news 2024

Scientists have uncovered a new link between the immune system and the development of Parkinson's disease. Researchers at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) at McGill University have discovered that an immune response plays a key role in how toxic protein clumps, known as Lewy bodies, form in brain cells and contribute to disease.

An affordable and effective nutritional approach to help reduce inflammation and prevent Type 2 diabetes. The team led by May Faraj, Professor of Nutrition at Université de Montréal and Director of the Nutrition, Lipoproteins and Cardiometabolic Diseases Research Unit at the Montréal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), sheds new light on the role of marine-source omega-3 supplementation in treating adipose tissue inflammation and reducing the risk for cardiometabolic diseases like Type 2 diabetes.

A new study shows that artificial ponds created to restore peatlands exploited by humans achieve a balance similar to that of natural ponds, but it takes time. Ponds created to restore bogs degraded by peat extraction take over 17 years to develop ecosystems similar to natural ponds. That is the finding of a study by master's students Émilie Jolin and Mahmud Hassan and doctoral candidate Julien Arsenault, supervised by Julie Talbot of the Department of Geography at Université de Montréal and Line Rochefort at Université Laval.

The next time you need to take a prescription drug, taking it might be as easy as putting on a contact lens, thanks to a new discovery made by University of Waterloo researchers. The team of researchers - which spans Waterloo's Department of Chemistry and its School of Optometry and Vision Science - created a new type of hydrogel that can deliver drugs to patients with various eye issues when 3D printed onto a contact lens.

People's preference for simple explanations of any situation is connected to their desire to execute tasks efficiently, finds a new study from the University of Waterloo. "These findings show that our preference for simpler explanations mirrors how we evaluate actions. Simplicity isn't just valued in explanations-it's part of how we think about achieving results efficiently," said Claudia Sehl, lead author and a PhD candidate in developmental psychology at Waterloo.

Remarkable encounter during 2022 Niagara fireball event leads to discovery of tiniest asteroid known In an international study led by Western University and Lowell Observatory , scientists describe a pioneering, integrative approach for studying near-Earth asteroids based largely on a November 2022 fireball event that dropped meteorites in the Niagara region.

Electric Vehicles will now be able to go from zero battery power to an 80 per cent charge thanks to Researchers at the University of Waterloo who made a breakthrough in lithium-ion battery design to enable this extremely fast charging. 15 minutes is much faster than the current industry standard of nearly an hour, even at fast-charging stations.

An international team of scientists led by UdeM wife-and-husband team Zdenka Pausova and Tomas Paus links the presence of white spots on MRI brain scans of older adults to a genetic risk of dementia. They show up as bright white spots when you get a brain MRI: lesions called white matter hyperintensities, or WMH.

A new study shows that photoreceptor cells in the retina exhibit planar polarity, i.e. their light-sensitive cilia orient themselves in a coordinated manner.

Young adults at risk of psychosis show reduced brain connectivity, a deficit that cannabis use appears to worsen, a new study has found. The breakthrough paves the way for psychosis treatments targeting symptoms that current medications miss. In the first-of-its-kind study, McGill researchers detected a marked decrease in synaptic density-the connections between neurons that enable brain communication-in individuals at risk of psychosis, compared to a healthy control group.

A multi-disciplinary team of University of Calgary researchers is aiming to use genetic variants to discover new cardiovascular diseases and disease mechanisms. Libin Cardiovascular Institute members Dr. Wayne Chen, PhD, and Dr. Robert Rose, PhD, are leading a novel study investigating the genetics behind rare cardiovascular conditions.

A team of researchers from McGill and Université de Montréal's Observatoire pour l'éducation et la santé des enfants (OPES, or observatory on children's health and eduation), led by Sylvana Côté, spending two hours a week of class time in a natural environment can reduce emotional distress among 10- to 12-year-olds who had the most significant mental health problems before the program began.

Temporary sound installations can be a low-cost way of dealing with noise pollution in areas of high urban density, McGill researchers have found. Dubbed the "new second hand smoke," noise pollution can have consequences ranging from simple annoyance to such serious health problems as hearing loss and high blood pressure and can exacerbate various mental health conditions.

A study conducted in the field of ophthalmology confirms a trend observed in all scientific journals The retraction of articles by editors of scientific journals - the signal that a previously published article has significant enough flaws to be deemed invalid - has risen sharply over the past decade, peaking in 2023 with over 10,000 articles retracted.

Groundbreaking finding by Faculty of Veterinary Medicine team opens door to new immunotherapies and enhanced vaccines. The human immune system is a marvel of biological engineering, yet, even today, there are fundamental aspects of its operation that remain shrouded in mystery. "Our immune systems protect us from everyday threats - like the viruses that cause the flu or from mutated cells like cancer cells," says Dr. Johnathan Canton, PhD.

A new study finds that seniors who tend to mirror other people's feelings are more likely to show signs of being anxious or depressed themselves. Madeleine and Paul are sitting on a park bench. As she tells Paul about her financial worries and how she's been struggling for months to make ends meet, Madeleine's eyes well with tears.

Findings indicate PCBs, DDT continue to pose threats decades after they were banned, even as decline in contamination levels overall testifies to bans' positive impact, researcher said. Killer whales off Canada's Atlantic coast continue to be contaminated with dangerously high levels of toxic chemicals that put them at elevated risk of severe immune-system and reproductive problems, a recent McGill-led study has found.

Researchers find design flaws and oversight issues in certain health apps, offer solutions for more effective tools AI-powered apps offering medical diagnoses at the click of a button are often limited by biased data and a lack of regulation, leading to inaccurate and unsafe health advice, a new study found.

Findings build on growing evidence that adding flavours to vaping solutions can increase the dangers. Berry-flavoured vapes can weaken the lungs' natural defences, making it harder for the body to fight off infections, new research suggests. The study compared effects of flavoured e-cigarettes to those of unflavoured ones.

Historical data linked to end of sugar rationing in the United Kingdom offers unique glimpse into diet and health A low-sugar diet in the first years of life can significantly reduce the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood, a study based on historical data has found. The researchers pulled data from UK Biobank, focusing on adults conceived just before and after the 1953 end of wartime sugar rationing in the United Kingdom.