UNASSIGNED: The Muskowekwan First Nation (MFN) in Saskatchewan, Canada, epitomizes the enduring strength and cultural preservation of the Saulteaux people. This community faces the lasting effects of colonial trauma, especially the violence, abuse, and adversity experienced by students at the Muskowequan Indian Residential School (MIRS). Decades of abuse by institutional leaders caused generational trauma, contributing to current mental health and well-being challenges. This study highlights the community\'s role in sharing experiences and shaping healing processes to develop the MFN Family Healing and Wellness Centre in response to urgent community concerns. It examines the integration of Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (J-DEI) principles and cultural responsiveness in fostering community resilience and mental well-being.
UNASSIGNED: Adopting a community-based participatory research framework, this study employs a mixed-methods approach, including community engagement sessions and surveys. Collaborating closely with the MFN leadership, it draws upon the specialized expertise of Author2 and Author1, leaders in Indigenous health and research. The research uses qualitative and quantitative data collection, emphasizing the importance of community input and leadership in shaping the research process and outcomes.
UNASSIGNED: Findings emphasize the community\'s commitment to spiritual and cultural practices as vital healing components. Amidst the heightened awareness of the lingering effects of the MIRS within the MFN community, these insights informed the development of the Centre, ensuring it incorporates the community\'s desires for culturally relevant healing practices. The grand opening of Phase I of the Centre in February 2023 emerged as a significant step forward, symbolizing a move towards holistic community health that honors resilience, holistic wellness, and cultural continuity.
UNASSIGNED: This case study contributes to the literature on integrated, culturally responsive healthcare models that address the needs of Indigenous peoples and communities. The study provides insights to guide the Centre\'s future programs and services, ensuring they are culturally tailored and responsive to the community\'s needs. By illustrating the potential for traditional wisdom and contemporary health practices to foster well-being, the case study advocates for holistic approaches to healing in Indigenous settings, offering a replicable framework for similar initiatives globally.

Of all cancers in female Canadians, the most rapidly increasing incidence is that of cervical cancer. The objective of this pilot study was to assess how HPV self-sampling might improve cervical cancer screening participation in both urban and rural settings in Saskatchewan, one of the most sparsely populated provinces in Canada. Study groups consisted of n = 250 participants to whom self-swabbing kits were mailed with instructions and n = 250 participants to whom kits were handed out in 6 urban and rural clinics. The inclusion criteria selected subjects aged 30-69 years who were Saskatchewan residents for at least 5 years with valid health coverage, had a cervix, and had no record of cervical cancer screening in 4 years. The returned samples were analyzed for specific HPV strains using the Roche Molecular Diagnostics Cobas 4800® System. The overall response rate was ~16%, with the response to the handout distribution being roughly double that of the mailout. While HPV positivity did not differ across the distribution groups, participants at a specific inner-city clinic reported significantly higher positivity to at least one HPV strain as compared to any other clinic and all mailouts combined. For this high-risk population, in-person handout of self-sampling kits may be the most effective means of improving screening.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our work was to examine differences between trauma patients in rural and urban areas who presented to a tertiary trauma centre in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada.
METHODS: We identified a historical cohort of all level 1 trauma activations presenting to Royal University Hospital (RUH) from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2022. We divided the cohort into 2 groups (urban and rural), according to the trauma location. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes of interest were hospital length of stay, readmission to hospital within 30 days of discharge, and complication rate.
RESULTS: Trauma patients in rural areas were younger (34.1 v. 37 yr; p = 0.002) and more likely to be male (80.3% v. 74.4%; p = 0.040), with higher Injury Severity Scores (12.3 v. 8.3; p < 0.0001). Trauma patients in urban areas were more likely to sustain penetrating trauma (42.5% v. 28.5%; p < 0.0001). We saw no differences in morbidity and mortality between the 2 groups, but the rural trauma group had longer median lengths of stay (5 v. 3 d; p < 0.0007).
CONCLUSIONS: Although we identified key differences in patient demographics, injury type, and injury severity, outcomes were largely similar between the urban and rural trauma groups. This finding contradicts comparable studies within Canada and the United States, a difference that may be attributable to the lack of inclusion of prehospital mortality in the rural trauma group. The longer length of stay in trauma patients from rural areas may be attributed to disposition challenges for patients who live remotely.

