Popular but unqualified ‘fitness professionals’ could be promoting misinformation and unhealthy behaviour, says U of A researcher
The vast majority of exercise bloggers aren’t qualified to give the advice they’re giving, according to a University of Alberta study. The study suggests this lack of certification could contribute to misinformation and unhealthy behaviour, especially since the pandemic has pushed many online for guidance with their fitness goals. “We looked at some of the…
Digital mental health treatment can work just as well as in-person therapy according to newly published research by a team of rehabilitation, psychology, psychiatry and military experts based at the University of Alberta. The researchers carried out a scoping review of studies about mental health treatment delivered by telephone or computer to military members, veterans and…
Cutting-edge techniques the first step toward understanding heart disease and developing new targeted treatments to stop it
Scientists have for the first time documented all of the different cell types and genes expressed in the healthy human heart, in research published recently in the journal Nature. Cardiologists from the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute at the University of Alberta joined teams from Cambridge, Boston and Berlin to use state-of-the-art analytical techniques to sequence the ribonucleic acids (RNA)…
Understanding how the conditionally approved COVID-19 drug works is key to improving treatments, says U of A researcher
Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a novel, second mechanism of action by the antiviral drug remdesivir against SARS-CoV-2, according to findings published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The research team previously demonstrated how remdesivir inhibits the COVID-19 virus’s polymerase or replication machinery in a test tube. Matthias Götte, chair of medical microbiology and immunology…
Getting too much vitamin D can also cause health problems, says U of A pediatric kidney specialist
At the beginning of May, a pair of studies emerged suggesting people who are deficient in vitamin D are more likely to experience serious health complications if infected with COVID-19. Sales of the micronutrient soared as a scared public tried to gain any advantage they could over the virus. Unfortunately, University of Alberta pediatrics professor Todd…
Pandemic inspires University of Alberta innovation in emergency and critical care
A potential need sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired an Edmonton team of clinicians and academics to build a better cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) board for use in emergency departments and intensive care units (ICUs). Because of COVID-19’s attack on the lungs, many patients in emergency departments and intensive care are placed on their bellies…
According to reports, the Trudeau government may unveil a national pharmacare program in Wednesday’s throne speech in Ottawa. The program may be based on last year’s Hoskins’ report, which recommended an expensive top-down Medicare-style approach that would artificially set drugs prices, restrict patient choice and limit private alternatives. Not only would such a program drive…
Babies who have life-saving surgery for congenital heart problems within the first month of life face a lifelong risk of chronic kidney disease and high blood pressure, according to new research led by University of Alberta pediatric specialists. “We know that kidneys, like all organs, have to last a lifetime,” said Catherine Morgan, associate professor and interim…
Sex advice for pandemic prevention makes as much sense as implementing a security system while leaving the front door open
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control threw logic out the window with its “COVID-19 and Sex” advice. The document reveals contradiction, ignorance and hypocrisy. “If you’re feeling fine and have no symptoms of COVID-19, you can still have sex. If you’re feeling sick, skip sex,” it says. Thanks. “Not tonight, I have a headache,” is…
Understanding different lifetime patterns of caregiving can inform supportive policies to help people cope, say U of A researchers
To most people, ‘caregiving’ means looking after ailing relatives in their final years. But the reality is much different, with the actual workload lasting up to 30 years for some, according to University of Alberta research. The study, the first of its kind to gauge caregiving across a person’s lifetime, debunks the myth that looking after an…
The vast majority of exercise bloggers aren’t qualified to give the advice they’re giving, according to a University of Alberta study. The study suggests this lack of certification could contribute to misinformation and unhealthy behaviour, especially since the pandemic has pushed many online for guidance with their fitness goals. “We looked at some of the…
