Nasal Spray Vaccines – A Breath of Immunity: An Interview with Dr. Marc-André Langlois

Dr. Marc-André Langlois, a cutting-edge virologist, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Virology and Intrinsic Immunity, and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa, received 1 million dollars in Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funding to develop a nasal spray COVID-19 vaccine. We had the privilege of meeting with him virtually and having a fascinating and informative conversation on the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines, and its effect on society.

Proceedings From The 11th Annual University Of Calgary Leaders In Medicine Research Symposium

On November 8th, 2019, the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary hosted the 11th annual Leaders in Medicine (LIM) Research Symposium. Dr. Donald A. Redelmeier, Professor at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Medical Decision Sciences, served as the keynote speaker with a talk entitled “Pitfalls of Reasoning and Clinical Medicine”. In addition, there were five oral and 64 poster presentations. These presentations covered topics ranging from health promotion to neuroimaging. The event celebrated the continuing success and diversity of the LIM program and the training of clinician-scientists at the University of Calgary.

Do Reporting Guidelines Have an Impact? Empirical Assessment of Changes in Reporting Before and After the PRISMA Extension Statement for Network Meta-analysis

Background: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension statement for network meta-analysis (NMA) published in 2015 promotes comprehensive reporting in published systematic reviews with NMA. PRISMA-NMA includes 32 items in total: 27 core items as indicated in the core 2009 PRISMA Statement and five additional items specific to the reporting of NMAs. Although reporting of NMAs is improving, it is unclear whether the PRISMA-NMA statement has accelerated this improvement. Our aim was to investigate the impact of PRISMA-NMA statement and highlight key items that require further attention and improvement.Methods: We updated our previous collection of NMAs with articles published between April 2015 and July 2018. We assessed the completeness of reporting for each NMA, including main manuscript and online supplements, using the PRISMA-NMA checklist. We also prepared a modified version of the PRISMA-NMA checklist with 49 items to evaluate separately at a more granular level all multiple-content items. We compared average reporting scores of articles published before and after 2015.Results: In the 1,144 included NMAs the mean modified PRISMA-NMA score was 32.1 (95% CI 31.8-32.4). For one-year increase the mean modified score increased by 0.96 (95% CI 0.32 to 1.59) for 389 NMAs published until 2015 and by 0.53 (95% CI 0.02 to 1.04) for 755 NMAs published after 2015. The mean modified PRISMA-NMA score for NMAs published after 2015 was higher by 0.81 (95% CI 0.23 to 1.39) compared to before 2015 when adjusting for journal impact factor, type of review, funding, and treatment category. Description of summary effect sizes to be used, presentation of individual study data, sources of funding for the systematic review and role of funders dropped in frequency after 2015 by 6-16%.Conclusions: NMAs published after 2015 more frequently reported the five items associated with NMA compared to those published before 2015. However, improvement in reporting after 2015 is compatible with that observed on a yearly basis before 2015 and hence it could not be attributed solely to the publication of PRISMA-NMA statement. Funding: This research study received no funding. AAV, ST, SZ, KMK, and DM were funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 [No. 754936]. AN, TP and GS have been supported by SNSF grant agreement 320030_179158. SES is funded by a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Translation. ACT is funded by a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Synthesis.

Plasma Free Choline Concentration Did Not Reflect Dietary Choline Intake in Early and Late Pregnancy: Findings from the APrON Study

Objectives Choline is a critical nutrient for fetal development. Pregnancy studies showed that most women have choline intakes below the adequate intake (AI) level of 450 mg/d. Research on plasma free choline as an indicator of dietary choline intake showed conflicting results to date. We sought to compare plasma free choline concentration between women with different choline intakes and to explore the association between plasma free choline and dietary choline intake in early (EP) and late pregnancy (LP). Methods This study included data and non-fasting plasma samples from pregnant women enrolled in the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort study. EP (<20 weeks of gestation) and LP (>20 weeks of gestation) dietary choline intake was estimated using a 24-hr recall. Two categories of dietary choline intake were created: 1) low choline (LCI), i.e., choline intake in 1st quartile (Q) in EP, with these women having choline intake in 1st or 2nd Q in LP (n = 61); 2) high choline intake (HCI), i.e., choline intake in 4th Q in EP and in 3rd or 4th Q in LP (n = 46). Linear mixed-effects models were used to explore the association between plasma free choline and dietary choline intake across EP and LP, after adjustment for maternal age, ethnicity and weeks of gestation. Results Median (IQR) maternal age was 32 (30–35) y, and 80% were Caucasian. LCI was 101 (86–109) and 109 (93–127) mg/day in EP and LP, respectively, and HCI was 251 (223–286) and 212 (177–274) mg/day. Plasma free choline (μmol/L) did not differ between LCI and HCI at EP [LCI: 10.6 (9.03, 12.9); HCI: 11.7 (10.2, 13.8)] and LP [LCI: 11.7 (10.6, 12.7); HCI: 12.7 (10.7, 15.8)] (P > 0.05, Wilcoxon rank-sum test). Per 10 mg of choline intake, plasma free choline increased by 0.34 (95%CI 0.12, 0.56) in those with LCI, and 0.18 (95%CI 0.050, 0.31) in women with HCI, across EP and LP after adjustment. Conclusions In this subgroup of pregnant women, plasma free choline concentration did not reflect differences in dietary choline intake in EP or LP. This may be explained by an overall low choline intake (<AI) which would promote rapid tissue uptake of choline. The identification of a sensitive and dynamic biomarker for choline status is required. Funding Sources UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship, Canada Research Chair Program, CIHR NTE Grant FRN 160,942, Alberta Innovates for the APrON cohort.

Western Faculty Profile: Dr. Andrew Pruszynski

Dr. Andrew Pruszynski is an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario. He currently teaches a few undergraduate courses offered in the department and has been appointed Tier 2 Canada Research Chair of Sensorimotor Neuroscience. His research interests lie in the neural mechanisms that occur during sensory perception and motor control. Joselia Carlos, a WURJHNS representative, had the pleasure of interviewing him to learn more about his career in research.

Western Faculty Profile: Dr. Stephen Lomber

Dr. Stephen Lomber is a professor at The University of Western Ontario in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. He completed his Bachelor of Science at The University of Rochester followed by his Ph.D. at the Boston University School of Medicine and he currently holds the Canada Research Chair in Brain Plasticity and Development. Dr. Lomber’s research revolves around the influence of experience on brain development and adaptive neuroplasticity. His lab studies how the brain changes following hearing loss and the changes that occur after a cochlear implantation. In addition, Dr. Lomber is a dedicated professor who teaches undergraduate courses in neuroscience and physiology. Shengjie Ying, a member of the WURJ Academic Affairs Committee, interviewed Dr. Lomber about his career path to Western, passion for teaching, and advice for students.