| impact of maternal metabolic abnormalities in pregnancy on human milk and subsequent infant metabolic development: methodology and design. | childhood obesity is on the rise and is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes later in life. recent evidence indicates that abnormalities that increase risk for diabetes may be initiated early in infancy. since the offspring of women with diabetes have an increased long-term risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes, the impact of maternal metabolic abnormalities on early nutrition and infant metabolic trajectories is of considerable interest. human breast milk, the preferred food during infancy, c ... | 2010 | 20925937 |
| severe human rhinovirus outbreak associated with fatalities in a long-term care facility in ontario, canada. | | 2010 | 20929481 |
| context counts: training health workers in and for rural and remote areas. | access to well trained and motivated health workers is the major rural health issue. without local access, it is unlikely that people in rural and remote communities will be able to achieve the millennium development goals. studies in many countries have shown that the three factors most strongly associated with entering rural practice are: (i) a rural background; (ii) positive clinical and educational experiences in rural settings as part of undergraduate medical education; and (iii) targeted t ... | 2010 | 20931063 |
| cigarette smoking, genetic variants in carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, and colorectal cancer risk. | the risk of colorectal cancer associated with smoking is unclear and may be influenced by genetic variation in enzymes that metabolize cigarette carcinogens. the authors examined the colorectal cancer risk associated with smoking and 26 variants in carcinogen metabolism genes in 1,174 colorectal cancer cases and 1,293 population-based controls recruited in canada by the ontario familial colorectal cancer registry from 1997 to 2001. adjusted odds ratios were calculated by multivariable logistic r ... | 2010 | 20937634 |
| genome-wide association analysis identifies three psoriasis susceptibility loci. | we carried out a meta-analysis of two recent psoriasis genome-wide association studies with a combined discovery sample of 1,831 affected individuals (cases) and 2,546 controls. one hundred and two loci selected based on p value rankings were followed up in a three-stage replication study including 4,064 cases and 4,685 controls from michigan, toronto, newfoundland and germany. in the combined meta-analysis, we identified three new susceptibility loci, including one at nos2 (rs4795067, combined ... | 2010 | 20953189 |
| hyperfiltration affects accuracy of creatinine egfr measurement. | surrogate markers such as creatinine, cystatin c (cysc), and beta trace protein (btp) have been used to estimate gfr (egfr). the accuracy of egfr may be altered with hyperfiltration and differences in filtration fraction (ff). it is hypothesized that the accuracy of creatinine for egfr may be affected by hyperfiltration and different effective renal plasma flow (erpf). | 2010 | 20966120 |
| the potential for zoonotic transmission of giardia duodenalis and cryptosporidium spp. from beef and dairy cattle in ontario, canada. | the objective of this study was to compare the occurrence and the genotypes and species of giardia duodenalis and cryptosporidium spp. in beef and dairy cattle from farms in the regional municipality of waterloo, ontario, in an effort to determine the potential for zoonotic transmission from these animals. pooled manure samples were collected from 45 dairy cattle farms and 30 beef cattle farms. the presence of giardia cysts and cryptosporidium oocysts was determined by immunofluorescence microsc ... | 2010 | 20971563 |
| the quality of life and health utility burden of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in children. | in this study we 1) measured the impact of juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis on health-related quality of life, voice-related quality of life, and family psychosocial well-being; and 2) compared these different measures, exploring their intercorrelation and their correlation with clinical disease severity. | 2010 | 20974340 |
| transmission of influenza a pandemic (h1n1) 2009 virus in a long-term care facility in ontario, canada. | | 2010 | 21029007 |
| communication errors in dispatch of air medical transport. | communication errors are a source of preventable medical errors. in high-risk health care settings, identifying the source and addressing root causes can reduce error and improve patient safety. while air medical transport is a high-risk setting, its sources and rates of error have been investigated only within the last several years. | 2010 | 21034233 |
| co-creating a psychiatric resident program with ethiopians, for ethiopians, in ethiopia: the toronto addis ababa psychiatry project (taapp). | globalization in medical education often means a "brain drain" of desperately needed health professionals from low- to high-income countries. despite the best intentions, partnerships that simply transport students to western medical schools for training have shockingly low return rates. ethiopia, for example, has sent hundreds of physicians abroad for specialty training over the past 30 years, the vast majority of whom have not returned. this represents a highly problematic net transfer of fina ... | 2010 | 21041465 |
| influenza vaccination and all-cause mortality in community-dwelling elderly in ontario, canada, a cohort study. | the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of influenza vaccines in reducing all-cause mortality among community-dwelling elderly. we included 25,922 ontario residents over age 65 who responded to population health surveys. after full adjustment, influenza vaccination was associated with a statistically significant reduction in all-cause mortality during influenza seasons (hazard ratio (hr)=0.61; 95% ci 0.47-0.79). contrary to expectations, statistically significant associatio ... | 2010 | 21044667 |
| clostridium difficile in vegetables, canada. | clostridium difficile is an important gastrointestinal pathogen of humans and animals. it has been isolated from various foods, including meat and ready-to-eat salads, and concern has been expressed regarding food as a possible source of human c. difficile infection (cdi). | 2010 | 21069911 |
| canadian integrated program for antimicrobial resistance surveillance (cipars) farm program: results from finisher pig surveillance. | in 2006, the canadian integrated program for antimicrobial resistance surveillance (cipars) farm program was implemented in sentinel grower-finisher swine herds in québec, ontario, manitoba, saskatchewan and alberta. herds were visited 1-3 times annually. faecal samples were collected from pens of close-to-market (ctm) weight (>80 kg) pigs and antimicrobial use (amu) data were collected via questionnaires. samples were cultured for generic escherichia coli and salmonella and tested for antimicro ... | 2010 | 21083820 |
