Background: Attitudes toward aging influence many health outcomes, yet their relationship with cognition and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains unknown. To better understand their impact on cognition and AD risk, we examined whether positive attitudes predict better cognition and diminished risk on AD biomarkers. Methods: A subsample of older adults with a family history of AD (n=54; women=39) from the McGill PREVENT-AD cohort participated in this study. Participants completed the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ-24), providing three scores: psychosocial loss, psychological growth and physical change. Participants underwent cognitive testing (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, RAVLT; Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System-Color Word Interference Test, D-KEFS-CWIT), and AD blood-based biomarker assessments (p-tau217, Aβ42/40). Regression models tested associations, adjusting for covariates (age, sex, education, depression, APOE4), and were Bonferroni corrected. Results: Positive attitudes were associated with better recall and recognition (RAVLT) and improved word reading, colour naming, switching, and inhibition (D-KEFS-CWIT) (p<0.00077), while negative attitudes showed the opposite pattern. Negative attitudes were correlated with lower Aβ42/40 ratios, while positive attitudes were linked to lower p-tau217 (p<0.0167). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that positive attitudes predict better cognition and a lower risk profile for AD biomarkers, suggesting that life outlook may be an early disease feature or a risk factor.

We present analysis of the far ultraviolet (FUV) emission of sources in the central region of the Coma cluster ($z=0.023$) using the data taken by the UVIT aboard the multi-wavelength satellite mission AstroSat. We find a good correlation between the UVIT FUV flux and the fluxes in both wavebands of the Galex mission, for the common sources. We detect stars and galaxies, amongst which the brightest ($r \lesssim 17$ mag) galaxies in the field of view are mostly members of the Coma cluster. We also detect three quasars ($z = 0.38, 0.51, 2.31$), one of which is likely the farthest object observed by the UVIT so far. In almost all the optical and UV colour-colour and colour-magnitude planes explored in this work, the Coma galaxies, other galaxies and bright stars could be separately identified, but the fainter stars and quasars often coincide with the faint galaxies. We have also investigated galaxies with unusual FUV morphology which are likely to be galaxies experiencing ram-pressure stripping in the cluster. Amongst others, two confirmed cluster members which were not investigated in the literature earlier, have been found to show unusual FUV emission. All the distorted sources are likely to have fallen into the cluster recently, and hence have not virialised yet. A subset of our data have optical spectroscopic information available from the archives. For these sources (${\sim} 10\%$ of the sample), we find that 17 galaxies identify as star-forming, 18 as composite and 13 as host galaxies for active galactic nuclei, respectively on the emission-line diagnostic diagram.

Background: In Canada, 7% of children are born preterm between 29 and 36 weeks gestational age (GA). Electroencephalography (EEG) provides a bedside evaluation of brain activity, yet the clinical significance of several EEG patterns requires further study. The goal of this study is to determine the EEG features at term equivalent age (TEA) that correlate with neurodevelopmental evaluation at TEA in infants born between 29-36 weeks GA. Methods: Prospective cohort study of preterm infants born 29-36 weeks GA with 1 hour EEG recording at TEA. EEG discontinuity index (proportion <25mcV amplitude) and spectral power densities were calculated as well as the mean and maximum values of interburst intervals. At TEA, neurodevelopment was evaluated using the General Movement Optimality Score (GMOS). Linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between EEG features and neurodevelopmental assessment. Results: Eighty-two children (median GA 33.6 weeks) were included (47 males). Median GMOS was 29.0 (IQR 24.3-35.0). A greater EEG discontinuity index was associated with reduced GMOS (B -6.85; 95% CI -12.13,-1.57; p=0.012). Conclusions: At TEA, a greater EEG discontinuity index was associated with a more abnormal neurodevelopmental assessment. Ongoing longitudinal neurodevelopmental assessments are needed to better evaluate the prognostic potential of TEA EEG.

