Nonregistration, Discontinuation, and Nonpublication of Randomized Trials: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Previous work found that 25% to 30% of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with protocols approved in 2012 or between 2000 and 2003 were discontinued prematurely, most commonly due to inadequate participant recruitment. To minimize research waste, RCTs should be registered and their results made available.

Objectives: To assess the fate of RCTs approved by ethics committees in 2016 in terms of nonregistration, discontinuation, and nonpublication, and to examine RCT characteristics associated with discontinuation due to poor recruitment and nonpublication of RCT results.

Automated Oral Minimal Models for Rapid Estimation of Insulin Sensitivity and Beta-Cell Responsivity in Large-Scale Data Sets: A Validation Study.

The Oral Minimal Model (OMM) analysis offers unique measures of glucose-insulin regulation during glucose challenges. However, its manual test-by-test implementation limits scalability in large studies. We introduce the Automated Oral Minimal Model (AOMM), a tool that streamlines and automates the entire OMM workflow while preserving analytical fidelity, enabling efficient batch processing of large datasets.

Bovine SNP array-based genetic assessment of American plains bison at American Prairie.

American plains bison (Bison bison bison, bison hereafter) experienced an extreme demographic bottleneck in the late 1800s. The species has since rebounded but is primarily managed as small and isolated herds due to habitat and sociopolitical limitations. Thus, reintroducing bison and allowing herds to achieve as much of their natural dynamics as possible is a major conservation goal.

Synthesis of Amphiphilic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles to Stabilize Pickering Emulsions for Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Pickering emulsions stabilized by nanoparticles offer significant potential for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Nanoparticle morphology critically governs emulsion stability. This study successfully synthesized novel amphiphilic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) modified with alkyl chains (propyl, hexyl, octyl; denoted MSNs-Cn, = 3, 6, 8) via a two-step method and systematically investigated their structure-performance relationship in stabilizing Pickering emulsions for EOR.

Health of black children and youth in canada: a scoping review.

Background: Black children and youth in Canada experience significant health inequity due to systemic racism, socioeconomic inequities, and inadequate access to culturally responsive healthcare services, affecting their overall well-being. This scoping review mapped and synthesised empirical evidence on the health of Black children and youth in Canada to inform policy and practice.

Methods: The review followed Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.

Spatial distribution and determinants of health care access barriers among female Pakistan youths: spatial and multilevel regression analysis.

Introduction: Ensuring universal access to high-quality healthcare services including services free from financial barriers, is a global priority. However, accessing healthcare services remains challenging for youth in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Pakistan. This study investigates the spatial distribution and determinants of healthcare access barriers among female youths in Pakistan.

Establishing a framework of measurement for use in Long COVID research and practice: protocol for a scoping review involving evidence review and consultation.

Introduction: Our aim is to develop a Framework of Measurement for people living with Long COVID and their caregivers for use in Long COVID research and clinical practice. Specifically, we will characterise evidence pertaining to outcome measurement and identify implementation considerations for use of outcome measures among adults and children living with Long COVID and their caregivers.

Methods And Analysis: We will conduct a scoping study involving: (1) an evidence review and (2) a two-phased consultation, using methodological steps outlined by the Arksey and O'Malley Framework and Joanna Briggs Institute.

Vericiguat in patients with chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (VICTOR): a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised, phase 3 trial.

Background: Vericiguat is indicated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalisation for heart failure in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) following a recent worsening event. The aim of the VICTOR trial was to assess the effect of vericiguat in patients with HFrEF without recent heart failure worsening.

Methods: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial, conducted at 482 sites across 36 countries, patients aged 18 years or older with HFrEF (left ventricular ejection fraction of ≤40%) without heart failure hospitalisation within 6 months or outpatient intravenous diuretic use within 3 months before randomisation were randomly assigned (1:1) using an intervention randomisation system with interactive response technology to oral vericiguat (target 10 mg dose) or matching placebo.

Vericiguat for patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction across the risk spectrum: an individual participant data analysis of the VICTORIA and VICTOR trials.

Background: Following completion of the VICTORIA trial, vericiguat was approved for the treatment of worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and received a class IIb recommendation in European and North American guidelines. The subsequent VICTOR trial evaluated the use of vericiguat in patients with HFrEF and no recent worsening. We aimed to assess the effect of vericiguat on clinical endpoints through pooled analyses of patient-level data from the VICTORIA and VICTOR trials.

Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Health Status and Long-Term Outcomes in a Primary Prevention Cohort.

Background: Poor cardiovascular health quantified by 8 health behaviors and factors is associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, it is not clear if this association differs between women and men.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine whether the association between cardiovascular health status and incident CVD events differs by sex.

The power of microbial life for the transformation towards a sustainable planet: key messages from the 2024 IUMS Congress in Florence, the city of the Renaissance.

The 2024 International Union of Microbiological Societies Congress was held in Florence, the city of Renaissance. The theme was to increase the awareness of the power of microbial life, recognizing that it can lead the transformation towards a sustainable planet. The meeting gathered over 1400 experts from more than 90 countries and focused on the transformative potential of microbiology in addressing global challenges and aligning microbial science with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Development of a core patient-centred outcome set for adults living with obesity: a modified delphi-based international consensus.

