Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

About: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is a healthcare organization based out in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 7689 authors who have published 15236 publications receiving 523019 citations. The organization is also known as: Sunnybrook.

Association of Noninvasive Ventilation Strategies With Mortality and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Among Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Abstract: Importance Various noninvasive ventilation strategies are used to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)of preterm infants; however, the best mode is uncertain. Objective To compare 7 ventilation strategies for preterm infants including nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) alone, intubation and surfactant administration followed by immediate extubation (INSURE), less invasive surfactant administration (LISA), noninvasive intermittent positive pressure ventilation, nebulized surfactant administration, surfactant administration via laryngeal mask airway, and mechanical ventilation. Data Sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane CENTRAL from their inceptions to June 2016. Study Selection Randomized clinical trials comparing ventilation strategies for infants younger than 33 weeks’ gestational age within 24 hours of birth who had not been intubated. Data Extraction and Synthesis Data were independently extracted by 2 reviewers and synthesized with Bayesian random-effects network meta-analyses. Main Outcomes and Measures A composite of death or BPD at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age was the primary outcome. Death, BPD, severe intraventricular hemorrhage, and air leak by discharge were the main secondary outcomes. Results Among 5598 infants involved in 30 trials, the incidence of the primary outcome was 33% (1665 of 4987; including 505 deaths and 1160 cases of BPD). The secondary outcomes ranged from 6% (314 of 5587) for air leak to 26% (1160 of 4455) for BPD . Compared with mechanical ventilation, LISA had a lower odds of the primary outcome (odds ratio [OR], 0.49; 95% credible interval [CrI], 0.30-0.79; absolute risk difference [RD], 164 fewer per 1000 infants; 57-253 fewer per 1000 infants; moderate quality of evidence), BPD(OR, 0.53; 95% CrI, 0.27-0.96; absolute RD, 133 fewer per 1000 infants; 95% CrI, 9-234 fewer per 1000 infants; moderate-quality), and severe intraventricular hemorrhage (OR, 0.44; 95% CrI, 0.19-0.99; absolute RD, 58 fewer per 1000 births; 95% CrI, 1-86 fewer per 1000 births; moderate-quality). Compared with nasal CPAP alone, LISA had a lower odds of the primary outcome (OR, 0.58; 95% CrI, 0.35-0.93; absolute RD, 112 fewer per 1000 births; 95% CrI, 16-190 fewer per 1000 births; moderate quality), and air leak (OR, 0.24; 95% CrI, 0.05-0.96; absolute RD, 47 fewer per 1000 births; 95% CrI, 2-59 fewer per 1000 births; very low quality). Ranking probabilities indicated that LISA was the best strategy with a surface under the cumulative ranking curve of 0.85 to 0.94, but this finding was not robust for death when limited to higher-quality evidence. Conclusions and Relevance Among preterm infants, the use of LISA was associated with the lowest likelihood of the composite outcome of death or BPD at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age. These findings were limited by the overall low quality of evidence and lack of robustness in higher-quality trials.

The Endothelin Antagonist Atrasentan Lowers Residual Albuminuria in Patients with Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract: Despite optimal treatment, including renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors, patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy have high cardiorenal morbidity and mortality related to residual albuminuria. We evaluated whether or not atrasentan, a selective endothelin A receptor antagonist, further reduces albuminuria when administered concomitantly with maximum tolerated labeled doses of RAS inhibitors. We enrolled 211 patients with type 2 diabetes, urine albumin/creatinine ratios of 300-3500 mg/g, and eGFRs of 30-75 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) in two identically designed, parallel, multinational, double-blind studies. Participants were randomized to placebo (n=50) or to 0.75 mg/d (n=78) or 1.25 mg/d (n=83) atrasentan for 12 weeks. Compared with placebo, 0.75 mg and 1.25 mg atrasentan reduced urine albumin/creatinine ratios by an average of 35% and 38% (95% confidence intervals of 24 to 45 and 28 to 47, respectively) and reduced albuminuria≥30% in 51% and 55% of participants, respectively. eGFR and office BP measurements did not change, whereas 24-hour systolic and diastolic BP, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels decreased significantly in both treatment groups. Use of atrasentan was associated with a significant increase in weight and a reduction in hemoglobin, but rates of peripheral edema, heart failure, or other side effects did not differ between groups. However, more patients treated with 1.25 mg/d atrasentan discontinued due to adverse events. After stopping atrasentan for 30 days, measured parameters returned to pretreatment levels. In conclusion, atrasentan reduced albuminuria and improved BP and lipid spectrum with manageable fluid overload-related adverse events in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy receiving RAS inhibitors.

Prevalence and epidemiology of unsuspected onychomycosis in patients visiting dermatologists' offices in Ontario, Canada--a multicenter survey of 2001 patients.