Background: Brain metastases are frequently seen in neurosurgical practice. Standardised criteria are created to better classify these common pathologies in research studies. This study’s goal was to evaluate RANO-BM criteria’s current thresholds in a cohort of patients with brain metastases managed by SRS. Methods: We performed a retrospective metastasis-level analysis of patients treated with SRS for brain metastases. The data collected included cohort demographics, metastases characteristics, outcomes, and the rate of true positives, false negatives, true negatives and false positives as defined by RANO-BM criteria at last follow-up before second SRS. Results: 251 metastases in 50 patients were included in the analysis. RANO-BM criteria using current thresholds yielded a sensitivity of 38%, a specificity of 95%, a positive predictive value of 71% and a negative predictive value of 84%. Modified RANO-BM criteria using absolute diameter differences of 2.5 mm yielded a sensitivity of 83%, a specificity of 87%, a positive predictive value of 67% and a negative predictive value of 94%. Pseudoprogression occurred significantly earlier than tumor progression, with a median time of onset of 6.9 months and 12.1 months respectively. Conclusions: Current RANO-BM criteria unreliably identifies clinically relevant tumor progression, but are useful in assessing diameter increases caused by tumor progression and pseudoprogression.

Following psychiatric deinstitutionalization and changes in involuntary civil commitment laws, many individuals with severe mental disorders have been receiving mental health services through the back door, that is, the criminal justice system. Significant changes to the section of Criminal Code of Canada dealing with individuals with mental disorders have led to significant annual increases in the number of individuals declared Not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD), many of whom are directed to civil psychiatric settings. The goal of the present study was to describe the psychosociocriminological and risk characteristics of individuals found NCRMD remanded to civil psychiatric hospitals (CPH) compared to a forensic psychiatric hospital (FPH). This study was conducted between October 2004 and August 2006 in the sole FPH of the province of Québec and two large CPH in the Montréal metropolitan area. The final sample for the current study consisted of 96 men: 60 from the FPH and 36 from the two CPH. Results indicate that individuals in both settings have similar psychosociocriminal profiles, including PCL-R scores, but that individuals in CPH have higher scores in the Risk subscale of the HCR-20 than do their counterparts in the FPH. This difference is due to a higher score on two items: exposure to destabilizing factors and noncompliance with remediation attempts. Results are discussed in terms of the need for civil psychiatric settings to implement risk assessment and management programs into their services, and the need for further research into forensic mental health services.

Introduction: Poor physicians’ knowledge of health care costs has been identified as an important barrier to improving efficiency and reducing overuse in care delivery. Moreover, costs of tests and treatments estimated with traditional costing methods have been shown to be imprecise and unreliable. We estimated the cost of frequent care activities in the emergency department (ED) using the time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) method. Methods: We conducted a TDABC study in the ED of the CHUL, Québec city (77000 visits/year). We estimated the cost of all potential care activities (e.g. triage) provided to adult patients with selected urgent (e.g. pulmonary sepsis) and non urgent (e.g. urinary tract infection) conditions frequently encountered in the ED. Following Lean management principles, process maps were developed by a group of ED care providers for each care activity to identify human resources, supplies and equipment involved, and to estimate the time required to complete each process. Resource unit cost (e.g. cost per minute of a nurse) and overhead rate were calculated using financial information from fiscal year 2015-16. Estimated cost of each care activity (e.g. chest X-ray) including physicians’ charges was calculated by summing overhead allocation and the cost of each process (e.g. disinfection of the X-ray machine) as obtained by multiplying the resource unit cost by the time for process completion. Results: Process maps were developed for 14 conditions and 68 ED care activities. We estimated the costs of activities (CAN$) related to nursing (e.g. urinalysis and culture triage ordering $14.70), clerk tasks (e.g. patient registration $3.40), physicians (e.g. FAST scan $20.90), laboratory testing (e.g. CBC $6.30), diagnostic imaging (e.g. abdominal CT scan $146.50), therapy (e.g. 5 mg of iv morphine $20.40), and resuscitation (rapid sequence intubation with ketamine and succinylcholine $146.40). Overall, emergency physicians’ charges, personnel salaries and overheads accounted for 38%, 22% and 16% of all ED care costs, respectively. Conclusion: Our results represent an important step toward increasing emergency physicians’ awareness on the real cost of their interventions and empowering them to adopt more cost-effective practice patterns.

