TSpace

Preserve and Share Your Research

TSpace is a free and secure research repository established by University of Toronto Libraries to disseminate and preserve the scholarly record of University of Toronto.

Quick Access

View All Communities and Collections

Recent Submissions

Access status: Embargo ,
Complexity among People Experiencing Homelessness: A Scoping Review of Definitions and Measurement Approaches
(Wiley, 2026-02-12) Kerman, Nick; Gok, Sena; Sylvestre, John; Ecker, John; Zhang, Sihan; Hwang, Stephen W.; Kozloff, Nicole; Stergiopoulos, Vicky
People experiencing homelessness are often described as having “complex needs” for whom various health and housing interventions have been developed. However, there is no consensus on how this and similar terms are defined or measured. A prospectively registered scoping review was conducted to examine how “complexity” is defined and measured with people experiencing homelessness. Six academic databases were searched, along with several techniques for identifying grey literature and articles in unindexed journals. A total of 224 academic articles were included in the review (35 grey literature articles were included in a supplemental review). There were 220 definitions of complexity provided in 203 academic articles, which most commonly included mental illness and/or substance use problems. Physical health problems, multiple health conditions, justice system involvement and offending behaviours, health and social service use patterns, and type and characteristics of homelessness were also common. Three types of approaches for measuring complexity were identified in 29 articles: (1) instruments (primarily vulnerability indices and service prioritization tools), (2) risk adjustment/health resource prediction indices, and (3) study-specific algorithms and processes. Limited validation was common among the methodological approaches, with a few exceptions. Overall, the findings highlight how complexity is often underdefined, with limitations in its measurement.
Access status: Open Access ,
The effects of Land-Use on Tree Health: A Study of Public Trees in the Town of Halton Hills
(2025-12-15) Janjua, Fuad; Thomas, Sean
This study looked at the effects of species, DBH and land-use type on tree health condition. Approximately 5000 trees were inventoried in the Town of Halton Hills, Ontario, on 3 different land-use types (parks, facilities and cemeteries). Tree health condition was rated on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being in excellent condition and 5 being dead/death imminent. Results showed significant differences in tree health among species, with most species in good condition (mean condition <2), though Austrian pine and green ash were more vulnerable. Land-use type also significantly affected health, with cemetery trees being in slightly worse condition than those in parks or facilities. Larger DBH classes were linked to lower health condition ratings, suggesting size or age-related stress. Species–land-use interactions indicated maples fared worse in facilities, while thick-barked species, such as oaks and pines, were more resilient in parks. These findings emphasize the importance of species selection, site-specific management, and root and soil protection, in efforts to improve overall tree health status. Recommended practices include root protection, soil mulching, and monitoring soil compaction and nutrients, informing urban forestry strategies to sustain tree health and ecosystem services.
Access status: Open Access ,
Sputum Biomarkers of Inflammation to Track Acute Respiratory Events in School-Age Children with Cystic Fibrosis
(2026-02-06) Ben-Meir, Elad; Perrem, Lucy; Nissen, Gyde; Shaw, Michelle; Ratjen, Felix; Grasemann, Hartmut
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by neutrophil-driven airway inflammation and acute respiratory events (AREs) that contribute to progressive lung damage. AREs are clinically heterogeneous and often occur without measurable changes in lung function. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of molecular airway inflammatory markers for detecting AREs in school-age children with CF. We performed a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study of children with CF (ages 6.7–16.8 years) followed for two years. Sputum samples were collected from 50 participants during stable visits and AREs. Concentrations of 14 inflammatory cytokines were measured using ELISA and multiplex assays. Associations with lung function (ppFEV1 and lung clearance index [LCI]) and time to next ARE were assessed. A total of 179 sputum samples were analyzed, including 64 collected during AREs. Calprotectin, interleukin-8 (IL-8), and IL-1β were increased during AREs compared with stable visits, although concentrations frequently remained within ranges observed at stable visits. Other cytokines, including GM-CSF, IL-17A, IL-1α, TNF-α, and SPLUNC-1, were predictive of shorter time to subsequent AREs. No biomarker correlated with lung function measures. These findings indicate that airway inflammatory cytokine changes are associated with clinically diagnosed AREs but not with pulmonary function, supporting their potential role as complementary biomarkers in CF care.
