October

In the workplace, oral and facial injuries are generally related to head or neck trauma. Occasionally, workers with catastrophic or multiple traumas may also sustain dental traumas that can be overlooked and not acutely dealt with, as the more serious injury treatment may take precedence. However, oral facial injuries can result in disfigurement and dysfunction that can have significant negative effects on an individual’s quality of life. A worker with fractured, displaced, or lost teeth can have improved outcomes with appropriate first aid measures and early dental treatment.

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Athletes may be returning to play sooner than they should. Detailed scans of concussed University of British Columbia hockey players found that the protective fatty tissue surrounding brain cell fibres was loosened 2 weeks after an injury, even though athletes felt fine and were deemed ready to return to the ice. The loosening of myelin slows the transmission of electrical signals between brain cells. Researchers previously showed in animals that this loosened myelin can completely deteriorate with subsequent blows—a condition that resembles multiple sclerosis.

UBC researchers have identified a new group of enzymes that can turn any blood type into the universally usable type O.

Blood type is determined by the presence of antigens on the surface of red blood cells, and antigens can trigger an immune response if they are foreign to the body; therefore, transfusion patients should receive either their own blood type or type O to avoid a reaction.

The Alzheimer Society of Canada’s Advisory Group of people with dementia has created a Canadian Charter of Rights for People with Dementia. Although people with dementia hold the same rights as every Canadian citizen, they face cultural, social, and economic barriers to claiming these rights, leaving many facing discrimination, isolation, and treatment that contravenes their basic rights as human beings.

A recent UBC study highlights how important it is for middle-aged athletes to have their doctor check their cardiovascular risk factors, especially if they have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a family history of cardiovascular disease.

For the study, researchers followed 798 “masters athletes”—adults aged 35 and older who engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity at least 3 days per week. The participants included a range of athletes—runners, cyclists, triathletes, rowers, and hockey players.