| distribution of selected virulence genes and antibiotic resistance in enterococcus species isolated from the south nation river drainage basin, ontario, canada. | isolate and characterize water enterococci from the south nation river drainage basin, an area dominated by agriculture. | 2010 | 21091592 |
| the relationship between temperature and ambulance response calls for heat-related illness in toronto, ontario, 2005. | background concern over the adverse effects of heat on human health has led to numerous studies assessing the relationship between heat and mortality. few studies have quantified the impact of heat on morbidity, including ambulance response calls. this study describes the association between temperature and ambulance response calls for heat-related illness (hri) in toronto, ontario, canada during the summer of 2005. methods data sources included daily temperature, relative humidity and humidex i ... | 2010 | 21097937 |
| respiratory virus infection and risk of invasive meningococcal disease in central ontario, canada. | in temperate climates, invasive meningococcal disease (imd) incidence tends to coincide with or closely follow peak incidence of influenza virus infection; at a seasonal level, increased influenza activity frequently correlates with increased seasonal risk of imd. | 2010 | 21103353 |
| cystatin c reduction ratio depends on normalized blood liters processed and fluid removal during hemodialysis. | a negative correlation between the weekly standard kt/v (urea) and serum cystatin c level (cysc) in functionally anephric dialysis patients has been previously demonstrated. our objective was to measure the per dialysis cysc reduction ratio (ccrr) and to compare it with other indices of dialytic functions. | 2010 | 21115625 |
| escherichia coli and selected veterinary and zoonotic pathogens isolated from environmental sites in companion animal veterinary hospitals in southern ontario. | hospital-based infection control in veterinary medicine is emerging and the role of the environment in hospital-acquired infections (hai) in veterinary hospitals is largely unknown. this study was initiated to determine the recovery of escherichia coli and selected veterinary and zoonotic pathogens from the environments of 101 community veterinary hospitals. the proportion of hospitals with positive environmental swabs were: e. coli--92%, clostridium difficile--58%, methicillin-resistant staphyl ... | 2010 | 21119862 |
| antimicrobial resistance in generic escherichia coli isolates from wild small mammals living in swine farm, residential, landfill, and natural environments in southern ontario, canada. | to assess the impacts of different types of human activity on the development of resistant bacteria in the feces of wild small mammals, we compared the prevalences and patterns of antimicrobial resistance and resistance genes in generic escherichia coli and salmonella enterica isolates from fecal samples collected from wild small mammals living in four environments: swine farms, residential areas, landfills, and natural habitats. resistance to antimicrobials was observed in e. coli isolates from ... | 2010 | 21131524 |
| pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema associated with pandemic (h1n1) influenza in three children. | | 2010 | 21135087 |
| cytotoxic and proinflammatory effects of ambient and source-related particulate matter (pm) in relation to the production of reactive oxygen species (ros) and cytokine adsorption by particles. | the composition of airborne particulate matter (pm) varies widely depending on its source, and recent studies have suggested that particle-associated adverse health effects are related to particle composition. the objective of this study was to compare the biological/toxicological effects of different source-related pm. specifically, we investigated the biological/toxicological effects of standard reference materials (srms): non-ferrous dust (pd-1, industrial), urban pm (upm, srm1648a), and dies ... | 2010 | 21142797 |
| enhancing effects of adjuvanted 2009 pandemic h1n1 influenza a vaccine on memory b-cell responses in hiv-infected individuals. | to assess the humoral immune response to low-dose as03-adjuvanted and standard-dose nonadjuvanted 2009 pandemic h1n1 influenza a vaccine in hiv-infected aviremic individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy and in uninfected individuals. | 2011 | 21157297 |
| immunohistochemical staining for smoothelin in the duplicated versus the true muscularis mucosae of barrett esophagus. | the muscularis mucosa underlying the metaplastic mucosa of barrett esophagus is frequently duplicated, with an intervening layer of lamina propria between the superficial or neomuscularis mucosa (nmm) and the deep/true muscularis mucosa (tmm). this duplication causes difficulties with accurate staging of superficially invasive carcinoma in biopsy specimens and endoscopic mucosal resections (emrs), as invasion underneath the superficial muscle layers may be mistaken for submucosal invasion. mucos ... | 2011 | 21164287 |
| the better beginnings, better futures project: findings from grade 3 to grade 9. | although comprehensive and ecological approaches to early childhood prevention are commonly advocated, there are few examples of long-term follow-up of such programs. in this monograph, we investigate the medium- and long-term effects of an ecological, community-based prevention project for primary school children and families living in three economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in ontario, canada. the better beginnings, better futures (bbbf) project is one of the most ambitious canadian res ... | 2010 | 21198651 |
| genetic variation in the kiaa0319 5' region as a possible contributor to dyslexia. | reading disabilities (rd) have been linked and associated with markers on chromosome 6p with results from multiple independent samples pointing to kiaa0319 as a risk gene and specifically, the 5' region of this gene. here we focus genetic studies on a 2.3 kb region spanning the predicted promoter, the first untranslated exon, and part of the first intron, a region we identified as a region of open chromatin. using dna from probands with rd, we screened for genetic variants and tested select vari ... | 2011 | 21207242 |
| factors related to campylobacter spp. carriage in client-owned dogs visiting veterinary clinics in a region of ontario, canada. | summaryfrom july 2008 until may 2009, 240 client-owned pet dogs from seven veterinary clinics in the region of waterloo, ontario, canada participated in a study to determine pet-related management factors that may be associated with the presence of campylobacter spp. in dogs. the prevalence of campylobacter spp. carriage in our study population of pet dogs was 22%, with 19% of the dogs positive for c. upsaliensis, and 3% positive for c. jejuni. a significant risk factor from multivariable logist ... | 2011 | 21208515 |
