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A pilot study: 12-week exercise intervention for cancer survivors; the impact on quality and anthropometric measured
No full textIntroduction: Obesity is a major contributing factor to chronic disease development and cancer reoccurrence. However, there is limited data on the impact of programs on dietary practices and anthropometric measures of cancer survivors.
Objectives: To assess the effect of a 12-week group exercise program on diet quality and anthropometric measures.
Methods: Adult cancer survivors (n = 35) were recruited to participate in a 12-week exercise program. Assessments at baseline and at 12-weeks measured anthropometric measures, handgrip strength (an index of muscle function and protein status), physical fitness, and lifestyle factors.
Results: Retention rate was 71% (n = 25), all participants were female. Mean BMI was 31.4 kg/m2 ± 7.1. Mean waist circumference was 104.0 ± 13.5 cm. Participants rated their frequency of consuming a balanced diet as "fairly often" (4 on a 5-point scale from almost never to almost always) and on average often eating an excess of two of 4 choices to limit assessed (sugar, or, salt, or animal fats, or junk food). At 12 weeks there was a small but statistically significant reduction in mean weight (1.2 ± 1.9 kg), and waist circumference (5.1 ± 5.1 cm). Handgrip strength increased from a mean health benefit rating of good to very good. Participants additionally reported that they reduced their consumption of excessed foods by one choice.
Conclusion: A 12-week exercise intervention has a small but statistically significant impact on some dietary measures. Cancer survivors perceive their diets to be balanced, however they report consuming some foods in excess and the majority were not in a healthy weight range. Studies exploring the long-term impact of exercise on nutritional outcomes and further exploration into the dietary intake of cancer survivors are required.
Significance: Exploring outcomes beyond diet such as grip strength and anthropometric measures can be used by Registered Dietitians to improve health of cancer survivors
Quantitative proteome responses to oncolytic reovirus in GM-CSF- and M-CSF-differentiated bone marrow-derived cells
No full textThe efficacy of oncolytic viruses (OVs), such as reovirus, is dictated by host immune responses, including those mediated by the pro- versus anti-inflammatory macrophages. As such, a detailed understanding of the interaction between reovirus and different macrophage types is critical for therapeutic efficacy. To explore reovirus–macrophage interactions, we performed tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative temporal proteomics on mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) generated with two cytokines, macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and granulocytic–macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), representing anti- and proinflammatory macrophages, respectively. We quantified 6863 proteins across five time points in duplicate, comparing M-CSF (M-BMM) and GM-CSF (GM-BMM) in response to OV. We find that GM-BMMs have lower expression of key intrinsic proteins that facilitate an antiviral immune response, express higher levels of reovirus receptor protein JAM-A, and are more susceptible to oncolytic reovirus infection compared to M-BMMs. Interestingly, although M-BMMs are less susceptible to reovirus infection and subsequent cell death, they initiate an antireovirus adaptive T cell immune response comparable to that of GM-BMMs. Taken together, these data describe distinct proteome differences between these two macrophage populations in terms of their ability to mount antiviral immune responses.Canadian Cancer Society Research InstituteCanadian Institutes of Health ResearchTerry Fox Research InstituteQEII Health Sciences Centre Foundatio
Surveillance and control of enzootic bovine leucosis in Atlantic Canada
No full textThis research included four studies investigating bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island). The current herd-level prevalence of BLV in dairy herds in Atlantic Canada was determined in the first study. The within-herd prevalence was estimated based on testing bulk tank milk for anti-BLV antibody levels. A risk assessment and management program workbook was designed and implemented using a subset of dairy herds in Atlantic Canada to investigate management factors associated with the BLV estimated within-herd prevalence. Herd-level prevalence for BLV was high with at least 88% of dairy herds in Atlantic Canada containing at least one BLV-seropositive cow. Farms with a history of diagnosing clinical disease associated with BLV infection, as well as farms where calves received colostrum from cows of unknown BLV status, were more likely to have an estimated within-herd BLV prevalence of at least 25% compared to herds without a history of clinical disease or herds where calves did not receive colostrum from BLV-unknown or BLV-infected cows. The second study investigated the variability between bulk tank milk samples from the same herd collected over different sampling intervals, as well as the variability between samples collected from different farms. Farms in the Canadian Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) participated. Samples from 2013 were collected at 1-month intervals and those from 2016 were collected at 3-month intervals. Samples were analyzed for the presence of anti-BLV antibodies and estimated within-herd prevalence was calculated for each herd. The most variability was seen in samples collected from different herds, and the least variability was seen in samples
