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Public Health Mobile Units providing additional COVID-19 testing in all zones Nova Scotia Health Authority
Due to high vaccination rates, a reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases and a lowered demand for Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs), the provincial RAT programs will be winding down starting on June 30. All COVID-19 Assessment Centres will also be closed as of June 30.
“After June 30, 2023, those at highest risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 including high-priority communities will continue to have access to free rapid tests through existing channels (e.g., long-term care, etc.),” said Susan Healey, of the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit. “As of July 4, RATs will be available through our local Health Unit Offices and service sites during operating hours while provincial supplies last. While RAT test will be available to the public, we remind anyone with symptoms to isolate. When symptoms improve/resolve you should wear a mask for the 10 days following symptoms onset when out in public. Staying home when sick, getting vaccinated when eligible and washing your hands/covering your cough or sneeze are still recommended to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 even during the summer.”
Stroke patient John Kranjc is pictured with the outpatient speech therapy team that’s been helping with his recovery since being discharged home. From left to right: Shannon Stanners, Tricia McMurtry, John Kranjc, Anna Alexandrova
In February, Hamilton resident John Kranjc took a skiing vacation in France with friends. On their second last day on the slopes, John had a bad fall. Despite a cracked helmet and initial concerns about breaking the hip he landed on, he walked away with only a concussion and a nasty bruise.
After heading home, the 66-year-old lawyer went back to work and his usual routine. Three days later, during a family breakfast before work, John fell to the ground. He tried to speak, but nothing came out and he couldn’t move the right side of his body properly.
“I knew right away he was having a stroke and I called 9-1-1,” says Michelle Kranjc, John’s wife.
Thanks to Michelle’s fast action, John was in an ambulance heading to Hamilton Health Sciences’ Hamilton General Hospital (HGH) within minutes and the stroke team was ready for his arrival. HGH is the designated Regional Stroke Centre for the Central South Ontario region.
“My head felt fine when I got home, so I didn’t expect anything like this to happen.”
The stroke team found not only a blood clot blocking the flow of blood to the brain, but also a subacute subdural hematoma – a brain bleed that doesn’t cause symptoms until hours, days or even weeks after a head injury.
“My head felt fine when I got home, so I didn’t expect anything like this to happen,” says John. “It was my hip that was bothering me. It was black and blue all the way to my knee.”
John was quickly sent to have the clot removed, but when he woke up from the procedure he still couldn’t speak, write or hold a pen properly.
“After the procedure, I noticed a huge positive difference in John’s ability to use his right side,” says Michelle. “But it was his speech that was going to take some work to get back.”
The stroke caused damage to John’s brain that resulted in both aphasia and apraxia of speech that would require rehabilitation to re-learn how to speak, read and write. He was transferred from the stroke unit at HGH to the stroke rehabilitation unit in the neighbouring Hamilton Health Sciences’ Regional Rehabilitation Centre (RRC).
“it requires a significant amount of work to regain the skills that used to be second nature.”
Aphasia is a condition that affects a person’s comprehension and expression of language. Apraxia of speech affects a person’s physical ability to coordinate the speech movements associated with specific sounds.
For example, when John first woke up from surgery, his care team asked him a series of questions, but when he tried to answer, his speech was jumbled, and some of his answers were even in French. This is aphasia. But, if he was asked to say a single word, he wasn’t able to coordinate his mouth to make the correct sounds needed to say that word. This is apraxia of speech.
Shannon Stanners, Speech Language Pathologist.
While on the stroke rehabilitation unit, John worked with a speech language pathologist and communicative disorder assistant multiple times a day. He went from speaking a few single words to saying full sentences.
“John’s progress as an inpatient was impressive,” says Shannon Stanners, speech language pathologist with RRC’s outpatient services. “By the time he was discharged home, the impact of his aphasia on his speech was minimal. It was the apraxia that we still needed to work on.”
John was discharged home in March and began working with Stanners and the outpatient speech team in April. While his language comprehension had returned at that point, his speech was still choppy and missing natural rhythm and flow.
“We know how frustrating not being able to communicate properly is for our patients, and it requires a significant amount of work to regain the skills that used to be second nature,” says Stanners. “John’s main goals are to work on his flow of speech, using natural pitch and emphasis, and when stuck on a word to use other words he knows. I remind him often to slow down, take a breath and plan how to place his lips and tongue to say the sound. Slowing down is a key strategy for many of our patients.”
John works to improve his speaking, reading and writing not only at his appointments but also throughout his everyday life.
John has also been working with the outpatient speech team on his reading and writing skills. At discharge he was reading single paragraphs and is now reading short stories and magazine articles. His writing has progressed from single words to short paragraphs.
“Everyone I’ve worked with at the Rehab Centre has been wonderful,” says John. “They take the extra time to personalize the exercises and really set you up for success.”
John is extremely determined and dedicated to his stroke recovery rehabilitation program. He’s been taking every opportunity he can to practice language skills, including cooking meals with Michelle, reading his favourite magazine, The Economist, and having social conversations with family and friends.
A recent success for John was attending a social gathering for a few hours without anyone noticing that he has had difficulties with his speech.
“John’s significant progress is a reflection of his hard work and wonderful support from Michelle,” says Stanners. “Soon he’ll be discharged from outpatient speech therapy, as he’s learned all the skills he needs to continue on his own.”
For now, John plans to work in his garden, cook with Michelle and spend time with his grandkids. And, eventually, he looks forward to returning to work.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) usually infects the lungs and respiratory tract, causing mild, cold-like symptoms in most cases. While most people recover from RSV infection in a week or two, it can sometimes turn serious, especially for infants and older adults. Older adults, people living with chronic heart or lung disease and weakened immune systems, and adults living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities are at the highest risk for severe RSV illness.