| analytical and clinical validation of novel real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays for the clinical detection of swine-origin h1n1 influenza viruses. | during the early stages of the 2009/2010 swine-origin h1n1 influenza a (s-oiv h1n1 flua) outbreak, the development and validation of sensitive and specific detection methods were a priority for rapid and accurate diagnosis. between may and june 2009, 2 real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rrt-pcr) assays targeting the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of the s-oiv h1n1 flua virus were developed. these assays are highly specific, showing no cross-reactivity against a pan ... | 2011 | 21251560 |
| source, concentration, and distribution of elemental mercury in the atmosphere in toronto, canada. | atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury [gem] at 1.8, 4, and 59 m above ground, in parking lots, and in indoor and outdoor air was measured in toronto city, canada from may 2008-july 2009. the average gem value at 1.8 m was 1.89 ± 0.62 ng m(-3). the gem values increased with elevation. the average gem in underground parking lots ranged from 1.37 to 7.86 ng m(-3) and was higher than those observed from the surface parking lots. the gem in the indoor air ranged from 1.21 to 28.50 ng m(-3), was highe ... | 2011 | 21251742 |
| neuraminidase-inhibitor resistance testing for pandemic influenza a (h1n1) 2009 in ontario, canada. | oseltamivir resistance-associated h275y mutation in the neuraminidase (na) gene of pandemic influenza a (h1n1) 2009 was occasionally reported worldwide during the 2009-2010 influenza season. a significant proportion of those were found in immunocompromised or severely ill persons. this phenomenon remains infrequent and clear recommendations for resistance testing are lacking. | 2011 | 21251873 |
| dietary exposure of pbdes resulting from a subsistence diet in three first nation communities in the james bay region of canada. | concerns regarding the persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and adverse health effects of polybrominated dipheyl ethers (pbdes) have recently come to light. pbdes may potentially be of concern to indigenous (first nations) people of canada who subsist on traditional foods, but there is a paucity of information on this topic. | 2011 | 21255843 |
| least-cost transportation networks predict spatial interaction of invasion vectors. | human-mediated dispersal among aquatic ecosystems often results in biotic transfer between drainage basins. such activities may circumvent biogeographic factors, with considerable ecological, evolutionary, and economic implications. however, the efficacy of predictions concerning community changes following inter-basin movements are limited, often because the dispersal mechanism is poorly understood (e.g., quantified only partially). to date, spatial-interaction models that predict the movement ... | 2010 | 21265458 |
| natural history of pandemic h1n1 2009 influenza infection in healthy pediatric outpatients. | the pandemic influenza h1n1 2009 (ph1n1) virus is expected to remain a prominent circulating strain in the current and subsequent influenza seasons. the objective of this study was to compare the clinical course of infection with laboratory-confirmed ph1n1 and seasonal influenza a and b in a cohort of previously healthy children managed in the outpatient setting without antiviral therapy. | 2011 | 21272826 |
| disinfection byproducts in canadian provinces: associated cancer risks and medical expenses. | chlorination for drinking water forms various disinfection byproducts (dbps). some dbps are probably linked to human cancer (e.g., bladder, colorectal cancers) and other chronic and sub-chronic effects. this emphasizes the need to understand and characterize dbps in drinking water and possible risks to human health. in this study, occurrences of dbps throughout canada were investigated. trihalomethanes (thms) were observed to be highest in manitoba followed by nova scotia and saskatchewan, while ... | 2011 | 21292392 |
| effectiveness of as03 adjuvanted pandemic h1n1 vaccine: case-control evaluation based on sentinel surveillance system in canada, autumn 2009. | to assess the effectiveness of the pandemic influenza a/h1n1 vaccine used in canada during autumn 2009. | 2011 | 21292718 |
| promoter methylation of wnt antagonists dkk1 and sfrp1 is associated with opposing tumor subtypes in two large populations of colorectal cancer patients. | aberrant activation of canonical wnt signaling is a hallmark event in colorectal carcinogenesis. the dickkopf-1 (dkk1) and secreted frizzled related protein 1 (sfrp1) genes encode extracellular inhibitors of wnt signaling that are frequently silenced by promoter hypermethylation in colorectal cancer (crc). these methylation events have been identified as prognostic markers of patient outcome and tumor subtype in several cancers but similar roles in crc have not been comprehensively examined. in ... | 2011 | 21304055 |
| knowledge-to-action processes in shrtn collaborative communities of practice: a study protocol. | | 2011 | 21310083 |
| predictors of pandemic influenza infection in adults presenting to two urban emergency departments, toronto, 2009. | identifying features that differentiate patients with h1n1 influenza infection from those with other conditions may assist clinical decision making during waves of pandemic influenza activity. | 2011 | 21324291 |
| emsy and ccnd1 amplification in familial breast cancer: from the ontario site of the breast cancer family registry. | emsy is a putative oncogene amplified in a minority of breast carcinomas, its protein product interacts with and transcriptionally silences brca2. we hypothesized that breast tumors from brca2 mutation carriers would be less likely than other familial breast cancers to exhibit emsy amplification. as emsy is located on 11q13 in proximity to ccnd1, an established breast cancer oncogene, we also examined the amplification of ccnd1 in the same tumor cohort. amplification of emsy and ccnd1 were exami ... | 2011 | 21327470 |
| automated mortality surveillance in south-eastern ontario for pandemic influenza preparedness. | the recent canadian experience with pandemic h1n1 (ph1n1) influenza in 2009 highlighted the need for enhanced surveillance at local and regional levels to support evidence-based decision making by physicians and public health. we describe the rationale, methodology, and provide preliminary findings from the implementation of an automated mortality surveillance system (mss) in the kingston, frontenac and lennox & addington (kfl&a) health unit. | 2010 | 21370781 |