from the same herd collected at 3-month intervals. This information can help in designing sample collection intervals for disease monitoring or control programs. The third study investigated the age group of calves, heifers, and adult cows in which BLV was first identified. Most previous research has focused on adult cows, but calves and heifers are also able to become infected with BLV prior to entering the milking herd. Blood samples were collected from 6 pre-weaned calves, 6 weaned heifers, and 6 breeding-age heifers on 56 dairy farms in Atlantic Canada, and a questionnaire was administered to farmers asking about age-specific management factors for these three age groups as well as for adult cows. The majority of farms had BLV first identified in either the adult milking herd or in pre-weaned calves. Management factors associated with the age group where BLV was first identified included the number of times weaned heifers were regrouped after weaning, the type of fly control used in breeding-age heifers, the use of foot-trimming implements in breeding-age heifers, and whether the farm purchased bred heifers. The final study investigated the utility of commonly available, cost-effective diagnostic tests to predict proviral load (PVL) in BLV-seropositive cows. It is suspected that cows with a higher PVL are a higher infection risk to naïve cows than those with a low PVL. Currently there is no commercial test for PVL in cows, and so blood and milk were collected from 339 BLV-seropositive cows as well as basic demographic information. PVL was determined using qPCR, and blood was also used for determining anti-BLV antibody levels and for performing complete blood counts. Milk samples were analyzed for standard components by the regional dairy herd improvement agency, as well as having anti-BLV antibodies measured. The milk antibody level, as well as blood lymphocyte count, were significantly associated with increasing PVL
Developing an optimization methodology for urban energy resources mix
No full textThis paper proposes a methodology to optimize the mixture of renewable and alternative energy resources, according to various neighborhood concepts, renewable energy settings and energy sources employed for the operation of buildings. Two neighborhood concepts are explored- a standalone neighborhood, which is independent from the local grid, and a grid-tied neighborhood, which can supply electricity to the grid as well as draw from it, depending on available energy generation from other sources. Renewable energy sources employed in the study consist of photovoltaic technology as well as wind turbines, while alternative energy sources consist of waste to energy. The proposed methodology is applied to a hypothetical mixed-use neighborhood representing a cold northern climate.
The results indicate that an electric storage system is required, to achieve a net-zero energy, standalone neighborhood. This can reduce energy system size, which can be otherwise excessive (photovoltaic area can reach up to 280 times the area available in the neighborhood). For a grid-tied neighborhood, the grid can replace the storage system, reducing thus the size of renewable and alternative energy required to fulfill the energy demand. In such case, photovoltaic size can be reduced by up to 67% as compared to the standalone neighborhood, while wind turbines can be significantly reduced (by 85%) or completely eliminated
Clients' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to pet nutrition and exercise at a teaching hospital.
No full textNutrition and exercise are key components of an animal's overall health; however, these topics may not be discussed with clients during veterinary visits resulting in suboptimal practices. This study sought to i) estimate small animal clientele knowledge, attitudes, and practices on nutrition and exercise; and ii) evaluate client recall of (and interest in) veterinary recommendations related to nutrition and exercise. Clients visiting the Atlantic Veterinary College Small Animal Teaching Hospital over a 1-month period were invited to complete a 5-minute written questionnaire. Of the clients invited to participate, 71% (101/143) completed the questionnaire. An unexpectedly high proportion of clients reported feeding homemade (37%) and raw meat-based diets and products (30%). Most participants indicated an interest in veterinary directed discussions on nutrition (63%) and exercise (63%). Our study provides a benchmark for needed ongoing (and targeted) client education and has led to expansion of our hospital infection control policy.journal article2020 Mayimporte
Education, interrupted: an autoethnographic exploration of barriers to accessing higher education for a student with psychiatric diagnoses
No full textIn this thesis, I set out to answer a single overarching research question: in what ways does having a mental illness affect options regarding higher education? Given the prevalence of serious mental illness (SMI) in both the United States and Canada, and its frequent emergence during the late teens, it is both urgent and essential to identify barriers to reaching postsecondary education for students with SMI. Situating the work within a poststructuralist theoretical framework, I conducted autoethnographic research into my experiences of attempting to re-access postsecondary education after my initial attempt was derailed due to schizoaffective disorder. The autoethnographic writing—both method and product—incorporated analysis that considers the individual experience in the context of the university and society at large and how the discourse made available by the cultural context impacts the achieved identity of a student living with SMI. I produced new autoethnographic writing; analyzed excerpts from previous creative writing addressing my experience with schizoaffective disorder; and engaged with memoir by writers who have accessed higher education while living with SMI. The findings showed both psychological barriers, such as destabilized sense of self, and financial barriers, such as loss of scholarship opportunities, to accessing higher education for students with psychiatric diagnoses
The left lateral projection is comparable to horizontal beam radiography for identifying experimental small volume pneumoperitoneum in the canine abdomen