In the United States, RSV infection causes approximately 60,000 to 160,000 hospitalizations and 6,000 10,000 deaths among older adults per year, according to the CDC.
Acknowledging the RSV risk among senior citizens, CDC recommends people aged 60 years and older to get RSV vaccine after discussing with their healthcare provider.
CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky is encouraging the use of new Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccines from GSK and Pfizer for older adults, based on the recommendations of CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP).
The agency, however, cautions that older people should first discuss with their healthcare provider about whether RSV vaccination is right for them before they receive a single dose of the vaccine.
The new RSV vaccines are expected to be available this fall. According to the CDC, these are the first vaccines licensed in the U.S. to protect against Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
RSV infections and other respiratory infections are most common during the fall. Hence, the CDC advises healthcare providers to talk to their adult patients about what other vaccines they will need this fall to help prevent respiratory infections.
According to the CDC, RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children younger than 1 year of age in the US. Each year, RSV infection leads to hospitalization of up to 80,000 children younger than 5 years old in the country.
Premature babies, infants who are 6 months and younger, children with chronic lung disease, congenital heart disease, weakened immune systems, and those who have neuromuscular disorders, are at greatest risk for severe illness from RSV.
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As awful as it was that approximately 765 Simcoe-Muskoka residents died due to COVID-19 over the past three years, imagine if the number had been 15,000.
The team analysed two pollutants, PM2.5 and NO2, in 857 European cities to determine the most likely causes of air pollution related deaths.
The results show a huge variability between different cities, so the researchers suggested that different strategies to combat pollution should be adopted in each city.
However, when the results were combined between the two pollutants, the three biggest causes of deaths associated with air pollution were transport, agriculture, and domestic activities.
The study, ‘Spatial and sector-specific contributions of emissions to ambient air pollution and mortality in European cities,’ was published in The Lancet Public Health.
To estimate the contribution of each emission source to the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere, the researchers used the Screening for High Emission Reduction Potentials for Air quality (SHERPA) tool, developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).
This model considers factors such as meteorology or chemical transformations to simulate the concentration of pollutants in the atmosphere.
The SHERPA tool calculated the cause of air pollution related deaths by measuring atmospheric changes of PM2.5 and NO2.
Finally, a comparative risk assessment was carried out to estimate the mortality that could be prevented under different scenarios of reduced pollutant concentrations associated with each of the emission sources.
Air pollution related deaths associated with PM2.5 was mainly caused by emissions from residential sources, with an average contribution of 22.5% across all cities.
The second biggest cause is the agricultural sector, which accounts on average for 18% of PM2.5 mortality. This was followed by industry (13.8%), transport (13.5%), the energy sector (10%), natural sources (8.8%), and shipping (5.5%).
“If we look at NO2 and PM2.5 combined, traffic remains the largest contributor to both poor air quality and associated mortality.
“However, if we look exclusively at the PM2.5-related mortality, we see a significant contribution from the residential sector and agriculture,” explained Sasha Khomenko, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study.
PM2.5 particles are the air pollutant with the greatest negative impact on mortality in European cities. The team stresses that more research is needed to determine which components of PM2.5 particles are most harmful to health, so that more precise mitigation measures can be designed.
NO2 mortality is mainly caused by the transport sector, which accounted for a staggering 48.5% of air pollution related deaths.
Other sectors with a considerable contribution were industry with an average of 15%, the energy sector with 14.7%, housing (10.3%), and shipping (9.7%).
NO2 is a gas that is generated in combustion processes, mainly from motor vehicles, but also in industrial or power generation facilities.
Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, director of ISGlobal’s Urban Planning, Environment and Health Initiative, stated: “Bolder measures are required to drastically reduce pollution and air pollution related deaths, which remains the main source of emissions.
“Leaders must also implement policies to mitigate the other sources of both NO2 and PM2.5 emissions, such as regulating emissions from industry and shipping, and limiting biomass burning in households and emissions from agriculture and livestock.”
He concluded: “To reduce air pollution related deaths, we need multisectoral holistic action and solutions, for example with task forces across the current silos at city, national, and EU levels.”
As awful as it was that approximately 765 Simcoe-Muskoka residents died due to COVID-19 over the past three years, imagine if the number had been 15,000.
June 29, 2023
The Leeds Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit would like to remind our citizens that we will be starting our mosquito surveillance program once again this June. This program will be carried through until the end of September. Should you see one of our traps in your neighbourhood, please do not disturb it. These traps are not mosquito control units, so they have no value to property owners, but they are important in identifying mosquitoes and providing a warning that disease causing mosquitoes are present in a given area.
We all play a role in preventing West Nile Virus infections, and when we all do our part we will reduce the risk of this disease in our community.
Each homeowner has the responsibility of removing standing water that provides breeding areas for mosquitoes on their property. Most mosquitoes do not travel large distances and thus those breeding within your space are likely to bite you.
The municipality is charged with the responsibility of ensuring proper drainage on municipally owned lands and public ditches. The roads departments have the knowledgeable staff and proper equipment to ensure this is achieved. Additionally it is a municipal responsibility to address complaints regarding standing water on private land within its jurisdiction, using applicable property standards bylaws. Should positive mosquito pools be identified in a municipality, it is also the responsibility of council to take the necessary control actions as recommended by the Medical Officer of Health.
