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Detecting the early onset of tooth decay without the need for dental x-rays
As with many disease processes, the ability to detect and diagnose them early on can dramatically reduce complications, treatment costs and morbidity. At the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Conference in Toronto in early July, a new device was presented that can detect the early onset of tooth decay without the need for dental…
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CIHI report on funding initiatives for wait times
A Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) study released on June 25, 2008 looked at the outcomes of providing funding in several key areas of health care provision: hip and knee replacements, sight restoration, cancer and cardiac revascularization. The study also looked at whether the focus on these areas had an effect on wait times…
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CIHI study on Hormone replacement therapy use in Canada
A new study from the Canadian Institute of Health Information reports that hormone replacement therapy or HRT has decreased by 60 per cent among women aged 65 and older over the past five years. This drop occurred after the publication of the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, which found the health risks of using…
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Lack of support for people with traumatic brain injuries
An estimated 500,000 people in Ontario who have brain injury are unsupported in the community. Many end up on the streets or in prison, or inappropriately placed in nursing homes or psychiatric facilities. Many individuals post-ABI ‘fall through the cracks’ because society does not provide them with the community resources they need – supportive housing,…
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New flu vaccine production process
Although the media have not paid much attention to avian flu recently, research into an H5N1 avian flu vaccine continues. Results of a phase I and phase II trial on a new human vaccine against H5N1 bird flu virus made from cell culture instead of embryonated eggs show that it is safe and effective against…
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Age is not necessarily a barrier to treatment of cardiovascular disease
For people over the age of 80 who suffer from cardiovascular diseases such as peripheral vascular disease requiring diagnostic imaging and stenting procedures, a new study presented recently at the Society of Interventional Radiology meeting in Washington reveals that age is not necessarily a barrier to treatment. Dr. George Hartnell, FRCP, Chief, Cardiovascular and Interventional…
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Controlling atrial fibrillation
For people with congestive heart failure, the development of an irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation can increase the risk of death. An international study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, led by Montreal’s Heart Institute investigated the two options usually employed to control atrial fibrillation to keep patients healthy under these…
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Basic Life Support for major traumatic injuries by paramedics works as well as Advanced Life Support
Patients with major traumatic injuries fare just as well if they are given Basic Life Support (BLS) by paramedics than if they are given Advanced Life Support (ALS), according to the Ontario Pre-hospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) study. The results, published in the April 22, 2008 edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, also suggest…
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We're all to blame for staying mum on mental illness
What is it about mental illness that generates discomfort for people? Ignoring the warning signs of an imminent mental breakdown is believed to have been a contributing factor in one well-publicized case that ended in tragedy for the Lall family. Why does it take a tragedy to discuss mental illness when it is so prevalent…
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