Health and medicine news

Dr. Rose Goldstein, Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations), is proud to announce that Prof. Sarah Stroud has been appointed Associate Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations), effective May 1, 2012. In this role, Prof. Stroud will focus on supporting McGill research in the humanities and social sciences.

Caring for family members who are severely ill, debilitated, or dying can be an all-encompassing task. All too often people sacrifice their own health and needs in favour of helping their partner of family member. But burnout can be a severe problem, and often overlaps with "compassion fatigue."

At the April 25 bargaining session, the parties discussed a modified proposal on intellectual property and agreed to further review at a next meeting.

In a paper published this week in The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from McGill University have demonstrated for the first time that there are specific neurons that respond selectively to first and second order sensory attributes.

A new McGill University study evaluating off-label prescribing of medications by primary care physicians in Quebec suggests the practice is common, although it varies by medication, patient and physician characteristics. The paper was published online today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Scientists at McGill University have crossed a critical threshold in developing a blood test that could one day detect breast cancer at very early stages and might even render mammography screening obsolete.

The University met with AMURE's bargaining team on April 4 where discussions led to agreements on several elements.

78 % : C'est le pourcentage qui représente la hausse des cas d'enfants autistes aux États-Unis entre 2002 et 2008.

A team of Montreal researchers has solved the mystery of why the soothing effects of morphine and other similar drugs often wear off within hours, raising hopes of a new generation of longer-lasting painkillers to treat chronic conditions such as arthritis and nerve pain.

Now, a new review of human brain imaging studies published by Cell Press in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism suggests that a major reason for the dramatic increase in obesity may be a heightened sensitivity to heavily advertised and easily accessible high-calorie foods.

McGill team develops new technology that can accurately measure protein biomarkers

The McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre is pleased to announce that they have been awarded funding totalling $7.6 million over a two-year period from Genome Canada’s 2010 Competition. This award, a record for Québec, will fund the operations of the Innovation Centre as well as the services offered to scientific communities in Québec, the rest of Canada and around the world.

A cholesterol drug commonly prescribed to reduce cardiovascular disease risk restores blood vessel function in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

The Lady Davis Institute (LDI) and McGill University are delighted to announce that Dr. Mark A. Wainberg has been awarded the 2012 Killam Prize in Health Sciences by the Canada Council for the Arts. He is the past Director of the LDI and is currently head of its HIV/AIDS research axis and Director of the McGill AIDS Centre.

Ovarian cancer, called a “silent killer” because symptoms are often vague and similar to more benign conditions in the early stages, is often not diagnosed until it is at an advanced stage. Researchers say about 77% of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at this point.