Summary The field of acoustic telemetry has evolved rapidly and now permits the remote sensing of animal behaviour, movement, physiology and survival in environments, and species not previously possible. However, an inability to detect when a telemetered animal is consumed by a predator can complicate accurate interpretation of the telemetry data. In this paper, we describe the efforts taken to test the two generations of a novel prototype acoustic telemetry transmitter designed specifically to detect predation. Testing involved either staged predation events where tagged prey (Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and Yellow Perch Perca flavescens) were fed to captive Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, or false‐positive testing where prey fish were tagged and held without the risk of predation. Metrics of interest were (i) the rate of correctly identifying the predation events, (ii) signal lag (i.e. the time required to detect a predation event), (iii) tag retention time in the predator's gut, and (iv) the rate of false‐positive triggering in both live and dead prey fishes. Staged predation events were successfully identified in 61/65 and 52/55 trials for generation 1 and 2 tags, respectively. Signal lag time was reduced in generation 1 tags (generally between 1 and 9 h) relative to generation 2 (3–29 h); although signal lag was highly variable. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) indicated strong evidence that signal lag and tag retention were both negatively correlated with water temperature, but were not affected by prey species and only slightly by individual predator traits. There was preliminary evidence that prey size may be an important determinant of both signal lag and tag retention. False‐positives in live fish were absent after 120 days for generation 1 tags (n = 31), however, the false‐positive rates were significantly higher (10/44) after only 66 days for generation 2 tags. False‐positives in dead fish showed that 20% of the generation 2 predation tags would falsely trigger 2–3 days post‐mortem. Testing of the novel predation tags was encouraging, however, further testing is recommended. Predation tags will be an important contribution to the field of acoustic telemetry, thus, permitting the improved data interpretation and less‐subjective estimates of predation rates in biotelemetry studies.

When injected directly into a tumor mass, adenovirus (Ad) vectors only transduce cells immediately along the injection tract. Expression of fusogenic proteins from the Ad vector can lead to syncytium formation, which efficiently spreads the therapeutic effect. Fusogenic proteins can also cause cancer cell death directly, and enhance the release of exosome-like particles containing tumor-associated antigens, which boosts the anti-tumor immune response. In this study, we have examined whether delivery of an early region 1 (E1)-deleted, replication-defective Ad vector encoding the reptilian reovirus p14 fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) protein can provide therapeutic efficacy in an immunocompetent mouse tumor model. A high multiplicity of infection of AdFAST is required to induce cell fusion in mouse mammary carcinoma 4T1 cells in vitro, and FAST protein expression caused a modest reduction in cell membrane integrity and metabolic activity compared with cells infected with a control vector. Cells expressing FAST protein released significantly higher quantities of exosomes. In immunocompetent Balb/C mice harboring subcutaneous 4T1 tumors, AdFAST did not induce detectable cancer cell fusion, promote tumor regression or prolong mouse survival compared with untreated mice. This study suggests that in the context of the 4T1 model, Ad-mediated FAST protein expression did not elicit a therapeutic effect.

Background Emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have diverse applications in medicine. As AI tools advance towards clinical implementation, skills in how to use and interpret AI in a healthcare setting could become integral for physicians. This study examines undergraduate medical students’ perceptions of AI, educational opportunities about of AI in medicine, and the desired medium for AI curriculum delivery. Methods A 32 question survey for undergraduate medical students was distributed from May–October 2021 to students to all 17 Canadian medical schools. The survey assessed the currently available learning opportunities about AI, the perceived need for learning opportunities about AI, and barriers to educating about AI in medicine. Interviews were conducted with participants to provide narrative context to survey responses. Likert scale survey questions were scored from 1 (disagree) to 5 (agree). Interview transcripts were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. Results We received 486 responses from 17 of 17 medical schools (roughly 5% of Canadian undergraduate medical students). The mean age of respondents was 25.34, with 45% being in their first year of medical school, 27% in their 2nd year, 15% in their 3rd year, and 10% in their 4th year. Respondents agreed that AI applications in medicine would become common in the future (94% agree) and would improve medicine (84% agree Further, respondents agreed that they would need to use and understand AI during their medical careers (73% agree; 68% agree), and that AI should be formally taught in medical education (67% agree). In contrast, a significant number of participants indicated that they did not have any formal educational opportunities about AI (85% disagree) and that AI-related learning opportunities were inadequate (74% disagree). Interviews with 18 students were conducted. Emerging themes from the interviews were a lack of formal education opportunities and non-AI content taking priority in the curriculum. Conclusion A lack of educational opportunities about AI in medicine were identified across Canada in the participating students. As AI tools are currently progressing towards clinical implementation and there is currently a lack of educational opportunities about AI in medicine, AI should be considered for inclusion in formal medical curriculum.

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The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of visiting medical student electives and in-person residency interviews in Canada. Orthopedic surgery residency programs are now curtailed in their ability to self-promote and select optimal applicants. Online and social media tools should be adopted to promote programs. Faculty, residents and trainees should aim to attend virtual social and program information events. Applicants should make efforts to learn about the programs by attending events and reaching out to residents, and strengthen their application through research and other activities to demonstrate their interest and commitment to the field of orthopedic surgery. These efforts may help avoid the prospect of qualified candidates being unranked by programs or residency positions being unfilled. These difficult circumstances may serve to engender collaboration and cooperation across residency programs and medical schools and lay the foundation for a thriving interconnected ecosystem of future orthopedic surgeons.

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Cancer is a devastating disease that affects millions of patients every year, and causes an enormous economic burden on the health care system and emotional burden on affected families. The first line of defense against solid tumors is usually extraction of the tumor, when possible, by surgical methods. In cases where solid tumors can not be safely removed, chemotherapy is often the first line of treatment. As metastatic cancers often become vigorously resistant to treatments, the development of novel, more potent and selective anti-cancer strategies is of great importance. Adenovirus (Ad) is the most commonly used virus in cancer clinical trials, however, regardless of the nature of the Ad-based therapeutic, complete responses to treatment remain rare. A number of pre-clinical studies have shown that, for all vector systems, viral spread throughout the tumor mass can be a major limiting factor for complete tumor elimination. By expressing exogenous cell-fusion proteins, many groups have shown improved spread of Ad-based vectors. This review summarizes the research done to examine the potency of Ad vectors expressing fusogenic proteins as anti-cancer therapeutics.

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