Faculty Experts in the News: Week of December 19

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Dr. John Bell is one of the few Canadian researchers collaborating with scientists in the United States on a study concerning memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers have found that suppressing a molecule called PKR improves memory function and learning abilities.

This discovery could lead to new therapies for patients with Alzheimer’s, possibly in the form of a memory-enhancing pill. “We recognize that PKR plays a dual role, one in regulating simple every day processes like the way neurons talk to each other for memory, but also has a stress response,” said Dr. Bell.

The study is led by researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, including former McGill University postdoctoral fellow Mauro Costa-Mattioli, in collaboration with Canadian scientists. Dr. Bell is a professor at the Faculty with the Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology.
Dr. Rajendra Kale, Department of Medicine, ignited discussion after publishing an editorial on concussions in the sport of hockey in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), where he is interim editor-in-chief. Dr. Kale called for an end to fighting and hits in hockey as research has shown the progressive damage from brain and head trauma caused by hockey incidents.

In the editorial, Dr. Kale cites research and case studies on brain trauma in sport, including a 2009 study by Boston University. Out of the 70 athlete’s whose brains were examined, 50 of them had pathological evidence of CTE which is associated with memory disturbances, behavioural and personality disorders, parkinsonism, and abnormalities in speech and gait.

Dr. Kale’s editorial received widespread media coverage in Canada and the United States, including the Los Angeles Times and Sports Illustrated online. To view the editorial, click here.
Dr. Curtis Lavoie from the Department of Pediatrics was featured on CBC.ca after leading a pilot project at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) on reducing hospital waste. Dr. Lavoie and emergency room doctors conducted an assessment on disposable supplies, which are encouraged at hospitals to ensure sterility and safety for all patients, and whether they were actually safer than products cleaned by staff.

The doctors found that most items currently in widespread use, such as paper sleeves on examination tables, were of questionable value. Other items considered for changes include using tap water instead of packaged sterile water for cleaning out lacerations, and sending paper towels in bathrooms to recycling facilities instead of garbage disposals.