| postgraduate specialty training in northeastern ontario and subsequent practice location. | physician specialists are under-represented in communities in northern ontario, even in larger communities of approximately 100 000 population. the positive association between postgraduate training in northern or rural areas and eventual practice in these locations has been well documented in the literature, but only for family medicine/general practice. few, if any, studies have explored the association for other specialties. the objective of this study was to determine if there was an associa ... | 2011 | 21381861 |
| from evidence and principle to policy and practice: proceedings from the 2nd annual symposium on hiv, law and human rights. | from 10-12 june 2010, the 2nd symposium on hiv, law and human rights took place in toronto and drew close to 200 participants from canada and some international guests. the event built on the success of the inaugural symposium in 2009, bringing together researchers, community-based organizations and members, lawyers, policy-makers, students in various disciplines and others in pursuit of evidence- and human rights-based public policies relating to hiv prevention and treatment. | 2010 | 21413637 |
| gallbladder disease in northwestern ontario: the case for canada's first rural ercp program. | the rate of cholecystectomy in northwestern ontario is double the provincial rate. this paper explores the demographics of cholecystectomy and the role for rural endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ercp) services in the central part of this region. | 2011 | 21453605 |
| regional effects on the mental health of immigrant children: results from the new canadian children and youth study (nccys). | children in immigrant families from hong kong, mainland china, and the philippines living in toronto and montreal are at higher risk of emotional problems than children in immigrant families in winnipeg, calgary, edmonton, and vancouver (beiser et al., 2010). the current publication explores human capital, social capital, institutional receptivity, and perceptions of welcome as explanations for regional disparities. parent's lack of linguistic fluency, and depressive symptoms provided the most l ... | 2011 | 21463966 |
| dispersal of mycobacterium tuberculosis via the canadian fur trade. | patterns of gene flow can have marked effects on the evolution of populations. to better understand the migration dynamics of mycobacterium tuberculosis, we studied genetic data from european m. tuberculosis lineages currently circulating in aboriginal and french canadian communities. a single m. tuberculosis lineage, characterized by the ds6(quebec) genomic deletion, is at highest frequency among aboriginal populations in ontario, saskatchewan, and alberta; this bacterial lineage is also domina ... | 2011 | 21464295 |
| use of letrozole challenge test to adjust gonadotropin dose in non-down-regulated cycles. | the use of a letrozole challenge test to predict ovarian response is described. the authors show that a ratio of cycle day 7 to cycle day 3 post-letrozole fsh level >1.5 is associated with poor ovarian response. | 2011 | 21481375 |
| does user-centred design affect the efficiency, usability and safety of cpoe order sets? | application of user-centred design principles to computerized provider order entry (cpoe) systems may improve task efficiency, usability or safety, but there is limited evaluative research of its impact on cpoe systems. | 2011 | 21486886 |
| assessing secondary attack rates among household contacts at the beginning of the influenza a (h1n1) pandemic in ontario, canada, april-june 2009: a prospective, observational study. | abstract: | 2011 | 21492445 |
| gotflu channel: an online syndromic surveillance tool supporting college health practice and public health work. | develop a tool to ease the burden of h1n1 influenza on a campus clinic by promoting self-care, generating medical notes, and identifying vulnerable students. | 2011 | 21500061 |
| beta-blockade restores muscle sympathetic rhythmicity in human heart failure. | background: muscle sympathetic nerve firing rate increases as chronic heart failure (chf) progresses, yet its oscillation, particularly within the frequency range encompassing 0.13hz, diminishes. the current study tested the hypothesis that chronic therapy with lipophilic β-adrenoceptor antagonists augments the modulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activity variability (msnav) at this frequency range. methods and results: in 21 chf angiotensin converting enzyme (ace) inhibitor-treated patients ... | 2011 | 21519151 |
| modelling sediment-microbial dynamics in the south nation river, ontario, canada: towards the prediction of aquatic and human health risk. | runoff from agricultural watersheds can carry a number of agricultural pollutants and pathogens; often associated with the sediment fraction. deposition of this sediment can impact water quality and the ecology of the river, and the re-suspension of such sediment can become sources of contamination for reaches downstream. in this paper a modelling framework to predict sediment and associated microbial erosion, transport and deposition is proposed for the south nation river, ontario, canada. the ... | 2011 | 21558043 |
| estimating background rates of guillain-barre syndrome in ontario in order to respond to safety concerns during pandemic h1n1/09 immunization campaign. | abstract: background: the province of ontario, canada initiated mass immunization clinics with adjuvanted pandemic h1n1 influenza vaccine in october 2009. due to the campaign's scale, temporal associations with guillain-barre syndrome (gbs) and vaccination were expected. the objectives of this analysis were to estimate the number of background gbs cases expected to occur in the projected vaccinated population and to estimate the number of additional gbs cases which would be expected if an associ ... | 2011 | 21586163 |
| nocturnal hemodialysis is associated with restoration of early-outgrowth endothelial progenitor-like cell function. | summary background and objectives angiogenesis is a key response to tissue ischemia that may be impaired by uremia. although early-outgrowth endothelial progenitor-like cells promote angiogenesis in the setting of normal renal function, cells from uremic patients are dysfunctional. when compared with conventional hemodialysis, it was hypothesized that nocturnal hemodialysis would improve the in vivo angiogenic activity of these cells in a well described model of ischemic vascular disease. design ... | 2011 | 21597025 |
