Health Research News Alert

September 2007 Issue

• Group sex therapy can beat erectile blues
• Get ready for knee replacement surgery every 15 years
• Men, hot flashes and the downsides of hormonal therapy

Mark Your Calendar

September is Arthritis Month

Did you know?
As Canadians age and develop arthritis, more people are requiring knee and hip replacements. Between 1993 and 1999, the rate of total knee replacements increased by a staggering 52% and these rates are continuing to rise.

Get ready for knee replacement surgery every 15 years
One knee replacement seems reasonable as we get older, but two or three? That's the warning from researchers at the Toronto Western Research Institute, who say Canadians will likely outlive their artificial knees, which last about 15 years. Dr. Aileen Davis and colleagues are examining whether that second or third artificial knee works as well as the first or if we should expect less mobility with each new knee.

September 9, 2007: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day
New test can accurately identify babies with fetal alcohol syndrome
Dr. Gideon Koren of the Hospital for Sick Children is testing fecal matter from newborn babies to determine if they have fetal alcohol syndrome. Developed by Dr. Koren, this test was used in a recent CIHR study in Ontario's Grey-Bruce health district, where results indicated that 3.5% of all babies tested had been exposed to heavy alcohol use. This first-of-its-kind study, the culmination of 17 years of CIHR support, has prompted regional health authorities to work with Dr. Koren on a follow-up CIHR study that will provide support services and counseling for families where the baby tests positive for fetal alcohol syndrome disorder.

September 17-23: Prostate Cancer Awareness Week
Men, hot flashes and the downsides of hormonal therapy
An increasing number of men with prostate cancer are being treated with androgen deprivation (i.e. hormonal) therapy (ADT) but, for older men in particular, there can be unpleasant side effects: hot flashes, worsening sexual function, decline in bone density, decreased energy. Dr. Shabbir Alibhai at the University of Toronto is leading a CIHR-NCIC study - one of the first of its kind - to examine the impact of ADT on a man's physical and cognitive abilities.

What research should you believe?
Group sex therapy can help beat erectile blues
Medications like Viagra offer help to some men with erectile dysfunction (ED), but combining the drugs with group sex therapy will help significantly more than drugs alone, according to the first-ever review of research on the topic. The Cochrane Collaboration also found that group psychotherapy on its own was more effective than taking sildenafil (e.g. Viagra or Revatio) on its own in patients with psychogenic ED. Its reasoning? Group therapy is more effective at dealing with the psychological contributors to erectile dysfunction, namely depression, low self-esteem and anxiety. CIHR is a partner in the Canadian Cochrane Network and Centre.

CIHR-Funded Research...

Drug to repair psychiatric disorders moves closer to market
Dr. Yu Tian Wang, a researcher at the Brain Research Centre at UBC Hospital (VCHRI), is developing a new generation of drugs that would be the first significant change in decades to medication to treat psychiatric disorders. CIHR has provided critical funding that is helping the University of British Columbia researcher further test the proof of principle - a precursor to clinical trials and eventual commercialization of new drugs. Dr. Wang's research team has discovered a way for medications to target only those areas of the brain that need to be repaired, minimizing the side effects found in existing medications used to treat addiction, schizophrenia, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. UBC has created a new company, Stratford Pharmaceuticals, to commercialize the discovery.

Did you know?
The Ontario Medical Association estimates that 1,900 Ontarians die prematurely each year from ambient air pollution exposure, and that the economic costs of these and other health effects total more than $1 billion per year.

Industry, not traffic, increases air pollution risk of Parkinson's
A CIHR-funded study is the first in North America to draw a link between Parkinson's disease and manganese air pollution, and suggests that industry-generated emissions of the pollutant pose a greater health risk than traffic-generated manganese. "This study of 110,000 people over three years supports the theory that exposure to manganese adds to the natural loss of neurons attributable to the aging process," says Dr. Murray Finkelstein at the University of Toronto, one of the study's authors. The results appear in a recent issue of Environmental Research.

Upcoming Events

September 16-19, 2007: "From Politics to People", Canadian Public Health Association Annual Conference
CIHR is a partner in the conference, which is being jointly held with the first Canadian Public Health Geomatics Conference: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Public Health.
Ottawa, Ontario

September and October 2007: CIHR Café Scientifique: Quench your scientific thirst 
CIHR is helping to bring lively discussions about science and technology into cafés across Canada. Café Scientifique events are open to all with an interest in discussing the hot topics in science and their impact on society.
Stress, Depression, Anxiety: Am I the Only One?
September 18th at 5 p.m. at Le Petit Chicago, 50 promenade du Portage.
Gatineau, Quebec
Toronto the Good? Air Quality and Your Health
September 25th at 5 p.m. at Bar Italia, 582 College Street.
Toronto, Ontario
Home is Where your Health Is
September 25th at 5 p.m. at Good Earth Coffeehouse and Bakery, corner of 87 Avenue and 112 Street.
Edmonton, Alberta

October 4-5, 2007: CIHR Workshop for Journalists on Mental Health
CIHR invites journalists for a unique opportunity to explore and discuss the latest in mental health discoveries with today's research leaders from Quebec including Dr. Rémi Quirion, Dr. Sonia Lupien, Dr. Gustavo Turecki, Dr. Karim Nader, Dr. Michael Meaner, Dr. Ridha Joober, and many more.
Presentations will be held in French.
Montreal, Quebec

December 4-6, 2007: Human Health Resources 2007: Connecting Issues and People
The conference will explore health human resources planning and management issues at all levels of the health-care system in Canada. CIHR is one of the organizers.
Ottawa, Ontario

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

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