Numerous studies show stress can play a significant role in physical and mental health. Workplace stress has been linked to psychological distress, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, workplace injuries and reduced immune function. Yet workplace stress is preventable, and stress in the workplace does not inevitably lead to illness. Evidence suggests that attaining personally meaningful goals at work may help prevent illness. Dr. Georgia Pomaki is researching how the pursuit of personal goals can decrease workplace stress and improve physical and emotional health. She is examining the relationship between goal pursuit and stress at work and also as it applies to the home environment. The findings could help identify people who have difficulty achieving goals and are at increased risk for physical illness and emotional distress. The research could also suggest strategies to help employees attain work goals and positively impact their health.
Research Location: University of British Columbia - Point Grey
Prevelance of gonococcal/chlamydial infections in an Inuit community; identifying gender differences in social networks, risk perception and health services utilization
When Audrey Steenbeek worked as a community health nurse in Baffin Island, Nunavut, she was concerned by the high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). That experience inspired her to pursue doctoral studies in health care and epidemiology. She is currently researching transmission patterns of chlamydia and gonorrhea among Inuit living in remote and isolated communities in Baffin Island. Audrey’s aims are to measure the prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhea in these communities, characterize core groups and individuals who are most vulnerable to STD infections, describe STD-related, high-risk behaviours and risk perception and, analyze the role of social networks and use of health services. These results could help decrease incidence and prevalence of STDs among remote Aboriginal populations through improved access to STD screening and treatment, improved contact tracing and partner notification procedures, and more culturally appropriate health promotion and disease prevention strategies.
Beyond PTSD: the influence of culture, community, and socio-economic factors in the health and recovery of three communities affected by the 2003 BC wildfires
Firestorms devastated the BC communities of Kelowna, Barriere and Louis Creek in 2003. The exact impact of the psychological, economic and social disruption of the fires on the health and well-being of these communities is unknown. But research on the health consequences of natural disasters has shown that such events are associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, including posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, and also with experiences of social and personal transformation and growth. Robin Cox is studying the disaster recovery processes in these three communities. Her goal is to develop a model of the processes that reflects the complexity of the event, taking into account the influence of public policy, economics, community cohesiveness and community identity on the physical, emotional and social well-being of people affected by natural disasters. The study will address gaps in existing disaster research by exploring the reciprocal relationships between community-level coping, individual coping and health, and by identifying individual and collective responses that foster resiliency and the adaptive capacities of people responding to trauma and stress. The results may also provide valuable information for governments, communities and disaster response agencies attempting to develop relevant and effective policies and services to support individuals and communities recovering from natural disasters.
HIV, STIs and massage parlour workers: application of social network analysis and mathematical modeling to assess the potential for disease propagation
Studies on the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV usually focus on individual risk factors such as the number of partners and condom use. But these factors do not fully explain epidemics. Social Network Analysis, a new approach, looks at how relationships between people in defined groups affect risk of disease spread. Valencia Remple is using this approach to conduct a sexual health survey of women who work in massage parlours. As part of the study, trained peer outreach workers are conducting in-depth interviews with workers to obtain information about their sexual behaviour, histories of STIs and the characteristics of their sexual partners. She is also measuring factors known to influence the spread of STIs, such as bridging. Bridging occurs when people in one defined group have sexual contact with members of different groups, which could introduce infections into previously uninfected populations. The results of this research could be used to develop targeted health services for this vulnerable and hidden population.
Delayed recovery and chronic disability associated with whiplash associated disorders
Whiplash is the most common injury from motor vehicle collisions, and a major cause of chronic disability and pain. The progression and outcome of whiplash treatments vary, as does recovery time. Dr. John Dufton, an experienced chiropractor, is studying factors that lead to delayed recovery in patients with whiplash. Using the nationwide database of CBI Health, Dr. Dufton is comparing patients from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec to determine how different types of insurance compensation and litigation systems influence patient recovery. He is also identifying physical factors and patient characteristics that place people at higher risk of developing chronic disability. The findings will provide new data on the factors that affect recovery after a whiplash injury.
Risk-benefit tradeoffs: A community-based risk assessment of sulfuric emissions from five Canadian petroleum refineries producing reduced sulfur gasoline
In 1999, the federal government announced that oil companies will need to reduce the sulfur content of gasoline from 360 parts per million (ppm) to 30 ppm by January 2005. As a result, refineries across the country will be required to remove more sulfur from the crude oil they process, possibly resulting in higher concentrations of sulfur in their stack emissions. While this regulation is intended to protect Canadians from harmful compounds in tailpipe exhaust, communities close to oil refineries may be exposed to higher concentrations of those same compounds. Using air pollution and population data from five major Canadian refinery communities, Sarah Henderson is assessing the potential for sulfuric emissions from refineries to affect public health, and is determining how federal gas regulations could increase that potential. She hopes the research will lead to a model that policy makers can use to quantify how sources of air pollution can affect the health of surrounding communities.
Regulations of the endocannabinoid receptor system of glucocorticoid hormones: Implications for Schizophrenia
The onset and development of many mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, are believed to be affected by stress and the hormones produced as a result of stress. Research has shown that these stress hormones act upon receptors in the brain that interact with the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is a neurochemical system which contains receptors that respond to both cannabis (marijuana) and naturally produced substances known as endocannabinoids. People with schizophrenia have been shown to have elevated levels of naturally-occurring endocannabinoids, and there is evidence that alteration of the endocannabinoid system through the use of marijuana reduces the effectiveness of anti-psychotic medication. Matthew Hill is investigating links between the endocannabinoid system, exposure and hormonal responses to stress and the development of schizophrenia. Matthew’s research may improve understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms involved in schizophrenia and suggest future treatments to manage this mental illness.
Role of Nrf2 mediated transcriptional events in neuroprotection during stroke
Free radicals are potentially damaging molecules produced in cells, particularly in response to injury. Certain free radicals cause tissue damage and trigger cell death. To combat the effects of free radicals, healthy people produce adequate quantities of antioxidants, scavenging enzymes that defend cells from free-radical destruction. When a person suffers a stroke, free radicals known as reactive oxygen species may cause cell death in large areas of the brain, resulting in brain damage and disability. It is believed that by increasing the number of antioxidants in the brain, cell death and damage following stroke might be minimized. Sophie Imbeault is working to clarify the role of the transcription factor Nrf2, which regulates the production of antioxidants in the brain. By studying the basic mechanisms underlying Nrf2 activation both during normal functioning and during stroke, she hopes her work will ultimately point to new treatment possibilities for minimizing stroke damage.
Mechanistic investigations of retaining glycosyl transferases from Neisseria meningitidis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae
The complex arrangement of carbohydrates that cover the surface of cells is known to play a key role in gene activation and cell-to-cell recognition processes. Changes in the composition of these carbohydrates can lead to many pathological conditions, including the proliferation of cancerous cells and compromised immune function. Research suggests that elevated activity in the enzymes that place these carbohydrates on the cell surface is primarily responsible for changes in cell surface composition, however, the chemical mechanisms these enzymes use to function are not well understood. Working in collaboration with the McGill Cancer Centre in Montreal, Luke Lairson is researching how these enzymes function. This knowledge may be used to design effective new drug therapies to inhibit enzyme activity and help prevent and treat various human diseases ranging from cancer to AIDS.
Identification of Phosphoregulation pathways involved in Hematopoetic Stem cell self-renewal
In recent years it has been suggested that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) possess the ability to develop into different types of tissue in the body. Conceivably this phenomenon could one day facilitate treatment of a variety of degenerative diseases via harvesting a patient’s own HSCs, genetically modifying them, and then transplanting them back into the body. Unfortunately at present there is no effective way to maintain HSCs outside of the body, as the cells self-renew only in response to the unique combination of growth factors present within the specialized environment of the bone marrow. Michael Long is comparing how different environments affect the pathways by which HSCs receive chemical signals to renew. By studying HSC activity within bone marrow as well as an environment that does not promote HSC renewal such as the spleen he hopes to determine which signalling pathways are vital for HSC renewal. Ultimately, this information may allow researchers to identify how to recreate an environment outside the body that promotes HSC growth.