Clinical and Investigative Medicine. Médecine Clinique et Experimentale

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to investigate the association of iron metabolism-related parameters with 60-day mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis. METHODS: Serum or urine concentrations of iron metabolism-related parameters on intensive care unit admission were measured in a prospective cohort of 133 eligible patients with sepsis according to the Sepsis-3 criteria, and these values were compared between survivors and nonsurvivors, categorized according to their 60-day survival status...

[Figure: see text] Dr. Natasha Kekre has been appointed to the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hematology, within the Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at The Ottawa Hospital since 2015. She is also a scientist within the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa. She completed her Bachelor's in Science at the University of Windsor then obtained her medical degree from the University of Ottawa. She trained at the University of Ottawa in Internal Medicine and Hematology, then did fellowship in stem cell transplantation at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA with a Masters in Public Health from Harvard University...

INTRODUCTION: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by low platelet counts and increased risk of bleeding. After corticosteroids with or without intravenous immune globulin (first-line treatment), second-line treatment options include rituximab, splenectomy, thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs), and fostamatinib. In Canada, the choice of second-line therapy is influenced by access to medications. The goals of this narrative review are to 1) summarize the evidence for the use of TPO-RAs and other second-line therapies in ITP and 2) highlight differences in public funding criteria for TPO-RAs across provinces and territories in Canada...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoids are often used to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the efficacy and safety of glucocorticoids in the treatment of ARDS caused by COVID-19 are still controversial; therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis of the literature on this topic. METHODS: Four databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) were searched from the establishment of the databases to August 16, 2023...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: The hyperinflammatory response is one of the main complications associated with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and there is no effective treatment for cytokine storm. Therefore, it is important to investigate the key genes associated with severity of the disease. METHODS: In this study, we used a microarray data set to analyze the key genes associated with severe illness in patients with COVID-19. The proportion of immune cells was determined using the CIBERSORT algorithm...

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a major contributor to disability and death worldwide. Studies have demonstrated that inflammasome/pyroptosis and its mediated inflammatory response are important factors aggravating brain injury after stroke. We aimed to investigate and map the knowledge structure and global trends on inflam- masome/pyroptosis in stroke. METHODS: All relevant documents were obtained from the Web of Science on 5 June 2023. Bibliometric visualization diagrams were created using VOSviewer and CiteSpace...

BACKGROUND: H19 is the first long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) found to be associated with gene imprinting. It is highly expressed in the embryonic stage and may have important regulatory effects on human embryonic development. We investigated the differences between the levels of H19 promoter DNA methylation in the chorionic villi of patients who experienced spontaneous abortion (SA) following in vitro fertilization embryo transfer (IVF-ET) and those of patients with a normal early pregnancy (NEP)...

This has been a great first half of the year for CITAC-ACCFC (Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada/Association des cliniciens-chercheurs en formation du Canada)! We are looking forward to our new members joining us in the fall and welcoming back our previous members after the summer.

The 2022 Annual Joint Meeting (AJM) and Young Investigators' Forum of the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation / Société Canadienne de recherches clinique (CSCI/SCRC) and Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada/Association des cliniciens-chercheurs en formation du Canada (CITAC/ACCFC) was held in Montréal, November 13-14, 2022. The theme of this year's AJM was "Strength in Perseverance" and focused on highlighting clinician-investigator trainee achievements and resilience in research engagement through recent challenging and unprecedented times...

PURPOSE: This research investigated the utility of a QR code-based video pharmaceutical education program to guide the proper use of the inhalation device in elderly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. METHODS: The patients were recruited for this prospective study during a COPD hospitalization, with 96 patients in the control group (CG) receiving conventional hospital care and 93 patients in the intervention group (IG) receiving QR code-based video pharmaceutical education from hospitalization to six months after discharge to improve proper utilization of inhalation technology The outcome measures used to assess the effectiveness of the education program were the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), inhaler use accuracy, inhaler technique score, Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) score and patient satisfaction...

PURPOSE: To compare uric acid levels in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP)without nephritis and with renal damage, and at different pathological grades. METHODS: A total of 451 children were enrolled in this study, including 64 with HSP without nephritis and 387 HSP with kidney damage. Age, gender, uric acid, urea, creatinine and cystatin C levels were reviewed. Pathological findings of those with renal impairment were also reviewed. RESULTS: Among the HSP children with renal damage, 44 were grade I, 167 were grade II and 176 were grade III...

Dr. Amy Metcalfe is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medicine, and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. She is also the Maternal and Child Health Program Director with the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Metcalfe's training is a perinatal epidemiologist whose research broadly focuses on the management of chronic illness during pregnancy, and how events in pregnancy impact women's health and wellbeing throughout the life course. Current major projects include co-leading the P3 Cohort study (https://p3cohort...

Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh is a Professor in the Departments of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology and of Pediatrics at University of Montreal. She is in charge of Infection Prevention and Control at CHU Sainte-Justine where she works as a pediatric infectious diseases specialist and medical microbiologist. Dr. Quach is a clinician-scientist and the Canada Research Chair, Tier 1 in Infection Prevention and Control. In 2022, Dr. Quach-Thanh received the Distinguished Scientist Award 2022 from the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation...

BACKGROUND: To improve our understanding of adherence to discharge medications in the ED and within research trials, we sought to quantify medication adherence and identify predictors thereof in children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE). METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized trial of twice daily probiotic for 5 days. The population included previously healthy children aged 3-47 months with AGE. The primary outcome was patient-reported adherence to the treatment regimen, defined a priori as having received >70% of the prescribed doses...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to determine the efficacy of mesenchymal stromal/stem cell (MSC) transplantation therapy on lupus nephritis (LN) and renal function of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Articles that reported the data of MSC therapy on the renal function as well as disease activity of LN in patients with SLE were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and the Cochrane Library. Mean difference for disease activity and laboratory parameters were pooled to evaluate the efficacy of MSC, and incidence was pooled for clinical remission, death and severe adverse event...

PURPOSE: Women have traditionally been underrepresented in MD and MD-PhD training programs. Here, we describe the changing demographics of an MD-PhD Program over three distinct time intervals. METHODS: We designed a 64-question survey and sent it to 47 graduates of the McGill University MD-PhD program in Montréal, Québec, Canada, since its inception in 1985. We also sent a 23-question survey to the 24 students of the program in 2021. The surveys included questions related to demographics, physician-scientist training, research metrics, as well as academic and personal considerations...

Over the past year, the leadership of the Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada (CITAC), alongside our MD+ trainees, had the opportunity to further develop and implement our strategic plan in response to the evolving medical landscape. We have dedicated our efforts to the progression towards a post-pandemic environment, have taken advantage of the lessons learned during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis and have focused on enhancing in-person career development opportunities for our members...

BACKGROUND: This study explored the efficacy of hydrocortisone combined with vitamin C and thiamine (HVT) in the treatment of sepsis/septic shock. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science were searched (establishment of the database to October 31, 2022). The meta-analysis included randomized controlled trials (RCTs); comparing the efficacy of HVT regimen and placebo in the treatment of sepsis/septic shock. The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was used to assess the risk of bias...