Assessing the Risks and Cultural Relativity of Diabetes in Black Individuals of African Caribbean Ancestry (ACB) Aged 18-39 Years in Toronto.

Diabetes rates are high in Black and some other ethnic communities, often leading to more severe complications. We conducted a study to identify the prevalence and risk of diabetes among African Caribbean Black (ACB) individuals aged 18-39 and to assess the sensitivity of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) compared to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to diagnose diabetes. In this mixed-methods study, maximum variation sampling was used to recruit 272 ACB participants from fourteen African and five Caribbean countries from Toronto.

Lived Experiences of Self-Care in Older Adults with Lymphoma Undergoing Chemotherapy Treatments During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To be diagnosed and treated for cancer can be a distressing experience, and it can require individuals to engage in self-care strategies to cope with the situation. The self-care experiences of older adults with lymphoma undergoing chemotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand remain rarely studied. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of self-care among older adults with lymphoma undergoing chemotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Impact of Postoperative Prophylactic Medication on Long-Term Surgical, Severe Endoscopic and Endoscopic or Radiologic Recurrence Following Primary Ileocecal Resection in Patients With Crohn's Disease.

Background: The impact of prophylactic medication following ileocecal resection (ICR) for Crohn's disease (CD) merits further elucidation. Prophylactic medication following ileocecal resection (ICR) is recommended in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), particularly in patients at increased risk of recurrence, but the impact on long-term outcomes needs to be further elucidated.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of postoperative prophylactic medication on long-term prognosis.

Using artificial intelligence based language interpretation in non-urgent paediatric emergency consultations: a clinical performance test and legal evaluation.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of Google Translate (GT) in translating low-acuity paediatric emergency consultations involving respiratory symptoms and fever, and to examine legal and policy implications of using AI-based language interpretation in healthcare.

Methods: Based on the methodology used for conducting language performance testing routinely at the Interpreter Services Department of the Hospital for Sick Children, clinical performance testing was completed using a paediatric emergency scenario (child with respiratory illness and fever) on five languages: Spanish, French, Urdu, Arabic, and Mandarin. The study focused on GT's translation accuracy and a legal and policy evaluation regarding AI-based interpretation in healthcare was conducted by legal scholars.

Framework for types of metainferences in mixed methods research.

Background: The generation of metainferences is a core and significant feature of mixed methods research. In recent years, there has been some discussion in the literature about criteria for appraising the quality of metainferences, the processes for generating them, and the critical role that assessing the "fit" of quantitative and qualitative data and results plays in this generative process. However, little is known about the types of insights that emerge from generating metainferences.

Ten pressure points in primary care during COVID-19: findings from an international narrative review.

Background: Strong primary care (PC) services are the foundation of high-performing health care systems and can support effective responses to public health emergencies. Primary care practitioners (PCPs) and PC services played crucial roles in supporting global health system responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these contributions have come at a cost, impacting on PC services and affecting patient care.

TRIM28-dependent developmental heterogeneity determines cancer susceptibility through distinct epigenetic states.

Mutations in cancer risk genes increase susceptibility, but not all carriers develop cancer. Indeed, while DNA mutations are necessary drivers of cancer, only a small subset of mutated cells go on to cause the disease. To date, the mechanisms underlying individual cancer susceptibility remain unclear.

Biofeedback rehabilitation in patients with binocular inhibition due to macular disease.

Background: To investigate whether patients with binocular reading inhibition due to central vision loss benefit from a new biofeedback (BF) rehabilitation method that aimed at improving fixation stability and at establishing a correspondence between the monocular preferred retinal loci (PRLs) on functioning retina in both eyes.

Methods: Thirty-three patients with bilateral macular disease and with binocular reading inhibition participated in 10 training sessions consisting of 10-min visual stimulation for each eye to stabilize fixation and relocate the PRL (if needed) using the BF module of the MP-1 microperimeter (Nidek Technologies Srl., Vigonza, PD, Italy).

Mechanistic insights into Wnt-β-catenin pathway activation and signal transduction.

In multicellular organisms, Wnt proteins govern stem and progenitor cell renewal and differentiation to regulate embryonic development, adult tissue homeostasis and tissue regeneration. Defects in canonical Wnt signalling, which is transduced intracellularly by β-catenin, have been associated with developmental disorders, degenerative diseases and cancers. Although a simple model describing Wnt-β-catenin signalling is widely used to introduce this pathway and has largely remained unchanged over the past 30 years, in this Review we discuss recent studies that have provided important new insights into the mechanisms of Wnt production, receptor activation and intracellular signalling that advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie this important cell-cell communication system.

Development of a checklist for cognitive assessment requirements (CARE) based on a Delphi consensus study.

Situational factors can influence cognitive performance and should be considered for conducting cognitive assessments. The objective of this project was to develop a checklist for Cognitive Assessment Requirements (CARE) to identify these situational factors before conducting cognitive assessments and account for them. This study employed a four-round Delphi approach involving 22 experts to identify situational factors that can impact cognitive assessment results.