| on-farm study of human contact networks to document potential pathways for avian influenza transmission between commercial poultry farms in ontario, canada. | human movements associated with poultry farming create contact networks that might facilitate transmission of avian influenza (ai) between farms during outbreaks. in canada, no information is available about how these networks connect poultry farms. the purpose of this study was to document human contacts between commercial poultry farms in ontario, canada, to learn how ai might be transmitted during outbreaks. we used face-to-face interviews with people entering the farm biosecurity perimeter o ... | 2011 | 21624106 |
| nursing inputs and outcomes of hospital care: an empirical analysis of ontario's acute-care hospitals. | the authors analyze the association between intensity of nursing care (as measured by nursing hours per patient day), hospital bed days, and patient outcomes in acute-care hospitals in the province of ontario, canada, to determine whether higher levels of nursing inputs are associated with shorter lengths of stay (los) and, if so, whether these shorter los are achieved at the expense of health outcomes. after controlling for supply of nurses, workload, community characteristics, and hospital typ ... | 2011 | 21661620 |
| human maternal and umbilical cord blood concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers. | polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbdes), widely used as flame retardants in commercial products, have become ubiquitous environmental contaminants. although adult human exposure to pbdes is well documented, developmental exposure is less well characterized. the objectives of this study were to measure maternal and fetal exposure to nine pbde congeners and to investigate potential associations with birth weight. pbde congeners were quantified in maternal serum at 24-28weeks of pregnancy, delivery, ... | 2011 | 21663933 |
| stakeholders' perceptions of programme sustainability: findings from a community-based fall prevention programme. | objectives: sustainability of health promotion and injury prevention programmes is a goal of practitioners and an increasingly common requirement of funding bodies. however, less is known about the views held by individual stakeholders involved in such programmes regarding their perceptions of facilitators and barriers to achieving sustainability. this paper aims to share the perceptions of programme sustainability held by key stakeholders involved in a community-based fall prevention programme ... | 2011 | 21802700 |
| evaluation of a clinical decision support tool for osteoporosis disease management: protocol for an interrupted time series design. | abstract: background: osteoporosis affects over 200 million people worldwide at a high cost to healthcare systems. although guidelines on assessing and managing osteoporosis are available, many patients are not receiving appropriate diagnostic testing or treatment. findings from a systematic review of osteoporosis interventions, a series of mixed-methods studies, and advice from experts in osteoporosis and human-factors engineering were used collectively to develop a multicomponent tool (targete ... | 2011 | 21781318 |
| h1n1 in pregnancy: a tertiary care centre experience. | objective: to elucidate factors pertinent to the course and outcome of h1n1 infection in pregnancy. methods: we conducted a retrospective chart review of h1n1-affected pregnant patients at mount sinai hospital in toronto, ontario. all women who tested positive for h1n1 from june 1, 2009, to december 5, 2009, were identified. records were reviewed to determine pregnancy status. information from clinic and hospital charts of pregnant patients was gathered using data collection forms previously app ... | 2011 | 21749745 |
| court of appeal reaffirms long-term income support for alcohol and drug dependence. | on 16 september 2010, the ontario court of appeal upheld a decision of the social benefits tribunal that found discriminatory the exclusion from long-term income support of people suffering from alcohol or drug dependency. | 2011 | 21688710 |
| unfractionated heparin for second trimester placental insufficiency: a pilot randomized trial. | summary.ôçé objective:ôçéto conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial of unfractionated heparin (ufh) in women considered at high risk of placental insufficiency in the second trimester. methods:ôçéwomen with either false-positive first trimester (pregnancy-associated placental protein-a [papp-a]ôçâ<ôçâ0.35ôçâmom) or second trimester (alpha-fetoprotein [afp]ôçâ>ôçâ2.0ôçâmom, inhibinôçâ>ôçâ3.0ôçâmom, human chorionic gonadotropinôçâ>ôçâ4.0ôçâmom) serum screening tests or medical/obstetric risk f ... | 2011 | 21689371 |
| detection and characterization of giardia duodenalis and cryptosporidium spp. on swine farms in ontario, canada. | abstract as part of the c-enternet surveillance program of the public health agency of canada, 122 pooled swine manure samples from 10 farms in ontario, canada were collected and tested for giardia and cryptosporidium. giardia duodenalis cysts and cryptosporidium spp. oocysts were detected using immunofluorescence microscopy. nested-polymerase chain reaction protocols were performed to amplify the small subunit rrna gene and the +¦-giardin gene for g. duodenalis, and the small subunit rrna gene ... | 2011 | 21675863 |
| diagnostic accuracy of cystatin c-based egfr equations at different gfr levels in children. | the diagnostic accuracy of cystatin c estimated gfr (egfr) by various cystatin c equations have varied in different studies. we hypothesized that the gfr level of enrolled patients affects the diagnostic accuracy of a cystatin c equation. | 2011 | 21700821 |
| validation of case-finding algorithms derived from administrative data for identifying adults living with human immunodeficiency virus infection. | we sought to validate a case-finding algorithm for human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection using administrative health databases in ontario, canada. | 2011 | 21738786 |
| factors associated with initiation and completion of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine series in an ontario cohort of grade 8 girls. | abstract: background: although over a hundred million dollars have been invested in offering free quadrivalent human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccination to young girls in ontario, there continues to be very little information about its usage. in order to successfully guide future hpv vaccine programming, it is important to monitor hpv vaccine use and determine factors associated with use in this population. methods: linking administrative health and immunization databases, we conducted a population ... | 2011 | 21838921 |
| nurse dose: linking staffing variables to adverse patient outcomes. | inconsistent findings in more than 100 studies have made it difficult to explain how variation in nurse staffing affects patient outcomes. nurse dose, defined as the level of nurses required to provide patient care in hospital settings, draws on variables used in staffing studies to describe the influence of many staffing variables on outcomes. | 2011 | 21691239 |