The Health Unit has the responsibility of assessing the risk for WNV within the Health Unit area. This is accomplished by conducting mosquito surveillance during the summer months. The presence of virus in these natural hosts is an early sign that the virus is gaining a presence in an area. The Health Unit is also responsible for following up any human cases of diseases and, more importantly, trying to prevent human cases by educating the public on personal protection and strategies that reduce mosquito breeding areas.
Individuals have the responsibility to protect themselves from mosquito bites by: avoiding areas with high mosquito populations; wearing light-coloured clothing, including long sleeves, pants and hat; covering exposed skin and using a mosquito repellent containing the appropriate amount of DEET.
For more information, visit the mosquitoes section on this page of the website: Insect Bites and Diseases – Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
You can also call 1-800-660-5853 or follow LGLhealthunit on social media for important public health updates.
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For media interviews, contact [email protected]
Just as there are different types of fat in food, there are different types of fat tissue found within the body. White adipose tissue (WAT) is the most abundant form of fat, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in thermogenesis, the process in which heat is produced by burning calories.
Recent studies indicate that differences in the association of WAT depot mass with cardiovascular disease may arise from different properties of subcutaneous versus abdominal WAT. Subcutaneous WAT manifests a lower extent of inflammation than that in abdominal WAT. Inflammation in those areas containing WAT can influence how obesity affects overall metabolic and cardiovascular health. However, it is unclear whether the nervous system controls inflammation differently in different regions of fat. Researchers in Japan have shed new light on a type of neuron in the brain that plays an important role in inflammation within these types of fat.
In a new study published in Cell Reports, researchers led by the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) employed a high fat diet–fed mouse model to demonstrate how neurons that express a protein called steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) influence inflammation in different regions or "depots" of fat.
It has been previously shown that SF1-expressing neurons reside in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that controls hunger and peripheral metabolism. The NIPS-led research team set out to investigate the influence of SF1 neurons on different fat depots, including WAT found in the inguinal (subcutaneous) and epididymal (abdominal) regions, in mice who are fed a high-fat diet.
"We first investigated the effects of deactivating SF1-expressing neurons in the hypothalamus," says senior author of the study Yasuhiko Minokoshi. "We found that mice without the SF1-expressing neuron gained substantially more weight on both normal and high-fat diets. Inguinal WAT weight increased in these mice, but interestingly, epididymal WAT weight actually decreased, while BAT showed no significant change. This indicated that SF1 neurons appear to regulate fat metabolism differently in different regions of the mouse body."
The researchers found that expression of inflammatory and immune-cell markers and infiltration of the immune cells were elevated in the inguinal WAT of mice lacking SF1-expressing neurons and who were fed a high-fat diet, while in epididymal WAT, those markers exhibited high values in both mice lacking and not lacking SF1-expressing neurons. In BAT, markers of thermogenesis were significantly decreased in mice lacking SF1-expressing neurons. Conversely, activation of SF1 neurons in mice fed the high-fat diet led to decreased levels of inflammatory gene expression in inguinal WAT, but not in epididymal WAT, and increased thermogenic function in BAT.
"Our findings indicate that SF1 neurons in the hypothalamus help suppress inflammatory responses induced by a high-fat diet in the inguinal WAT," says one of the double corresponding authors, Kunio Kondoh.
"These neurons also activate thermogenic activity in BAT, but do not appear to affect inflammatory response or thermogenesis in epididymal WAT," says lead author Misbah Rashid.
The researchers further found that SF1 neurons exert their effect through sympathetic nerves that connect to inguinal WAT. Some specific SF1 neurons appear to regulate inflammatory response and thermogenesis differently in individual depots of fat through sympathetic nerves innervating the tissues. The team's research improves our understanding of SF1 neurons and how they control inflammation, one of the driving factors of diseases related to obesity.
More information: Misbah Rashid et al, Inhibition of high-fat diet-induced inflammatory responses in adipose tissue by SF1-expressing neurons of the ventromedial hypothalamus, Cell Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112627
Provided by National Institute for Physiological Sciences
Citation: Researchers find neurons are capable of cooling down inflammation in fat tissue (2023, June 29) retrieved 29 June 2023 from https://ift.tt/NZpTH6U
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SEONGNAM, South Korea, June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SK bioscience, a global innovative vaccine and biotech company committed to promoting human health from prevention to cure, announced that the company has signed a research collaboration agreement on influenza research with the Doherty Institute.
The Doherty Institute is a leading biomedical research institute located in Australia, home to researchers from the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne, and to one of five WHO Collaborating Centres for Reference and Research Influenza (WHOCCRRI) in the world.
The signing ceremony was attended by Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute, Professor Kanta Subbarao, Director of the WHOCCRRI at the Doherty Institute, Professor Ian Barr, Deputy Director of the WHOCCRRI at the Doherty Institute, Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, and Hun Kim, President of Global R&BD of SK bioscience.
Under this agreement, SK bioscience and the Doherty Institute will work together to support and further research in influenza biology, vaccines, and antivirals. The program will include testing of anti-influenza compounds to identify new antivirals, capacity building in low- and middle-income countries of the region and the development of a new influenza vaccine platform.
SK bioscience plans to establish a proactive response system against influenza, advancing influenza vaccine R&D capability to contribute to public health on a global scale.
Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute said, "Our organizations joining forces through our influenza projects is a significant milestone in our shared commitment to tackling infectious diseases and promoting public health. By collaborating with SK bioscience, we will strengthen our ability to respond to global challenges through exchanging knowledge and fostering innovation. Together, we will make a lasting impact in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, like influenza, around the world."
Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience said "We expect a synergy combined with our capability in developing the world's first quadrivalent cell culture-based influenza vaccine and the infrastructure of the Doherty Institute, a leading research institution on global infectious diseases. We will strengthen global partnerships with various organizations and continuously expand cooperative areas to establish a response system against infectious disease pandemics in the world."
Currently, SK bioscience cooperates with various global organizations and research institutions, including the Bill & Melinda Gate Foundation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Wellcome Trust, Hilleman Laboratories, and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) under the common goal of promoting human health. Based on these cooperations, SK bioscience plans to establish an innovative system for developing vaccines against new infectious diseases within 100 days and supply them within six months around the world.
About SK bioscience
SK bioscience is a global innovative vaccine and biotech company, standing committed to global pandemic preparedness in vaccine development and manufacturing to create more equitable access to vaccines. In leveraging strengths on cutting-edge vaccine development technologies, SK bioscience has been dedicated to promoting human health from prevention to cure across the globe. Under collaborations of domestic and international governments, regulatory agencies, healthcare providers, doctors and medical experts, SK bioscience has firmly established globally certified R&D and manufacturing technologies. All of the SK colleagues are passionately committed to providing high-quality vaccines to those who need them and better public healthcare solutions.
- SK bioscience Homepage
- SK bioscience on LinkedIn
About the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Finding solutions to prevent, treat and cure infectious diseases and understanding the complexities of the immune system requires innovative approaches and concentrated effort. This is why The University of Melbourne – a world leader in education, teaching and research excellence – and The Royal Melbourne Hospital – an internationally renowned institution providing outstanding care, treatment and medical research – have partnered to create the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute); a centre of excellence where leading scientists and clinicians collaborate to improve human health globally.
- Doherty Institute website
- Doherty Institute on Twitter
- Doherty Institute on LinkedIn
Contact
SK bioscience Communications Team
Changhyun Jin (jin99@sk.com)
Jeannie S. Pak (J.pak@sk.com)
Tae-Gyun Kim (taegyunkim@sk.com)
Doherty Institute Media Team
Aline Riche (doherty.media@unimelb.edu.au, +61 3 8344 1911)
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sk-bioscience-and-the-peter-doherty-institute-for-infection-and-immunity-join-forces-against-influenza-301864064.html
SOURCE SK bioscience
SEONGNAM, South Korea, June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SK bioscience, a global innovative vaccine and biotech company committed to promoting human health from prevention to cure, announced that the company has signed a research collaboration agreement on influenza research with the Doherty Institute.
The Doherty Institute is a leading biomedical research institute located in Australia, home to researchers from the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne, and to one of five WHO Collaborating Centres for Reference and Research Influenza (WHOCCRRI) in the world.
The signing ceremony was attended by Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute, Professor Kanta Subbarao, Director of the WHOCCRRI at the Doherty Institute, Professor Ian Barr, Deputy Director of the WHOCCRRI at the Doherty Institute, Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience, and Hun Kim, President of Global R&BD of SK bioscience.
Under this agreement, SK bioscience and the Doherty Institute will work together to support and further research in influenza biology, vaccines, and antivirals. The program will include testing of anti-influenza compounds to identify new antivirals, capacity building in low- and middle-income countries of the region and the development of a new influenza vaccine platform.
SK bioscience plans to establish a proactive response system against influenza, advancing influenza vaccine R&D capability to contribute to public health on a global scale.
Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute said, "Our organizations joining forces through our influenza projects is a significant milestone in our shared commitment to tackling infectious diseases and promoting public health. By collaborating with SK bioscience, we will strengthen our ability to respond to global challenges through exchanging knowledge and fostering innovation. Together, we will make a lasting impact in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, like influenza, around the world."
Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience said "We expect a synergy combined with our capability in developing the world's first quadrivalent cell culture-based influenza vaccine and the infrastructure of the Doherty Institute, a leading research institution on global infectious diseases. We will strengthen global partnerships with various organizations and continuously expand cooperative areas to establish a response system against infectious disease pandemics in the world."
Currently, SK bioscience cooperates with various global organizations and research institutions, including the Bill & Melinda Gate Foundation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Wellcome Trust, Hilleman Laboratories, and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) under the common goal of promoting human health. Based on these cooperations, SK bioscience plans to establish an innovative system for developing vaccines against new infectious diseases within 100 days and supply them within six months around the world.
About SK bioscience
SK bioscience is a global innovative vaccine and biotech company, standing committed to global pandemic preparedness in vaccine development and manufacturing to create more equitable access to vaccines. In leveraging strengths on cutting-edge vaccine development technologies, SK bioscience has been dedicated to promoting human health from prevention to cure across the globe. Under collaborations of domestic and international governments, regulatory agencies, healthcare providers, doctors and medical experts, SK bioscience has firmly established globally certified R&D and manufacturing technologies. All of the SK colleagues are passionately committed to providing high-quality vaccines to those who need them and better public healthcare solutions.
- SK bioscience Homepage
- SK bioscience on LinkedIn
About the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Finding solutions to prevent, treat and cure infectious diseases and understanding the complexities of the immune system requires innovative approaches and concentrated effort. This is why The University of Melbourne – a world leader in education, teaching and research excellence – and The Royal Melbourne Hospital – an internationally renowned institution providing outstanding care, treatment and medical research – have partnered to create the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute); a centre of excellence where leading scientists and clinicians collaborate to improve human health globally.