Pediatric COVID-19 severity by SARS-CoV-2 lineage and vaccine status in Canada: an IMPACT study.

Background: Interpretations of pediatric COVID-19 severity are complicated by novel lineages and COVID-19 vaccine introduction. We estimated the risk of severe COVID-19 by SARS-CoV-2 lineage and vaccination status among hospitalized Canadian children.

Methods: Data were collected through the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (April 2020-May 2021) and Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program, ACTive (June 2021-December 2022).

Integrative proteogenomic analysis identifies COL6A3-derived endotrophin as a mediator of the effect of obesity on coronary artery disease.

Obesity strongly increases the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, yet the underlying mediators of this relationship are not fully understood. Given that obesity strongly influences circulating protein levels, we investigated proteins mediating the effects of obesity on coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. By integrating two-step proteome-wide Mendelian randomization, colocalization, epigenomics and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified five mediators and prioritized collagen type VI α3 (COL6A3).

A Call for a Neoadjuvant Kidney Cancer Consortium: Lessons Learned from Other Cancer Types.

Neoadjuvant systemic treatment strategies have improved outcomes in several solid tumour types. This success has not yet been replicated in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A consensus and international collaboration are urgently needed for the development of adaptive perioperative immunotherapy strategies for patients with RCC at high risk of recurrence.

Diagnostic Value of Gastrin-Releasing Peptide Receptor-Targeted PET Imaging in Oncology: A Systematic Review.

Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR), overexpressed in various cancers, is a promising target for positron emission tomography (PET). This systematic review investigated the diagnostic value of GRPR-targeted PET imaging in oncology. A systematic search was conducted on major medical databases until May 23, 2024.

International benchmarking of stage at diagnosis for six childhood solid tumours (the BENCHISTA project): a population-based, retrospective cohort study.

Background: International variation in childhood cancer survival might be explained by differences in stage at diagnosis, among other factors. As part of the BENCHISTA project, we aimed to assess geographical variation in tumour stage at diagnosis through the application, by population-based cancer registries working with clinicians, of the international consensus Toronto Childhood Cancer Stage Guidelines.

Methods: This population-based, retrospective cohort study involved 67 cancer registries from 23 European countries, Australia, Brazil, Japan, and Canada.

Clinical outcomes of patients with unsuccessful mechanical thrombectomy versus best medical management of medium vessel occlusion stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory.

Background: Current randomized controlled trials are investigating the efficacy and safety of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) stroke. Whether best medical management (MM) is more efficient than unsuccessful vessel recanalization during MT remains unknown.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using data from 37 academic centers across North America, Asia, and Europe between September 2017 and July 2021.

Fingolimod and risk of skin cancer among individuals with multiple sclerosis: a population-based cohort study protocol.

Introduction: Long-term population-based safety studies, applying advanced causal inference techniques, including an active comparator with new-user design, are needed to investigate skin cancer outcomes among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with fingolimod. This study aims to describe a protocol for investigating the relationship between fingolimod use and the incidence of skin cancer among individuals with MS.

Methods And Analysis: We will use population-based administrative health data from two Canadian provinces (British Columbia and Alberta) to conduct an observational cohort 'trial emulation' study with an active comparator and new-user design.

Barriers and new opportunities in developing effective therapies for diabetic neuropathy: International expert consensus recommendations.

Background: Diabetic neuropathy (DN) affects up to half of individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Despite evidence that improving metabolic and cardiovascular health can slow its progression, DN remains a significant clinical challenge due to the lack of disease-modifying therapies and effective pain management strategies. This consensus aimed to identify gaps and recommend strategies to address these challenges.

Novel translational mouse models of Metabolic Dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease comparable to human MASLD with severe obesity.

Objective: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease, especially in patients with severe obesity. However, current mouse models for MASLD do not reflect the polygenetic background nor the metabolic changes in this population. Therefore, we investigated two novel mouse models of MASLD with a polygenetic background for the metabolic syndrome.

The association between initial defibrillation dose and outcomes following adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation: a retrospective, multi-agency study.

Introduction: Effective defibrillation is essential to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival. International guidelines recommend initial defibrillation energies between 120 and 360 Joules, which has led to widespread practice variation. Leveraging this natural experiment, we aimed to explore the association between initial defibrillation dose and outcome following OHCA.

Characterization of gene-environment interactions for vitamin D through variance quantitative trait loci: a UK Biobank-based genetic epidemiology study.

Background: Understanding gene-environment interactions associated with vitamin D status may refine nutrition and public health strategies for vitamin D deficiency. Recent methodological advances have enabled the identification of variance quantitative trait loci (vQTLs) where gene-environment interactions are enriched.

Objectives: To identify vQTLs for serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) concentrations and characterize potential gene-environment interactions of vQTLs.