After five positive randomized controlled trials showed benefit of mechanical thrombectomy in the management of acute ischemic stroke with emergent large-vessel occlusion, a multi-society meeting was organized during the 17th Congress of the World Federation of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology in October 2017 in Budapest, Hungary. This multi-society meeting was dedicated to establish standards of practice in acute ischemic stroke intervention aiming for a consensus on the minimum requirements for centers providing such treatment. In an ideal situation, all patients would be treated at a center offering a full spectrum of neuroendovascular care (a level 1 center). However, for geographical reasons, some patients are unable to reach such a center in a reasonable period of time. With this in mind, the group paid special attention to define recommendations on the prerequisites of organizing stroke centers providing medical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke, but not for other neurovascular diseases (level 2 centers). Finally, some centers will have a stroke unit and offer intravenous thrombolysis, but not any endovascular stroke therapy (level 3 centers). Together, these level 1, 2, and 3 centers form a complete stroke system of care. The multi-society group provides recommendations and a framework for the development of medical thrombectomy services worldwide.

The association between dietary patterns and CVD risk factors among non-Hispanic whites has not been fully studied. Data from 650 non-Hispanic white adults who participated in one of two clinical sub-studies (about 2 years after the baseline) of the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) were analysed. Four dietary patters were identified using a validated 204-item semi-quantitative FFQ completed at enrolment into AHS-2: vegans (8·3 %), lacto-ovo-vegetarians (44·3 %), pesco-vegetarians (10·6 %) and non-vegetarians (NV) (37·3 %). Dietary pattern-specific prevalence ratios (PR) of CVD risk factors were assessed adjusting for confounders with or without BMI as an additional covariable. The adjusted PR for hypertension, high total cholesterol and high LDL-cholesterol were lower in all three vegetarian groups. Among the lacto-ovo-vegetarians the PR were 0·57 (95 % CI 0·45, 0·73), 0·72 (95 % CI 0·59, 0·88) and 0·72 (95 % CI 0·58, 0·89), respectively, which remained significant after additionally adjusting for BMI. The vegans and the pesco-vegetarians had similar PR for hypertension at 0·46 (95 % CI 0·25, 0·83) and 0·62 (95 % CI 0·42, 0·91), respectively, but estimates were attenuated and marginally significant after adjustment for BMI. Compared with NV, the PR of obesity and abdominal adiposity, as well as other CVD risk factors, were significantly lower among the vegetarian groups. Similar results were found when limiting analyses to participants not being treated for CVD risk factors, with the vegans having the lowest mean BMI and waist circumference. Thus, compared with the diet of NV, vegetarian diets were associated with significantly lower levels of CVD risk factors among the non-Hispanic whites.

Introduction: Deliberate practice (DP) is the evolution of practice using continually challenging and focused practice on a particular task. DP involves immediate feedback, time for problem-solving and evaluation, and opportunities for repeated performance. Microskills training breaks down larger tasks into multiple smaller subtasks and then adds opportunities for feedback and adjustment for each subtask. Microskills training is routinely used to achieve excellence in competitive sports, martial arts, military operations, and music. Surgical cricothyrotomy is a rarely performed safety critical task. Methods: Two doctors and three nurses developed stepwise team microskills checklists from case review, simulations and published evidence. The checklist was tested, evaluated and developed during four days of simulation faculty team training. The final 30 item checklist was used to facilitate skills training for doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and ACPs in one level 2, and two level 3 trauma centers from April 2017 to October 2017. Commonly available airway trainers were retrofitted with the 3-D printed larynx. The microskills checklist was used in four phases: 1. Group discussion of each microskill step; 2. Groups of three team members; operator, assistant and microskill facilitator (using the checklist) to enable the deliberate analysis of the teams current performance. Each subtask is performed with immediate peer and where necessary faculty feedback - changes are recorded; 3. Total task run through without interruption - changes are recorded; 4. Repetition and feedback using different team members, manikins, including time pressure. User satisfaction surveys were collected after the skills training session Results: Teams were composed of Registered Nurses (8), Physicians (9), and Respiratory Therapists (2). All of the teams experienced a change in practice. The median number of microskills changed for MDs 12/21, RNs 6/12. The commonest changes in practice were equipment preparation (all teams). All professions agreed strongly that the approach produces a positive change in practice (median score 5/5). Conclusion: Microskills checklists facilitate cricothyrotomy skill development in interprofessional teams in this provisional analysis.