- Doherty Institute website
- Doherty Institute on Twitter
- Doherty Institute on LinkedIn
Contact
SK bioscience Communications Team
Changhyun Jin ([email protected])
Jeannie S. Pak ([email protected])
Tae-Gyun Kim ([email protected])
Doherty Institute Media Team
Aline Riche ([email protected], +61 3 8344 1911)
SOURCE SK bioscience
The USask Global Institute for Water Security wastewater survey for Prince Albert shows that the COVID-19 viral RNA load in Prince Albert’s has increased by 148.7 per cent.
The number is based on averages of three individual daily measurements in this reporting period up to June 12 which are then compared to the weekly average of the previous week.
Due to technical difficulties, the wastewater data is unavailable.
This week’s viral load of approximately 4,000 gene copies / 100 mL SARS-CoV-2 is the 90th highest value observed during the pandemic.
This concentration of viral particles is considered Low because it is below the range and regarded as low in Prince Albert.
This week’s viral RNA load indicates that the SARS-CoV-2 infections in Prince Albert are increasing.
Whole genome sequencing confirmed the presence of BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BQ.1.1.4, BQ.1.18, XBB.1.5, BA.5.2.1 and BE.1.1 in earlier samples; which have S:Y144del, S:R346T, S:K444T, S:N460K mutations associated with immune escape. In addition, the sequences of the most recently collected sample relative to the previously collected samples indicate the level of presence of BA.2 and BA.5 in Prince Albert’s wastewater to be 94 per cent and 78 per cent stable respectively.
All data has been shared with Saskatchewan health authorities.
USask and Global Water Futures researchers are using wastewater-based epidemiology to monitor for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19) in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford wastewater, providing early warning of infection outbreaks. This work is being done in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Public Health Agency of Canada, City of Saskatoon, City of Prince Albert and City of North Battleford.
This variant tracking data should be seen merely as an indicator of trends which need to be verified using sequencing technology through the Public Health Agency of Canada. Because individuals are at varying stages of infection when shedding the virus, the variant levels detected in sewage are not necessarily directly comparable to the proportion of variant cases found in individual swab samples confirmed through provincial genetic sequencing efforts.
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
Ambulance crew members walk through the ambulance bay after delivering a patient to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on Jan. 3, 2022.COLE BURSTON/Reuters
Opioid-related deaths surged among teens and young adults in Ontario from 2014 to 2021, according to a new report that also found a sharp increase in the number of young people visiting the province’s emergency rooms because of opioid use.
While the vast majority of opioid-related deaths occur in people over the age of 25, the fact that more people the ages of 15 to 24 are dying is a cause for alarm, said Tara Gomes, lead of the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network and a scientist at Unity Health Toronto.
The report, which will be released Tuesday, found that emergency-room visits for opioid overdoses among 15- to 24-year-olds quadrupled from 69 in the second quarter of 2014 to 297 visits in the second quarter of 2021.
Deaths tripled from 21 per quarter in 2014 to 58 in the first quarter of 2021, but there was a drop in deaths to 29 in the second quarter of 2021, the final quarter being studied. It’s unclear to researchers if the decline is part of a meaningful trend. According to online data from Public Health Ontario, there were 224 opioid-related deaths in the 15-24 age category in 2021.
The report was released by the research network along with Public Health Ontario and the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service. It found that only half of the 15- to 24-year-olds who died had an opioid use disorder, meaning that many were likely experimenting or using drugs recreationally before they died. Almost all of the opioid-related deaths in young people were linked to toxic, illicit fentanyl.
“With this really unpredictable drug supply, they’re at really high risk of having a fatal overdose,” Dr. Gomes said.
The report comes as new national data reveal that more than 7,300 people, or 20 individuals a day, died as a result of an opioid overdose in Canada last year. According to the Special Advisory Committee on the Epidemic of Opioid Overdoses, it’s a 9-per-cent reduction from 2021, but still represents a major public-health crisis.
The federal committee also released new modelling from the Public Health Agency of Canada that predicts anywhere from 1,430 to 2,320 people could die every three months of an opioid overdose until the end of the year.
The Ontario report found that as deaths and emergency room visits for opioid overdoses rose among teens and young people, there was a corresponding decrease in the rate of treatment for opioid use disorder in that age group. Dr. Gomes said it’s unclear what is behind that trend, suggesting that there could be barriers to accessing treatment programs or that many young people tend to use drugs occasionally, making them less likely to seek help for an addiction.
Ontario opioid death rate drops in 2022, coroner’s data show
The majority of opioid-related deaths in 15- to 24-year-olds in Ontario occurred in males, although there were a greater proportion of female deaths in that age group compared with the 25- to 44-year-old bracket, the report found. During the pandemic, 76.6 per cent of opioid-related deaths among 25- to 44-year-olds were in males and 23.4 per cent were among females. But in the 15-to-24-year-old age group, 67.5 per cent of opioid-related deaths were in males and 32.5 per cent were in females.
About half of the teens and young adults who died of an opioid-related overdose in Ontario lived in neighbourhoods that make up the two lowest income quintiles in the province.
About 73 per cent of the young people who died in Ontario of an opioid overdose during the study period lived in a private dwelling. About one in eight of those in that age group who died was experiencing homelessness.
Dr. Gomes said the report is another reminder that more needs to be done to get the toxic drug and overdose crisis under control, including better access to harm reduction and treatment. But too often, stigma about drug use can stand in the way of innovative new policies that can help tackle this crisis, she said.
“There are different ideologies and different beliefs,” Dr. Gomes said. “My request would be for people to come together and set aside some of those preconceived notions.”
