June 2006 edition
A CIHR-funded study has found that nine of 14 seniors who took tango lessons dramatically reduced their risk of a severe fall, compared to only three of the 10 seniors who walked twice a week. Led by Dr. Patricia McKinley of McGill University, the research found that dancing led to better coordination and balance as well as improved memory skills.
Every day, the average adult breathes about 15,000 to 20,000 litres of air. But there are toxic pollutants in this air, such as sulphur oxides and ammonia, which people don't consider. CIHR-funded researcher Dr. Mark Goldberg of McGill University is examining the negative implications of air pollution on human health.
CIHR is funding several studies across Canada to better understand the role of genes and proteins in the West Nile virus. Research is also examining the long term impact of infection, how the immune system responds to the virus and potential therapies. Last year, 226 human cases of West Nile virus were diagnosed, mainly in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Dr. Bhagirath Singh, based in London, Ontario, and Scientific Director of CIHR's Institute of Infection and Immunity at the University of Western Ontario is available to comment on the key role of health research in combating West Nile virus.
CIHR Doctoral Research Award recipient Katerina Maximova from McGill University is conducting research to help us understand how the social environment affects obesity among Canadian children and the ways this environment can be altered. The study is evaluating whether the risk of obesity increases when children undergo changes in family income, mothers' work status, parenting practice, and suffer from behaviour problems as a result of their parents' divorce.
About 20% of people over 60 have had a vertebral fracture, but don't know it. In this newly funded CIHR project, Dr. Sumit Majumdar of the University of Alberta will use chest x-rays from emergency departments to remind family physicians about the need to test for and treat osteoporosis when their x-rays reveal a fracture. It could lead to more people receiving treatment for this debilitating condition. Background article
More than $750,000 will go to a new CIHR study examining barriers faced by injection drug users (IDUs) when accessing essential HIV or hepatitis C medical care. The B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS will compare IDUs receiving and not receiving treatment and examine the influence of law enforcement, addiction treatment levels, and psychological variables on treatment access and adherence, as well as socio-economic issues. A new Centre study reveals the lowest life expectancy for HIV-positive individuals in British Columbia are IDUs not receiving anti-HIV treatment.
The role of the immune system in lung disease is the focus of new research projects funded through a $4.5 million partnership between CIHR, AllerGen and the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Diseases caused by pneumonia, emerging infectious agents like avian influenza or the SARS virus, tuberculosis and multi-drug-resistant organisms all trigger an immune response in the lung. Cystic fibrosis, which affects primarily the lungs and the digestive system, is the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting young Canadians.
Each year, sepsis causes more deaths than heart attacks or lung cancer. It is the leading cause of death in Intensive Care Units around the world, and its incidence is expected to increase by the end of the decade. Sepsis, which often develops from infections associated with trauma, surgery, burns or cancer, can lead to multiple organ failure and even death. With CIHR funding, seven scientists from the Centre for Critical Illness Research at Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, are studying sepsis and the mechanisms surrounding the disease. The research is led by Dr. Peter Kvietys.
CIHR, Health Canada and the Quebec Ministry of Health are part of a new Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) consortium for research on C. difficile in order to gain a more in-depth understanding of the factors related to recent outbreaks in Quebec and find solutions to this deadly bacterium, whose severe diarrhea has killed 109 people in Quebec. The project is led by Dr. Vivian Loo of the McGill University Health Centre.
A peer review process, made up of Canadian and international experts, ensures that CIHR's funding process is fair and open, that taxpayers' money is spent wisely and that only the best and brightest researchers are funded.
Investigators from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease have created an experimental vaccine that prevents hemorrhagic fever among primates exposed to the deadly Marburg virus. Like the Ebola virus, Marburg is a filovirus that causes internal bleeding at multiple sites with patients usually dying as a result of multiple organ failure. Both viruses are considered to be potential bioterrorism agents. Currently, no effective vaccines or drugs against Marburg virus exist. CIHR contributed funding to the research.
Economic, social, and political factors can have a great influence on children's development and health. In a consumer-oriented world, is the growing phenomenon of childhood obesity inevitable?
Montreal, QC
Dr. Alan Bernstein will deliver the keynote address at the conference entitled "Achieving Change: A blueprint for action". The objective is to explore innovations underway to reduce the burden of kidney disease throughout the country.
Vancouver, BC
Several CIHR-funded research teams will be available for media interviews to discuss how health science, physical science, engineering and social science are converging to contribute to the emerging field of nanomedicine. This event will take place at the University of Alberta.
Edmonton, AB
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
