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Impact of productivity enhancing technologies on the environmental footprint of backgrounded and finished beef cattle
Get PDFThe objective of this research was to examine the use of productivity enhancing technologies (PETs) and post-weaning management on the environmental impacts of beef steers in western Canada. The PETs considered included ionophores and hormone implants administered to steers raised in one of the three management systems: i) direct finishing (Heavy), ii) backgrounded in pens prior to finishing (Medium), and backgrounded in pens and on pasture prior to finishing (Light). Environmental parameters (greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), ammonia (NH3) emissions, land requirements and water use) were modeled using a whole-farm perspective to better understand the environmental footprint of the Canadian beef industry. Use of PETs led to a 10-13% reduction in GHG emissions (CO2e kg boneless beef-1), a 10-32% decrease in NH3 emissions (kg NH3 kg boneless beef-1), required 9-22% less land (ha kg boneless beef-1) and used 12-25% less water (m3 kg boneless beef-1) compared to natural steers. Direct finishing compared to backgrounded, and 2-stage backgrounded steers reduced GHG emissions by 32% and 39% kg CO2e kg boneless beef-1, NH3 emissions by 36% and 52% kg NH3 kg boneless beef-1, land requirements by 25% and 73% ha kg boneless beef-1 and water use by 18% and 51% m3 kg boneless beef-1, respectively. Varying post-weaning strategies allows producers to value-add (additional weight through backgrounding) and maximize the use of available feed, including grazing of grasslands. The full environmental impacts of removal of PETs from Canadian beef production must consider a whole-systems approach including economic viability, ecosystem services, as well as consumer demand and social acceptance.Mitacs: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004489February 202
Self-Grooming Behaviors in the Maternal Immune Activation Mouse Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Get PDFAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that effects approximately 1% of children worldwide. Hence, it is vital to develop animal models of ASD so that thorough investigation of the disorder’s contributing developmental factors and underlying etiology can take place. Mice remain one of the best animal models used in ASD research as they share genetic, physiological, and anatomical similarity to humans, of which transgenic strains can be used to represent neurodevelopmental disorders including ASD. Considering that most clinical cases of ASD are idiopathic in nature, where it is suspected that environmental conditions play a substantial role in the development of ASD in the fetus, it is important to develop and validate idiopathic mouse models of ASD. Ultimately, we hope these mouse models would provide insight on idiopathic manifestation of ASD that syndromic models might lack. The maternal immune activation (MIA) mouse model of ASD uses an inflammatory response in a pregnant mouse dam to induce ASD-like symptom in the pups. In our experiments, this was achieved using a poly-IC injection in the pregnant dam. In this study we look to further validate the MIA model of autism by carrying out an open-field test looking at the self-grooming behaviours of MIA autistic mice and comparing them to an unmanipulated control group. We used parameters in grooming behaviour that past open-field tests on syndromic models of ASD have shown deviation from control groups in terms of self-grooming behaviours. While our sample size was too small to establish significant
differences, we established future corrections in the methodology of the open field self-grooming tests and provide suggestions on the improvement of their accuracy
Physician perspectives of Helicobacter pylori diagnostic and treatment practices in Canada: results of a Canadian survey
Get PDFAbstract
Background
Helicobacter pylori infection is prevalent worldwide and can lead to peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastric cancer. Effective diagnosis and treatment of H. pylori infection by gastroenterologists and family physicians is crucial. However, there are differing views on optimal diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study is to understand the impressions of Canadian physicians regarding H. pylori diagnosis and treatment and whether impressions differ between gastroenterologists and family physicians. A second objective is to understand physician perspectives on rising antibiotic resistance and how that guides empiric management.
Methods
A survey facilitated via REDCap was administered to Canadian gastroenterologists and family physicians. A total of 105 participants completed the survey, including 43 gastroenterologists and 62 family physicians. Gastroenterologists were recruited from across the country and family physicians were recruited from Manitoba.
Results
For diagnosis of H. pylori, 67% of gastroenterologists reported endoscopic biopsies for histology assessment as most common and 73% of family physicians reported serology as their main diagnostic test. While nearly all gastroenterologists believed antibiotic resistance to be a problem, nearly one quarter of family physicians did not believe it was a problem.
