A partnership between the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology (LKSIOV) and the Southern Ontario Smart Computing Innovation Platform (SOSCIP) is bringing about a new wave of medical research at the University of Alberta. The partnership, announced April 5, gives LKSIOV researchers access to Canada’s fastest supercomputer. “Our institute has invested in the application of ‘supercomputational’ science to medical science … Read More
Hopkins begins nation’s first HIV-positive organ transplants
WASHINGTON – Surgeons in Baltimore for the first time have transplanted organs between an HIV-positive donor and HIV-positive recipients. It’s a long-awaited new option for patients with the AIDS virus whose kidneys or livers also are failing. Johns Hopkins University announced Wednesday that both recipients are recovering well after one received a kidney and the other a liver from a … Read More
‘Substantial proportion’ of U.S. measles cases linked to anti-vaxxers, study suggests’
A recently published study in the Journal of the American Medical Association says “the phenomenon of vaccine refusal” increases the risk for measles among individuals who are not or refuse to get vaccinated, and among those who are already fully vaccinated. Measles, a disease that was considered eliminated 16 years ago in the U.S., has made a comeback in which … Read More
Significant increase in flu-related deaths and hospitalizations across Alberta | Globalnews.ca
The south region has now reported its first flu-related death. In Calgary, Alberta Health Services says: Ten individuals have died after having lab-confirmed influenza at the time of death; None of the fatal cases had been immunized; Eight were between 18 and 64 years old; Two were over age 65; Two of the 10 fatal cases had A H3N2; seven … Read More
Noroviruses Can Spread by Air
Noroviruses, a group of viruses responsible for more than half of global gastroenteritis cases, can spread by air up to several meters from an infected person according to a new study by Université Laval researchers. The discovery, details of which are presented in the latest issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, suggests that measures applied in hospitals during gastroenteritis outbreaks may … Read More
Latest Outbreak Reminds Us of Reprocessing Imperatives, Prompts New and Pending Guidance
Following yet another highly publicized patient exposure to dangerous pathogens via contaminated endoscopes, the healthcare and sterile processing communities are examining their processes, re-evaluation… Read More: Latest Outbreak Reminds Us of Reprocessing Imperatives, Prompts New and Pending Guidance
New funding will support nationwide focus on substance misuse
University of Alberta (Edmonton) Substance misuse and addiction is a complex health and social issue that affects as many as 21 per cent of Canadians. It transcends social, economic and geographic borders. And though there are many interventions and treatment strategies known to have positive results, few have been widely implemented across the country. That will change with the announcement … Read More