September

People with social anxiety disorder benefit from group therapy that targets the negative mental images they have of themselves and others, according to a study at the University of Waterloo. Called “imagery-enhanced” cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the new group treatment helps relieve symptoms including social performance and interaction anxiety, depression, and stress.

More than 4 million Canadians will develop social anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Without treatment, the disorder can impair people’s functioning at school, work, and relationships.

UBC researchers have matched peptides with antibiotics so they can work together to combat hard-to-treat infections that don’t respond well to drugs on their own. The study builds on previous research that showed that the peptides are key to making harmful bacteria more responsive to drugs.

For every three individuals who have had a stent implanted to keep clogged arteries open and prevent a heart attack, at least one will experience restenosis—the renewed narrowing of the artery due to plaque buildup or scarring—which can lead to additional complications.

The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and Simon Fraser University conducted research in response to reports in Saskatchewan of unusually rapid progression of HIV to AIDS-defining illnesses in the absence of treatment—revealing genetic mutations in HIV strains in that province.

BC Children’s Hospital has joined CureWorks, an international collaborative of leading academic children’s hospitals focused on improving care for children with hard-to-treat cancers by expanding clinical trials and accelerating the development of leading-edge immunotherapy treatments.