Dr. Barry Dworkin

  • 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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  • Gene mutation illustrates how muscles respond to exercise

    Original broadcast date: January 6, 2008 How do our muscles respond to exercise? What factors contribute to better endurance and exercise capacity? How does this help understand the pathophysiology of diabetes? A discovery reported in the September 19, 2007 issue of the journal PLoS ONE identified a mutation in a gene that is widely considered…

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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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  • It is not only obesity that affects health risk

    In a keynote speech delivering the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Lecture at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2007, obesity expert Dr. Jean-Pierre Després stated that we need to change how we look at obesity, stop obsessing on weight and BMI and, above all, redefine the proper clinical use of weight loss drugs. “Some obese…

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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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  • FISHing for cancer

    As cancer research continues apace, there is a growing understanding of the genetic abnormalities that are intimately involved in the pathophysiology of the disease process. Understanding the mechanism of the disease allows clinical research to develop targeted treatments to better control or eradicate the tumours. A new diagnostic test created at the University of Alberta…

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  • Is there evidence to support antibiotic use in conjunction with draining the abscess?

    Many of us have had the unpleasant experience of developing a skin abscess. The approach to treating this infection is variable and can include the use of antibiotics. It would seem to make sense because abscesses are usually caused by bacteria. In a study published in the April 2007 edition of the Annals of Emergency…

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