In a news release issued Monday, the special advisory committee on the epidemic of opioid overdoses called for a “bold, nimble, comprehensive and evidence-based approach to meet people where they are at, reduce harms and save lives.”
Earlier this year, B.C. became the first province to decriminalize small amounts of some hard drugs in order to combat the overdose crisis. While supported by many experts as an important step, the policy is also generating criticism from people who say the move has encouraged drug use in parks and other public spaces.
Dr. Gomes said it’s too early to say with any certainty what effect the new policy will have and that more time and research are needed to understand its impact.
A whooping cough outbreak has been declared in Southern Health.
According to Manitoba Health, there have been 154 confirmed or probable cases of whooping cough reported in our province since January. Of those, 152 were reported in this regional health authority.
Most of the cases have involved children between the ages of one and nine. The age range of cases includes:
The outbreak includes 78 female and 76 male cases and has resulted in 55 related visits to emergency departments and two admissions to pediatric intensive care. No deaths have been reported.
According to Manitoba Health, whooping cough is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable illness. It is caused by a bacteria, usually spread through respiratory droplets in the air when coughing or sneezing and is most contagious during the initial stages of illness. Initially, symptoms are similar to those of the common cold, and usually show up seven to 10 days after being exposed. The illness often starts with a mild fever, runny nose and a cough. It can lead to serious coughing fits that can last for one to 10 weeks. The coughing fits may cause difficulty breathing, choking and vomiting. Infants may also have poor feeding.
Manitoba Health says whooping cough can affect people of all ages, but infants aged one year or younger are at greatest risk of severe complications, including periods of stalled breathing, pneumonia, seizures, brain swelling and death. Pregnant people in their third trimester are also at higher risk.
People who have symptoms of whooping cough should see their health-care provider. Infected individuals may be prescribed antibiotics and should stay home and avoid close contact with others until treatment is completed. This can help prevent further spread of infection.
Whooping cough is a reportable disease in Manitoba. The number of cases reported varies from year to year, and typically peaks every two to five years. For a group of cases to be considered an outbreak, there must be a higher number of cases reported in a specific area than is expected over a specific period of time.
A cornerstone of medicine is to do no harm, yet Canada’s health-care system is among one of the most harmful sectors to the environment in terms of carbon emissions, waste production and pollution.
As the nexus between planetary health and human health becomes more evident, there is growing apprehension about the potential consequences of unsustainable health-care practices on the future well-being of patients.
To improve patient outcomes, health-care professionals should seek innovative approaches that extend beyond medical and technological advancements and recognize the role of the environment as an important social determinant of health.
At Memorial University, a small cohort of medical students belonging to the Planetary Health Interest Group is doing just that.
Humans are inextricably linked to biodiversity, climate stability and the overall integrity of our natural systems. When these systems are compromised or depleted, it can result in negative health effects.
For instance, the World Health Organization found that almost 25 per cent of all deaths worldwide are attributed to environmental factors, including air pollution, harmful exposure to chemicals and increasing severe weather events.
Last summer in Newfoundland and Labrador, Environment Canada issued heat warnings as temperatures reached a tropical 30 C, leading to heat-related deaths and wildfires that put people at risk for smoke inhalation and respiratory distress.
Air pollution stemming from human-made sources such as vehicle emissions, residential natural gas usage and industrial manufacturing is responsible for more than 6.5 million deaths each year.
Food inflation, exacerbated by global drought conditions, is resulting in poorer food crops that are intensifying food insecurity and making it increasingly challenging for vulnerable populations to access affordable and sufficient food.
Overall, these environmental issues place communities at greater risk for adverse health outcomes.
The health-care sector consumes significant amounts of energy, heavily relies on transportation and global supply chains and generates substantial waste, which all contribute to climate change and environmental degradation.
In Canada alone, 110 hospitals were found to produce 87,000 tonnes of waste annually — more than what circulates in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The COVID-19 pandemic exponentially increased the use of medical masks and gloves, resulting in the disposal of three million face masks every minute globally.
It is estimated that 20-50 per cent of all routine and repetitive laboratory tests are inappropriately ordered, contributing to negative patient outcomes and increased waste.
Health conditions, such as chronic kidney disease, are increasing globally, and treatments like hemodialysis necessitate the consumption of approximately 265 trillion litres of water annually and produce up to 3.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per patient each year.
Health-care professionals have the capacity to contribute to the essential change required to protect the well-being of patients, communities and the environment.
To work towards this change, health-care providers can begin by educating themselves on the intersection of planetary health and human health.
There are numerous resources that guide health systems in making greener health-care decisions, while ensuring patients receive the care they need.
For example, Choosing Wisely Canada developed several recommendations to support prudent decision-making around routine laboratory testing to reduce waste and improve patient outcomes.
At a broader level, the latest Lancet policy brief on health and climate encourages the health sector to advocate for climate-related policy changes that align with Canada’s National Climate Adaptation Strategy to reduce fossil fuel reliance and emissions.
Physicians and medical students play a crucial role in educating patients and communities about the impacts of health care on the environment.
Our Planetary Health Interest Group aims to foster a greener health-care culture in Newfoundland and Labrador by working with community partners to advance sustainable and innovative initiatives.
One such initiative includes our annual Car Free Week.
This event encourages individuals to adopt active modes of transportation for their daily commute and promotes active lifestyles, a reduction in carbon emissions and raises awareness of planetary health.
Going forward, we encourage more individuals in the medical community to pursue their own initiatives in promoting sustainable health-care practices for healing both patients and the planet.
Medical students at Memorial University formed the Planetary Health Interest Group, a group that advocates for more sustainable health-care practices in Canada and strives to increase awareness of the intersection between planetary and human health.
