In her recent research, Jelena Ristic has shown that young children and adults will automatically shift attention to the direction of another person’s gaze. Gaze following behavior emerges shortly after birth, when babies start to follow their parents’ faces and eyes as a cue to interesting events in their surroundings. Consequently, gaze following has been tied to developmental milestones such as language acquisition and social cognitive development. In contrast to healthy children, children affected by social disorders, like autism, show little interest in the human face and often avoid eye contact. Jelena’s current research with healthy children will help identify how developmental milestones are reached and what parts of the brain are responsible for processing of social stimuli. This knowledge may offer a better understanding of human development in general as well as help identify the possible causes of pervasive social disorders such as autism.
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The health care experiences of mothers with serious mental illness
Almost one in five British Columbians will experience mental illness during their lifetime and nearly three per cent of the population suffers from severe and persistent mental illness. Research reveals that mothers with serious mental illness face stigma, isolation, poverty, the challenges of single parenthood, problems accessing affordable and safe housing as well as difficulty finding and keeping employment. The health care system has an important role to play in supporting mothers with serious mental illness. But little is known about the policies and services that are effective in supporting women with serious mental illness. Tasnim Nathoo is exploring the health care experiences of mothers with serious mental illness and the barriers they encounter when trying to access support. Tasnim will use this information to develop recommendations on how BC communities can better structure health services to meet the needs of mothers with mental health issues.
Improved assessment of exposure to regional and traffic-related pollutants and relationship to cardiac arrhythmia
Numerous studies over the last decade have associated air pollution with deaths. While many of those studies showed air pollution leads to respiratory disease, some research indicates air pollution-related deaths may involve cardiovascular conditions. The research suggests that people with chronic cardiovascular diseases are particularly susceptible to air pollution’s adverse health effects. Kira Rich is investigating the impact of air pollution on patients with cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rate) who have implanted cardiac defibrillators. The defibrillators record the timing and duration of heart rhythm disturbances, and the data is regularly downloaded. Kira is comparing the information to air pollution data for Greater Vancouver to determine whether increases in air pollution correlate with increased risk of cardiac rhythm disturbances. She is also analyzing exposure to air pollutant concentrations at different sites to measure the effect on cardiac health.
Chemical high-level disinfection in acute care
Most hospital equipment is sterilized by heat or steam after use. But some types of equipment cannot be heat sterilized and must be disinfected using chemical products, which potentially could place employee health at risk. Karen Rideout is surveying BC hospitals and health care centres to assess current practices for using these chemicals. She is focusing on Glutaraldeyde, the most widely used solution in Canadian hospitals to disinfect endoscopy, bronchoscopy, ultrasound, and other equipment. Karen is also examining several new products to assess potential health effects and evaluate whether or not protective measures could reduce these effects. She plans to use this information to develop guidelines for use of disinfectant products, with the goal of making health care environments healthier.
Therapeutic existential experiences during wilderness exposure: Implications for wilderness therapy programs
Mark Ring already holds a PhD in Biochemistry, but his focus shifted recently to work on a degree in the social sciences. He is now researching the therapeutic benefits of exposure to wilderness. Wilderness therapy has been used to help at-risk groups, such as people with mental illness, adolescent alcohol and drug users, adult female survivors of sexual abuse, and war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Programs vary greatly, but include some outdoor adventure activity, from wilderness day trips to three-week hiking and kayaking expeditions. Most research has measured the positive impact of wilderness therapy on self-esteem and ability to interact socially. But participants’ first-hand reports suggest a deeper healing process occurs. Mark is interviewing participants to determine how this experience helps people adapt, live more fully, and find greater meaning in life. He hopes this information can help make wilderness programs more effective at improving participants’ emotional and mental health.
Parent-child interactions in families of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Approximately four percent of children in elementary schools suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This disorder places children at an increased risk for developing problems such as antisocial behaviour, substance abuse and career difficulties. Carla Seipp is examining whether parents’ responsiveness to a child may be an important influence on the risks and impairments associated with ADHD. Carla will compare responsiveness during interactions between mothers and sons with ADHD, and mothers and sons with no behavioural difficulties. By focusing on the family environments of children with ADHD, Carla hopes to identify parenting behaviours that could reduce the risks and impairments associated with the disorder.
Conditioned effects in the kindling model of epilepsy
Mild electrical stimulation of various brain sites leads to the development of seizures, which intensify over time. Called the kindling phenomenon, this process has been widely studied as a model of epilepsy, neuroplasticity (learning, memory and various mental disorders) and the interictal (emotional) changes that occur between seizures in certain types of epilepsy. In his previous research, Steven Barnes demonstrated that learning plays a major role in this process. His studies show that rats learn to associate particular environments with seizures and this awareness greatly affects the intensity of seizures and interictal behaviours. People with epilepsy also tend to have more seizures in certain situations than others, a pattern that has not been widely studied. Steven is investigating how conditioning affects these responses. His research will ultimately reveal insights about the role of conditioning in the kindling phenomenon associated with epilepsy.
Molecular mechanisms that control CD 44 mediated binding to hyaluronan in monocytes
White blood cells are the key elements of the immune system that keep our bodies healthy. Normally these cells circulate in the bloodstream, but upon infection or injury, the cells exit from blood vessels and enter the damaged tissue to promote healing. Proteins on the cell surface, called cell adhesion molecules, take white blood cells to the afflicted site. These molecules are tightly regulated to ensure they only allow cell migration into damaged tissues. When regulation fails, cell adhesion molecules may promote inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and atherosclerosis or metastasis (transfer from one organ or body part to another) of cancer. Kelly Brown is studying CD44, a cell adhesion molecule found in mice and humans on virtually all cell types. Kelly is investigating CD44 on particular white blood cells called monocytes. Once in damaged tissues, these cells eliminate pathogens and alert the rest of the immune system. She is examining the changes that occur in CD44 when monocytes are activated and how the regulation of CD44 contributes to monocyte function during an inflammatory response. Kelly ultimately hopes to learn how to block or promote CD44, which could lead to new treatments for inflammatory diseases and cancer.
Abnormal response to vasoactive agents in pulmonary hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is a life-threatening disease; people with PHT experience shortness of breath, chest pain and fainting and live an average of 2.5 years after diagnosis. The disease involves increased production of endothelins in the lungs, which constrict blood vessels in the lungs. Endothelin is a potent vasoconstrictor (constrictor of blood vessels). Xing Cheng is investigating how certain substances produced in the lungs with PHT influence the ability of endothelin to constrict blood vessels. She is also examining how anti-inflammatory drugs that inhibit the formation of these substances affect production of endothelin. Her research will help identify drug combinations that may reverse the cardiovascular abnormalities causing pulmonary hypertension.
Contribution of granzyme B-induced cell death to atherosclerotic plaque rupture
Jonathan Choy brings previous research experience in the mechanisms of controlled cell death to his work at the Cardiovascular Research Laboratory in the McDonald Research Laboratories at St. Paul’s Hospital. His research focuses on atherosclerotic plaques in the vascular system—also known as hardening of the arteries—caused by a buildup of lipids on the innermost portion of the arteries. Advanced plaques tend to break down and rupture, and can lead to blood clots and heart attack. Jonathan is specifically studying the role of granzyme B—a protein normally used by the immune system to kill abnormal and infected cells—in causing plaque rupture. He is investigating whether granzyme B destroys structural cells in the plaques, thereby reducing the integrity of this part of the vessel wall. Understanding the processes that alter the structural integrity of the atherosclerotic plaques could enable control of some of the events that lead to heart attacks.