news

Health - Life Sciences - 31.01.2023

Colorectal cancer surgery: gut microbiota helps healing
In a promising study, Canadian researchers have shown for the first time in mice that modifying intestinal flora before surgery could reduce postoperative complications in colorectal cancer patients. CONTENU - Published in the journal Gut, the study by scientists at the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) in Montreal identified two bacterial strains that directly affect whether or not anastomotic leakage, more commonly known as intestinal leakage, occurs.

Health - 31.01.2023

Link between coffee and kidney disease may depend on genetic variant
Researchers at the University of Toronto and University of Padova have found that the association between heavy coffee consumption and kidney dysfunction hinges on a common genetic variation. In a study, the researchers showed that markers of kidney dysfunction were nearly three times higher in heavy coffee drinkers with a variant of the CYP1A2 gene that makes them slow metabolizers of caffeine than for other heavy coffee drinkers who had a different version of the gene that enables faster caffeine metabolism.

Health - Life Sciences - 31.01.2023

Obesity-related neurodegeneration mimics Alzheimer’s disease
Thinning in the right temporo-parietal cortex and left prefrontal cortex were similar in both groups A new study led by scientists at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University finds a correlation between neurodegeneration in obese people and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.

Mathematics - Health - 30.01.2023

New mathematical model shows how the body regulates potassium
Mathematical model conceptualizes the relationship between kidneys and muscles Having levels of potassium that are too high or too low can be fatal. A new mathematical model sheds light on the often mysterious ways the body regulates this important electrolyte. Potassium, a common mineral abundant in food like bananas and leafy greens, is essential to normal cellular function.

Health - 27.01.2023

Personal stories of health risks got students to stop vaping
Study shows how personal stories of health risks got students to stop vaping Results could be useful for curbing other harmful behaviours among youth, says researcher  By Megan Stacey , January 27, 2023 By Megan Stacey , January 27, 2023 A new Western study shows that university students who were regularly vaping wanted to cut back after learning about the threat the habit could pose to their health.

Health - Pharmacology - 25.01.2023

New 3D ultrasound may improve accuracy of liver cancer treatment
Simulated study finds new robotic ultrasound system can optimize liver cancer ablation therapy By Lawson Health Research Institute, Special to Western News, January 25, 2023 By Lawson Health Research Institute, Special to Western News, January 25, 2023 A simulated study by researchers at Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute has found a new system that uses ultrasound to construct 3D-images could make treatment of liver cancer, using thermal ablation, more accurate.

Health - 25.01.2023

Bacterium decreases effectiveness of immunotherapy
A new study finds that antibodies linked to Helicobacter pylori infections may be associated with lower overall survival outcomes in melanoma patients treated with immunotherapy. CONTENU - Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that colonizes the stomach lining and is found in more than half of the global population, making it one of the most widespread bacterial infections in the world.

Health - Life Sciences - 19.01.2023

Better understanding cancer and heart disease
A Canadian-led team of researchers finally identifies the molecular mechanism by which a key protein regulates LDL cholesterol. CONTENU Nabil G. Seidah Credit: IRCM In a crucial step towards understanding the mechanisms involved in cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, a Canadian led research team has succeeded in a world first: they've found the molecular mechanism by which the protein PCSK9 degrades the receptor of low density lipoproteins, the richest cholesterol particles in the bloodstream.

Health - Computer Science - 19.01.2023

AI-powered database to design potential cancer drug in 30 days
In less than a month, researchers have used AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered protein structure database, to design and synthesize a potential drug to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer. The researchers successfully applied AlphaFold to an end-to-end AI-powered drug discovery platform called Pharma.AI.

Health - Life Sciences - 18.01.2023

Scientists developing early Alzheimer’s disease detection sensor
By Melissa Shaw Researchers with the SFU Nanodevice Fabrication Group are developing a new biosensor that can be used to screen for Alzheimer's disease and other diseases. An overview of their work has been recently published in the journal Nature Communications. Their sensor works by detecting a particular type of small protein, in this case a cytokine known as Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF alpha), which is involved with inflammation in the body.

Life Sciences - Health - 17.01.2023

Technologically assisted communication may impair brain development
According to an international study, the use of videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom and FaceTime has a negative effect on social cognition and its development. Videoconferencing services are proliferating-there's Zoom, Teams, Messenger, FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp-and since the COVID-19 pandemic they have been seeing heavier use than ever before.

Health - 16.01.2023

Using machine learning to predict brain tumour progression
Waterloo researchers use MRI data to further personalize cancer medicine Researchers at the University of Waterloo have created a computational model to predict the growth of deadly brain tumours more accurately. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a brain cancer with an average survival rate of only one year.

Health - 16.01.2023

Smartphone app designed by University of Toronto researchers can significantly improve memory recall
Researchers at the University of Toronto have demonstrated that a new smartphone application helps to significantly improve memory recall, which could prove beneficial for individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease or other forms of memory impairment. Dubbed HippoCamera  for its ability to mimic the function of the brain's hippocampus in memory construction and retention, the app enhances the encoding of memories stored in the brain by boosting attention to daily events and consolidating them more distinctly - thus later enabling richer, more comprehensive recall.

Health - 13.01.2023

Water babies: is it time to demedicalize childbirth?
A recent study shows most women would give birth in water as long as it's safe for their baby, but despite the benefits very few hospital facilities now offer this option. CONTENU - Around 80 percent of women would be interested in giving birth in water, as long as the procedure poses no risks to their newborn.

Economics / Business - Health - 12.01.2023

Study refutes industry claims that ban on menthol cigarettes leads to increased use of illegal smokes
A new research study has found that banning menthol cigarettes does not lead more smokers to purchase menthols from illicit sources, contradicting claims made by the tobacco industry that the proposed ban of menthol cigarettes in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will lead to a significant increase in illicit cigarettes.

Life Sciences - Health - 12.01.2023

Researchers uncover molecular vulnerability in childhood brain cancer, identify treatment
A team of researchers from the University of Toronto's Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research and McMaster University have made a potential breakthrough in medulloblastoma, a form of brain cancer that predominantly affects children and infants - a finding that could lead to new, targeted treatments that are less harmful to developing brains.

Health - Life Sciences - 10.01.2023

Western research leads to new understanding of how HIV hides itself in the body 
When the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects a person's body, it permanently inserts its genetic material into the genome where it often remains dormant and barely detectable for years. A major obstacle in finding a cure for HIV has been solving the mystery of how this dormant pool of HIV-infected cells, also called HIV latency, is established.

Pharmacology - Health - 09.01.2023

’Vaccination deserts’ identified in northern, rural and French-speaking Ontario
Pharmacist-administered vaccination sites unevenly distributed across Ontario New research out of the University of Waterloo has identified "vaccination deserts" in parts of northern and rural Ontario and in locations where French is predominantly spoken. These areas have little to no access to pharmacist-administered vaccination sites for COVID vaccines or the flu shot.

Health - 09.01.2023

University of Toronto researchers to advise health providers on improving Ontario’s primary care system
With Canadian health-care systems in crisis,  Monica Aggarwal and her colleagues at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health are working to advise health providers on building better integrated primary care systems - work she hopes will help realize real change in the sector.

Social Sciences - Health - 09.01.2023

Building trust for experts
Talking about complex societal issues requires trusted experts to combat disinformation Faculty of Arts Dr. Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher is the Canada Research Chair in Science, Health and Technology Communication and leading expert on how communication practices shape how people engage with scientific and technical subject matters.