Access status: Open Access ,
Microbiome Signatures in Advanced Gastric Cancer: Emerging Biomarkers for Risk Stratification, Therapy Guidance, and Prognostic Insight
(2026-01-31) Kim, Kyung-il John; Zhong, Hannah; Tai, Derek; Shah, Pranati; Park, Daniel; Goes, Vitor; Li, Jianan; Jung, Claire; Kim, Lucas; Guzman, Sofia; Brar, Gagandeep; Castillo, Dani
Gastric cancer (GC), often diagnosed at advanced or metastatic stages, remains a significant clinical challenge requiring novel biomarkers for early detection, risk stratification, and effective, personalized treatment optimization. Emerging evidence underscores a strong association between gut microbiome dysbiosis and GC initiation, progression, and therapeutic outcomes. This review explores the potential of the advanced/metastatic gastric microbiome as a source of diagnostic and targetable biomarkers and its role in modulating responses to immunotherapy. Although Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the most significant risk factor for GC, several other gastrointestinal taxa—including Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum)—have been implicated in advanced GC (AGC). At its inception, microbial dysbiosis contributes to chronic inflammation and immune evasion, thereby influencing tumor behavior and treatment efficacy. Integrating microbiome-based biomarkers into risk stratification, GC staging, and targetable treatment frameworks may enhance early detection, inform immunotherapy strategies, and improve patient-specific treatment responses. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG have the potential to change the immunotherapy framework with their direct influence on dendritic cell (DC) and cytotoxic T cell (CTL) activity. However, clinical translation is impeded by methodological heterogeneity, causality limitations, and a lack of clinical trials. Nonetheless, the integration of microbiome profiling and the development of therapeutic microbiome modulation strategies, such as personalized probiotics regimens and fecal microbiota transplantation, hold substantial potential for improving clinical outcomes and reducing treatment-related toxicity in GC management.
Access status: Open Access ,
Rhythmic Mechanisms Governing CAM Photosynthesis in Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi: High-Resolution Temporal Transcriptomics
(2026-01-29) Hu, Rongbin; Jawdy, Sara; Sreedasyam, Avinash; Lipzen, Anna; Wang, Mei; Ng, Vivian; Daum, Christopher; Keymanesh, Keykhosrow; Liu, Degao; Hu, Alex; Pasha, Asher; Provart, Nicholas J.; Borland, Anne M.; Tschaplinski, Timothy J.; Tuskan, Gerald A.; Schmutz, Jeremy; Yang, Xiaohan
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a specialized photosynthetic pathway that enhances water-use efficiency by temporally separating nocturnal CO2 uptake from daytime decarboxylation and carbon fixation. To uncover the regulatory mechanisms coordinating these temporal dynamics, we generated high-resolution, 48 h time-course transcriptomes for the CAM model Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi under both 12 h/12 h light/dark (LD) cycles and continuous light (LL). A rhythmicity analysis revealed that diel light cues are the dominant driver of transcript oscillations: 16,810 genes (54.3% of annotated genes) exhibited rhythmic expression only under LD, whereas just 399 genes (1.3%) remained rhythmic under LL. A smaller set of 3009 genes (9.7%) oscillated in both conditions, indicating that the intrinsic circadian clock sustains rhythmicity for a limited subset of the transcriptome. A gene co-expression network analysis revealed extensive integration between circadian clock components, core CAM pathway enzymes, and stomatal regulators, defining regulatory modules that coordinate metabolic and physiological timing. Notably, key hub genes associated with post-translational and post-transcriptional regulation, including the E3 ubiquitin ligase HUB2 and several pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, act as central nodes in CAM-associated networks. This discovery implicates epigenetic and organellar regulation as previously unrecognized critical tiers of control in CAM. Together, our results support a regulatory model in which CAM rhythmicity is governed by both external light/dark cues and the endogenous circadian clock through multi-level control spanning transcriptional and protein-level regulation. To support community exploration, we also provide an interactive eFP (electronic Fluorescent Pictograph) browser for visualizing time-resolved gene expression profiles.