Blood-type-incompatible heart transplant surgery for infants under the age of two pioneered in Canada, now used worldwide
A pediatric heart transplant procedure pioneered by Canadian doctors – once deemed impossible – has been shown to be at least as effective as the traditional approach, according to newly published research in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. ABO-incompatible heart transplantation was developed in the mid-1990s, after a Canadian transplant team led by Lori West realized that infants…
Sport-related injuries affect up to a third of Canadian teens yearly, says researcher recommending ways to help kids follow exercise plans
Young patients who don’t do their exercises tend to be one of the biggest challenges for physiotherapists, and a University of Alberta study reveals some of the reasons why. Lack of time – and lack of fun – are two of the main reasons kids with musculoskeletal conditions such as scoliosis, juvenile arthritis and sports injuries tend…
There has been a 73 per cent increase in calls to Alberta Poison and Drug Information Service in 2020
Our obsession with killing germs during the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unintended and dangerous consequence, according to the University of Alberta’s Injury Prevention Centre: a sharp increase in unintentional poisonings due to hand sanitizers, disinfectants and household cleaners. Calls to Alberta’s Poison and Drug Information Service (PADIS) related to these products have increased by 73 per cent…
Of more than 33 million international child migrants, most are from Africa and Asia, according to UNICEF estimates. Many carry the scarring trauma of war, gun violence, poverty and human trafficking. Some travel with their parents, some alone. But not much is known about how these children fare once displaced. As a result, their physical…
An increase in child marriages, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexual violence is likely to be seen for years in low-and middle-income countries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a University of Alberta nursing researcher who is leading an international study to address the problem. “In many countries all the health services…
Type of cholesterol produced as food consumed a strong predictor of future health risk
University of Alberta researchers have found a new, more effective way to measure future heart disease and diabetes risk in youth. By testing the blood for remnant cholesterol (RC), made by the body during the day as food is consumed, researchers were able to show that this non-fasting type of cholesterol is a strong predictor…
Children are disproportionately affected as genetic diseases typically manifest during childhood
A new pilot program aims to find answers and better treatments for children living with rare genetic conditions. The Undiagnosed Disease Program, launched in January, is a collaboration between the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI) and University of Alberta researchers from medical genetics and pediatric neurology to provide a diagnosis to patients in the…
New findings an important step toward developing potential new treatments for mental health disorders
A groundbreaking new study has shown that traumatic or stressful events in childhood may lead to tiny changes in key brain structures that can now be identified decades later. The study is the first to show that trauma or maltreatment during a child’s early years – a well-known risk factor for developing mental health conditions such as…
Federal Child Support Guidelines biased against men and need to be overhauled
If Christopher Sarlo is right, Canada’s Federal Child Support Guidelines are wrong. The economics professor at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont., made an in-depth analysis of the guidelines and found them wanting. A 100-page examination leads him to one conclusion: the guidelines are biased against men and deserve an overhaul. Fights over money are…
When University of Alberta pediatric cardiologist Lori West was put in charge of the transplant program at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children in 1994, the situation was dire for newborns with bad hearts. Up until the first infant heart transplant in 1986, children born with certain kinds of heart malformations had a 100 per cent…
A pediatric heart transplant procedure pioneered by Canadian doctors – once deemed impossible – has been shown to be at least as effective as the traditional approach, according to newly published research in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. ABO-incompatible heart transplantation was developed in the mid-1990s, after a Canadian transplant team led by Lori West realized that infants…
