Preventable deaths caused by acute kidney injury (also known as acute renal failure) could be eliminated in just 10 years according to an international commission of kidney experts. This condition, which sees an abrupt loss of kidney function within a week, affects 20 per cent of North Americans admitted to hospitals, around 13 million […]
Category: Paper of Interest
Healthy life, healthy mind
Healthy eating, exercising, and brain-training may be able to slow down cognitive decline in at risk individuals according to a new study. Researchers performed a randomised control trial of 1,260 people between 60 and 77 years old who were considered at risk for dementia. Individuals in the control group were given only regular health advice, […]
Earliest known giant filter-feeding sea creature
New fossils from Morocco represent the earliest known giant filter-feeding sea creature, Aegirocassis benmoulae. These creatures could exceed two meters in length and fed on plankton much the same way modern whales do. Scientists think the animals went extinct because there was not enough plankton at the time (around 450 million years ago) to allow […]
Younger immigrants in Canada at higher risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease
The younger an immigrant is when he or she arrives in Canada, the higher their risk of developing inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis according to new research. The study found that the children of immigrants from some areas of the world have a 14% increased risk of developing IBD […]
Hormone therapy and heart diseases
Hormone replacement therapy does not protect post-menopausal women against cardiovascular diseases, an updated meta-analysis shows. Furthermore, hormone therapy does cause a slight increased risk of stroke. The authors of the study took into account new results from clinical trials that lasted between six months and 10 years, in which 40,000 women (mainly over 60 years […]
Wind-sculpted canyons
Winds could be responsible for the shape of some modern canyons on Earth and other planets such as Mars, according to a new study. Researchers analysed a set of river gorges in the Chilean Andes where some of the canyons are exposed to strong winds, and others are shielded. They found that wind explained differences […]
Incidental findings: What would you want to know?
With next-generation individual genome sequencing for medical reasons comes the ethical issue of uncovering incidental findings about one’s health. Would you like your physician to tell you that you are at risk for Alzheimer’s disease? Responding to an online questionnaire, 1200 Canadians answered that they generally would agree to receive information about high-risk disease disorders […]
The origins of narcissism in children
A new study has shed light on the origins of narcissism in children and the role parents play in its development. A Dutch study of 565 children and their parents over two years found that children whose parents over-value them are more likely to suffer from narcissism. Until now the origins of narcissism were thought […]
Oncologists weigh the pros and cons of gene-expression profiling
Should women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer have chemotherapy? To help make that choice, some physicians recommend gene-expression profiling (GEP) tests to identify patients who may benefit from the treatment. Carrying the brand name Oncotype DX, this test analyzes the patterns of 21 different genes within the cancer cells to help predict how likely it […]
Ongoing measles outbreak in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in South-eastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. The anti-vaccine movement is not only present in Canada and in the United States, but also in many other countries. Now, a measles epidemic is ongoing in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the anti-vaccine movement has contributed in part […]
Ontario’s life sciences organizations generates $40 billion in annual revenue
Ontario life science industries play a big role in the provincial economy. Companies in the agricultural, pharmaceutical, medical equipment and medical research sectors employ around 83,000 people in Ontario and generates near $40 billion in annual revenues, a new report from Life Sciences Ontario (LSO) shows. However, challenges still needs to be addressed such as the […]
Human activity linked to blue-green algaes bloom in lakes since 1945
Human activity is the primary cause of blue-green algae bloom in lakes in Canada and across the world since 1945, a new study shows. Researchers have found that blooms of one type of harmful algae, called cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, have increased disproportionately over the past two centuries relative to other species, with the greatest […]
How often do you catch the flu?
Adults only catch the flu about twice every 10 years, according to a new study. The researchers looked at antibody levels in 150 people from Southern China against nine influenza strains from 1968 to 2009. They found that while children get flu on average every other year, infections become less frequent as people get older. […]
Rent supplements help homeless people, but only part of solution
Offering supportive housing using rent supplements and case management services helped homeless adults with mental illness stay housed, a new study shows. However, these additional services did not improve their quality of life determined by a health questionnaire assessing mobility, pain, anxiety/depression and self-care. Researchers followed 1,198 homeless adults with mental illnesses in Vancouver, Winnipeg, […]
Pollinator-recognition in plants
Researchers have shown that a plant can discriminate among its pollinators. The plant, Heliconia tortuosa, produced 5.7 times as much pollen when it was visited by particular species of hummingbirds than other species or insects. The researchers suggest this ability enables the plant to maximize its reproductive strategy as the favoured hummingbirds travel greater distances, […]
Changing when stars were formed
A galaxy from the early universe is providing new insight on the formation of stars. Researchers have found one of the youngest and most remote galaxies, estimated to have formed when the Universe was approximately 700 million years old. The astronomers believe the galaxy has either been consistently forming stars at a moderate rate since […]