January edition, 2006
Special holiday issue!
The holiday season can be a great time for family, friends and fun - particularly if you manage to stay healthy. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) supports several researchers whose work could result in less visits to hospital emergency wards during the holidays, and all year round.
Avoiding concussions on the rink
Hockey may be Canada's national pastime, but it shouldn't have to include concussions. Dr. David Goodman of Simon Fraser University is in the final year of a five-year CIHR-supported study looking at effective ways to reduce concussions from playing hockey.
How sports-related concussions affect children
Concussions among children are more common than many people realize. Whether it's snowboarding, sledding or getting hit by an ice-packed snowball, one in every 100 children will suffer a concussion between the ages of 7 and 13. Unfortunately, little is known of the consequences. CIHR-supported researcher Dr. Maryse Lassonde of Hôpital Sainte-Justine in Montreal is investigating whether the age at which a concussion happens has an impact on its severity over the long term.
Keeping your digestive tract bug-free
The holiday season is ripe with situations where we risk eating food that hasn't been properly cooked or that remains un-refrigerated for too long. CIHR is funding several projects through its "Safe Food and Water Initiative" to help improve the safety of our food and water. They include:
Diagnosing and treating C. difficile in our hospitals
Many Canadians will visit a hospital this holiday season, and some may be exposed to the deadly Clostridium difficile bacteria. The germ, which causes severe diarrhea, has become a menace in hospitals and nursing homes, particularly in Quebec. Dr. Louis Valiquette at Université de Sherbrooke is leading a CIHR-funded project that could help clinicians to better diagnose, treat and manage the disease, particularly for severe and relapsing cases.
Sharing the flu with a kiss and a handshake
Flu and cold bugs love holiday seasons. All that kissing, hugging and handshaking puts people - particularly seniors - at a higher risk of catching a virus. Dr. Mark Loeb at McMaster University is leading a five-year study that could help reduce the spread of viruses among seniors. The team is looking at how the use of antibiotics and disinfectants can lead to antimicrobial resistance among seniors, which makes them more susceptible to the flu, colds and other viruses as a result. Dr. Loeb is also the Scientific Director of the Canadian SARS Research Network.
Helping you keep New Year's resolutions
The New Year is synonymous with good intentions, such as stopping smoking and losing weight. Drs. Joan Bottorff and John Oliffe at the University of British Columbia are leading a CIHR-funded project that could reduce smoking among pregnant women by examining the behaviors of their male partners. As many as 30% of pregnant women use tobacco.
Losing weight is another ongoing battle for many Canadians, particularly post-menopausal women. CIHR is funding a separate project led by Dr. Irene Strychar at Université de Montréal to identify the behavioral and metabolic factors associated with successful weight loss among this group of women.
How music and blindness change our brains
Singing in a choir this holiday season could change your brain. Dr. Robert Zatorre at the Montreal Neurological Institute wants to understand why some people have better musical and hearing abilities than others. He is examining how the brains of musicians and the blind have changed or adapted based on their training or their loss of sight.
For more information on any of the above story leads, please contact:
Marie-France Poirier
Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Phone: (613) 941-4563
Cell: (613) 447-4794
mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
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