Conclusions
There is variability in practices among both gastroenterologists and family physicians regarding diagnosis of H. pylori infection. There was consensus that local antibiotic resistance patterns should guide management. If known, the degree and patterns of antibiotic resistance could bring a more uniform consensus to H. pylori management. Greater education of physicians, especially family physicians regarding management of H pylori is needed
Ogimaawabiitong Kenora Chiefs Advisory (KCA) Youth and Family Wellness Camp plant biodiversity project
No full textKenora Chiefs Advisory (KCA) provides social, health, and educational services to the associated First Nations communities that improve their expertise and well-being. As a project of KCA, the Ogimaawabiitong Kenora Chiefs Advisory Youth and Family Wellness Camp opened in July 2021. In addition to serving as a cultural hub for the surrounding communities, this 326-acre site in Kenora, Ontario, is home to a variety of local plant species of Northwestern Ontario. Understanding the potential of the Camp's vegetation to provide future educational and recreational opportunities for youths and Elders, the Ogimaawabiitong KCA Youth and Family Wellness Camp Plant Biodiversity Project was started as a knowledge-sharing initiative in collaboration with the Camp. The main objective of this project was to survey and list the plant diversity of the KCA Youth and Family Wellness Camp. To accomplish this objective of listing the observed plant biodiversity, deliverables were developed that included a list of all the observed plants at the selected stands and patches, including their GPS coordinate points, a summary report of the habitat, common characteristics, indigenous and modern uses of the observed plants, a map of the selected patches and a booklet that summarized all these information. As this project was intended for learning purposes, the deliverables have provided KCA staff with resources to develop other products and services relevant to the programming they deliver at the Camp. The strategy of inquiry applied to this project was a qualitative strategy named ethnography, and the methodologies to produce the deliverables were observation and document review/analysis. This practicum document contains the deliverables and a critical reflection on the project, explaining what I learned from implementing it. An appendix containing the Integrated Project Plan, which served as a guide for project execution, is also included.University of Manitoba Graduate Entrance Scholarship (Tania), Graduate Enhancement of Tri-Council Stipends (Tania).May 202
Policy coordination to support Manitoban students with mental health and substance misuse
Get PDFThis dissertation examines the potential for policy coordination in supporting youth with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (MHSUD). In particular, it identifies existing barriers and proposes pathways to multi-level cross-sectorial policy coordination supporting youth with MHSUD in Manitoba public schools. Despite aspirations towards restorative MHSUD responses, there is ample research documenting a lack of treatment and support options for youth with MHSUDs (Scheim et al., 2013; Virgo Planning, 2018). Policy fragmentation in Canada’s federalist governance model has resulted in disjointed actions in response to this important issue. Policies that work cooperatively between education, healthcare, social services agencies, Indigenous governments, federal funders and NGOs are vital in order to support Manitoban youth in schools. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate how policy coordination might be achieved to support legislation, create policy coherence, and secure service provision to better support youth with MHSUD in schools. In particular, this dissertation responds to the research question: How can policy coordination be utilized to improve cross-sector and multi-level support for youth with MHSUDs in Manitoban schools? This dissertation draws on Multi-Level Governance as a conceptual approach, supported by insights from Advocacy Coalition Framework, and uses British Columbia as a comparator to the Manitoban context. Methodologically, this qualitative research project engages in critical discourse analysis, examining current policy documents in Manitoba and British Columbia associated with youth MHSUD in order to map out stakeholders and illuminate both barriers and pathways to coordination, in the aim of making policy recommendations to better support Manitoban youth. Findings suggest that there is a paucity of coordination between sectored actors in Manitoba around the common issue of MHSUD and that this lack of coordination exists in a system with a scarcity of coordinating actors to spur on policy alignment and policy coalitions. Resulting out of a lack of coordination and coordinating actors, schools take on cross-sector work at the grass-roots level, which leads to inequity and barriers to care. BC offers models of higher level coordination and coordinating actors which are compared alongside the Manitoban landscape.October 202
Riding high: seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 after 4 pandemic waves in Manitoba, Canada, April 2020–February 2022
Get PDFBackground
Canada is emerging from the largest SARS-CoV-2 Omicron wave to date, with over 3.3 million confirmed cases. Unfortunately, PCR confirmed cases illuminate only a small portion of infections in the community and underestimate true disease burden. Population based seroprevalence studies, which measure antibody levels against a virus can more accurately estimate infection rates in the community and identify geographical and epidemiological trends to inform public health responses.
Methods
The Manitoba COVID-19 Seroprevalence (MCS) study is a population-based cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies across the province. Residual convenience specimens (n = 14,901) were tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and spike IgG antibodies from April 1, 2020 to February 31, 2022. We estimated the monthly and cumulative prevalence using an exponential decay model, accounting for population demographics, sensitivity/specificity, and antibody waning. This approach generated estimates of natural infection as well as total antibody including vaccine-induced immunity within the community.