During 1990 we surveyed the southern sky using a multi-beam receiver at frequencies of 4850 and 843 MHz. The half-power beamwidths were 4 and 25 arcmin respectively. The finished surveys cover the declination range between +10 and −90 degrees declination, essentially complete in right ascension, an area of 7.30 steradians. Preliminary analysis of the 4850 MHz data indicates that we will achieve a five sigma flux density limit of about 30 mJy. We estimate that we will find between 80 000 and 90 000 new sources above this limit. This is a revised version of the paper presented at the Regional Meeting by the first four authors; the surveys now have been completed.

Epidemiological evidence regarding the association between carbohydrate intake, glycaemic load (GL) and glycaemic index (GI) and risk of ovarian cancer has been mixed. Little is known about their impact on ovarian cancer risk in African-American women. Associations between carbohydrate quantity and quality and ovarian cancer risk were investigated among 406 cases and 609 controls using data from the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study (AACES). AACES is an ongoing population-based case–control study of ovarian cancer in African-Americans in the USA. Cases were identified through rapid case ascertainment and age- and site-matched controls were identified by random-digit dialling. Dietary information over the year preceding diagnosis or the reference date was obtained using a FFQ. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios and 95 % CI adjusted for covariates. The OR comparing the highest quartile of total carbohydrate intake and total sugar intake v. the lowest quartile were 1·57 (95 % CI 1·08, 2·28; P trend=0·03) and 1·61 (95 % CI 1·12, 2·30; P trend<0·01), respectively. A suggestion of an inverse association was found for fibre intake. Higher GL was positively associated with the risk of ovarian cancer (OR 1·18 for each 10 units/4184 kJ (1000 kcal); 95 % CI 1·04, 1·33). No associations were observed for starch or GI. Our findings suggest that high intake of total sugars and GL are associated with greater risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women.

The cardiovascular signs and symptoms were recorded in 36 patients with typical Friedreich's Ataxia (Group la, lb). Seventeen patients were asymptomatic and this did not correlate with the severity of the disease. No pathognomonic clinical constellation was found to reveal the underlying cardiomyopathy.

A single case of typical Friedreich's ataxia was analyzed for cardiac changes and compared to the findings from the literature. Macroscopically, there was a cardiomegaly with some degree of ventricular hypertrophy and probable mild dilatation of the auricles. The more important and constant histologic changes were myocardial fibrosis and degeneration of the cardiac muscle cells. Granular deposits of calcium salts and iron were found in the muscle cells. A cardiomyopathy hypertrophic in type and occasionally obstructive appears to be an integral part of Friedreich's ataxia.

Myocardial scanning after the intravenous administration of Thallium 201 was used to evaluate regional myocardial perfusion in 14 patients with Friedreich's ataxia. Isotopic ventriculography was also used to assess left ventricular contractility. Myocardial images in patients with Friedreich's ataxia were found to be precociously abnormal irrespective of the degree of neurological impairment or of the severity of myocardial hypertrophy.

Angiograms of 12 patients with typical Friedreich's ataxia were analyzed. The results corroborate previous reports and justify the conclusion that the cardiomyopathy is of the hypertrophic type. In 10 of 12 cases, the hypertrophy is concentric, and non obstructive. Less frequently (2 cases), this hypertrophy is accompanied by diffuse hypokinesis and depressed ejection fraction.

Electrocardiographic and vectocardiographic changes are frequent in Friedreich's ataxia. In one of 35 patients both tests were normal. The vectocardiogram is more explicit in demonstrating the severity of the QRS changes with a right ventricular hypertrophy pattern present in 60% of cases. Serial examination and ECG tracings are recommended to monitor the cardiomyopathy in this progressive neurological disorder, in order to detect the onset of congestive heart failure, significant tachyarrythmias, or obstructive cardiomypathy.

Thirteen patients with classical Friedreich's ataxia underwent cardiac catheterization with recordings of retrograde cardiac pressures, measurements of cardiac output and calculation of the left ventricular volumes and mass. The cardiomyopathy in Friedreich's ataxia falls into the hypertrophic group of cardiomyopathies with decreased compliance of ventricular myocardium, varying degrees of concentric and asymmetric hypertrophy and outflow tract obstruction. Although there is no clear parallel between the degree of abnormal hemodynamic findings and the degree of neurological impairment, severely handicapped patients may present a diffusely hypertrophied and hypokinetic left ventricular myocardium.