Introduction: Situational awareness (SA) is the team understanding patient stability, presenting illness and future clinical course. Losing SA has been shown to increase safety-critical events in multiple industries. SA can be measured by the previously validated Situational Awareness Global Assessment Tool (SAGAT). Checklists are used in many safety-critical industries to reduce errors of omission and commission. An RSI checklist was developed from case review and published evidence.The New Brunswick Trauma Program supports an inter-professional simulation-based medical education program Methods: Simulations were facilitated in three hospitals in New Brunswick from April 2017 to October 2017. Learner profiles were collected. The SAGAT tool was completed by a research nurse at the end of each scenario. SAGAT scores were non-normally distributed, so results were expressed as medians and interquartile ranges. Mann Whitney U tests were used to calculate statistical significance. To understand the effect of the of an RSI checklist a comparison was made between SAGAT scores at baseline in scenario 1, and the same first scenario completed after a washout period. A Poisson regression analysis will be used to account for the effect of confounding variables in further analyses. Results: The group was composed of Registered Nurses (8), Physicians (7), and Respiratory Therapists (2). Situational awareness increased significantly with the use of an RSI checklist after 1 day of 4 simulations. The washout period ranged between 5 weeks and 8 weeks. The baseline situational awareness of the whole group during scenario 1 was 9 +/− 0.5 (median, IQR), and with the RSI checklist was 12 +/−1 (median, IQR). The difference was highly statistically significant, p=< 0.001. This level of situational awareness using checklist is comparable to the SAGAT scores after 10 scenarios. Conclusion: In this provisional analysis, the use of an RSI checklist was associated with an increase in measured situational awareness. Higher levels of situational awareness are associated with greater patient safety. A Poisson regression model will be used to understand the confounding effects of user expertise and the likely interaction with simulation exposure.

Introduction: Deliberate practice (DP) is the evolution of practice using continually challenging and focused practice on a particular task. DP involves immediate feedback, time for problem-solving and evaluation, and opportunities for repeated performance. Mircroskills training breaks down larger tasks into multiple smaller subtasks and then adds opportunities for feedback and adjustment for each subtask. Microskills training is routinely used to achieve excellence in competitive sports, martial arts, military operations, and music. Endotracheal intubation is a complex task with a clinically significant complication and failure rate. Methods: Two doctors and three nurses developed stepwise team microskills checklist from case review, simulations and published evidence. The checklist was tested, evaluated and developed during four days of simulation faculty team training. The final 36 item checklist was used to facilitate skills training for doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and ACPs in one level 2, and two level 3 trauma centers from April 2017 to October 2017. The microskills checklist was used in four phases: 1. Group discussion of each microskill step 2. Groups of three team members; operator, assistant and microskill facilitator (using the checklist) to enable the deliberate analysis of the teams current performance. Each subtask is performed with immediate peer and where necessary faculty feedback. Changes are recorded. 3. Total task run though without interruption. Changes are recorded. 4. Repetition and feedback using different team members, manikins, including time pressure. User satisfaction surveys were collected after the skills training session Results: Results. Teams were composed of Registered Nurses (8), Physicians (9), and Respiratory Therapists (2). All of the teams experienced a change in practice. The median number of microskills changed for MDs 13/30, RNs 7/16. The commonest changes in practice were patient positioning (all teams). All professions agreed strongly that the approach produces a positive change in practice (median score 4.8/5). Conclusion: Microskills checklist facilitate endotracheal intubation with a bougie skill development in interprofessional teams in this provisional analysis.

Objectives: There are no current established pathognomonic diagnostic features for uterine leiomyosarcomas in the pre- or perioperative setting. Recent inadvertent upstaging of this rare malignancy during laparoscopic morcellation of a presumed fibroid has prompted widespread debate among clinicians regarding the safety of current surgical techniques for management of fibroids. This study aims to conduct a systematic review investigating significant diagnostic features in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of uterine leiomyosarcomas.

Methods: A comprehensive database search was conducted guided by PRISMA recommendations for peer-reviewed publications to November 2017. Parameters available in MRI were compared for reliability and accuracy of diagnosis of leiomyosarcomas. A decision tree algorithm classifier model was constructed to investigate whether T1 and T2 MRI signal intensities are useful indicators.

Results: Nine eligible studies were identified for analysis. There appears to be a significant relationship between histopathological type and T1 and T2 intensity signals (p < .05). A decision tree model analyzing T1 and T2 signal intensity readings supports this trend, with a diagnostic specificity of 77.78 percent for uterine leiomyosarcomas. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were not observed to have a significant relationship with tumor pathology (p = .18).

Conclusions: Various studies have investigated pre- and perioperative techniques in differentiating uterine leiomyosarcoma from benign fibroids. Given the rarity of the malignancy and lack of pathognomonic diagnostic parameters, there is difficulty in establishing definitive criteria. A decision tree model is proposed to aid diagnosis based on MRI signal intensities.

Almost 100 years have passed since J.M. Swaine, the assistant entomologist in charge of Forest Insect Investigations, wrote, “Canadian bark-beetles: a preliminary classification, with an account of the habits and means of control”. The goal was to “put into the hands of practical foresters information of inestimable practical value… to prevent the continued loss of timber now being destroyed” by “the most insidious enemies of the forest”. In this paper, we celebrate Swaine’s pioneering work by summarising the foundational aspects of his early treatise of 1918: the “general habits” of bark beetles, classifications of their behaviour, causes of population increase, and mitigation tactics. In the founding text, Swaine identified all major Dendroctonus Erichson (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) bark beetles found in Canada, although details on life histories were scarce. We summarise current knowledge of the life histories and population dynamics of the spruce beetle, D. rufipennis Kirby; the Douglas-fir beetle, D. pseudotsugae Hopkins; the eastern larch beetle, D. simplex; and address the current range expansion of mountain pine beetle, D. ponderosae Hopkins. We review how aspects of global change, such as invasive species, have altered the population dynamics of certain bark beetles. Finally, we conclude with lessons from two of the many past contributors to bark beetle ecology in Canada, J.M. Swaine and H.A. Richmond.