Findings
After four waves of the pandemic, 60.1% (95%CI-56.6–63.7) of Manitobans have generated SARS-CoV-2 antibodies due to natural exposure independent of vaccination. Geographical analysis indicates a large portion of provincial prevalence stems from increased transmission in the Northern (92.3%) and Southern (71.8%) regional health authorities. Despite the high mortality rates reported by Manitoba, infection fatality ratios (IFR) peaked at 0.67% and declined to 0.20% following the Omicron wave, indicating parity with other national and international jurisdictions. Manitoba has achieved 93.4% (95%CI- 91.5–95.1) total antibody when including vaccination.
Interpretation
Our data shows that more than 3 in 5 Manitobans have been infected by SARS-CoV-2 after four waves of the pandemic. This study also identifies key geographical and age specific prevalence rates that have contributed greatly to the overall severity of the pandemic in Manitoba and will inform jurisdictions considering reduction of public health measures
Protocol for co-producing a framework and integrated resource platform for engaging patients in laboratory-based research
No full textBackground
Patient engagement in research is the meaningful and collaborative interaction between patients and researchers throughout the research process. Patient engagement can help to ensure patient-oriented values and perspectives are incorporated into the development, conduct, and dissemination of research. While patient engagement is increasingly prevalent in clinical research, it remains relatively unrealized in preclinical laboratory research. This may reflect the nature of preclinical research, in which routine interactions or engagement with patients may be less common. Our team of patient partners and researchers has previously identified few published examples of patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research, as well as a paucity of guidance on this topic. Here we propose the development of a process framework to facilitate patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research.
Methods
Our team, inclusive of researchers and patient partners, will develop a comprehensive, empirically-derived, and stakeholder-informed process framework for ‘patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research.’ First, our team will create a ‘deliberative knowledge space’ to conduct semi-structured discussions that will inform a draft framework for preclinical patient engagement. Over the course of several sessions, we will identify actions, activities, barriers, and enablers (e.g. considerations and motivations for patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research, define roles of key players). The resulting draft process framework will be further populated with examples and refined through an international consensus-building Delphi survey with patients, researchers, and other collaborator organizations. We will then conduct pilot field tests to evaluate the framework with preclinical laboratory research groups paired with patient partners. These results will be used to create a refined framework enriched with real-world examples and considerations. All resources developed will be made available through an online repository.
Discussion
Our proposed process framework will provide guidance, best practices, and standardized procedures to promote patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research. Supporting and facilitating patient engagement in this setting presents an exciting new opportunity to help realize the important impact that patients can make.Plain English Summary
Engaging patients as partners or collaborators in clinical research is becoming more common, but it is still new in preclinical research. Preclinical researchers work in laboratories on cell and animal experiments. They traditionally don’t have frequent interactions with patients compared to their clinical research colleagues. Integrating patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research may help ensure that patient perspectives and values are considered. To help preclinical laboratory research align with patient-centred priorities we propose the development of a practical framework. This framework will facilitate patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research. To achieve this, we will first hold in-depth discussions with patient partners, researchers, and other collaborators to understand views on patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research. Together, we will identify key considerations to draft a framework, including motivations for patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research, and defining the roles of those who need to be involved. We will refine the framework through an international survey where we will collect feedback from researchers, patient partners, and other collaborators to make further improvements. The framework will then be tested and refined by preclinical laboratory teams inclusive of patient partners. The finalized framework and other resources to facilitate patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research will be hosted in a ‘one-stop-shop’ of online resources. Ultimately, this framework will enable partnerships between patients and researchers and provide a roadmap for patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research. This presents an exciting new opportunity for patients and researchers to collaborate and potentially improve translation of laboratory-based research
Frazil ice measurements using the four-frequency AQUAscat sonar in laboratory and field environments
No full textThis research describes laboratory experiments conducted to investigate the capability of a multifrequency Aquatec AQUAscat 1000R sonar in detecting and measuring frazil ice particles. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted at the University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta to measure the particle size and concentration of frazil ice particles using four transducers, including 0.3, 0.5, 2 and 4 MHz. Also, the AQUAscat Toolkit software was utilized to post-process the logged data using the sonar instrument. The results indicated that the 2 MHz transducer was the most sensitive to the presence of frazil ice particles, while the 0.3 MHz had the least sensitivity. The device started to detect the frazil ice particles when the maximum supercooling occurred. The concentration was determined to reach its maximum value of 0.65% and 0.45% in different setups at the University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta, respectively. The outcomes showed that the mean frazil particle size ranged from 100 to 300 µm at the University of Alberta in a supercooling event. In contrast, the findings based on experiments conducted at the University of Manitoba were unreliable due to the large number of bad cells within the particle size data.
