Waiting for Recovery: The Canadian Labour Market in June 2020.

The Canadian labour market is currently emerging from a holding pattern with unusually high numbers of people in temporary (or "recall") unemployment, people who are "employed but absent from work" for unspecified reasons, or people who are not in the labour force while waiting to be recalled. Two encouraging signs are evident. New postings of vacancies have recovered from 50 percent to about 80 percent of their pre-crisis level. Also, data suggest that the increase in employment in May 2020 is due to the re-entry into employment of some of those waiting to be recalled. These patterns suggest that the labour market might rebound quickly. Warning signs are that the shares of unemployed persons without job attachment and of those on recall engaged in job search are beginning to increase.

Le marché du travail canadien émerge actuellement d'un scénario persistant de surcroît anormal de travailleurs en chômage temporaire (ou licenciés en rappel), ceux qui sont « employés mais absents du travail ¼ pour des raisons qui ne sont pas précisées ou ceux qui, dans l'attente d'un rappel, ne font pas partie de la population active. Deux signes encourageants apparaissent évidents. Les nouveaux affichages de postes à pourvoir se sont redressés, passant de 50 pour cent à environ 80 pour cent de leur niveau antérieur à la crise, et les données semblent en outre indiquer que la hausse de l'emploi en mai 2020 est attribuable au retour au travail de certains des travailleurs en attente de rappel. Ces éléments d'information laissent supposer que le marché du travail pourrait se rétablir rapidement. Les signaux d'alerte sont les suivants : les proportions de personnes au chômage qui n'ont pas de lien d'emploi et des personnes en attente de rappel qui sont à la recherche d'un emploi sont à la hausse.

The development of colour-encapsulated microspheres for novel colour cosmetics.

In the present study, the preparation, characterization and colour retention properties of organic colour-loaded microspheres are described. The study aimed to produce shatter-resistant, low-bleeding polymeric microspheres with particle diameters of 20 µm containing 10-20% (w/w) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic grade colourants FD&C Blue No. 1 Al Lake, FD&C Yellow No. 5 Al Lake and D&C Red No. 36 by utilizing an aqueous-dispersed polymer water-in-oil (W/O) solvent evaporation process featuring styrene/acrylates-based copolymers. The influences of matrix polymeric components on the shape, integrity and dye retention of the microspheres were studied. Encapsulation matrices based on alkali soluble polymers yielded misshapen spheroids that were prone both to swelling and decreased dye retention in aqueous environments, as well as loss of shape at 70°C in cosmetic oils under shear. A resin supported emulsion (RSE)-based matrix, in comparison, yielded highly spherical microspheres resistant to shape deformation and swelling. Additions of up to 15% (w/w) of an alkali soluble polymer to the RSE system improved colour dispersion without detrimentally affecting the structural integrity of the microspheres while also slightly decreasing dye concentrations released into aqueous solutions. The in vitro dye release of the colour-loaded microspheres in a cosmetic-type water-in-silicone (W/Si) emulsion was evaluated and compared to the in vitro dye release studies in aqueous solutions. No direct correlations between the emulsion system and single-component aqueous solutions could be made. Dye-release levels evaluated from contacting the microspheres with a complex aqueous medium (CAM5), which incorporated ingredient classes typically encountered in the aqueous phase of an emulsion, were found to correlate to levels determined in the generic W/Si emulsion with a 93% linear regression between the data sets. This study demonstrates that the CAM5 protocol (or, alternatively, a CAM2.5 protocol) satisfactorily predicted that the commercial materials derived, in part, from this study (Ciba: ENCAPSULENCE Blue 1, ENCAPSULENCE Yellow 5 and ENCAPSULENCE Red 36) are well suited to retain their colour and shape in liquid cosmetic foundations.

Direct detection of leptospiral material in human postmortem samples.

