Patients with psychosis may experience communication difficulties because non-language parts of the brain are trying to manage communications tasks, new research from Western and Lawson Health Research Institute shows.
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Dialysis patients four times more likely to die from COVID-19 infection
Patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis are particularly vulnerable to contracting and dying from COVID-19, a Western-led study found.
Most instructions for inserting COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swabs don’t go deep enough, research finds
There are wide discrepancies in the instructions for how deep the nasopharyngeal swabs used to test for COVID-19 are to be inserted up Canadian noses, new research has found. As an otolaryngologist, Dr. Leigh Sowerby is an expert in the anatomy of the head, neck and...
‘Brain training’ may help treat PTSD, clinical trial finds
Neurofeedback, also called ‘brain training,’ consists of exercises where individuals regulate their own brain activity. In a new study from Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute, researchers have found that neurofeedback may be an effective treatment for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
More evidence needed to inform policy on sending kids back to school
Are kids in schools driving community transmission of COVID-19, or is it the other way around? This uncertainty could be clarified by conducting cluster randomized trials when students return to class, according to a new publication from an international team of...
Molecule found in green tea may block negative effects of chronic cannabis use
Since the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis in Canada, experts have sounded the alarm on the negative effects of THC on adolescents’ developing brains. This main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis can have long-term cognitive and behavioural effects...
Vaccine and cure remain focus on World AIDS Day
Jimmy Dikeakos, PhD, understands why virologists like himself quickly pivoted their focus to COVID-19 when the global pandemic struck earlier this year: Vaccines and treatments were needed and the international research community responded. The issue, he said, is that...
Liver cancer ten times more likely in men with common genetic disorder haemochromatosis
Men who have haemochromatosis, one of the most common genetic disorders in North America, are ten times more likely to develop liver cancer, according to a new study. Led by a team at the University of Exeter in collaboration with Dr. Paul Adams from Western...
Expert Explainer: Dr. Nitin Mohan on Circuit Breaker Lockdowns
Some experts in Canada are considering a ‘circuit breaker lockdown’ to help control the surging case counts of COVID-19. Dr. Nitin Mohan, Assistant Professor at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, is a physician epidemiologist who teaches...
Expert Explainer: Greta Bauer, PhD, on celebrating a COVID-19-safe Halloween
As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across Ontario, parents are grappling with how and if they can continue with Halloween traditions in a safe way. Greta Bauer, PhD, Professor at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is an epidemiologist...
Global study finds ‘COVID-19 free’ hospital areas could save lives after surgery
Millions of surgeries around the world were cancelled during the first wave of the pandemic, for fear patients might contract COVID-19 in hospital. As the second wave peak approaches, a new global study suggests hospitals should set up ‘COVID-19 free’ areas for...
‘Inside-the-box’ technology solves organ and vaccine transportation problem
Following a fatal car crash, a registered organ donor could save the lives of many patients critically awaiting heart, kidney, liver, lung or pancreas transplantation. Once doctors successfully remove vital organs, they are carefully placed in what are essentially...