Sediment transport is a complex, multi-dimensional process. With the advancement in computing power and sophistication of computer applications over recent decades, it has become possible to conduct detailed analysis and simulations of soil erosion and sediment transport. The primary objective of this study was to examine and predict the potential influence of human activities on sediment transport. This was achieved by analyzing sediment transport in the Saskatchewan River beneath the E.B. Campbell Dam and in the Saskatchewan River Delta. The Hydrologic Engineering Center\'s-River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) was deployed to ascertain the sediment transport capacity and estimate erosion, sedimentation, and riverbed changes. Cross-sectional data, flow data, and sediment data were used in conjunction with HEC-RAS. The simulation results reveal that sediment transport below the E.B. Campbell Dam is limited, leading to notable sediment erosion. The selected study area has witnessed significant erosion during high-flow periods, particularly in the event of floods. Between 2012 and 2019, the riverbed elevation at the selected survey site decreased by approximately 0.45 m. The study findings corroborate that the Saskatchewan River and its delta have been impacted by human activities. Potential erosion and deposition below the E.B. Campbell Dam have been simulated for the selected site. The aim is to provide decision-makers or related stakeholders with insight into how dam operations can be adjusted to decrease erosion while sustaining hydrological, ecological, and environmental outcomes from human activities.

UNASSIGNED: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common in young adults in Canada and their prevalence is rising. Assessing sexual health knowledge among young adults is essential for developing effective STI education strategies. However, there is limited research on the sexual health knowledge of Canadian university athletes, who have increased risks of STIs.
UNASSIGNED: To determine perceived and objective levels of knowledge on STIs among university athletes and their preferred methods of knowledge translation regarding sexual health information.
UNASSIGNED: U SPORTS athletes at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina were invited to complete an electronic survey between January-March 2022. Participants completed the Sexual Transmitted Disease Knowledge Questionnaire (STD-KQ) and self-reported their confidence in their answers. Participants were asked about testing beliefs, where they receive their sexual health information and their preferred format for STI information delivery.
UNASSIGNED: One hundred participants completed the survey (14% response rate). Participants had a median composite self-reported STI knowledge score of 2.8 out of 5 (interquartile range [IQR]: 2.4-3.6). The median participant scored 12 out of 27 (44%) on the STD-KQ (IQR: 8-17). Sixty-seven percent of participants received sexual health information from a physician. Sixty-one percent of participants believed embarrassment may prevent them from getting tested or screened. The three most popular methods of health information sharing were online modules (34%), in-person lectures/conferences (24%) and self-paced videos (20%).
UNASSIGNED: This study highlighted that STI knowledge is limited in university athletes. Comprehensive online educational interventions may be effective at improving knowledge.

Aim: To compare the microbial communities inside hemodialysis catheters from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients to determine their differences.Materials & methods: Catheters (n = 41) were removed from patients in the Saskatchewan Health Authority over an 18-month period. The catheter section inside the body was flushed and the contents were evaluated using culture-dependent and culture-independent analysis.Results: All catheters were colonized by bacteria, with considerable overlap between groups based on microbial communities and the individual species detected. More Gram-negative species were detected by sequencing, whereas predominantly Gram-positive strains were cultured. Antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation was widespread and not correlated with either catheter group.Conclusion: Common pathogens were detected in each set of catheters, therefore predicting infections based on the microbiology is difficult.
Many patients use catheters to help clean their blood, a process called hemodialysis. The use of catheters is also associated with complications, such as blood infections. We looked at the types of bacteria associated with catheters from patients who had infections (n = 21) and compared them to catheters from patients who had no signs of infection (n = 20). Once removed from the patient, we flushed out each catheter and tried to grow bacteria in different conditions. We also looked at DNA from within the catheter to identify bacterial species that were present. All 41 catheters had bacteria and there were many common species detected. We detected species known to cause illness such as Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Morganella and Stenotrophomonas species. S. aureus was only grown from patients that had infections. Resistance to antibiotics was found to be common in bacteria grown from catheters. This did not seem to be influenced by whether patients were infected or not. Finally, we identified several catheters where two species, S. epidermidis and P. aeruginosa, were detected together. Our main conclusion was that bacteria are commonly present inside catheters that are used for hemodialysis, regardless of whether patients are infected or not.

The Saskatchewan Dental Plan in Canada was the first universal dental care plan for children in North America. Based on a similar New Zealand program, it would take over two decades from the time that the provincial government first considered the New Zealand policy until a final decision was made to implement the program. This article reviews the reasons for the long gestation of the policy, including the hostility of organized dentistry in Saskatchewan and Canada and the caution of the government\'s bureaucracy. It would take until a social democratic government was elected in 1971 before the political stream joined with the pre-existing problem and policy streams to open the policy window. Established in 1974, the program was terminated in 1987 due to opposition of organized dentistry combined with the pro-market ideology of a newly elected government.
Résumé. La Saskatchewan a été la première à instaurer un régime de soins dentaires universels pour les enfants en Amérique du Nord, le Saskatchewan Dental Plan. S’inspirant d’un programme semblable établi en Nouvelle-Zélande, le gouvernement provincial allait mettre vingt ans, entre le début de l’évaluation de la politique néozélandaise et sa décision, à implanter son programme. Cet article passe en revue les raisons de cette longue gestation, notamment l’hostilité du milieu bien organisé de la médecine dentaire en Saskatchewan et au Canada et la prudence des fonctionnaires gouvernementaux. Il allait falloir l’élection d’un gouvernement social-démocrate, en 1971, pour que le milieu politique s’empare du problème et des politiques existantes et que s’ouvre une fenêtre d’opportunité politique. Établi en 1974, le programme a été aboli en 1987, renversé par l’opposition combinée de la dentisterie organisée et de l’idéologie du libre marché prônée par le gouvernement nouvellement élu.

This qualitative study investigates the perspectives of urban Indigenous individuals in Saskatchewan, Canada, regarding their consumption of traditional foods. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 14 participants across Saskatoon, Regina, and Prince Albert, the research aimed to uncover the benefits, risks, and barriers associated with acquiring and consuming traditional foods. Participants emphasized the nutritional advantages of traditional foods, such as higher nutrient density and absence of industrial additives, which they linked to improved health outcomes and alignment with Indigenous biology. The study also highlighted the vital role of traditional foods in maintaining cultural identity and fostering community connections through practices of food sharing and intergenerational knowledge transfer. However, significant challenges were identified, including economic and physical barriers to access, environmental degradation, and regulatory issues that restrict the availability of traditional foods in urban settings. The findings suggest a complex landscape where cultural practices are both preserved and challenged within the urban environment. This study contributes to the broader understanding of how Indigenous populations navigate the preservation of their culinary heritage in the face of modern economic and environmental pressures, providing insights for policy and community-based interventions aimed at supporting Indigenous food sovereignty.

Urban Indigenous populations encounter distinctive challenges in maintaining traditional dietary practices, compounded by the complexities of socio-economic and environmental factors and the modern urban lifestyle. This qualitative study explores the perceptions of healthy eating, along with the facilitators and barriers to such practices, among urban Indigenous peoples in Saskatoon, Regina, and Prince Albert. Through virtual interviews, we engage 14 participants from these cities. Utilizing NVivo for thematic coding, we apply inductive thematic analysis to reveal relevant themes. The study highlights a preference for nutrient-rich, natural, and minimally processed foods, with a significant emphasis on incorporating traditional Indigenous foods into diets. These preferences are deeply entwined with cultural identity and underscore the importance of traditional foods in maintaining cultural heritage and promoting well-being. Despite the intrinsic value of these traditional foods, participants face several barriers to healthy eating, including economic constraints, limited access to traditional foods, and the psychological impacts of historical trauma. Nevertheless, facilitators such as community and family support, engagement in traditional food practices, and a growing awareness of nutritional knowledge are identified as being crucial in supporting healthy dietary choices. This research underscores the complex interplay of cultural, economic, and environmental factors in shaping the dietary practices of urban Indigenous peoples.

Phosphorus (P) fertilizers promote soil petroleum-hydrocarbon (PHC) bioremediation by correcting carbon-to-P ratio imbalances. While these inputs create conditions favorable to microbial growth, areas of a site or an entire site with low degradation rates (i.e., \"stalled\") occur for unknown reasons. We hypothesized that soil conditions limit P bioavailability, leading to stalls in PHC bioremediation, and adding the correct P amendment restarts microbial activity. Soils were collected and characterized from four cold calcareous PHC-impacted sites in Saskatchewan, Canada, undergoing bioremediation. A generalized linear mixed model identified that regions with lower degradation rates possessed a neutral pH with high magnetic and salinity values. In a subsequent laboratory experiment, the proportion of benzene degraded at greater rates within active (i.e., higher degradation rates) than stalled soils, thereby following model predictions (p-value = 0.19, Kruskal-Wallis). The PHC degradation efficiency of different P amendments was tested by doping stalled soils (n = 3) with one of five treatments: 0 (control), 0 (autoclaved control), or 50 mg phosphate kg-1 soil as sodium diphosphate, triethyl phosphate, or tripolyphosphate. Tripolyphosphate accelerated benzene degradation (75.5 ± 5.4%) in one stalled soil (Outlook 323) and increased degradation non-significantly (43.9 ± 9.4%) in another (Allan 917). Alternatively, the final sample (Davidson 421) possessed the greatest benzene removal with no amendments. This implies that soil P bioavailability may not be the sole cause of decreased microbial activity. Accordingly, combining model outputs with mineralogy and microbiology investigations could enhance PHC biodegradation rates in these cold calcareous soils.