between two cells. Indeed, interactions between glycans with glycan-binding can modulate cell-cell interactions. This concept is particularly relevant for immune cells, which use an array of glycan-binding proteins to help in the process of differentiating 'self' from 'non-self'.

A national cross-sectional survey of health literacy of caregivers attending Canadian pediatric emergency departments.

Background: Health literacy assessment is key to better meeting family needs and developing informed strategies to promote positive health outcomes for children. The objective of this study was to describe the health literacy of caregivers who use Canadian pediatric emergency departments and relate it to demographic and visit-specific variables.

Methods: This study utilized a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design with medical record review.

Disparities in kidney care in vulnerable populations: A multinational study from the ISN-GKHA.

Vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, children, displaced people, and refugees, often encounter challenges in accessing healthcare. In this study, we used data from the third iteration of the International Society of Nephrology Global Kidney Health Atlas (ISN-GKHA) to describe kidney care access and delivery to vulnerable populations across countries and regions. Using data from an international survey of clinicians, policymakers, and patient advocates, we assessed the funding and coverage of vulnerable populations on all aspects of kidney replacement therapies (KRT).

Effectiveness of pharmacological therapies for fibromyalgia syndrome in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews.

Objectives: To summarise and evaluate Cochrane reviews of pharmacological therapies for adults with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) pain.

Methods: Systematic search of Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to May 2024. Generic quality assessment used AMSTAR-2 criteria, validity checks of potentially critical factors in evaluation of analgesic efficacy, and assessment of susceptibility of results to publication bias.

Reliability and applicability of angiographic outcome scales in WEB device-treated aneurysms: a systematic review.

Purpose: Various angiographic assessment scales have been used to report the results of endovascular treatment with the WEB device. We aimed to review the use and reliability of these scales.

Methods: We systematically reviewed studies reporting angiographic outcomes of WEB-treated aneurysms from January 2010 to May 2023.

The mammalian locomotor CPG: Revealing the contents of the black box.

It has long been known that a neural circuit situated in the spinal cord of mammals is independently capable of generating and modulating locomotor movements. Following its initial discovery over a century ago, a great deal of research has been focused on characterizing this neural circuit to determine how it is able to elicit movement. For much of the 20th century difficulty identifying individual component interneurons that comprised this neural circuit resulted in it being considered a powerful but mysterious "black box".

Longitudinal Associations Between Movement Behaviours and Development Among Infants Using Compositional Data Analysis.

Background: The study examined the longitudinal associations of sleep time, restrained time, back time and tummy time with development in a sample of infants using compositional data analysis.

Methods: Participants were a subsample of 93 parent-infant dyads from the Early Movers project in Edmonton, Canada. Parents completed a 3-day time-use diary at 2, 4 and 6 months of age.

The effects of exercise on anxiety and depression in adults with cancer: A meta-review of meta-analyses.

Background: This meta-review aimed to synthesize the evidence of the effects of exercise on anxiety and depression symptoms amongst adults with cancer, and cancer-survivors, comparing effects sizes between meta-analysis.

Methods: Major databases were searched up to February 9, 2024 for meta-analyses evaluating the effects of exercise, using anxiety and/or depression scales. Effect size (ES) values were calculated as standardized differences in the means and expressed as the Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) with the 95% confidence interval (95%CI).

Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous Thrombolysis by Infarct Type in Patients with No Visible Occlusion: A Secondary Analysis of the AcT Trial.

Background: About 25% of patients with acute ischemic stroke have lacunar infarct on follow-up imaging. In this secondary analysis from the AcT (Alteplase Compared With Tenecteplase) trial, we assessed if there is variation in safety or efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis by infarct type in patients with no visible occlusion. We also determined if this effect differed between tenecteplase and alteplase.

Digital knowledge translation tools for sexual and reproductive health information to adolescents: an evidence gap-map.

Background: Digital knowledge translation (KT) interventions play a crucial role in advancing adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH). Despite the extensive literature on their effectiveness, there's a lack of synthesized evidence on the efficacy of digital KT tools for adolescent ASRH globally.

Objectives: This review aimed to systematically identify and map existing empirical evidence on digital KT tools targeting ASRH outcomes and identify research gaps.

Large Language Models in the Diagnosis of Hand and Peripheral Nerve Injuries: An Evaluation of ChatGPT and the Isabel Differential Diagnosis Generator.

Purpose: Tools using artificial intelligence may help reduce missed or delayed diagnoses and improve patient care in hand surgery. This study aimed to compare and evaluate the performance of two natural language processing programs, Isabel and ChatGPT-4, in diagnosing hand and peripheral nerve injuries from a set of clinical vignettes.

Methods: Cases from a virtual library of hand surgery case reports with no history of trauma or previous surgery were included in this study.

The role of CYP-sEH derived lipid mediators in regulating mitochondrial biology and cellular senescence: implications for the aging heart.

Cellular senescence is a condition characterized by stable, irreversible cell cycle arrest linked to the aging process. The accumulation of senescent cells in the cardiac muscle can contribute to various cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Telomere shortening, epigenetic modifications, DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress are known contributors to the onset of cellular senescence in the heart.

Late-Stage Reshaping of Phage-Displayed Libraries to Macrocyclic and Bicyclic Landscapes using a Multipurpose Linchpin.

Genetically encoded libraries (GEL) are increasingly being used for the discovery of ligands for "undruggable" targets that cannot be addressed with small molecules. Foundational GEL platforms like phage-, yeast-, ribosome-, and mRNA-display have enabled the display of libraries composed of 20 natural amino acids (20AA). Unnatural amino acids (UAA) and chemical post-translational modification (cPTM) expanded GEL beyond the 20AA space to yield unnatural linear, cyclic, and bicyclic peptides.

Rhabdoid Tumor of the Kidney and Soft Tissues: Results from National Wilms Tumor Study-5 and Children's Oncology Group Study AREN0321.

Purpose: National Wilms Tumor Study-5 (NWTS-5) and AREN0321 evaluated the outcomes of children with rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (RTK) and malignant rhabdoid tumor of soft tissues (MRT).

Patients And Methods: Eligible patients with RTK were enrolled prospectively on NWTS-5 (1995-2002) and treated with carboplatin and etoposide alternating with cyclophosphamide (Regimen RTK). Patients with RTK or MRT were enrolled on AREN0321 (2005-2012) and received vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide alternating with carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide (Regimens UH-1 or dose-reduced Revised UH-1).

Introduction to immunology and immune disorders.

The body has a collection of physical barriers to prevent infection, but once these are overcome, we rely on our immune systems to protect us against a wide variety of infections. The complex mechanisms through which this is achieved are grouped into two lines of defense called the "innate" and "adaptive" immune systems. The innate immune system provides a rapid and tailored response to infection or injury often associated with inflammation.