| developing a strategic human resources plan for the urban angel. | in healthcare a significant portion of the budget is related to human resources. however, many healthcare organizations have yet to develop and implement a focused organizational strategy that ensures all human resources are managed in a way that best supports the successful achievement of corporate strategies. | 2011 | 21841398 |
| blood donor ban upheld. | on 8 september 2010, the ontario superior court rejected a claim that canadian blood services (cbs) is violating section 15 of the canadian charter of rights and freedoms (charter) by refusing blood donations from men who have had sex with other men (msm) since 1977. the case arose because cbs sued kyle freeman, a gay man, for lying about his sexuality on the screening questionnaire in order to give blood. | 2011 | 21688712 |
| antimicrobial resistance in campylobacter, salmonella, and escherichia coli isolated from retail grain-fed veal meat from southern ontario, canada. | this study estimated the prevalence of salmonella, campylobacter, and escherichia coli isolates in fresh retail grain-fed veal obtained in ontario, canada. the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns were examined for points of public health significance. veal samples (n = 528) were collected from february 2003 through may 2004. twenty-one salmonella isolates were recovered from 18 (4%) of 438 samples and underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing. resistance to one or more antimicr ... | 2011 | 21819650 |
| Litigating for change: proceedings from the 3rd Symposium on HIV, Law and Human Rights. Introduction. | From 9-10 June 2011, the 3rd Symposium on HIV, Law and Human Rights took place in Toronto, drawing over 150 participants from across Canada. The event built on the success of the two previous Symposia and brought together policymakers, legal professionals, health researchers, students, activists, community organizations and people living with HIV or from communities particularly affected by HIV. | 2011 | 22165282 |
| Municipal bylaw to reduce cosmetic/non-essential pesticide use on household lawns - a policy implementation evaluation. | Pesticide use on urban lawns and gardens contributes to environmental contamination and human exposure. Municipal policies to restrict use and educate households on viable alternatives deserve study. We describe the development and implementation of a cosmetic/non-essential pesticide bylaw by a municipal health department in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and assess changes in resident practices associated with bylaw implementation. | 2011 | 21867501 |
| group a streptococcus emm gene types in pharyngeal isolates, ontario, canada, 2002-2010. | group a streptococcus (gas) is a human-adapted pathogen that causes a variety of diseases, including pharyngitis and invasive infections. gas strains are categorized by variation in the nucleotide sequence of the gene (emm) that encodes the m protein. to identify the emm types of gas strains causing pharyngitis in ontario, canada, we sequenced the hypervariable region of the emm gene in 4,635 pharyngeal gas isolates collected during 2002-2010. the most prevalent emm types varied little from year ... | 2011 | 22099088 |
| Digby Leigh. | Digby Leigh was a pioneer of Canadian pediatric anesthesia. He was an outstanding man - once met, never forgotten. My only contact with him was at the First Paediatric Anaesthesia Workshop at HSC in Toronto organized by Alan Conn in 1964. He chaired a panel with Jackson Rees from Liverpool and Bob Cope, a gentlemanly senior anesthetist at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street in London. The introduction was followed by 'We are all enemies,' a sure start for a vigorous debate. Digby ... | 2011 | 21917056 |
| Some bitter-sweet reflections on the Ottawa Charter commemoration cake: a personal discourse from an Ottawa rocker. | The Ottawa Charter both gave health promotion a solid framework and health promoters an identity. Yet, health promotion has far from reached its potential in being internalized in public health politics. Advocacy for health is one of the core missions for health promotion and the 25-year celebration of the Ottawa Charter offers a free ride, instead of being a missed opportunity. WHO has not met the expectations in taking advantage of the momentum and outcomes from the long series of global healt ... | 2011 | 22080070 |
| loss of the preconditioning effect of rosuvastatin during sustained therapy: a human in vivo study. | studies have demonstrated that the acute administration of 3-hydroxy-3 methylglutaryl coenzyme a (hmg-coa) reductase inhibitors has protective effects in the setting of ischemia-reperfusion (ir). previously, we demonstrated that a single dose of rosuvastatin prevented ir-induced endothelial dysfunction in humans through a cyclooxygenase-2-dependent mechanism. whether the chronic administration of hmg-coa reductase inhibitors provides similar protection remains controversial and is unknown in hum ... | 2012 | 22003053 |
| The sound of spiritual care: music interventions in a palliative care setting. | The article describes how music has been integrated into spiritual and supportive care for palliative care patients at Brantford General Hospital (Ontario). Numerous case examples illustrate how a song or piece of music can play a vital role in the spiritual dimension of end of life care. The article expands the concept of the "living human document" by positing that a life story has an accompanying soundtrack: a musical memory and sensorial attunement that can be energized when music is offered ... | 2011 | 21919326 |
| Health Care Access and Support for Disabled Women in Canada: Falling Short of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: A Qualitative Study. | PURPOSE: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other international human rights conventions guarantee the fundamental human rights to physical, social, and psychological health. The purpose of this study was to examine whether these rights are being upheld in Canada for disabled women. METHODS: An interpretive, qualitative, focus group design was employed. Participants were women 18 to 67 years of age with a self-identified physical, sensory, cognitive, and ... | 2011 | 21968028 |
| the effects of regional angling effort, angler behavior, and harvesting efficiency on landscape patterns of overfishing. | we used a coupled social-ecological model to study the landscape-scale patterns emerging from a mobile population of anglers exploiting a spatially structured walleye (sander vitreus) fishery. we systematically examined how variations in angler behaviors (i.e., relative importance of walleye catch rate in guiding fishing site choices), harvesting efficiency (as implied by varying degrees of inverse density-dependent catchability of walleye), and angler population size affected the depletion of w ... | 2011 | 22073644 |
