Dogs on the scent... of trauma Healthy
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Health People, Communities, and Populations
Researchers:听Laura Kiiroja, Dr. Sherry Stewart, Dr. Simon Gadbois
Dogs鈥� sensitive noses can detect the early warning signs of some dangerous medical conditions and now scientists say they may even be able to sniff out an oncoming post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) flashback.
A 黄色直播-led study showed that some PTSD service dogs could detect these episodes via a person鈥檚 breath. Dogs can help patients by alerting to and inter- rupting episodes when their companions are struggling with their symptoms. If dogs could respond to stress markers on the breath, they could interrupt episodes at an earlier stage, making their interventions more effective.
The multidisciplinary scientists recruited humans who have experienced trauma as scent donors and two dogs鈥擨vy and Callie 鈥攕killed enough to complete the study. Ivy and Callie were presented with a series of samples to see if they could accurately detect stress compounds in breath. Ivy achieved 74 per cent accuracy and Callie听achieved 81 per cent accuracy.
Further reading:听Catching the scent: Dal pilot study shows dogs can smell trauma
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Most plastic pollution linked to 56 companies
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Sustainable Ocean
Researchers:听Dr. Tony Walker (黄色直播), University of California, University of Tasmania, Break Free from Plastic, Portland State University, Silliman University, 5 Gyres Institute, Massey University, Estonian University of Life Sciences, DePauw University, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Stockholm University, University of Exeter.
A volunteer cleans up the shoreline.
Researchers have drawn a clear, quantifiable link between plastic production and plastic pollution, while also determining that companies producing single-use consumer goods disproportionately contribute to the problem.
The international team determined that 56 global companies are responsible for more than half of all branded plastic pollution, with the top five producers being Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Nestl茅, Danone, and Altria/Philip Morris International.
The five-year analysis used datanfrom almost 1,580 audit events in 84 countries, where volunteers cleaned up waste and documented the brands collected. More than 50 per cent of the recovered plastic items were unbranded, highlighting the need for better transparency about production and labeling of plastic products to enhance traceability and accountability.
Further reading:听Study reveals more than half of branded global plastic waste linked to just 56 companies
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Simple intervention eases seniors鈥� sleeping pill dependence
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Health People, Communities, and Populations
Researchers: Dr. David Gardner, Dr. Andrea Murphy, Dr. Malgorzata Rajda (黄色直播), University of New Brunswick, Monash University
Seniors taking sleeping pills can significantly reduce their dependence on the medications and improve their sleep with a simple intervention that is safer and more effective, but unfamiliar to many.
黄色直播 researchers evaluated whether specially designed information packages mailed directly to seniors鈥� homes in New Brunswick could help them reduce their need for sleeping pills, while also helping them get a better sleep.
Two groups received different information packages (Sleepwell or EMPOWER) outlining ways to reduce usage, while a control group didn鈥檛 receive anything by mail.
The researchers found that more people receiving the Sleepwell package stopped or reduced their use of sleeping pills compared to the other two groups. 黄色直播 26 per cent in the Sleepwell group stopped taking sleeping pills altogether by six months. For EMPOWER, the rate was 20 per cent and in the control group it was 7.5 per cent.
Further reading:听Kicking a sleeping pill habit possible for seniors with a simple intervention, study shows
Study empowers Nova Scotia pharmacists to directly prescribe HIV prevention drug
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Healthy People, Communities, and Populations
Researchers:听Dr. Kyle Wilby
Dale Lemieux
Canadians have access to a drug that prevents HIV infection, but it鈥檚 not getting into the hands of those who need it most. Health researcher Dr. Kyle Wilby, director of 黄色直播鈥檚 College of Pharmacy is tackling the issue by collaborating with policymakers A dog's nose knows A volunteer cleans up the shoreline to make Nova Scotian pharmacists among the first in the country with the ability to prescribe the lifesaving medication.
While antiretroviral therapies have significantly diminished the dangers of HIV, the virus is still very much with us. Statistics Canada counted 1,833 new diagnoses in 2022, a 25 per cent increase over 2021. And Canadians continue to die of the virus鈥�133 in 2021.