Background: Obesity is a chronic disease linked to over 200 health conditions, reduced quality of life, and increased mortality. Despite the availability of multimodal treatments, there is a lack of standardised, patient-centred outcome measures to effectively assess and improve clinical care. This project aimed to define a core set of standardised outcome measures for adults with obesity, incorporating both patient-reported and clinician-reported outcomes.

Usability testing of an individualized decision aid for total knee arthroplasty.

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), affecting over 15 % of Canadians. With an aging population and suboptimal use of non-surgical options, TKA rates and wait times are rising. Although TKA is effective, 30 % of patients are dissatisfied due to unmet expectations, suggesting some surgeries may be inappropriate.

Acquired Brown Syndrome as a Postoperative Complication of Orbital Wall Fracture Repair with Metallic Mesh.

Surgical repair of orbital fractures comes with risks. One rare risk is interference with the actions of the superior oblique tendon-muscle complex causing an acquired Brown syndrome. We present the case of a 45-year-old man who developed acquired Brown syndrome after undergoing repair of a large orbital floor and medial orbital wall fracture using a titanium mesh implant.

Expanding the use and interpretation of patient-centric cardiovascular clinical trial endpoints.

Significant improvements have been achieved to enhance the patient-centricity of clinical research, including the development and utilization of novel clinical trial endpoints. These include endpoints that harness outcomes that are important to patients and reflect the patients' lived experiences. This may take the form of utilizing variables such as days alive and out of hospital (DAOH) and quality-of-life adjusted outcomes.

Efficacy and Safety of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair with a MitraClip Device in Real-World Canadian Practice.

Background: Mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) is a treatment option for patients with symptomatic mitral regurgitation (MR). The real-world experience with M-TEER in Canada has not been reported previously.

Methods: We conducted an observational study of 1191 patients from 11 Canadian centres undergoing M-TEER with a MitraClip device (Abbott, location).

Device Therapy in Patients with Heart Failure: Is Medication Use Optimized and Are We Targeting Those Patients Most Likely to Benefit?

Background: To determine what proportion of device-eligible patients with heart failure treated in a specialized clinic are on optimal guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) at the time of device referral and their benefit-risk status.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted of all patients seen between January 2013 and August 2024. We characterized GDMT by the modified Heart Function Collaboratory score at the time of device referral and grouped patients by Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial-II (MADIT-ICD) benefit-risk score.

Uptake of novel evidence-based therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes after a cardiovascular event: insights from CANHEART.

Background: A cardiovascular (CV) hospitalization is a seminal opportunity to implement guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT). Sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RAs) can improve outcomes among those with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and CV disease.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study among patients aged ≥ 66 years with T2DM in Ontario hospitalized for a CV event (myocardial infarction, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, ischemic stroke) from June 2015 to March 2022, who were followed until March 2023.

Automated Classification of Dental Caries in Bitewing Radiographs Using Machine Learning and the ICCMS Framework.

Dental caries is considered a public health issue, with early detection being crucial for effective management. Traditional diagnostic methods, including visual examination and bitewing radiographs, are prone to interpretation variability. Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly deep learning (DL), has shown promise in improving diagnostic accuracy.

Identification of Metal-Organic Frameworks for near Practical Energy Limit CO Capture from Wet Flue Gases: An Integrated Atomistic and Process Simulation Screening of Experimental MOFs.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials have attracted significant attention as solid sorbents for low energy CO capture with adsorption-based gas separation processes. In this work, an integrated screening workflow combining a series of atomistic and process simulations was applied to identify promising MOFs for a 4-step pressure-vacuum swing adsorption (P/VSA) process at three different CO flue gas compositions (6%, 15% and 35%). Starting from 55,818 unique experimentally characterized MOFs, ∼19k porous MOFs were investigated via atomistic grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations and machine learning model-based process optimizations to accelerate the screening of a large candidate database.

Spatiotemporal coordination of reovirus peripheral core replication to perinuclear whole virus assembly.

Reoviruses coordinate their replication and assembly through intricate spatial and temporal compartmentalization within host cells. In this study, we elucidate the dynamics of mammalian orthoreovirus (reovirus) core replication and viral particle assembly. Using high-resolution immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, we tracked input cores and de novo cores, revealing that input cores initially form peripheral, OC-negative factories that migrate inward while seeding independent peripheral factories.

Genetic variation in the FMO and GSTO gene clusters impacts arsenic metabolism in humans.

Background: In Bangladesh, > 50 million individuals are chronically exposed to inorganic arsenic (iAs) through drinking water, increasing risk for cancer and other iAs-related diseases. Previous studies show that individuals' ability to metabolize and eliminate iAs, and their risk of toxicity, is influenced by genetic variation in the AS3MT and FTCD gene regions.

Methods: To identify additional loci influencing arsenic metabolism, we used data from Bangladeshi individuals to conduct genome-wide association analyses of the relative abundances of arsenic species measured in both urine (n = 6,540) and blood (n = 976).