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This study aimed to describe the social determinants of health (SDoH) for patients receiving multidisciplinary team care in a Cleft Palate-Craniofacial program, develop responsive and consistent processes to include trauma-informed psychosocial histories, promote discussions about additional “non-medical” factors influencing health and surgical outcomes, and demonstrate that these activities are feasible in the context of multidisciplinary patient-provider interactions. Single-site, cross-sectional study using a questionnaire. Participants were recruited from a provincial quaternary care Cleft Palate-Craniofacial program at British Columbia Children's Hospital in Vancouver, BC, Canada. 290 families completed the questionnaire. 34% of families experience significant barriers to accessing primary health care, 51% struggle financially, and 11% scored four or more on the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale. Furthermore, 47% reported not having adequate social support in their lives, and 5% reported not feeling resilient at the time of the survey. Patients with cleft and craniofacial anomalies have complex needs that extend beyond the surgical and medical care they receive. It is critical that all Cleft and Craniofacial teams incorporate social histories into their clinic workflow and be responsive to these additional needs. Discussions surrounding SDoH and adversity are welcomed by families; being involved in the care and decision-making plans is highly valued. Healthcare providers can and should ask about SDoH and advocate for universal access to responsive, site-based, social work support for their patients.

Objective: To examine the degree to which neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation influences youth assault injury risk. Study design: Population-based retrospective study of youth aged 10 to 24 years seeking emergency medical care between 2012 and 2019 at 14 hospitals in Vancouver, Canada. Neighborhood material and social deprivation were examined as independent predictors of assault injury, accounting for spatial autocorrelation and controlling for neighborhood drinking establishment density. Results: Our data included 4,166 assault injuries among 3,817 youth. Male sex, substance use and mental health disorders were common among victims of assault. Relative to the least deprived quintile of neighborhoods, assault injury risk was two-fold higher in the most materially deprived quintile of neighborhoods (incidence rate ratio [IRR] per quintile increase, 1.17; 95%CI, 1.06-1.30; p

Background: While cell-free placental DNA (cfp-DNA) increases in response to certain pathological conditions, confounding variables, such as placental size, may also contribute to its release. Furthermore, the relationship between cfp-DNA and maternal serum proteins has not been well investigated. Objective: To analyze plasma cfp-DNA levels and correlate with measurable placental parameters, maternal serum proteins, or pathologic conditions reflecting placental dysfunction. Method: Methylated fraction of RASSF1A was quantified in maternal plasma as a measure of cfp-DNA in a cohort of 86 pregnant women. Results: Placental dimensions or weight had no impact on cfp-DNA levels in noncomplicated pregnancies (n = 63). However, an association between β-hCG and cfp-DNA levels (p = 0.0012) was detected. Complications occurred in 23 pregnancies including chromosomal abnormalities, gestational hypertension, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm birth. There was overall a skewed distribution (1 SD from mean) for cfp-DNA in the abnormal group, although due to the small number of samples for each pathology, we provide only descriptive data to assess possible trends in cfp-DNA variation. Conclusion: While cfp-DNA levels outside of the normal range may reflect placental distress, this relationship may be masked by a number of physiological confounders. The independence of cfp-DNA from β-hCG levels commonly assessed in pregnancy need to be further addressed.

Introduction/Background Youth violence is a major global public health concern. Assault injuries are a major cause of trauma among youth, yet the causes for and medical consequences of assault victimization in this group remain uncertain. Objectives Using data from the third-largest urban area in Canada, we sought to describe the demographic, temporal and geographic influences on the incidence of youth assault injuries. Design/Methods We performed a population-based cross sectional study of Canadian youth aged 10 to 24 years seeking emergency medical care between April 2012 and March 2018 at any of the 16 hospitals in a major Canadian metropolitan area. Injury characteristics were described using graphical and statistical techniques. Neighbourhood material and social deprivation indices were examined as independent predictors of the population incidence of youth assault injury using negative binomial regression and geospatial methods. Results A total of 2,784 assaulted youth sought emergency medical care during the 6-year study interval, corresponding to an incidence rate of 101 youth assault injuries per 100,000 person-years. Assaulted youth were most commonly males between 20 and 24 years of age. Prior diagnoses of substance use and mental health disorders were common. Examination of temporal variation in the incidence of assault injury revealed a 103-fold difference between the riskiest and safest hours of the week (incident rate ratio, 103). The risk of youth assault injury in the most materially deprived quintile of neighbourhoods was more than four-fold greater than that in the wealthiest quintile (incident rate ratio per quintile increase, 1.42; 95%CI [1.27, 1.59]; p Conclusion Assault injuries among youth vary substantially across time and space. Targeted violence prevention interventions might focus on weekend evenings and on socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods.