No full textNontraumatic spontaneous pneumoperitoneum suggests the presence of gastrointestinal perforation; early detection can be lifesaving. Horizontal beam projections have been reported to be more sensitive than standard radiographic views for detecting small volumes of free peritoneal gas. This prospective, experimental, analytical study compared both left lateral (LL) and ventrodorsal (VD) standard views to horizontal beam projections for detecting small volumes of artificially induced pneumoperitoneum in live dogs. The effect of radiology training on accurate detection of small amounts of free peritoneal air was also assessed. Fourteen dogs had four radiographic projections taken after injection of 0, 2.5, 5, and 10 mL of cumulative air into their abdominal cavities. Radiographs were interpreted individually by three American College of Veterinary Radiology‐certified radiologists and three small animal internship‐trained veterinarians who were blinded to the air volume injected. At 2.5 and 10 mL of air injected, the LL projection had highest odds of an accurate response (odds ratio [OR] = 2.4 and 99.0 when compared to VD horizontal and VD projections, respectively). At 5 mL of air injected, the lateral horizontal (LH) projection had the highest odds of an accurate response (OR = 3.2 compared to VD horizontal). The LL projection was not significantly different from the LH projection at all volumes of air injected. Board certification led to higher odds of accurate responses at volumes of 5 (OR = 2.2) and 10 mL (OR = 3.6), as compared to nonspecialist veterinarians. Overall, LH and standard LL appeared to be the most useful radiographic projections for detection of small amounts of free peritoneal gas
Sentinel surveillance of Lyme disease risk in Canada, 2019: Results from the first year of the Canadian Lyme Sentinel Network (CaLSeN)
No full textBackground: Lyme disease is an emerging vector-borne zoonotic disease of increasing public
health importance in Canada. As part of its mandate, the Canadian Lyme Disease Research
Network (CLyDRN) launched a pan-Canadian sentinel surveillance initiative, the Canadian Lyme
Sentinel Network (CaLSeN), in 2019.
Objectives: To create a standardized, national sentinel surveillance network providing a
real-time portrait of the evolving environmental risk of Lyme disease in each province.
Methods: A multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach was used in the selection of
sentinel regions. Within each sentinel region, a systematic drag sampling protocol was
performed in selected sampling sites. Ticks collected during these active surveillance visits were
identified to species, and Ixodes spp. ticks were tested for infection with Borrelia burgdorferi,
Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti and Powassan virus
Results: In 2019, a total of 567 Ixodes spp. ticks (I. scapularis [n=550]; I. pacificus [n=10]; and
I. angustus [n=7]) were collected in seven provinces: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario,
Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The highest mean tick
densities (nymphs/100 m2
) were found in sentinel regions of Lunenburg (0.45), Montréal (0.43)
and Granby (0.38). Overall, the Borrelia burgdorferi prevalence in ticks was 25.2% (0%–45.0%).
One I. angustus nymph from British Columbia was positive for Babesia microti, a first for the
province. The deer tick lineage of Powassan virus was detected in one adult I. scapularis in
Nova Scotia.
Conclusion: CaLSeN provides the first coordinated national active surveillance initiative for
tick-borne disease in Canada. Through multidisciplinary collaborations between experts in each
province, the pilot year was successful in establishing a baseline for Lyme disease risk across the
country, allowing future trends to be detected and studied
Biological cells and coupled electro-mechanical effects: The role of organelles, microtubules, and nonlocal contributions
No full textBiological cells are exposed to a variety of mechanical loads throughout their life cycles that eventually play an important role in a wide range of cellular processes. The understanding of cell mechanics under the application of external stimuli is important for capturing the nuances of physiological and pathological events. Such critical knowledge will play an increasingly vital role in modern medical therapies such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, as well as in the development of new remedial treatments. At present, it is well known that the biological molecules exhibit piezoelectric properties that are of great interest for medical applications ranging from sensing to surgery. In the current study, a coupled electro-mechanical model of a biological cell has been developed to better understand the complex behaviour of biological cells subjected to piezoelectric and flexoelectric properties of their constituent organelles under the application of external forces. Importantly, a more accurate modelling paradigm has been presented to capture the nonlocal flexoelectric effect in addition to the linear piezoelectric effect based on the finite element method. Major cellular organelles considered in the developed computational model of the biological cell are the nucleus, mitochondria, microtubules, cell membrane and cytoplasm. The effects of variations in the applied forces on the intrinsic piezoelectric and flexoelectric contributions to the electro-elastic response have been systematically investigated along with accounting for the variation in the coupling coefficients. In addition, the effect of mechanical degradation of the cytoskeleton on the electro-elastic response has also been quantified. The present studies suggest that flexoelectricity could be a dominant electro-elastic coupling phenomenon, exhibiting electric fields that are four orders of magnitude higher than those generated by piezoelectric effects alone. Further, the output of the coupled electro-mechanical model is significantly dependent on the variation of flexoelectric coefficients. We have found that the mechanical degradation of the cytoskeleton results in the enhancement of both the piezo and flexoelectric responses associated with electro-mechanical coupling. In general, our study provides a framework for more accurate quantification of the mechanical/electrical transduction within the biological cells that can be critical for capturing the complex mechanisms at cellular length scales