Annually in June, the students host a Car Free Week event to promote active transportation among health-care professionals and the wider community. For more information about this event and to participate, visit the Planetary Health Interest Group on Facebook or @MUNCodeCycle on Instagram and Twitter.
We would like to thank our team, Robyn Woodrow, Richard Smith, Emma Jacobs and Alexandra Janes, for their tireless efforts in preparing for Car Free Week.
Justin Billard is a doctor of medicine student at the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University. He can be reached at jnb@127mun.ca.
Lauren Law is a doctor of medicine student at the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University. She can be reached at llaw@mun.ca.
SEATTLE (AP) — The next big advance in cancer treatment could be a vaccine.
After decades of limited success, scientists say research has reached a turning point, with many predicting more vaccines will be out in five years.
These aren’t traditional vaccines that prevent disease, but shots to shrink tumors and stop cancer from coming back. Targets for these experimental treatments include breast and lung cancer, with gains reported this year for deadly skin cancer melanoma and pancreatic cancer.
“We’re getting something to work. Now we need to get it to work better,” said Dr. James Gulley, who helps lead a center at the National Cancer Institute that develops immune therapies, including cancer treatment vaccines.
More than ever, scientists understand how cancer hides from the body’s immune system. Cancer vaccines, like other immunotherapies, boost the immune system to find and kill cancer cells. And some new ones use mRNA, which was developed for cancer but first used for COVID-19 vaccines.
For a vaccine to work, it needs to teach the immune system’s T cells to recognize cancer as dangerous, said Dr. Nora Disis of UW Medicine’s Cancer Vaccine Institute in Seattle. Once trained, T cells can travel anywhere in the body to hunt down danger.
“If you saw an activated T cell, it almost has feet,” she said. “You can see it crawling through the blood vessel to get out into the tissues.”
Patient volunteers are crucial to the research.
Kathleen Jade, 50, learned she had breast cancer in late February, just weeks before she and her husband were to depart Seattle for an around-the-world adventure. Instead of sailing their 46-foot boat, Shadowfax, through the Great Lakes toward the St. Lawrence Seaway, she was sitting on a hospital bed awaiting her third dose of an experimental vaccine. She’s getting the vaccine to see if it will shrink her tumor before surgery.
“Even if that chance is a little bit, I felt like it’s worth it,” said Jade, who is also getting standard treatment.
Progress on treatment vaccines has been challenging. The first, Provenge, was approved in the U.S. in 2010 to treat prostate cancer that had spread. It requires processing a patient’s own immune cells in a lab and giving them back through IV. There are also treatment vaccines for early bladder cancer and advanced melanoma.
Early cancer vaccine research faltered as cancer outwitted and outlasted patients’ weak immune systems, said Olja Finn, a vaccine researcher at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
“All of these trials that failed allowed us to learn so much,” Finn said.
As a result, she’s now focused on patients with earlier disease since the experimental vaccines didn’t help with more advanced patients. Her group is planning a vaccine study in women with a low-risk, noninvasive breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ.
More vaccines that prevent cancer may be ahead too. Decades-old hepatitis B vaccines prevent liver cancer and HPV vaccines, introduced in 2006, prevent cervical cancer.
In Philadelphia, Dr. Susan Domchek, director of the Basser Center at Penn Medicine, is recruiting 28 healthy people with BRCA mutations for a vaccine test. Those mutations increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The idea is to kill very early abnormal cells, before they cause problems. She likens it to periodically weeding a garden or erasing a whiteboard.
Others are developing vaccines to prevent cancer in people with precancerous lung nodules and other inherited conditions that raise cancer risk.
“Vaccines are probably the next big thing” in the quest to reduce cancer deaths, said Dr. Steve Lipkin, a medical geneticist at New York’s Weill Cornell Medicine, who is leading one effort funded by the National Cancer Institute. “We’re dedicating our lives to that.”
People with the inherited condition Lynch syndrome have a 60% to 80% lifetime risk of developing cancer. Recruiting them for cancer vaccine trials has been remarkably easy, said Dr. Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who is leading two government-funded studies on vaccines for Lynch-related cancers.
“Patients are jumping on this in a surprising and positive way,” he said.
Drugmakers Moderna and Merck are jointly developing a personalized mRNA vaccine for patients with melanoma, with a large study to begin this year. The vaccines are customized to each patient, based on the numerous mutations in their cancer tissue. A vaccine personalized in this way can train the immune system to hunt for the cancer’s mutation fingerprint and kill those cells.
But such vaccines will be expensive.
“You basically have to make every vaccine from scratch. If this wasn’t personalized, the vaccine could probably be made for pennies, just like the COVID vaccine,” said Dr. Patrick Ott of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
The vaccines under development at UW Medicine are designed to work for many patients, not just a single patient. Tests are underway in early and advanced breast cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer. Some results may come as soon as next year.
Todd Pieper, 56, from suburban Seattle, is participating in testing for a vaccine intended to shrink lung cancer tumors. His cancer spread to his brain, but he’s hoping to live long enough to see his daughter graduate from nursing school next year.
“I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, either for me or for other people down the road,” Pieper said of his decision to volunteer.
One of the first to receive the ovarian cancer vaccine in a safety study 11 years ago was Jamie Crase of nearby Mercer Island. Diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer when she was 34, Crase thought she would die young and had made a will that bequeathed a favorite necklace to her best friend. Now 50, she has no sign of cancer and she still wears the necklace.
She doesn’t know for sure if the vaccine helped, “But I’m still here.”
