Kidney stones are a common problem in Canada. Ten per cent of the population suffers from the painful condition, caused when high levels of oxalate combine with calcium in the bloodstream and crystallize into stones in the kidney. Oxalates are found in a range of foods from french fries to nuts. Some people easily eliminate oxalates but others can’t.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer for women—but one of the most deadly. In 2017, approximately 2,800 Canadian women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer1, and an estimated 1,800 lost their lives to the disease. While survival rates are slowly increasing, early diagnosis and treatment dramatically improves a woman’s chance of survival.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD)—caused by fetal exposure to alcohol and resulting in changes in cognitive, behavioural and adaptive function—is much more prevalent than previously thought. A major new study out of the US, as well as a subsequent Canadian study, show FASD affects between one and five per cent of children. That means FASD is more common than Down syndrome and as common or more common than autism. Dr. Joanne Weinberg, a neuroscientist who studies FASD, says the new prevalence estimates are highly significant.
Vancouver-based medical researchers are teaming up with computer engineers to change the way patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are monitored. A new joint initiative will use smartphone app technology and sensors in patient’s homes to give clinicians a better picture of disease progression from afar.
It is a diagnosis that parents never want to receive—the devastating news that their child has cancer. Hope is often directed to the medical system for breakthrough treatments to remove or stop the spread of the disease.
Dr. Torsten Nielsen, clinician-scientist at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, has dedicated his practice to cancer research and care, including childhood and young adult sarcomas. An uncommon form of cancer that affects mostly the young, sarcomas are malignant tumours found in bones and soft tissues, often in the limbs or abdomen.
Each year, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) promotes excellence in health research through the annual VCHRI Investigator Awards. These awards recognize outstanding health investigators and support their research efforts through peer-reviewed salary support awards. The awards provide an opportunity for investigators to reduce their clinical practice commitments and build their research capacity to expand the possibilities of improving health research. They are supported by VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.
The 2018 VCHRI Investigator Awards recipients are:
In Canada, as well as globally, chronic pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The disease—which causes inflammation of the lungs and makes it more difficult to breathe—is life-changing for patients and their families. In more severe cases, trips to the emergency room and regular hospital admissions are all too frequent, putting a great deal of strain on patients, families and the health care system.
