news 2023

There is an urgent need for mental health supports and interventions for youth in British Columbia, according to the results of a new report led by Simon Fraser University. The recently released report , which surveyed nearly 15,000 youth in the province, found half of 15- to 17-year-olds indicated that their mental health was fair or poor and nearly 40 per cent screened positive for depression (38 per cent) and generalized anxiety (39 per cent).

New study on vapes challenges belief that adolescents experience less severe withdrawal symptoms from nicotine than adults  Vapes or e-cigarettes were introduced as a potentially safer alternative to traditional smoking to curb tobacco use. However, the popularity of vapes has risen among an age group it wasn't intended for: adolescents.

Now that ChatGPT can "see" and "hear," could it be useful for people with mobility, sensory or cognitive disabilities? Whether it's a question of analyzing medical images, detecting drug interactions, or creating brain-computer interfaces, it seems like the potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare industry are endless.

Groundbreaking work by IRCM scientists using an RNA-based therapeutic approach gives hope for a future cure for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major health problem affecting approximately 30 percent of people in Western countries and which has been in sharp increase over the last three decades.

Researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine find a way to use 3D printing to produce heart valves for eventual use in surgery on children with cardiac defects. In a breakthrough in pediatric cardiac science, Canadian researchers have successfully produced a bio-ink that could someday be used to print functional, durable heart valves, offering hope for improving the prognosis of children with heart defects.

University of Waterloo researchers are pioneering a method to detect breast cancer in women early enough for them to receive life-saving treatment. The innovative technology will be cheaper and safer than common cancer diagnostic tools. The innovative technology aims to be more accurate as well as cheaper to provide than today's most common diagnostic tools such as X-ray mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Topics Western researchers have unveiled crucial insights into the sleep health of middle-aged and older adults in Canada, identifying social determinants that contribute to disparities in sleep satisfaction, efficiency, and duration. The study revealed that men report sleeping better than women, and contrary to previously held beliefs, sleep actually improves with age.

McGill researchers have made a breakthrough in diagnostic technology, inventing a 'lab on a chip' that can be 3D-printed in just 30 minutes. The chip has the potential to make on-the-spot testing widely accessible. As part of a recent study, the results of which were published in the journal  Advanced Materials, the McGill team developed capillaric chips that act as miniature laboratories.

AI breakthrough may lead to highly personalized medicine in the treatment of serious diseases Machine learning is now helping researchers analyze the makeup of unfamiliar cells, which could lead to more personalized medicine in the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. Researchers at the University of Waterloo developed GraphNovo, a new program that provides a more accurate understanding of the peptide sequences in cells.

Discovery may lead to medical advances in bio-implants, wearable sensors, and more How do you create strong, yet quick-release connections between living and non-living tissues? This is a question that continues to puzzle bioengineers who aim to create materials that bond together for advanced biomedical applications.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.