Abstract: Background Questionnaire studies have been used to determine the prevalence of onychomycosis in the United Kingdom and Europe. One disadvantage of this methodology is that the patient self-diagnoses the onychomycosis. There have been very few large studies involving clinical examination of the nails of subjects, followed by mycological confirmation of the onychomycosis. We therefore determined the prevalence of onychomycosis in patients visiting dermatologists' offices in Ontario, Canada. Methods In a prospective, multicenter study, the finger- and toenails of all new patients presenting to dermatologists' offices were examined by a board-certified dermatologist. If there was clinical suspicion of onychomycosis, then nail samples were obtained for mycoiogical examination at a central laboratory. Patients referred specifically for the management of onychomycosis were excluded. Results Toenails appeared abnormal in 455 (22.7%) of 2001 patients. Mycologically-confirmed pedal onychomycosis was present in 182 (9.1%) of the 2001 patients. The estimated value of the prevalence of onychomycosis in Ontario is 6.86% (95% confidence interval (Cl): 5.8–8.0%), when corrected for age and sex of the general population using census data. Onychomycosis increased with age (P < 0.0001). The odds of males having onychomycosis was 84.3% greater than females of the same age (P= 0.0003). The distribution of organisms in the 141 patients with pedal onychomycosis who were culture positive was: dermatophytes 131 (92.9%), Candida species 4 (2.8%) and non-dermatophyte molds 6 (4.3%). Conclusions The prevalence of mycologically-confirmed toenail onychomycosis was 9.1%, with the estimated prevalence in Ontario being 6.86%. The majority of patients with abnormal-appearing nails were unaware they might have onychomycosis, that it is infectious and potentially treatable, suggesting that there is potential for increased public awareness and education.

Multi-frequency characterization of the speed of sound and attenuation coefficient for longitudinal transmission of freshly excised human skulls

Abstract: For medical applications of ultrasound inside the brain, it is necessary to understand the relationship between the apparent density of skull bone and its corresponding speed of sound and attenuation coefficient. Although there have been previous studies exploring this phenomenon, there is still a need to extend the measurements to cover more of the clinically relevant frequency range. The results of measurements of the longitudinal speed of sound and attenuation coefficient are presented for specimens of human calvaria. The study was performed for the frequencies of 0.27, 0.836, 1.402, 1.965 and 2.525 MHz. Specimens were obtained from fresh cadavers through a protocol with the Division of Anatomy of the University of Toronto. The protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Board of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The specimens were mounted in polycarbonate supports that were marked for stereoscopic positioning. Computer tomography (CT) scans of the skulls mounted on their supports were performed, and a three-dimensional skull surface was reconstructed. This surface was used to guide a positioning system to ensure the normal sound incidence of an acoustic signal. This signal was produced by a focused device with a diameter of 5 cm and a focal length of 10 cm. Measurements of delay in time of flight were carried out using a needle hydrophone. Measurements of effective transmitted energy were carried out using a radiation force method with a 10 µg resolution scale. Preliminary functions of speed of sound and attenuation coefficient, both of which are related to apparent density, were established using a multi-layer propagation model that takes into account speed of sound, density and thickness of the layer. An optimization process was executed from a large set of random functions and the best functions were chosen for those ones that closest reproduced the experimental observations. The final functions were obtained after a second pass of the optimization process was executed, but this time using a finite-difference time-difference solution of the Westervelt equation, which is more precise than the multi-layer model but much more time consuming for computation. For six of seven specimens, measurements were carried out on five locations on the calvaria, and for the other specimen three measurements were made. In total, measurements were carried out on 33 locations. Results indicated the presence of dispersion effects and that these effects are different according to the type of bone in the skull (cortical and trabecular). Additionally, both the speed of sound and attenuation showed dependence on the skull density that varied with the frequency. Using the optimal functions and the information of density from the CT scans, the average values (±s.d.) of the speed of sound for cortical bone were estimated to be 2384(± 130), 2471(± 90), 2504(± 120), 2327(± 90) and 2053(± 40) m s(-1) for the frequencies of 270, 836, 1402, 1965 and 2526 kHz, respectively. For trabecular bone, and in the same order of frequency values, the speeds of sound were 2140(± 130), 2300(± 100), 2219(± 200), 2133(± 130) and 1937(± 40) m s(-1), respectively. The average values of the attenuation coefficient for cortical bone were 33(± 9), 240(± 9) and 307(± 30) Np m(-1) for the frequencies of 270, 836, and 1402, respectively. For trabecular bone, and in the same order of frequency values, the average values of the attenuation coefficient were 34(± 13), 216(± 16) and 375(± 30) Np m(-1), respectively. For frequencies of 1.965 and 2.525 MHz, no measurable radiation force was detected with the setup used.