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Sitagliptin, a novel treatment for type II diabetes
Original broadcast date: January 13, 2008 The prevalence of type II diabetes continues to increase and estimates are that three million Canadians will be diagnosed with the disease by 2010. The mainstays of control and prevention, weight loss and exercise, are not always heeded, and as such, medications are employed to control blood sugar levels.…
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Case study: Antibiotic-resistant strain of strep pneumoniae
Original broadcast date: January 13, 2008 There were reports in November 2007 about an antibiotic-resistant strain of streptococcal pneumonia that caused a small number of childhood ear infections in Massachusetts and New York State. One case was reported at SickKids in Toronto wherein it progressed to meningitis. The strain 19A was treated with an antibiotic…
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Same exposure, different allergic reactions. Why?
Original broadcast date: January 13, 2008 Why do some people suffer a severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis while others do not when both are exposed to the same allergen? From a clinical standpoint, anaphylaxis can be difficult to diagnose because it is highly variable in its presentation and its signs and symptoms overlap with life-threatening…
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Sunday House Call 2007 year in review
Sunday House Call 2007 Year-in-Review January 21st Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), the University of Calgary and The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine have found a new mechanism that is directly involved in the pathophysiology of diabetes. This new insight into the mechanism of diabetes has advanced possible new treatment strategies, with…
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Gene link for Multiple Sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was first identified and described by a French neurologist, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, in 1868. It is the most common neurological disease affecting young adults in Canada. Women are twice as likely to develop MS as men. Every day, three more people in Canada are diagnosed with it. It can cause loss of…
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Prescribing leading to polypharmacy in the elderly
Although the focus for many people is to prevent illness and stay as healthy and independent as possible, as we age, the more likely we will be diagnosed with various diseases states or conditions. As a result, the elderly are prescribed more medications that have the potential to cause harm through drug interactions and not…
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Keeping Canadians with rare disorders from getting the drugs they need to stay alive
The Canadian government, acting through Health Canada’s Common Drug Review (CDR), is keeping Canadians with rare disorders from getting the drugs they need to stay alive, according to Durhane Wong-Rieger, president of the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD). Because each disease impacts so few individuals, the drugs needed to treat these small populations—the so-called…
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