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Background and Objectives: By optimizing erythropoiesis, patient blood management (PBM) programmes can reduce transfusions, lower mortality and provide cost‐effective care. While definitions of anaemia have historically varied by sex, for the purposes of PBM, anaemia is defined as a haemoglobin <130 g/L. Our objective was to describe whether perioperative anaemia and transfusion rates in the PBM setting vary by sex. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of the Ontario Nurse Transfusion Coordinators Program (ONTraC) database from 2018 to 2022. ONTraC collects data from 25 Ontario hospitals which together account for >70% of Ontario's provincial blood use (~400,000 units per year). We collected data on patients undergoing elective isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), open heart valve replacement, CABG plus valve replacement, single‐knee arthroplasty and single‐hip arthroplasty. Results: From 2018 to 2022, 17,700 patients were included in the ONTraC program; 47% were females (N = 8376). Across almost all years and procedures, females were found to have a significantly lower pre‐operative, nadir and discharge haemoglobin as compared with males, irrespective of PBM interventions. Transfusion rates were significantly higher for females; this was most pronounced in cardiac surgery. Conclusion: Females experienced more perioperative anaemia and higher transfusion rates. Historic sex‐specific definitions of anaemia may contribute to a greater tolerance of anaemia in females. Prioritizing females for multimodal PBM and consistently achieving a pre‐operative haemoglobin >130 g/L may reduce the amount of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions that female patients receive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the HIV screening program to reduce mother-infant HIV transmission, is evaluated. Thus, it is suggested that measures should be instituted to further increase uptake of prenatal HIV screening.

Abstract Background The aim of this study is to show how geographical information systems (GIS) can be used to track and compare hospitalization rates for traumatic brain injury (TBI) over time and across a large geographical area using population based data. Results & Discussion Data on TBI hospitalizations, and geographic and demographic variables, came from the Ontario Trauma Registry Minimum Data Set for the fiscal years 1993-1994 and 2001-2002. Various visualization techniques, exploratory data analysis and spatial analysis were employed to map and analyze these data. Both the raw and standardized rates by age/gender of the geographical unit were studied. Data analyses revealed persistent high rates of hospitalization for TBI resulting from any injury mechanism between two time periods in specific geographic locations. Conclusions This study shows how geographic information systems can be successfully used to investigate hospitalizaton rates for traumatic brain injury using a range of tools and techniques; findings can be used for local planning of both injury prevention and post discharge services, including rehabilitation.

Background This study examined the impact of transportation infrastructure at intersection and nonintersection locations on bicycling injury risk. Methods In Vancouver and Toronto, we studied adult cyclists who were injured and treated at a hospital emergency department. A case-crossover design compared the infrastructure of injury and control sites within each injured bicyclist's route. Intersection injury sites (N=210) were compared to randomly selected intersection control sites (N=272). Non-intersection injury sites (N=478) were compared to randomly selected non-intersection control sites (N=801). Results At intersections, the types of routes meeting and the intersection design influenced safety. Intersections of two local streets (no demarcated traffic lanes) had approximately one-fifth the risk (adjusted OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.66) of intersections of two major streets (more than two traffic lanes). Motor vehicle speeds less than 30 km/h also reduced risk (adjusted OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.92). Traffic circles (small roundabouts) on local streets increased the risk of these otherwise safe intersections (adjusted OR 7.98, 95% CI 1.79 to 35.6). At non-intersection locations, very low risks were found for cycle tracks (bike lanes physically separated from motor vehicle traffic; adjusted OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.59) and local streets with diverters that reduce motor vehicle traffic (adjusted OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.003 to 0.60). Downhill grades increased risks at both intersections and non-intersections. Conclusions These results provide guidance for transportation planners and engineers: at local street intersections, traditional stops are safer than traffic circles, and at non-intersections, cycle tracks alongside major streets and traffic diversion from local streets are safer than no bicycle infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Greenland reports the highest rates of chlamydial infection and gonorrhea in the Arctic. Our objective was to determine the presence, and describe the basic epidemiology, of Mycoplasma genitalium for Greenland. Study design. Cross-sectional study. Methods. 314 residents from Nuuk and Sisimiut, between the ages of 15 and 65 years, participated in "Inuulluataarneq" (the Greenland Sexual Health Project) between July 2008 and November 2009. Participants provided self-collected samples for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and completed a sexual health survey. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to summarize the basic characteristics of STI cases overall and M. genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis specifically. Clinically relevant characteristics in each full model were gender (male or female), age (in years), age at sexual debut (in years), number of sexual partners in the past 3 months (continuous) and history of forced sex and community. Results. The overall prevalence of STIs was 19.0%, specifically: 9.8% for M. genitalium and 9.4% for C. trachomatis; 100% of M. genitalium-positive cases carried macrolide resistance determinants. Being female [OR=3.2; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-9.8] and younger age (OR=0.9; 95% CI: 0.9=1.0) were associated with M. genitalium positivity. Age was also associated with C. trachomatis (OR=0.9; 95% CI: 0.8-0.9) and STI positivity overall (OR=0.9; 95% CI: 0.9-0.9). Conclusions. We observed a high prevalence of M. genitalium and macrolide resistance in this study. A better understanding of M. genitalium sequelae is needed to inform policy around testing, treatment, control and antibiotic use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]