Saskatchewan Health

About: Saskatchewan Health is a government organization based out in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 442 authors who have published 489 publications receiving 7728 citations.

Use of Immunoglobulin G Avidity Assays for Differentiation of Primary from Previous Infections with West Nile Virus

Abstract: Since its introduction in 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) infections have spread rapidly across the North American continent. Diagnosis of acute WNV infection by detection of WNV-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) is complicated by the persistence of detectable IgM for more than 1 year in some patients. IgG antibody avidity testing was assessed as a supplemental assay in the diagnosis of current infections. Three groups of serum samples were assayed in parallel by two different IgG avidity test systems (indirect immunofluorescence test [IIFT] and prototype enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]; EUROIMMUN, Luebeck, Germany). Group I (40 sera taken between 2 and 9 days after the onset of influenza-like symptoms) and group II (40 sera taken between 10 and 43 days after onset) were acute and convalescent specimens from patients with a positive anti-WNV IgM test (ELISA; Focus Diagnostics, Cypress, CA). Group III consisted of 43 patient sera collected between 6 and 12 months after infection. IgG antibodies specific for WNV were detected in 38% (ELISA) and 50% (IIFT) of group I sera, in 90% (ELISA and IIFT) of group II sera, and in 100% (ELISA and IIFT) of group III sera. Low-avidity IgG antibodies were demonstrated in 86% (ELISA) and 95% (IIFT) of IgG-positive patient samples taken between 2 and 43 days after the onset of symptoms (groups I and II). High-avidity IgG antibodies were detected in 100% of group III sera obtained 6 months or more after the onset of symptoms (ELISA and IIFT). IgG avidity tests for WNV infections are rapid and simple to perform. The determination of IgG avidity provides additional diagnostic certainty in differentiating between recently acquired and previous infections with WNV.

Adherence and persistence to drug therapies for multiple sclerosis: A population-based study

Abstract: Objective We aimed to estimate the prevalence and predictors of optimal adherence and persistence to the disease-modifying therapies (DMT) for multiple sclerosis (MS) in 3 Canadian provinces. Methods We used population-based administrative databases in British Columbia (BC), Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. All individuals receiving DMT (interferon-B-1b, interferon-B-1a, and glatiramer acetate) between 1-January-1996 and 31-December-2011 (BC), 31-March-2014 (Saskatchewan), or 31-March-2012 (Manitoba) were included. One-year adherence was estimated using the proportion of days covered (PDC). Persistence was defined as time to DMT discontinuation. Regression models were used to assess predictors of adherence and persistence; results were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. Results 4830 individuals were included. When results were combined, an estimated 76.4% (95% CI: 69.1–82.4%) of subjects exhibited optimal adherence (PDC ≥80%). Median time to discontinuation of the initial DMT was 1.9 years (95% CI: 1.6–2.1) in Manitoba, 2.8 years (95% CI: 2.5–3.0) in BC, and 4.0 years (95% CI: 3.5–4.6) in Saskatchewan. Age, sex and socioeconomic status were not associated with adherence or persistence. Individuals who had ≥4 physician visits during the year prior to the first DMT dispensation were more likely to exhibit optimal adherence compared to those with fewer (0–3) physician visits. Conclusions We observed adherence that is higher than what has been reported for other chronic diseases, and other non-population-based MS cohorts. Closer examination as to why adherence appears to be relatively better in MS and how adherence influences disease outcomes could contribute to our understanding of MS, and prove useful in the management of other chronic diseases.

Prevalence and correlates of nonpsychotic psychiatric symptoms in the general population.

Abstract: This paper reports on the results of a large scale mail questionnaire survey of the prevalence, as well as some social/psychological correlates, of nonpsychotic psychiatric symptoms in the general population of the Province of Saskatchewan. The level of nonpsychotic psychiatric symptoms was measured using the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) developed by Goldberg. The respondent group (2000+, 53% of the available sample) was reasonably representative of the provincial population and forms a good basis for generalization. Data analysis shows that women report a higher level of symptoms than men. There were also significant age variations:for women there was a general decline in mean scores from younger to older age categories with the possible exception of the oldest age group, over 70, in which we see a slight increase; for men, there was a pronounced U-shaped distribution with both younger and older age groups exhibiting high levels of symptomatology. In addition to age and sex, general health, relationships with spouse and others, and a sense of control over one's life experiences were found to be correlated with symptom reporting, underscoring the negative effects of ill health and the inequities in social systems as well as the positive value of good interpersonal relationships. Saskatchewan symptom reporting levels were found to be similar to those reported in Australian and British population samples. These other studies also showed higher levels of symptom reporting infernales than in males. The GHQ data were also factor analyzed to reveal sets or clusters of symptoms. The analysis showed that “anxiety” and “depression” were the major dimensions of the GHQ lending credence to the suggestion that psychiatric screening scales tend to measure “de-morale-ization,” that is, anxiety, sadness, helplessness/hopelessness and a lack of self-esteem.

Testing treatment effects in repeated measures designs: trimmed means and bootstrapping.

Abstract: Non-normality and covariance heterogeneity between groups affect the validity of the traditional repeated measures methods of analysis, particularly when group sizes are unequal. A non-pooled Welch-type statistic (WJ) and the Huynh Improved General Approximation (IGA) test generally have been found to be effective in controlling rates of Type I error in unbalanced non-spherical repeated measures designs even though data are non-normal in form and covariance matrices are heterogeneous. However, under some conditions of departure from multisample sphericity and multivariate normality their rates of Type I error have been found to be elevated. Westfall and Young's results suggest that Type I error control could be improved by combining bootstrap methods with methods based on trimmed means. Accordingly, in our investigation we examined four methods for testing for main and interaction effects in a between- by within-subjects repeated measures design: (a) the IGA and WJ tests with least squares estimators based on theoretically determined critical values; (b) the IGA and WJ tests with least squares estimators based on empirically determined critical values; (c) the IGA and WJ tests with robust estimators based on theoretically determined critical values; and (d) the IGA and WJ tests with robust estimators based on empirically determined critical values. We found that the IGA tests were always robust to assumption violations whether based on least squares or robust estimators or whether critical values were obtained through theoretical or empirical methods. The WJ procedure, however, occasionally resulted in liberal rates of error when based on least squares estimators but always proved robust when applied with robust estimators. Neither approach particularly benefited from adopting bootstrapped critical values. Recommendations are provided to researchers regarding when each approach is best.

A survey of the use of community treatment orders by psychiatrists in Saskatchewan.

Abstract: Objectif : Determiner le modele d'utilisation et de satisfaction quant aux ordres de traitement communautaire (OTC) emis par des psychiatres de la province de Saskatchewan. Methode : Tous les psychiatres autorises a exercer par le college des medecins et chirurgiens de la Saskatchewan ont recu un sondage par la poste en juillet 1998. Resultats : Le taux de reponse a ete de 72 %. Les psychiatres repondants traitaient 14 patients en vertu d'OTC au moment du sondage. Ils etaient generalement satisfaits du fonctionnement des OTC en Saskatchewan, meme si nombre d'entre eux croyaient que la periode d'engagement de seulement 3 mois avant le renouvellement obligatoire etait trop courte Presque la moitie des psychiatres prevoyaient un accroissement du recours aux ordres de traitement. Conclusions : Bien que le recours aux OTC se limite a un petit nombre de patients en Saskatchewan, on croit qu 'il s'agit d'un outil utile sur le plan clinique pour traiter avec un groupe de patients refractaires au traitement.