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.

Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci Species Isolated from Computer Keyboards Located in Secondary and Postsecondary Schools

Abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a public health threat within the general community, thereby warranting identification of MRSA reservoirs within the community. Computer terminals in schools were sampled for S. aureus and methicillin-resistant staphylococci. The overall prevalence of MRSA on computer keyboards was low: 0.68% for a postsecondary institution and 2% and 0% for two secondary institutes. The MRSA isolate from the postsecondary institution did not correspond to the Canadian epidemic clusters, but is related to the USA 700 cluster, which contains strains implicated in outbreaks within the U.S. The isolate from the secondary institute's keyboard was typed as CMRSA7 (USA 400), a strain that has been implicated in both Canadian and U.S. epidemics. Methicillin-resistant S. haemolyticus and S. epidermidis were also isolated from keyboards, indicating that a mixed community of methicillin-resistant staphylococci can be present on keyboards. Although the prevalence was low, the presence of MRSA combined with the high volume of traffic on these student computer terminals demonstrates the potential for public-access computer terminals and computer rooms at educational institutes to act as reservoirs.

Geographic variation in incidence and prevalence rates for rheumatoid arthritis in Saskatchewan, Canada 2001–2014

Abstract: To estimate and compare incidence/prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in different geographic health regions and between urban/rural locations of residence within the province of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Provincial Administrative Health Databases (2001–2014) were utilized as data sources. Two RA case-definitions were employed: (1) three physician billing diagnoses, at least one of which was submitted by a specialist (rheumatologist, general internist, or orthopedic surgeon) within 2 years; (2) one hospitalization diagnosis (ICD-9-CM code-714 and ICD-10-CA codes-M05, M06). Data from these definitions were combined to estimate annual RA incidence and prevalence. Annual incidence and prevalence rates across geographic regions and between rural and urban residences were examined. An increasing RA prevalence gradient was observed in a south to north direction within the province. In the 2014–2015 Fiscal Year, the southern region of Sun Country had a 0.57% RA prevalence and the Northern Health Regions a prevalence of 1.15%. Incidence rates fluctuated over time in all regions but tended to be higher in Northern Health Regions. A higher RA prevalence trend was observed in rural residents over the study period. Higher prevalence rates were observed for RA in Northern Health Regions than elsewhere in the province. Rural prevalence rates were higher than for urban residents. Healthcare delivery strategic planning will need to ensure appropriate access for RA patients throughout the province.

Public Health Use of Surveillance for West Nile Virus in Horses: Saskatchewan, 2003–2005

Abstract: Summary West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses was first reported in Canada in 2001 and in the province of Saskatchewan in 2002. This paper outlines the surveillance results of WNV in Saskatchewan horses from 2003 to 2005 and describes the usefulness of its inclusion in an integrated surveillance program in Saskatchewan. The number of human and horse cases was highest in 2003, the epidemic year and then substaintially lower in 2004 and 2005. Horses provided additive information about WNV activity in rural areas with low human population, however, this required willingness and active participation by veterinarians and horse owners. Vaccination impedes the future use of horses in WNV surveillance for public health or veterinary purposes; however, for zoonoses where no vaccination is available, domestic animals would be useful components for surveillance. Integration of surveillance data from human and animal health provide the benefit of a more complex epidemiological picture that can be used to improve public health.

Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and its apparent endogenous inhibitory activity in the plasma of some psychiatric patients

Abstract: The “apparent” and “absolute” levels of dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH) in 62 psychiatric patients and 20 healthy control subjects have been investigated. No significant differences could be detected between control subjects and patients diagnosed as schizophrenic, unipolar depressive and bipolar depressive, when DBH was assayed in the presence of the anti-inhibitors Cu++ and N- ethylmaleimide (i.e., “absolute” DBH activity). In the absence of these anti- inhibitors, however, the levels of plasma DBH (i.e., “apparent” DBH activity) were considerably reduced in all cases, with the schizophrenic group also being significantly reduced (p<0.02) in comparison with the control group.

USRC: A New Strategy for Adding Digital Images to the Medical School Curriculum

Abstract: Many medical schools use learning management systems (LMSs) to give students access to online lecture notes, assignments, quizzes, and other learning resources. LMSs can also be used to provide access to digital radiology images, potentially improving preclinical teaching in anatomy, physiology, and pathology while also allowing students to develop interpretation skills that are important in clinical practice. However, it is unclear how radiology images can best be stored, imported, and displayed in an LMS. We developed University of Saskatchewan Radiology Courseware (USRC), a new web application that allows course designers to import images into pages linked to BlackBoard Learn, a popular LMS. Page content, including images, annotations, captions, and supporting text, are stored as teaching cases on a MIRC (Medical Imaging Resource Center) server. Course designers create cases in MIRC, and then create a corresponding page in BlackBoard by modifying an HTML template so that it holds the URL of a MIRC case. When a user visits the page in BlackBoard, the page requests content from the MIRC case, reformats the text for display in BlackBoard, and loads an image viewer plug-in that allows students to view and interact with the images stored in the case. The USRC technology can be used to reformat MIRC cases for presentation in any website or in any learning management system that supports custom pages written in HTML with embedded JavaScript.