Leptospiral culture, direct immunofluorescence, and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to detect leptospiral material in postmortem specimens collected from eight patients who died of leptospirosis. Diagnosis of leptospiral infection was based on clinical summary (premortem) and confirmed by serological analysis and/or culture of leptospires. Leptospiral culture was the least sensitive technique, yielding two isolates (3%) from 65 samples. Both isolates were from the aqueous humour and cerebrospinal fluid of the same patient. Direct immunofluorescence was of intermediate sensitivity for detection of leptospires, confirming the presence of leptospires in 11% (2 of 18) of tissue samples from three patients. PCR analysis was the most sensitive technique for detection of leptospiral material in tissue samples, being positive in 20% (11 of 56) of samples from eight patients. Both samples (cerebellum and liver) positive by immunofluorescence were also positive by PCR. The sensitivity of the PCR assay was 1-10 leptospires ml(-1) sample, and the assay was specific for Leptospira pathogenic species. Multi-system involvement was indicated based on successful amplification of leptospiral DNA from more than one tissue sample, which corroborated with the clinical and pathologic findings. The results suggest that in acute and/or fatal leptospirosis, the pathogenesis of the pathologic features are related to the presence of the organisms in the tissues. In conclusion, PCR combined with serology appears to be a useful tool for diagnosis of leptospirosis and may be invaluable in epidemiological studies.

Determination of degradation products of squalamine lactate using LC/MS.

Heat, acid and base stress methods were applied to study the stability of squalamine lactate. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used to analyze the degraded samples and tentative structural identifications were assigned based on their molecular weight measurements, reactivity and MS/MS fragmentation. Solid squalamine lactate generated a new amide, namely lactyl squalamide, when heated to 80 degrees C. Chemical structure for this new compound has been established by NMR and MS data interpretation and confirmed by direct comparison between the degradant and the synthesized compound. Squalamine lactate in pH 4 acetate buffer solution produced more degradants under stressed conditions. These degradants are formed due to the loss of the sulfate functionality. Squalamine lactate is stable in refrigerated conditions as well as in basic solution.

The synthesis of spermine analogs of the shark aminosterol squalamine.

Aminosterols isolated from the dogfish shark Squalus acanthias are promising therapeutic agents in the treatment of infection and cancer. One of these, MSI-1436, has been shown to possess antimicrobial activity slightly better than squalamine. In this study, a series of analogs of MSI-1436 have been synthesized from stigmasterol. The 7 alpha-hydroxy substituent of MSI-1436 was either omitted or the stereochemistry modified to the 7 beta position. Also, analogs of MSI-1436 with 24-sulfate, 24-amino, and 24-hydroxy substituents were synthesized in order to assess the importance of the side chain functional group on antimicrobial activity. All of the analogs possess significant antimicrobial activity, suggesting that substitution at C7 and C24 of the aminosterols plays a minor role in their antimicrobial potency.

Acute aphasia complicating typhoid fever in an adult

Motor aphasia complicating bacteriologically confirmed typhoid fever in a 20-year old adult female is presented. Neither the cause of death nor the aetiology of this isolated neurological deficit could be determined from detailed post-mortem examination. An immune related mechanism is suggested based on the temporal characteristics of this complication and CSF abnormalities.(AU)

Acceptability of antenatal diagnosis for sickle-cell disease among Jamaican mothers and female patients

A questionnaire on the need and acceptability of antenatal diagnosis (AND) for sickle-cell disease was given to 112 women with homozgous sickle-cell (SS) disease and 117 AS mothers of patients with SS disease, all aged 15-45 years. AND was favoured by 57 percent of patients and 76 percent of mothers, the option for termination of an affected pregnancy being the reason in 43 percent of patients and in 51 percent of mothers among this group. Fear of the procedure was the commonest reason for not selecting AND. Of the two common methods, chorinonic villus sampling (first trimister) and amniocentesis (second trimester), 74 percent of all women selected the first trimester method, and 93 percent considered these test should be available in Jamaica. Faced with the diagnosis of a foetus with SS disease, 30 percent of patients and 46 percent of mothers stated that they would request termination. (AU)