The multifrequency sonar instrument was deployed on the riverbed at Dauphin River for a one-day experiment on December 6, 2022. It was revealed that the apparatus was able to detect the frazil ice particles but not the frazil flocs and ice rafts. The results showed that the average concentration of frazil ice was 0.0066%. Although the particle size outcomes were not reliable in the first 25 cm above the transducers, the average particle size in the rest of the water column was found to be between 150 and 300 µm.October 202
The non-inflammatory role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in regulating insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia
No full textInsulin resistance (IR) and hypertriglyceridemia are two major symptoms of metabolic dysfunction, which are regulated by endocrine function and lipid storage in white adipose tissue (WAT). Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine regulating metabolic dysfunction. We currently identified how adipose MIF regulated IR and hypertriglyceridemia through the following mechanisms.
(1) MIF is involved in the development of non-inflammatory IR by a cross-talk between preadipocyte factor 1+ (Pref-1+) cells and adipocytes in WAT.
Pref-1 expression is negatively associated with circulating MIF levels in obese human subjects and animal models in the absence of adipose inflammation. Pref-1 is released from Pref-1+ cells including M2 (anti-inflammatory) macrophages, endothelial cells or progenitors in WAT. Its release inhibits MIF derived from both Pref-1+ cells and adipocytes by binding with integrin β1 and inhibiting the mobilization of p115. High palmitic acid (PA) induces protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) expression in Pref-1+ cells, thereby downregulating Pref-1 expression and release in an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent manner. The loss of Pref-1 increases adipose MIF secretion contributing to non-inflammatory IR in obesity. In contrast, treatment with Pref-1 blunts the increase in circulating plasma MIF levels and subsequent IR induced by a high palmitic acid diet (PD).
(2) MIF inhibits lipoprotein lipase (LPL) that catalyzes the degradation of plasma triglyceride (TG) and upregulates adipose lipid storage.
LPL hydrolyzes circulating TG to release free fatty acids (FFAs) and it promotes lipid storage in WAT. Obesity-associated high PAR2 expression is inversely correlated with LPL expression in WAT, leading to hypertriglyceridemia. MIF reduces LPL expression and activity in adipocytes. High circulating MIF levels in mice models with PD feeding or high MIF expression suppress adipose LPL, which is associated with increased plasma TG levels. However, the low adipose LPL expression and activity is reversed in Par2-/- mice. Thus, high PA increased activation of PAR2, facilitating adipose MIF secretion, and then resulted in low LPL-induced hypertriglyceridemia.
We identified the mechanisms of MIF in mediating IR and hypertriglyceridemia in both human subjects and animal models. Our translational research will provide important clinical implications for the development of new therapeutic strategies for metabolic syndrome.China Scholarship CouncilOctober 202
The international right to health and Jordan's Principle: a comparative analysis of the substantive and procedural differences to Indigenous children’s right to health in Canada
No full textThe Jordan's Principle plays a significant role in facilitating Indigenous children's access to healthcare services, resources, and support in Canada. It is designed to prevent delays in federal-provincial jurisdiction disputes, ensuring that Indigenous children receive the care they need. The Principle has evolved from its strict restrictive eligibility criteria towards more open criteria, guided by the concept of substantial equality regarding Indigenous children's health. However, Canada's repeated failure to uphold its duty towards Indigenous children within the domestic legal framework of Jordan's Principle is a matter of urgent concern. This failure extends to the Medicine Chest clause of Treaty 6 and Canada's observance of international human rights treaties, particularly in protecting the right to health.
Canada's international obligations to the right to health fall under several ratified treaties. This paper however, focuses on the following three: the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Despite being bound to international human rights mechanisms that mandate Canada to protect, respect, and fulfill the right to health, Canada has yet to guarantee such a right within its domestic legal system. This research will delve into Jordan's Principle to identify the substantive and procedural differences in addressing the right to health for Indigenous children through its legal scope and compare this with Canadian constitutional obligations and Canada's obligations through International Human Rights Law.October 202