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Loss of Y chromosome in cells, which happens as men age, enables cancer cells evade their immune system, hampering their ability to fight cancer, new research published in the journal Nature has found.
This common consequence of aging in men results in aggressive bladder cancer, says the research.
"We discovered that loss of the Y chromosome allows bladder cancer cells to elude the immune system and grow very aggressively," said Dan Theodorescu, director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer, California, US, who initiated the research and is also the corresponding author of the study.
"This study for the first time makes a connection that has never been made before between loss of the Y chromosome and the immune system's response to cancer," said Theodorescu.
Human cells have one pair of sex chromosomes each. Men have X-Y sex chromosomes, while women have X-X.
Loss of the Y chromosome has been observed in several cancer types, including 10-40 per cent of bladder cancers.
In this study, reviewing data on two groups of men, the researchers found that men with muscle invasive bladder cancer not being treated and thus, losing Y chromosomes, had poorer prognosis and lower survival rates compared to those being treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor, a form of treatment used by the researchers once they found that the cancer was responsive to it.
To understand why this happened, the investigators studied the growth of bladder cancer cells in mice.
They grew cancer cells in an environment devoid of exposure to immune cells and also in mice missing T-type of immune cells. In both the environments, tumours with and without the Y chromosome grew at the same rate.
In mice with intact immune systems, tumours lacking the Y chromosome were found to grow at a much faster rate than tumours with the intact Y chromosome.
"The fact that we only see a difference in growth rate when the immune system is in play is the key to the 'loss-of-Y' effect in bladder cancer.
"These results imply that when cells lose the Y chromosome, they exhaust T-cells. And without T-cells to fight the cancer, the tumour grows aggressively," said Theodorescu.
However, while more aggressive, these disease cells lacking the Y chromosome were also more vulnerable and responsive to immune checkpoint inhibitors, the researchers concluded based on results from human patients and mice.
This therapy reverses T-cell exhaustion and allows the body's immune system to fight the cancer, they said.
"Fortunately, this aggressive cancer has an Achilles' heel, in that it is more sensitive than cancers with an intact Y chromosome to immune checkpoint inhibitors," said Hany Abdel-Hafiz, associate professor at Cedars-Sinai Cancer and co-first author of the study.
Further work, though, is needed to understand the genetic connection between Y chromosome loss and T-cell exhaustion, the researchers said.
While women do not have a Y chromosome, Theodorescu said these findings could have implications for them as well.
"Awareness of the significance of Y chromosome loss will stimulate discussions about the importance of considering sex as a variable in all scientific research in human biology," Theodorescu said.
"The fundamental new knowledge we provide here may explain why certain cancers are worse in either men or women, and how best to treat them. It also illustrates that the Y chromosome does more than determine human biologic sex," Theodorescu said.
FRIDAY, June 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Young adults who have even modest reductions in kidney function could face significant health risks, according to a new study.
“The dogma is that healthy, young adults don’t need to worry about kidney function unless it drops to around 50% of the normal level, but our research suggests that even a more modest 20%-30% drop may have consequences," said co-author Dr. Manish Sood, a nephrologist and research chair for the prevention of kidney disease at the Ottawa Hospital in Canada.
"We may want to have earlier conversations about prevention and monitoring,” Sood added in a hospital news release.
The researchers studied more than 8 million adults in Ontario, Canada, examining health record data from 2008 to 2021 for every Ontario adult aged 18 to 65 who had at least one blood test for kidney function, but no history of kidney disease.
The study authors found that 18% of those in the 18-to-39 age group had kidney function that was "modestly below normal levels," though not low enough to be diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.
Patients in this “gray zone” had a modestly increased risk of kidney failure, death and heart attack.
For example, a 20% to 30% loss in kidney function was associated with a 1.4-fold increase in death. It was also associated with a 1.3-fold increase in a cardiac event and a sixfold increase in the risk of kidney failure, the data revealed.
The absolute risk of any of these events was still low, at less than 2 per 1,000, the authors noted.
“Thankfully, the absolute risk for any one individual with kidney function in this gray zone is low, but when we look at the whole population, the impact could be quite significant,” co-author Dr. Greg Knoll, head of the Department of Medicine at the Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, said in the release. “We need further research to confirm these findings and then see if we can reduce the risk through lifestyle modification.”
Researchers aren’t suggesting routine testing for everyone. But they said if someone has a kidney test that shows a modest reduction in function that could be a reason to talk with a health care provider.
You can reduce your risk of kidney disease by eating a healthy diet with lower salt, exercising regularly and limiting alcohol intake.
Study results were published in the BMJ.
More information
The National Kidney Foundation has more on chronic kidney disease.
SOURCE: The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, news release, June 23, 2023
Forager Project Cashewmilk Yogurt ($7)
If you're looking for a dairy-free option, this yogurt is worth a try. The Forager Project is known for its creamy, plant-based yogurts.
This particular yogurt is made with cashew milk and is vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, making it a popular choice for people with dietary restrictions. It contains S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, Bifidus, L. lactis, and L. plantarum.
"This is a great plant-based yogurt option; it has really clean ingredients and includes all the main active live probiotic cultures for gut health," says Anna Brown, MS, RD. "Just keep in mind most plant-based yogurts usually include gums and added fibers to help with texture, so if you're sensitive to additives like guar gum, pectin, agar, and locust bean gum this may not be the best option for you."
Per serving: 130 calories, 10 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 3 g protein
February 1, 2024 — Three interdisciplinary teams from the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences have received $100,000 grants from The Winnipeg...
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