news 2023

Following a program of physical exercise combined with cognitive training can greatly help older people with mild cognitive impairment, a national study finds. Symptoms of mild cognitive impairment in the elderly can be slowed or even reversed if they follow a combined program of physical exercise and cognitive training, according to the results of a clinical study of 175 seniors diagnosed with the disorder.

Results from new McGill University study suggest the key to maximizing our ability to protect future biodiversity depends on creating a new national strategy for protected areas prioritizing Canada's rich biodiversity At last year's COP15 conference in Montreal, the Government of Canada set the goal of conserving 30 percent of the country's land and water by 2030.

Do adults with a history of childhood trauma have altered brain responses to psychological challenges? Previous studies indicated that this can occur in laboratory animals, but it has been unclear whether it occurs in humans. Now a team of scientists, led by researchers from McGill University, have found evidence that exposure to childhood adversity is associated with an altered ability to process stressful challenges and other emotional material.

University of Waterloo engineers use AI to advance cancer treatment monitoring  Engineers from the University of Waterloo are harnessing artificial intelligence to help doctors better see and control a non-invasive cancer treatment and, in the process, save lives. Their imaging system will allow for the safer and more effective use of high-intensity, focused ultrasound to destroy a wide range of cancerous, often deadly, tumours.

UdeM biologists produce a first-ever social and ecological profile - in multicoloured map form - of over 600 of the country's lakes, identifying which need to be better preserved. Canada has more lakes than any country in the world - more than 900,000 - and its population depends on them for drinking water, water to irrigate crops, and water in which to fish, swim, and boat on.

Major work led by Dr. André Veillette's team in collaboration with a group of researchers managed to identify a previously unknown way which prevents phagocytosis. Major work led by Dr. André Veillette's team at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), in collaboration with a group of researchers, and just published in Nature Immunology , managed to identify a previously unknown way which prevents phagocytosis, which is a process that promotes the immune system's response to cancer.

The virus that causes cold sores can survive and remain infectious for several hours on food or food-related surfaces. It is generally accepted that the virus responsible for cold sores is transmitted via saliva or direct contact with the lesions it causes. However, there are other potential transmission routes, according to a study published by a team from Université Laval in the Journal of Applied Microbiology .

Science, Health & Technology Erik Rolfsen Researchers from the University of B.C. and the BC Provincial Toxicology Centre (BCPTC) have developed a more efficient way to find out which new 'designer drugs' are circulating in the community. In a study published today in Analytical Chemistry , they showed how high-resolution mass spectrometry can be used to analyze urine samples at scale and uncover molecules from emerging designer drugs that have been missed by conventional testing.

The OSIRIS-REx mission is NASA's first mission to collect samples from an asteroid - in this case 101955 Bennu - and return to Earth. OSIRIS-REx is an acronym for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer. The sealed capsule landed on Sept. 24 near Salt Lake City, Utah, a feat that was broadcast live by NASA.

Laval University scientists identify a new class of bacteria that plays a key role in one of Canada's most northerly lakes Lake A, located on Ellesmere Island in Canada's High Arctic, has been isolated from the world for millennia. "It's a kind of lost world, untouched by human disturbance. The environmental conditions are particularly favourable for the study of microorganisms and their potential," stresses Adrien Vigneron, former postdoctoral fellow in Warwick Vincent's North Sentinel team, and Connie Lovejoy, from the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

McGill biology researchers found that there are patterns regarding the importance of temperature in determining where species live, shedding light on their sensitivity to climate change As the planet gets hotter, animal and plant species around the world will be faced with new, potentially unpredictable living conditions, which could alter ecosystems in unprecedented ways.

Science, Health & Technology Brett Goldhawk A special kind of genetic test that helps determine the best antidepressant for patients with moderate-to-severe depression could generate substantive health system savings and greatly improve patient outcomes, according to new research from the University of British Columbia.

Study has implications when planning the transition from pediatric to adult health services Faculty of Health The combination of physical and mental illness had a negative impact on self-perception among older adolescents, but not for younger ones, shows a new University of Waterloo study. Researchers found that compared to adolescents with a physical illness only, their self-concept - the image we have of ourselves - was lower, but that was not the case for younger adolescents.

If you start exercising for the promise of a little extra money, you may keep up the habit even after the financial incentives are gone, new research from Western suggests. A study of more than 580,000 Canadians across three provinces using a step-counting app showed that even when the rewards were removed after a year, most participants continued to walk almost as much.

If you have ever laughed at a joke despite not finding it funny, or laughed at something and weren't sure why, you have proven that comprehending and appreciating humour are two very different things. Western University neuroscientists have now discovered that two distinct parts of the brain trigger these reactions, a result that also may shed light on why some patients with Parkinson's disease might have difficulty being 'in' on a joke.

Scientists at the UdeM-affiliated IRCM identify a new mechanism and role for LDL in type 2 diabetes that could someday help prevent the disease. Canadian scientists have established for the first time a new mechanism and role for LDL in the development of type 2 diabetes, beyond its traditional role in the development of cardiovascular disease in humans.

UdeM chemists have developed a new tool for detecting interactions between sugars and lectins, a discovery that could help in the fight against diseases like cancer. Scientists at Université de Montréal's Department of Chemistry have developed a new fluorogenic probe that can be used to detect and study interactions between two families of biomolecules essential to life: sugars and proteins.

UdeM professor Sandra Binning and her colleagues have developed a predictive model of parasitic infection-related migratory behaviour in different animal species. Migration is a survival mechanism for many species. Animals travel to find food, reproduce, reduce competition, escape predators or escape winter.

Western research shows prenatal exposure to cannabis may increase diabetes risk in offspring Study finds exposure to CBD impacts glucose intolerance in male rats Cannabis consumption is prevalent among pregnant women in North America, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 24 years, previous research has shown.

UdeM professors Nancy Beauregard and Véronique Dupéré are investigating the impact of balancing studies, work and personal life on students' mental health. Working many hours per week can be detrimental to young people's academic performance and well-being, but studies that explore the positive impacts of work on mental health are few and far between.