Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is a complicated skin condition. In fact, it represents many different underlying problems. These include abnormalities in the skin barrier, the immune system and the ability to handle different bacteria. Despite many recent gains in the understanding of eczema, a lot needs to be learned. There is little evidence to select between some of the older treatments that are available now. Even the newest targeted therapy does not clear most patients' skin. In order to improve the understanding of eczema, how to treat it now, and to enable discovery of new treatments, the investigators plan to enroll patients into a large study at three centres in Canada (University of Toronto, McGill University and University of British Columbia). The study is called the Canadian Atopic Dermatitis Cohort for Translational Immunology and Imaging (CACTI). In this study, the investigators will collect data on how severe participants' eczema is and what treatments they use. For participants who give permission, the investigators will collect blood and skin biopsy samples to study the mechanisms underlying their disease. The investigators will test to see which form of phototherapy (Broadband or Narrowband Ultraviolet B phototherapy) works best for eczema in a randomized clinical trial. The investigators will also use advanced imaging techniques to visualize the skin. This trial registry entry, including the description of the treatment arms and outcomes, refer to the nested BROadband vs Narrowband photoTherapy for Eczema clinical trial.

Heart failure is a major cause of death and hospitalization in Canada. Many of the symptoms experienced by patients with heart failure relate to having fluid accumulate in the lungs causing difficulty breathing, swelling in the legs, and an increase in weight. Thus, one of the cornerstones of managing heart failure includes the use of medications known as diuretics that target the kidneys to reduce fluid accumulation via urination. Deciding on the correct dose of this medication can be quite nuanced as under-dosing can lead to accumulation of fluid, and over-dosing can dehydrate patients and potentially result in lightheadedness/fainting and damage to the kidneys. Currently, options for prescribing diuretics for heart failure include 1) giving patients a regular, fixed dose or 2) having patients monitor their daily weight as a surrogate of their fluid status and then take a dose of diuretic based on a pre-prepared scale. The rationale behind the flexible weight-based diuretic scale is that it can potentially detect early fluid accumulation and thus possibly prevent hospitalization or ED visits, and it also avoids over-dosing and potentially dehydrating patients. Currently, it is not clear whether the flexible diuretic regimen is better than the fixed-dose regimen in preventing ED visits, hospitalizations, kidney damage, or death and as such, this pilot study will directly compare the two commonly used regimens in the management of chronic heart failure patients.

This study is a randomized single blinded prospective clinical trial comparing the surgical outcomes of four different acellular dermal matrixes (ADMs) after primary breast reconstruction. ADMs are used in conjunction with tissue expanders or breast implants to reinforce the recreated breast pocket. Currently, 4 different ADMS are commercially available: AlloDerm, DermaCell, Allomax and Flex HD. It is unclear which ADM is clinically superior. The objective of the study is to compare the complications and post-op care of 4 different ADMs within a 2 year follow up to elucidate their surgical outcomes.

The American Association of Thoracic Surgery defines empyema as pus in the pleural space. It is a common thoracic surgery presentation with an estimated 65,000 cases occurring annually in the United States. Despite the high prevalence of empyemas, there has been no consensus as to its optimal first line management. Methods of acceptable treatment currently include chest tube insertion (thoracostomy), thoracostomy with fibrinolytics, decortication via a thoracotomy (removal of fibrous peel on the lung) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) decortication. The investigators aim to determine the rate of re-intervention within thirty days for adults presenting with empyema in the fibrinopurulent phase by comparing the initial treatments of Interventional Radiology (IR) guided chest tube insertion with intrapleural fibrinolytics (as per Multi-Institutional Sepsis 2 Trial; MIST 2 Trial) versus VATS decortication. Currently, either of these treatments is considered first-line depending on the surgeon and institutional preference.

This is a randomized controlled trial, comparing 3 months of intensive leg exercise to standard physiotherapy care for the improvement of gross motor function in young children with spastic diplegia.

The purpose of this study is to identify genes that increase the risk of developing vasculitis, a group of severe diseases that feature inflammation of blood vessels. Results of these studies will provide vasculitis researchers with insight into the causes of these diseases and generate new ideas for diagnostic tests and therapies, and will be of great interest to the larger communities of researchers investigating vasculitis and other autoimmune, inflammatory, and vascular diseases.

The purpose of the proposed study is to examine if a repeated treatment of High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) can increase the functional connectivity between the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate, which may further enhance the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness classes.

Falls are an "emerging public health crisis" that cost the Canadian health care system billions of dollars each year. Moreover falls have a significant, detrimental impact on the lives of those who fall. In addition to physical injury and hospital admission, individuals may experience a post-fall syndrome characterized by dependence, depression, and reduced mobility and participation. Individuals living with the effects of neurological disease or injury are at a particularly high risk of falling. For example, 69-78% of individuals with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) and 73% of individuals post-stroke fall at least once per year. Despite this high fall risk, evidence-based initiatives to prevent falls among those with SCI/D or stroke are lacking in neurorehabilitation. Furthermore, little time is dedicated to improving balance during inpatient neurorehabilitation. For example, ambulatory inpatients with SCI/D spend, on average, a mere 2.0±2.0 hours on balance training over the course of their entire inpatient stay. Our team is developing effective solutions to the "high-volume, high-risk and high-cost challenge" of falls. Our long-term objective is to develop an intervention that improves balance in a clinically meaningful and feasible way, facilitating the recovery of safe upright mobility and addressing the current health crisis of falls in individuals living with neurological disease or injury. The intervention will be developed with a focus on neurological populations, as these patient groups have a critical need for balance training; however, the intervention will be transferrable to other populations at risk of falls, such as older able-bodied adults. A probable solution to the gap in balance interventions is functional electrical stimulation (FES), whereby an electrical current is applied to peripheral nerves to facilitate muscle contractions. By applying the appropriate amount of electrical stimulation at the appropriate time during movement execution, the central nervous system can be re-educated, facilitating motor and functional improvements. The investigators developed a closed-loop FES system whose controller mimics the physiological control system. By combining this system with visual feedback balance training (VFBT), the investigators developed a prototype system of FES and VFBT (FES+VFBT). This intervention involves standing on a force plate with one's centre of pressure (COP) presented on a monitor. As the user moves his/her COP in response to a game, FES is delivered to the plantarflexor and dorsiflexor muscles through the device, MyndSearch.

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of 3-days reduced physical activity (\<1500 steps/day) with/without 'exercise snacks' (15 chair stands with calf raises every 30 min) on skeletal muscle metabolic health.

This study is being done to look at how effective the drug, atezolizumab, with or without the drug bevacizumab, is for people with inoperable liver cancer or non-small lung cancer that has spread to the liver. This will be done by looking at the duration of time from starting the study drug(s) until the cancer worsens in study participants. This study will collect blood and tumor tissue samples from participants to look at changes to their tumor(s) before and after receiving atezolizumab and/or bevacizumab.