news

Atrial fibrillation detected after stroke seems more benign than pre-stroke irregular heartbeats, finds Western study Worldwide, millions of stroke survivors undergo prolonged cardiac monitoring, leading to the discovery of atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeats, in up to 1.5 million of these patients each year.

On World Mental Health Day, we look at how Ciaran Murphy-Royal and his research team work to prevent depression by acting on brain cells. The scientific literature is clear: chronic stress experienced in childhood increases the risk of illness in adulthood - everything from obesity and cancer to dependence and depression.

Psychotherapeutic approaches show modest to moderate effectiveness in treating substance abuse, according to a review of studies by UdeM professor Alexandre Dumais. Psychotherapeutic approaches are, at best, moderately effective in helping people with substance abuse or addiction problems reduce their dependence.

An international research team investigates how stress caused by global warming could increase incidences of self-medication worldwide. We knew that climate change and its effects-natural disasters, pandemics, pollution-are negatively impacting mental and physical health around the world. Now a new study sheds light on another health impact of climate change: increased substance abuse.

Waterloo Pharmacy researchers find an opportunity to improve vaccination uptake HPV, or human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection. It is also the leading cause of cervical cancer. Over 1,400 Canadian women are affected yearly, with almost 400 deaths, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

If they've already had a concussion before, university athletes are less likely to report symptoms of a new one when the symptoms are less severe, an UdeM study suggests. University athletes who have already suffered a sport-related concussion are less likely to report symptoms of a new concussion if they consider them to be less serious than their previous ones.

Science, Health & Technology Brett Goldhawk New research from the University of British Columbia is painting a clearer picture of the early signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), showing that people are nearly twice as likely to experience mental illness in the years leading up to the onset of the diseases.

Feeling faint after your booster shot? A team of SFU researchers found that needle pain may increase the conditions that lead some people to faint. In a recent paper published in the journal Clinical Autonomic Research , the researchers suggest those with a fear of needles or history of fainting could benefit from topical anesthetics to help reduce the pain.

This figure represents around 9% of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease in Canada each year. Reducing our salt intake to the level recommended by public health authorities could prevent up to 5,300 deaths per year in Canada. This is the conclusion reached by a research team at the end of a study evaluating the impact of different scenarios for reducing sodium consumption on the health of the Canadian population.

Some children with autism may develop language skills independently of the joint attention skills usually associated with language learning. You're looking at a truck. You're with a young child and he follows your gaze. He's interested in the object you're looking at without you pointing at it. This is called joint attention and it is one of the primary ways children learn to connect words with objects and acquire language.

Two UdeM nutrition graduates went to the Newfoundland and Labrador community to identify nutrition problems among Indigenous youth. Last April and May, Université de Montréal researchers Ariane Lafortune and Milena Nardocci spent three weeks in Miawpukek , an Indigenous community in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Machine learning tutors affect learners in unforeseen ways, both positive and negative Virtual reality simulators can help learners improve their technical skills faster and with no risk to patients. In the field of neurosurgery, they allow medical students to practice complex operations before using a scalpel on a real patient.

In a first-of-its-kind study, Waterloo researchers calculate the environmental footprint of hospitals Researchers from the University of Waterloo completed the first-ever assessment of a Canadian hospital to reveal its total environmental footprint and specific carbon emission hotspots. Studying a hospital in British Columbia during its 2019 fiscal year, the researchers identified energy and water use and purchasing of medical products as the hospital's primary hotspots, accounting for over half of the yearly footprint, totalling 3500-5000 tons of CO2 equivalent.

Areas in Vancouver with the greatest need for restorative nature often have the least exposure to it, according to a new UBC study published recently in Ambio. These neighbourhoods include Strathcona, downtown Vancouver, the West End, southern Sunset and Marpole. The researchers developed a new tool, the local restorative nature (LRN) index to assess spaces for the presence of qualities that promote mental well-being.

Science, Health & Technology Brett Goldhawk As we head into fall, cases of COVID-19 are once again rising across Canada, fuelled by new variants that are offshoots of the original Omicron variant. At the same time, Canada is rolling out an updated suite of vaccines that are more tailored to currently circulating strains of the virus.

More than 597,000 Canadians are living with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, and yet big gaps remain in healthcare support. It's estimated that 85 per cent of people living with dementia are not receiving support after their diagnosis. And research shows being engaged in community is one of the biggest factors in slowing the condition's progression.

A Canadian research team shows for the first time that HIV reservoirs are concentrated in the spleen and lymph nodes, and that they can travel throughout the body. A small number of HIV-infected cells remain in the tissues of people living with the virus and who are undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

Two graduate students from Western University have developed a ground-breaking method for predicting which intensive care unit (ICU) patients will survive a severe brain injury. Matthew Kolisnyk and Karnig Kazazian combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with state-of-the art machine learning techniques to tackle one of the most complex issues in critical care.

Researchers have made groundbreaking progress towards identifying the root cause and potential therapy for preeclampsia. The pregnancy complication affects up to eight per cent of pregnancies globally and is the leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality due to premature delivery, complications with the placenta and lack of oxygen.

If you have concerns your child is having trouble reading, new research shows it's likely something that needs attention. As children across the country head back to class this week, a new study from Western researchers shows parental concern is often an accurate indicator of children's reading difficulty.