Center for Health Science Research Newsletter, June 2012

The Research Newsletter is published by the Center for Health Science Research, College of Nursing. This publication is intended to highlight the latest in College of Nursing academic & research updates, opportunities, people, events, achievements, and goals

Center for Health Science Research Newsletter, May 2012

The Research Newsletter is published by the Center for Health Science Research, College of Nursing. This publication is intended to highlight the latest in College of Nursing academic & research updates, opportunities, people, events, achievements, and goals

Pretravel plans and discrepant trip experiences among travelers attending a tertiary care centre family travel medicine clinic

Background International travel can expose travelers to a number of health risks. Pretravel consultation (PC) helps mitigate risk and prepare travelers for health concerns that might arise. The assessment of risk, mitigation strategies, and relevance of pretravel advice is dependent on how closely travelers adhere to their planned travel itinerary and activities. We determined the proportion of returned travelers whose completed travel experiences differed from their stated travel itineraries, and identified discrepancies that significantly altered the traveler\u27s health risk and would have required alternative counseling during their PC. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study at the SickKids\u27 Family Travel Clinic between October 2014 and November 2015. Returned travelers who completed a post-travel survey were included. Pretravel consultation assessments and post-trip surveys were compared to identify discrepant trip experiences. Results A total of 389 travelers presented to the clinic for a PC during the study period and 302 (77.6%) were enrolled. Post-travel surveys were received from 119 (39.4%) participants, representing 101 unique itineraries. The median participant age was 36.3 years (IQR 26.6- 47.5) and there were 73 female travelers (61%). Most participants (n = 87,73%) were healthy as well as Canadian born (n = 84, 71%). A quarter of travelers were visiting friends and relatives (VFR) (n = 30, 25.2%). The vast majority of returned travelers (n = 109, 92%) reported discrepant trip experiences involving trip duration, countries visited, accommodations, environmental surroundings and/or activities. Almost two thirds of these individuals (n = 68, 62%) would have required alternative pretravel counseling. We did not identify any demographic or planned trip characteristics that predicted discrepant trip experiences requiring alternative pretravel counseling. Conclusions The majority of travelers reported discrepant trip experiences and the discrepancies often affected health risk. Therefore, clinicians should consider providing broader counselling during the PC as discrepancies from planned travel are common

Intraspecific variation of brain anatomy and drumming activity in ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus)

The ruffed grouse is a widespread species, but much of its basic biology has remained understudied. I examined individual variation in two understudied aspects of their biology: brain anatomy and drumming behaviour. Individual grouse varied greatly in neuron numbers, sizes and volumes of two brains regions, so much so that sampling <6 individuals could yield inaccurate measurements. Drumming activity was also highly variable both among and within individual males. Multivariate models indicated that daily drumming activity occurred during the same week across years and hourly drumming activity peaks one hour before sunrise and one hour before sunset. Warmer temperatures also were associated with increased drumming activity, but this was a relatively weak effect compared with day of the year and time of day. Overall, these results improve our understanding of individual variation in ruffed grouse and has important implications for future studies of ruffed grouse

An ecological approach to empathy

Two restrictive habits of seeing currently dominate empathy research in psychology: 1. the vertical worldview, which assumes that the reality of behaviour lies in hidden levels; 2. dualism, which assumes a binary arrangement of organism and environment. The cognitivist perceptual model encourages these habits by explaining empathy as a brain-generated phenomenon that occurs in a private, mentally represented reality. This, I argue, is not a useful model for empathy, which presupposes context and connection. Instead, I propose an alternate model, James Gibson’s ecological approach, whose horizontal worldview and organism-environment mutuality encourage us to see organisms as processual, environmentally embedded ways of being. In this model, to empathize is to coexperience directly what the environment affords another’s way of being — an experience characterized, facilitated, and constrained by one’s ecological niche. Niches shape the affective dimension of coexperiencing; however, they can frequently be modified through collective action

Novel bis(isobenzofuran)s and their utility in the synthesis of cyclophanes

x, 122 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.The synthesis of 1,2-bis(5-isobenzofuranyl)ethene by two routes is described. The first route involved generation of 1,2-bis(5-isobenzofuranyl)ethene from a bis(acetal) precursor under basic conditions. However, the synthesis was lengthy with low-yielding steps, which led to it being abandoned. The second route involved generation of 1,2-bis(5-isobenzofuranyl)ethene from a bis(oxabicyclic) precursor with 3,6-di(2'-pyridyl)-s-tetrazine. Napththo[1,2-c:5,6-c] difuran and 1,2-bis(5isobenzofuranyl)ethene were used to construct novel cyclophanes by double Diels-Alder reactions with bis(maleimide)s. NMR, AM1 modeling, and X-ray studies of the cyclophanes are discused. Attempts to prepare phenanthro[2,3-c:6,7-c] difuran and its cyclophanes are discussed. None was successful, and investigations were hampered by the inability to obtain sufficient quantities of starting materials. Finally, several suggestions are given for improving the syntheses of 1,2-bis(5- isobenzofuranyl)ethene, phenanthro[2,3-c:6,7-c]difuran, and their cyclophanes. Future directions, such as the functionalization of the double bond of 1,2-bis(5-isobenzofuranyl)ethene, aromatization of the oxabicyclic rings of the cyclophanes, and further X-ray studies are discussed

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza in Canadian pediatric cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients

Background The impact of pandemic H1N1 influenza (pH1N1) virus in pediatric cancer is uncertain. The objectives of this study were to characterize the clinical course of pH1N1 and identify factors associated with severe outcomes. Methods We conducted a Canadian multicenter retrospective review of children with cancer and stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients who were diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed pH1N1 infection between May 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010. Results We identified 100 (19 in wave 1 and 81 in wave 2) cases of pH1N1 infection. Median age was 8·7years. 71% had a hematologic malignancy, and 20% received SCT. Median duration of fever and illness was 2 and 12·5days, respectively. 51 (51·5%) were hospitalized for a median of 5days, with no deaths and only 1 requiring admission to the intensive care unit. Radiologically confirmed pneumonia was diagnosed in 10 (10%). Interruption of chemotherapy or conditioning occurred in 43 patients. In multivariable analyses, age \u3c5years (relative to ≥10years) and neutropenia were associated with hospitalization while neutropenia was associated with pneumonia. Despite oseltamivir use in 89%, viral shedding was prolonged (median, 46days) and often persisted after symptom resolution. However, an extended treatment course (\u3e5days) correlated with shortened duration of viral shedding (P=0·041). Conclusions pH1N1 infection in pediatric cancer and SCT patients infrequently caused complications but commonly interrupted cancer treatment. Persistent shedding of virus after illness resolution was common. Further research is needed to verify this finding as it could have implications for treatment guidelines and infection control practices. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd