Research indicates that many violent crime offenders have been victims of violent crime. Many develop stress-related psychiatric disorders, such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, as a response to perpetrating or being victimized by violent crime. Barry Cooperâs earlier research focused on the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms and their effect on memory in victims of violent crimes. Now he is examining the complex factors that contribute to the development, severity, and maintenance of the condition in violent crime offenders. His research involves interviewing violent crime offenders incarcerated in BC and developing an extensive database detailing factors such as their personality characteristics, history of trauma, severity and type of violence, use of alcohol or other substances, and memories of their crimes and traumatic experiences. The results will help refine assessment techniques and treatment programs for violent offenders, leading to improved rehabilitation and a lower rate of violent offences.
Program: Trainee
Focused attention, exploration and heart rate at 8-months in relation to prematurity and maternal interaction
Premature infants spend critical periods of early development in neonatal intensive care. The stress and pain experienced as part of early medical care can lead to the disorganization of infant behaviour or physiologic states, which may reflect risk for adverse neurodevelopment. Research links early stress to changes in brain stress circuits and heart rate regulation and follow-up studies show that high-risk premature infants have a high incidence of attention related deficits. Julianne Petrie-Thomas is examining the complex relationships between behavioural and physiological regulation of attention by studying focused attention and patterns of heart rate in premature infants at 8-months compared with term-born controls. As the infantâs interactions with its mother play an essential role in the regulation of behavioural as well as internal physiological systems, she is also studying the effects of maternal-infant interaction on infantsâ behaviour and physiology. The findings could fill major gaps in understanding of how attention problems develop in premature infants and lead to interventions that significantly improve the developmental outcomes of these vulnerable babies.
Parents' attitudes, intentions and behaviours regarding medication adherence for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a persistent childhood disorder that affects about five per cent of children. Symptoms include inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity at developmentally inappropriate levels. Numerous studies have shown that stimulant medication is the safest and most effective treatment for ADHD. Optimum treatment for ADHD usually requires two to three doses a day, generally administered by parents. But up to 80 per cent of parents frequently fail to give their child the medication as directed by a health professional. Douglas Scoular is examining parentsâ beliefs, attitudes and intentions about giving their children stimulant medication for ADHD to determine why parents fail to administer the medication. This research will provide important information on parentsâ concerns about administering stimulant medication, help predict which parents will be successful in following the treatment regimen, and ultimately help improve health care providersâ ability to successfully treat children with ADHD.
Impact of delayed childbearing in BC, Canada
Women in developed societies around the world increasingly delay childbearing until the age of 35 or older. In BC, women who are 35 or older account for about 8,000 births a year. There has been little research into the effects of delayed childbearing, and studies that have been undertaken produced contrasting results. Some research suggested an increased risk of complications and other studies showed no greater risk. No research has compared differences in rural and urban settings. Sarka Lisonkova is investigating the impact of delayed childbearing on pregnancy outcomes and infantsâ need for health care services in their first year. Using information on 200,000 births across the province from the BC Perinatal Database Registry, Sarka is comparing outcomes and health care utilization from births among 20 to 34-year-old mothers with those 35 and older. She is also reviewing the effect of risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as smoking and fertility problems. The research could help improve prenatal counselling and risk assessment in prenatal care.
A finite element model of the spinal cord
The way spinal cord tissue responds to different forces is not well understood. Carolyn Greaves is designing a specialized computer model of the spinal cord and its surrounding structures to measure the impact of different types of injury. This type of model of the spinal cord, called a finite element model, has never been developed before. The model will provide detailed measurements of spinal cord response to internal stresses, strains, and pressure changes in spinal fluid, as well as the impact on blood vessels, grey matter (nerve cell bodies) and white matter (nerve fibres). This information will broaden understanding of spinal cord injuries and be used to evaluate potential treatments. As well, neurological changes-such as swelling-occur following a spinal cord injury and can lead to secondary injuries. Carolyn’s model may lead the development of other models that could provide better understanding of these secondary injuries and how to treat them.
The neuromuscular and sensorimotor basis of balance recovery
Falls and related injuries cause loss of independence, reduce quality of life, and increase mortality among elderly people. Fall-related injuries cost Canadians $3.6 billion in 1995. Consequently, reducing the incidence and severity of falls is an important health priority. Dawn Mackey is comparing young and elderly study participants to measure the variables that govern our ability to recover balance following unexpected movements. Maintaining a stable upright posture is essential to daily activities such as walking, turning and rising. However, postural stability declines as we age. Dawn will assess whether balance recovery depends on the strength and speed of muscle response, simultaneous contraction of front and back ankle muscles, where someone’s mental attention is focused, and the intactness and speed of sight and hearing. She hopes the research can be used to design exercise and rehabilitation programs to prevent falls among elderly people.
RNA expression profiles of ABC transporters in fetal liver and acute myeloid leukemia side population stem cells
Stem cells have the unique ability to develop into different types of tissue cells in the human body, and are often involved in the onset of cancer, especially leukemia. Like other cells in the body, stem cells activate a diverse family of proteins that pump different substances in and out of cells, called ABC transporters. In normal cells, these proteins pump toxic substances out and useful ones in. But some of these proteins also pump anti-cancer drugs out of cancer cells, causing the treatment to fail. Maria Ho is researching how ABC transporters in stem cells can cause drug resistance in leukemia. Maria is measuring the level of ABC transporters in chemo-refractory and responsive leukemic stem cells to determine which transporters are required for normal functions and which ones are related to cancer. This research will help explain the course of the disease and lead to more effective cancer treatments to target the transporters involved in leukemia.
The influence of Lipid Transfer Protein I on the binding and transfer of Cyclosporine A between lipoproteins
Mona Kwong’s research focuses on gaining a better understanding of how the body responds to drugs whose molecular structure is similar to that of lipids (fatty, waxy or oily compounds that are major structural components of living cells). Mona is studying cyclosporine, a drug with a lipid-like structure that is used primarily to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. One of the major potential complications of cyclosporine is that it can behave differently from one patient to the next. For example, a dosage that works for one person may cause toxicity in another. Previous studies have shown a link between patients’ cholesterol levels and their toxicity with the use of cyclosporine. Mona hopes to determine whether lipid transfer protein I and a protein that transports lipids such as cholesterol and is also involved in binding and transporting cyclosporine. A better understanding of this mechanism and the factors that affect it will help provide an explanation for the differences and inconsistencies seen in patients taking cyclosporine. Clinicians could then measure different cholesterol levels in patients, predict the level of cyclosporine that would cause toxicity, and adjust the dosage to prevent adverse side effects
Insights into the molecular interaction within the Hepatitis C virus heterodimeric serine protease: A prime target for therapeutic intervention
An estimated quarter million Canadians are infected with the hepatitis C virus, a chronic disease that inflames and damages the liver and, in some people, can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer. There is currently no effective therapy to treat hepatitis C, nor any vaccine to prevent its transmission. Morgan Martin is studying the function of the HCV NS3 protease, an enzyme required for the hepatitis C virus to make copies of itself inside a cell. Morgan hopes to better understand how this interaction works, so she can identify potential ways to interfere with its functioning. This approach, known as protease inhibition, has already proven useful in drug treatment for HIV infection and may lead to new, effective interventions for hepatitis C.
The role of the integrin-linked kinase in intestinal inflammation
Affecting roughly one in 1,000 people in western populations, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These conditions cause chronic inflammation of the large and small bowel and ultimately lead to severe tissue damage. Current therapies can relieve and treat symptoms, but neither a cause nor a cure has been established for these disorders. It is believed that integrin-linked kinase, an enzyme that is known to be responsible for a number of different cellular functions, may play a key role in IBD. Kuljit Parhar is investigating the role of integrin-linked kinase in regulating the chronically activated inflammatory response found in IBD. Learning about how the inflammatory response is regulated could lead to more effective treatments for IBD.