BACKGROUND The Canadian Social Pediatric Interest Group has developed emerging research partnerships over the past decade. In this multi-centre partnership, we characterize social paediatrics programs (SPPs) in three dimensions: 1) fostering health equity; 2) inter-professional integration, and 3) community embeddedness, all of which involve independently complex sets of interventions. The aim of the RICHER (responsive, interdisciplinary, community health, education and research) SPP is to provide timely access to prevention and intervention services for children and youth at higher risk due to multiple social determinants of health(SDoH) including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and material and social poverty. OBJECTIVES Our objectives are to 1) translate SPP knowledge and experience into policy and practice through formal literature reviews and mixed methods research, 2) further develop and integrate SPPs quality improvement(QI) and research, and 3) integrate trauma informed ACE research findings into primary care and paediatric practices in Canada. DESIGN/METHODS Following established realist synthesis methodology, built on earlier mixed methods research, a literature review was undertaken to identify key mechanisms linking context/environment to health outcomes. The study method included: (1) identifying the review question, (2) formulating the initial theory, (3) searching for primary studies, (4) selecting and appraising study quality, (5) extracting, analyzing and synthesizing relevant data, and (6) refining the theory. Using mixed methods approaches, the RICHER SPP research data was analyzed to identify outcomes, develop and update logic models. Health professional survey of paediatric specialists and surgeons has been developed to explore knowledge of ACEs and SDoH and how these impact practice. RESULTS Analyses of the literature for the realist synthesis resulted in semi-predictable patterns where outcomes could be linked to activities through mechanisms. Key mechanisms were 1) willingness to share power, 2) bridging trust and relationships 3) inter-professional knowledge support and 4) family/ community empowerment. Key features of RICHER SPPs included trust, equity and partnerships, leading to parental and community engagement, improved access to services and enriched environments. There was a measured ‘critical difference’ in vulnerability on the HELP Early Developmental Index (EDI) during the study period. An approach to integrating and evaluating ACEs in different SPP practice settings has been initiated through research and QI projects. CONCLUSION Our realist synthesis identified processes of care that were effective in improving health and developmental outcomes for children and youth with adverse social and material circumstances. ‘RICHER’ SPPs, distributed in neighbourhood spaces, link primary and specialist care for vulnerable children and youth, improve health and developmental outcomes and foster equitable access to health care and transition services. These approaches may be translated into other contexts to improve access for more socially vulnerable children and youth and better integrate our knowledge of ACES into paediatric and youth health practices.

The characterization of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) originating from placental trophoblast in maternal plasma provides a powerful tool for non-invasive diagnosis of fetal and obstetrical complications. Due to its placental origin, the specific epigenetic features of this DNA (commonly known as cell-free fetal DNA) can be utilized in creating universal ‘fetal’ markers in maternal plasma, thus overcoming the limitations of gender- or rhesus-specific ones. The goal of this study was to compare the performance of relevant approaches and assays evaluating the amount of cfDNA in maternal plasma throughout gestation (7.2–39.5 weeks). Two fetal- or placental- specific duplex assays (RPP30/SRY and RASSF1A/β-Actin) were applied using two technologies, real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Both methods revealed similar performance parameters within the studied dynamic range. Data obtained using qPCR and ddPCR for these assays were positively correlated (total cfDNA (RPP30): R = 0.57, p = 0.001/placental cfDNA (SRY): R = 0.85, p