| Case series of fertility treatment in HIV-discordant couples (male positive, female negative): the Ontario experience. | The success of combination antiretroviral therapies for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has resulted in prolonged life expectancy (over 40 years from diagnosis) and an improved quality of life for people living with HIV. The risk of vertical HIV transmission during pregnancy has been reduced to less than 1%. As a result of these breakthroughs and as many of these individuals are of reproductive age, fertility issues are becoming increasingly important for this population. One ... | 2011 | 21969863 |
| using a genetic network to parameterize a landscape resistance surface for fishers, martes pennanti. | knowledge of dispersal-related gene flow is important for addressing many basic and applied questions in ecology and evolution. we used landscape genetics to understand the recovery of a recently expanded population of fishers (martes pennanti) in ontario, canada. an important focus of landscape genetics is modelling the effects of landscape features on gene flow. most often resistance surfaces in landscape genetic studies are built a priori based upon nongenetic field data or expert opinion. th ... | 2011 | 21883589 |
| selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and pulmonary arterial hypertension: a case-control study. | abstract background: animal and human studies suggest that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ssris) might be useful for the prevention or treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. methods: we conducted a population-based, nested case-control study to explore the hypothesis that ssris might reduce the risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension. cases were individuals who developed pulmonary arterial hypertension requiring pharmacological treatment. for each case, we selected up to 10 matc ... | 2011 | 21852294 |
| recent workshops of the hupo human plasma proteome project (hppp): a bridge with the hupo cardiovascular initiative and the emergence of srm targeted proteomics. | we hereby provide a two-year update on the hupo human plasma proteome project (hppp) informed by advances presented at the hppp sessions at the hupo world congresses in toronto in september 2009 and in sydney in september 2010. | 2011 | 21850651 |
| government bodies and their influence on the 2009 h1n1 health sector pandemic response in remote and isolated first nation communities of sub-arctic ontario, canada. | first nation communities were highly impacted by the 2009 h1n1 influenza pandemic. multiple government bodies (ie federal, provincial, and first nations) in canada share responsibility for the health sector pandemic response in remote and isolated first nation communities and this may have resulted in a fragmented pandemic response. this study aimed to discover if and how the dichotomy (or trichotomy) of involved government bodies led to barriers faced and opportunities for improvement during th ... | 2011 | 21863907 |
| infectious milk: issues of pathogenic certainty within ideational regimes and their biopolitical implications. | throughout the 19(th) century and early decades of the 20(th) century, milk was a dangerous food that required state intervention to make it safe. throughout this period, the germ theory of contagious disease came to prominence, but could not explicitly determine the causal relationships linking germs, milk, and human illness. using the notion of an ideational regime, i examine how (1) knowledge claims move from uncertainty to certainty and become privileged claims within ideational regimes that ... | 2011 | 22035726 |
| awareness of, usage of and willingness to use hiv pre-exposure prophylaxis among men in downtown toronto, canada. | pre-exposure prophylaxis (prep) is a promising strategy whereby hiv-uninfected people could take antiretroviral (arv) medications to reduce their risk of hiv acquisition. reports suggest that unsupervised prep use has been occurring in gay communities of usa cities before human safety and efficacy data became available. we administered a 20-item questionnaire to men undergoing hiv testing at hassle free clinic, a sexual health clinic in the gay village of toronto. questionnaire items enquired ab ... | 2011 | 22174057 |
| The 2009 H1N1 pandemic response in remote First Nation communities of Subarctic Ontario: barriers and improvements from a health care services perspective. | Objectives. To retrospectively examine the barriers faced and opportunities for improvement during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic response experienced by participants responsible for the delivery of health care services in 3 remote and isolated Subarctic First Nation communities of northern Ontario, Canada. Study design. A qualitative community-based participatory approach. Methods. Semi-directed interviews were conducted with adult key informants (n=13) using purposive sampling of participants represen ... | 2011 | 22030007 |
| From theory to practice: a Canadian case study of the utility of climate change adaptation frameworks to address health impacts. | OBJECTIVE: It is now recognized that climate change affects human health. The question is how to adapt. This article examines mainstreaming climate considerations into public health programs and the utility of climate change and health adaptation frameworks, using Ontario, Canada, as a case study. METHODS: A literature review identified climate change and health adaptation frameworks for comparison with the Ontario Public Health Standards. Key informant interviews gauged the extent to which clim ... | 2011 | 21931977 |
| Red blood cell storage lesions and related transfusion issues: a canadian blood services research and development symposium. | For centuries, man has been trying to figure out how to revive sick and traumatized individuals using fluids of various types, even from animals. In the 17th century, it was determined that blood was the best fluid to use and, in the early 1900s, after the discovery of the ABO blood groups, human blood was found to provide significant benefit for patients with shock and/or anemia. In the 1950s and 1960s, various ways to obtain, process, and store human blood were developed. It soon became appare ... | 2012 | 21871777 |
