news 2023

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.

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.

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.

Groundbreaking research is being carried out in several Université de Montréal departments and research institutes to link artificial intelligence and the functions of the brain. The disciplines of neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI) are intricately linked. The structure of the brain inspired the artificial neural networks of AI systems, and the machine learning techniques of AI, in particular deep learning, are modelled on the functioning of the mind.

Simon Fraser researchers studying the evolutionary history of flu viruses have found that a new quantitative analysis of how they evolved may help predict future strains. The research draws on a field known as phylogenetics, which focuses on how groups of organisms are evolutionarily related, and is published in the journal Science Advances.

Social policies aimed at reducing poverty are associated with a decreased risk of dementia in people whose brains exhibit the pathological changes typical of Alzheimer's. Could reducing poverty go hand-in-hand with reducing the risk of developing dementia, the kind in which an elderly person shows signs of Alzheimer's disease but is cognitively healthy and autonomous?

Family members felt sadness, grief at seeing decline in health of older adults due to social distancing Restrictions on social access had a direct impact not only on the well-being of older adults in long-term care (LTC) but also their family members during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by Western researchers.

Unexpected research findings shed a new light on the connection between fathers' mental health and children's behavioural and cognitive development Many parents experience stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms throughout their lives, particularly during times of transition, such as pregnancy and children's entry into school.

Simon Fraser researchers are learning more about how the scenarios for head impacts in hockey-from player clashes to contact with the boards or glass-affect impact severity. Their findings, reported in the journal Scientific Reports , should help to inform improvements in injury prevention. In a follow-up to their previous study on how hockey head impacts occur, researchers returned to a Burnaby rink to follow 43 university men's hockey players over another three seasons (2016-2019).

People in Ontario who had recently been incarcerated were at far greater risk of opioid toxicity death during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study from a Simon Fraser University researcher. The study, published in the journal PLOS One , by SFU criminologist Amanda Butler and colleagues from McMaster University and the University of Toronto, assessed the impacts of the pandemic on opioid toxicity death rates for individuals exposed and not exposed to incarceration in Ontario.

Research and collection of microbiome samples from Indigenous communities has a history of exploiting and harming Indigenous peoples Research on the trillions of microorganisms that make up a person's microbiome can lead to medical breakthroughs to treat diseases like inflammatory bowel syndrome and diabetes.

Sunscreen is important, says Dr. Ivan Litvinov, but it is also the least effective way to protect your skin when compared to sun protective clothing and sun avoidance Sunscreen usage is climbing, but so are melanoma and skin cancer rates: this, researchers say, is the sunscreen paradox.

Research and collection of microbiome samples from Indigenous communities has a history of exploiting and harming Indigenous peoples Research on the trillions of microorganisms that make up a person's microbiome can lead to medical breakthroughs to treat diseases like inflammatory bowel syndrome and diabetes.