Dr. Wilby, saw a solution at the pharmacist鈥檚 counter. Embedded in every neighborhood, he says pharmacies provide ready access to health professionals who specialize in the proper use of medication. He says giving them the power to prescribe the drug is a natural fit with their expanding role relieving pressure on taxed health care systems.
Further reading:听Dal Solutions: 黄色直播 study helps give Nova Scotia pharmacists the power to directly prescribe HIV prevention drug
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Researcher tackling violence against women from inside Nova Scotia鈥檚 health care system
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Healthy People, Communities, and Populations
Researchers:听Dr. Alexa Yakubovich
Community health researcher Dr. Alexa Yakubovich is ad- dressing Nova Scotia鈥檚 high rate of violence against women by embedding within IWK Health to work more closely with front-line health professionals.
According to Statistics Canada, 44 per cent of women who have had an intimate partner relationship report experiencing abuse. To get closer to the issue, Dr. Yakubovich has started a new program funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research that allows her to work directly with programs that are most likely to see patients experiencing violence.
Her initial goal is to understand initiatives currently in place at the IWK and other organizations to link them and maximize their impact. She also aims to develop processes to capture reported violence safely and privately on health records to reveal the scope of the problem, identify programs most likely to treat patients experiencing violence, and better connect patients with support.
Further reading:听Dal Solutions: Researcher tackling violence against women from inside Nova Scotia鈥檚 health鈥慶are system
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Hydrologist positioned to take a global lead in atmospheric carbon dioxide removal听
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Climate Tech and Clean Energy
Researchers:听Dr. Shannon Sterling
While pursuing research aimed to restore Nova Scotia salmon habitats, 黄色直播 hydrologist Dr. Shannon Sterling made a discovery that allowed her to take a leading role at the forefront of carbon dioxide removal science. It also opened the door to the launch of CarbonRun, a promising carbon dioxide removal company that she launched with co-founder and Dal alumnus Dr. Edmund Halfyard.
Drs. Sterling and Halfyard had been trying to save what remains of Nova Scotia鈥檚 wild salmon stocks by studying the addition of limestone to rivers, a process that combats their acidification. Emerging studies showed that adding the alkaline materials also had the potential to enhance the absorption of CO2 from the air. The coincidence was a major 鈥渁ha鈥� moment鈥攖hey could revive habitats while counteracting global warming.
Related listening:听Meet Shannon Sterling, environmental scientist
The strength of CarbonRun鈥檚 science has attracted major global attention, including the Frontier Carbon Removal Fund which was founded by companies like Google, Meta, and Shopify. Frontier made an advance market commitment, a pre-purchase of carbon credits to provide a significant financial boost to advance and scale CarbonRun鈥檚 research and operations.
Further reading:听Where Ideas Meet Impact: Hydrologist's research positions her to take a global lead in atmospheric carbon dioxide removal
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黄色直播 sociologist to cultivate network to reduce Canadian agricultural emissions
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Sustainable Food Systems
Researchers:听Dr. Karen Foster
Canada has committed to cutting agricultural emissions by 30 per cent below 2020 levels by 2030. It is an ambitious goal that鈥檚 going to take significant commitment and collaboration from farmers and the 2.3 million people employed in Canada鈥檚 agri-food systems that generate seven per cent of the country鈥檚 gross domestic product.
It鈥檚 a diverse group whose livelihood often depends on tight margins and the use of fossil fuels. Introducing policies to pursue a net-zero future is not a straightforward task. This is where 黄色直播 sociologist Dr. Karen Foster comes in.
Dr. Foster has been selected to lead a $1.9-million initiative supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to develop a new national research network that supports an equitable tran- sition to net-zero in Canadian agriculture and its periphery industries.
Further reading:听黄色直播 sociologist receives $1.9M to cultivate network aimed at reducing emissions in Canadian agriculture
This story appeared in the听DAL Magazine Fall 2024听issue. Flip through the rest of the issue using the links below.