| exposure to client aggression and burnout among community staff who support adults with intellectual disabilities in ontario, canada. | background studies have shown that staff who support adults with intellectual disabilities (id) are exposed to challenging behaviour in their work including client aggression. exposure to aggressive behaviour has been associated with staff stress and burnout. study samples have been small however, and there has been very little data exploring this issue among north american staff. methods a cross-sectional survey which included demographics, measures of frequency and severity (including percei ... | 2011 | 21988339 |
| Self-reported pH1N1 influenza vaccination coverage for Ontario. | BACKGROUND: In the fall of 2009, Canada undertook a mass vaccination campaign against pH1N1. This report provides an overview of self-reported pH1N1 vaccination coverage of the Ontario population, building on an existing random digit-dialling telephone survey, in which 9,010 Ontario adults participated. Based on the results, 34.5% of Ontario residents were vaccinated: 33.3% of adults aged 18 or older and 38.6% of children and adolescents younger than age 18. Respondents reporting high-risk chron ... | 2011 | 22106787 |
| automatic detection of the onset of nursing activities using accelerometers and adaptive segmentation. | we used the recursive least squares algorithm and a predictor filter to automatically identify the start and stop times of 6 simple nursing activities. the dataset included continuous acceleration recordings obtained with a single accelerometer sensor attached to the backs of 8 nurses. the algorithm requires no training. it identifies the start and stop time of each activity when at least 2 of 3 axes show significant acceleration changes not more than a second apart. the overall accuracy of the ... | 2011 | 22027151 |
| "Time is brain": only in the acute phase of stroke? | INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: In Spain, stroke is the leading cause of death in women as well as the leading cause of disability in adults. This translates into a huge human and economic cost. In recent years there have been significant advances both in the treatment of acute stroke and in the neuro-rehabilitation process; however, it is still unclear when the best time is to initiate neurorehabilitation and what the consequences of delaying treatment are. To test the effect of a single day delay ... | 2011 | 21890240 |
| Incidental nest predation in freshwater turtles: inter- and intraspecific differences in vulnerability are explained by relative crypsis. | There has long been interest in the influence of predators on prey populations, although most predator-prey studies have focused on prey species that are targets of directed predator searching. Conversely, few have addressed depredation that occurs after incidental encounters with predators. We tested two predictions stemming from the hypothesis that nest predation on two sympatric freshwater turtle species whose nests are differentially prone to opportunistic detection-painted turtles (Chrysemy ... | 2011 | 22009341 |
| controlled blast exposure during forced explosive entry training and mild traumatic brain injury. | there is a paucity of data regarding the pathophysiology and short- and long-term neurologic consequences of primary blast injury in humans. the purpose of this investigation was to test the feasibility of implementing a research protocol in the context of a forced explosive entry training course. | 2011 | 22072006 |
| Autoantibody response to adjuvant and nonadjuvant H1N1 vaccination in systemic lupus erythematosus. | It has been reported that influenza vaccination increases autoantibody production and/or disease activity in a significant proportion of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). During the recent H1N1 epidemic, we investigated whether the use of adjuvant- and nonadjuvant-containing H1N1 vaccine induced increased autoantibody production in patients with SLE. | 2011 | 22034113 |
| bearing response-ability: theater, ethics and medical education. | this paper addresses a growing concern within the medical humanities community regarding the perceived need for a more empathically-focused medical curricula, and advocates for the use of creative pedagogical forms as a means to attend to issues of suffering and relationality. drawing from the ethical philosophy of emmanuel levinas, i critique the notion of empathy on the basis that it erases difference and disregards otherness. rather, i propose that the concept of empathy may be usefully repla ... | 2011 | 22109642 |
| Sustained hyperaemia stimulus is necessary to induce flow-mediated dilation of the human brachial artery. | We studied the relative importance of the magnitude and duration of the shear stimulus to induce flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the brachial artery of 10 healthy men by ultrasound imaging. The shear stress stimulus was induced by different durations of reactive hyperaemia following 15-min forearm occlusion. The control condition of continuous postocclusion hyperaemia was compared to 20, 40 and 60 s of reactive hyperaemia followed by reapplication of circulatory arrest for 2 min and a second cuf ... | 2011 | 21981451 |
| watershed and discharge influences on the phase distribution and tributary loading of total mercury and methylmercury into lake superior. | knowledge of the partitioning and sources of mercury are important to understanding the human impact on mercury levels in lake superior wildlife. fluvial fluxes of total mercury (hg(t)) and methylmercury (mehg) were compared to discharge and partitioning trends in 20 sub-basins having contrasting land uses and geological substrates. the annual tributary yield was correlated with watershed characteristics and scaled up to estimate the basin-wide loading. tributaries with clay sediments and agricu ... | 2011 | 22019205 |
| medical physics staffing for radiation oncology: a decade of experience in ontario, canada. | the january 2010 articles in the new york times generated intense focus on patient safety in radiation treatment, with physics staffing identified frequently as a critical factor for consistent quality assurance. the purpose of this work is to review our experience with medical physics staffing, and to propose a transparent and flexible staffing algorithm for general use. guided by documented times required per routine procedure, we have developed a robust algorithm to estimate physics staffing ... | 2012 | 22231223 |
| unrecognized risks of nickel-related respiratory cancer among canadian electrolysis workers. | objectives: nickel compounds, inclusive of water-soluble salts, have been classified as human carcinogens by the international agency for research on cancer (iarc). nickel producers have disputed the classification of soluble nickel compounds for three decades with reference to an alleged absence of excess respiratory cancer among canadian nickel-exposed electrolysis workers. we evaluated historical data from two electrolytic refineries in ontario, both included i ... | 2012 | 22258056 |