Health Research News Alert

April 2007 Issue:

• The air we breathe and our health
• Should other provinces follow Ontario's lead with free flu shots?
• New Brunswickers prefer self-treatment to hospitals

Mark Your Calendar

April 22: Earth Day
The air we breathe and our health
CIHR-supported research into clean air includes work by Dr. Murray Finkelstein of the University of Toronto and Mount Sinai Hospital who is leading a major cohort study examining the relationship between air pollution exposure and mortality rates in a group of people from Hamilton and Toronto. The study will track 110,000 individuals over a period of five years. Researchers have deployed a network of air quality sensors in neighbourhoods in both cities.

Did you know?
CIHR is an important contributor to environmental health research and the impact of a changing environment on asthma, pregnancy and children. CIHR investments in this area have increased almost ninefold over the past six years.

April: Daffodil Month (Canadian Cancer Society)
Radiation treatment can miss its mark when you breathe
A CIHR-funded researcher at McGill University wants to make radiation treatments for lung cancer more precise and effective. Medical physicist Dr. Jan Seuntjens is developing new calculations that will allow better planning of lung cancer treatments by taking into account changes in tumour position as a result of patient breathing and the fact that not all areas of the tumour require the same dose of radiation. The research will provide clinicians with more accurate information for planning of radiation doses and tumour location.

Did you know?
About one in three Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. CIHR funds several studies that are helping more people to survive this life-threatening disease. CIHR also funds research to improve the quality of life for people receiving palliative care.

April: National Oral Health Month
Ask your dentist: your gums may reveal cancer, arthritis and other diseases
Diseases such as cancer, heart failure, lung fibrosis, arthritis and periodontal diseases all share something in common: disorganization and loss of connective tissue function. The CIHR Group in Matrix Dynamics in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry is searching for new drug targets that can maintain the proper function of joints, muscles, cartilage, bone and ligaments. Contact CIHR media relations to arrange interviews with the group's director, Dr. Christopher McCulloch.
Related U.S. study

April 22-29: Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week
Kidney Donation - Are there long-term health implications for donors?
Dr. Amit Garg at the London Health Centre Research Institute (University of Western Ontario) is leading a CIHR-funded study to find out more about possible long-term risks and benefits for kidney donors. The results of the study, which involves eight centres in Canada and sites in the U.S. and Australia, could encourage more people to donate.

Did you know?
There are over 3,500 people in Canada waiting for organ transplants and nearly 150 die each year waiting for an organ to become available. Living donation can help close the gap between the number of people on transplant waiting lists and the number of available organs. 

April 22-28: National Immunization Awareness Week
Should other provinces follow Ontario's lead with free flu shots?
In July 2000, Ontario began providing free flu shots to everyone in the province. The Universal Influenza Immunization Program is the first large-scale program of its kind in the world, but the program has never been evaluated. Dr. Jeffrey Kwong of the University of Toronto is leading a CIHR-funded study looking at the effect of the program on doctor visits, emergency room services, hospitalizations and deaths. The results will help other provinces and countries decide whether to introduce similar programs.

CIHR-supported Research...

New Brunswickers prefer self-treatment to hospitals: CIHR study
A CIHR-supported study led by Dr. Marilyn Hodgins of the University of New Brunswick has found that patients in the province do not immediately dash to the emergency room with the slightest ache or sign of illness. The survey of close to 2,000 New Brunswickers found that 74% of ER patients tried to treat themselves first and 35% had asked the advice of a family member before heading to the nearest hospital. Why do they go to the emergency department at all? Respondents cited fear that the condition might get worse; advice from others; and the lack of other options for dealing with the problem.

Improving health-care options for homeless people
One of Canada's leading researchers on homelessness and health is heading a CIHR study to determine how homeless people access health services. Led by Dr. Stephen Hwang at St. Michael's Hospital (University of Toronto), the three-year study of 1,200 homeless persons in Toronto examined whether using ambulatory care services such as an outpatient clinic reduced the likelihood of emergency room visits. The study will help medical professions and policy-makers to deliver better health care for homeless men, women, and their children.

Did you know?
An early study led by Dr. Hwang of St. Michael's Hospital estimated that homeless men in Toronto have a 20-50% lower mortality rate than homeless men in the United States.

What research should you believe?
The hemorrhoid dilemma - surgically remove or staple?
We don't talk about them much in public, but hemorrhoids are among the most common of health ailments, affecting more than one in two of us at some point in our lives. What's the best way to remove them? Some patients opt for a stapling-type procedure because they experience less pain compared to other surgical procedures and may have a faster recovery. But a Cochrane Collaboration review of published studies found that if you want to avoid them coming back, you're better off sticking with what's considered the "gold standard" for removing hemorrhoids - the conventional excisional techniques in which three major hemorrhoidal cushions are surgically removed. CIHR is a partner in the Canadian Cochrane Network and Centre.

CIHR start-up ready to launch rapid blood tests for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd., Toronto, has developed a rapid screening test that could protect blood supplies from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) - the human form of mad cow disease. Launched with support from CIHR's Proof of Principle program and founded on CIHR-funded research, Amorfix is the first company to develop a technology that can rapidly screen tens of thousands of blood samples to determine how many people have been infected with vCJD and how many people are incubating the disease. Amorfix is also using the technology to develop a diagnostic test for Alzheimer's disease.

Upcoming Events

April 11-14, 2007: Community-Campus Partnerships for Health 10^th Anniversary Conference
Toronto, Ontario

May 2-4, 2007: "Making the Health Care Connection: Sharing and Caring Beyond Borders"
An international conference hosted by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the InterRAI international research consortium. Participants will include researchers, clinicians, health-system managers and policy-makers.
Ottawa, Ontario

May 2-5, 2007: 7^th International Conference on Diabetes & Indigenous Peoples
Hosted by the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association
Ottawa, Ontario

For more information on any of the above story leads, please contact:

David Coulombe
Media Specialist
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Tel: 613-941-4563
Cell: 613-808-7526
Email: mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca