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Health - Pharmacology - 10.03.2022

Low COVID vaccine uptake linked to housing insecurity
By the end of September 2021, uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among adults with a recent experience of housing insecurity were 25 per cent lower than the adult population of Ontario for a first dose, and 34 per cent lower for a second dose, according to a new study. Published in The Lancet Public Health , the study is the first in Canada to examine vaccination rates among persons experiencing homelessness.

Life Sciences - Pharmacology - 01.03.2022

Western-led concussion research preps for prime time
An innovative concussion blood test developed by researchers at Western University is set to begin a pivotal clinical trial with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in the coming weeks. Leveraging biomarkers and artificial intelligence, the test could be a game-changer for concussion diagnosis and management.

Pharmacology - Health - 28.02.2022

Computer drug simulations offer warning about promising diabetes and cancer treatment
Metformin highly effective in targeting diabetes and some cancers but potentially dangerous with others By Using computer drug simulations, researchers have found that doctors need to be wary of prescribing a particular  treatment  for all types of cancer and patients. The drug, called metformin, has traditionally been prescribed for diabetes but has been used in clinical settings as a cancer treatment in recent years.

Pharmacology - Social Sciences - 24.02.2022

Smart packaging could improve how older adults take medication
Smart packages can be used to electronically monitor when patients take their medication. By Older adults are open to using smart packaging to improve their medication-taking experience, a new study finds. Smart packages are used to electronically monitor when patients take their medication. When the prescription is not followed as advised by their physician the smart system can notify patients and their caregivers.

Health - Pharmacology - 02.02.2022

Cancer treatment: a berry from Brazil helps out
Castalagin, a polyphenol from the Amazonian fruit camu-camu, increases the efficacy of immunotherapy in mice by modifying their microbiome, Quebec researchers find. Quebec scientists have discovered that the Brazilian camu-camu berry, already recognized for its protective effects against obesity and diabetes, can also help to treat cancers.

Pharmacology - Environment - 17.01.2022

Researchers use AI to analyze tweets debating vaccination and climate change
Preparing for an online start to the winter term: for more information. Analyzing roughly 87 million tweets, researchers found sentiments around climate change to be uniform, but not so for vaccination Using artificial intelligence (AI) researchers have found that between 2007 and 2016 online sentiments around climate change were uniform, but this was not the case with vaccination.

Health - Pharmacology - 17.01.2022

Increasing the capacity of the immune system to kill cancer cells
UdeM cancer specialist André Veillette and his team at the IRCM unveil a promising approach using molecules found in macophages. Awakening the immune system's instinct for destroying cancer, using two molecules located on the surface of macrophages: that's the promising avenue opening up from recent laboratory work of Dr. André Veillette.

Health - Pharmacology - 10.01.2022

Machine learning and AI used to rapidly detect sepsis, cutting risk of death dramatically
Science, Health & Technology Peter Meiszner A groundbreaking advance in quickly detecting sepsis using machine learning has been pioneered by researchers in the Hancock Lab and the department of microbiology and immunology at UBC. Sepsis is one of the biggest killers in the world, responsible for one in five deaths worldwide including those from severe COVID-19 disease, but it is difficult to detect early.

Health - Pharmacology - 23.12.2021

UBC clinical trial supports new self-administered rapid antigen test
Q&As Erik Rolfsen When it comes to COVID-19, peace of mind is difficult to come by. But thanks to new research compiled with data from UBC's first on-campus clinical study, a new self-administered rapid antigen test will soon be available in Canada. It's a tool that could help combat growing uncertainty, prevent transmission and potentially save lives.

Pharmacology - Health - 21.12.2021

Omicron variant is more transmissible but vaccines are still effective
Professor Rafael Najmanovich and his team have applied their modelling of possible variations of the virus responsible for COVID-19 to investigate the Omicron variant. Last summer, a team of researchers at Université de Montréal succeeded in modelling the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 , the virus responsible for COVID-19, and simulating more than 17,000 possible mutations on a computer.

Health - Pharmacology - 20.12.2021

Novel approach to COVID-19 vaccine shows early promise
Early studies in mice show this potential vaccine could produce stronger and longer lasting immunity to fight against variants. A Western University team's novel approach to developing a COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in inducing a robust immune response, early data shows. Several COVID-19 vaccines have been licensed and used for nearly one year now to protect people from the virus.

Pharmacology - Health - 08.12.2021

Prescribing the abortion pill without restrictions is safe and effective: UBC-led study
Science, Health & Technology UBC Media Relations Researchers say Canada's experience offers a roadmap for other countries Abortion remains safe after Canada removed restrictions on the medical abortion pill mifepristone in November 2017. That's one of the key findings from a UBC-led study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine .

Health - Pharmacology - 08.12.2021

Artificial intelligence helps improve outcomes for depression treatment
An international team of scientists, including a Western University researcher, has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that facilitates more personalized treatments for depression and improves patient outcomes.

Health - Pharmacology - 07.12.2021

Common diabetes drug not effective against early-stage breast cancer, researchers say
A widely used and inexpensive type 2 diabetes drug, once hoped to hold enormous promise in treating breast cancer, does not prevent or stop the spread of the most common forms of the disease, according to new research. The study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, was led by Toronto researchers and run by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group under the umbrella of the Breast International Group network.

Pharmacology - 01.12.2021

Coffee time: Caffeine improves reaction to moving targets
Caffeine found to increase alertness and detection accuracy for moving targets That morning coffee might be even more helpful than you think. In the first study of its kind to explore caffeine's effects on dynamic visual skills, researchers concluded that caffeine increases alertness and detection accuracy for moving targets.

Health - Pharmacology - 01.12.2021

HIV: a new therapeutic target identified
A Montreal-based research team shows how the molecule RORC2 allows the virus to persist in the immune cells, thereby making it possible to control. Scientists in Montreal and London have identified the key role played by transcription factor RORC2 in HIV infection: the molecule attaches itself to parts of the virus's genome yet doesn't prevent it from replicating.

Health - Pharmacology - 01.12.2021

Delaying second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine produces stronger immune response
Science, Health & Technology Elaine Yong The first peer-reviewed study in North America examining the timing between the first and second doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines shows that a longer dose interval leads to a stronger immune response. Principal investigator Dr. Brian Grunau, assistant professor in UBC's department of emergency medicine and scientist at the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences , indicates that these results-published Tuesday in Clinical Infectious Diseases -could inform ongoing international COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

Health - Pharmacology - 26.11.2021

Measuring viral RNA to predict which patients will die
A statistical model developed by Université de Montréal researchers uses a blood biomarker of SARS-CoV-2 to identify infected patients who are most at risk of dying of COVID-19. A statistical model developed by Université de Montréal researchers uses a blood biomarker of SARS-CoV-2 to identify infected patients who are most at risk of dying of COVID-19.

Health - Pharmacology - 19.11.2021

Expert explainer: COVID-19 vaccines for kids
Health Canada has authorized the use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11 years of age. (FatCamera / iStock) By Western Communications November 19, 2021 Health Canada has approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11, marking another major milestone in the country's pandemic response.

Life Sciences - Pharmacology - 18.11.2021

When the senses get confused
A gene linked to intellectural disability and epilepsy might also be playing havoc with some patients' senses, including sight and hearing, a new UdeM-led study suggests. The SYNGAP1 gene, recently recognized for its role in intellectual disability and epilepsy, may also affect the sensory system of patients with a genetic mutation linked to this gene.