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CBC
35 minutes ago
- CBC
Could honeybees help us understand FASD? This Saskatoon researcher watches hives for clues
A researcher from Saskatoon wants to learn more about the effects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) by using honeybees. Sarah Wood, research chair in pollinator health at University of Saskatchewan, has looked at how FASD affects the movements of bees, and now she is looking to see how it may affect bees socially. "There's this genetic connection between the social behaviour of honeybees and humans that we thought we'd like to explore in the context of FASD," said Wood. She says a previous study that looked at honeybees is a potential model for autism in humans. "What they found was that for honeybees that were socially non-responsive in certain situations, they had some of the same genes unregulated as humans with autism," said Wood. Her research around FASD is already being carried out and led by a masters student who is raising honeybees in the lab — from larvae to adults. At the same time, Wood says they include low concentrations of ethanol through the larval diet to observe how it impacts the development of the honeybee until they are fully grown. Honeybees are then introduced to an observation hive. "This is a glass-sided hive where we can observe the behaviour of the honeybees and we can look at how they interact with their nest mates, how they share food, how they communicate and also how the bees interact with their queen," she said. Each honeybee will be identified by a numbered tag attached to their thorax so they will be easy to identify and compare the treatments and controls, said Wood. Link between bees and humans Wood says honeybees are a eusocial species where they have cooperative brood care — they work together to care for larvae and have overlapping generations. "And they have division of labour," said Wood, noting that different ages of bees have different jobs in the hive. "All of those properties, you know, we can sort of see in our own human society. And so perhaps it's not surprising that honeybees might be a good model for human conditions," she said. Stephen Pernal, a research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, says honeybees offer a lot of potential when it comes to looking at the progression of a disease and what factors may affect it. "Now with the advent of genetic technologies, we can look at gene expression," said Pernal. "And we do know, some of the genes that honeybees have are common in terms of expression between autism in people and an insect." He says "animal models" are commonly used for research because it would be unethical to treat humans with disease to look for cures or at progressions of the disease. "They could be fish, they could be things like worms, like nematodes and in fact sometimes insects are used in animal models as well," said Pernal. Beyond ethics, Pernal says using an animal model is often cheaper and quicker when it comes to getting answers to the questions that may want to be used in a human model. "Honeybees are super social. They have co-operative group care, they have division of labour, they have tasks which reduce diseases by social skills," said Pernal. He says a honeybee's social behaviour can be characterized by observing their role in a hive. "I believe the idea is if you were to expose honeybees to some sort of threat, in this case alcohol, we could look at their effects on their social skills as adults and use that as a model to compare what might actually happen in people." Pernal says there aren't a lot of other systems that could be used to explore changes in adult behaviours and socialization in other animals. What the research shows so far Wood says when looking at how the ethanol affects a bee's development, they noticed the honeybees that have been exposed to higher concentrations of ethanol have covered less distance compared to those that had less. "They weren't moving normally compared to the controls," she said. Looking forward, Wood says the more immediate outcome of her research would be to spark more positive conversations around FASD and support for the families affected. "The long-term goal for this research would be to develop a drug discovery animal model as sort of a cheap and easy model that we could use to screen potential therapeutics for treatment of FASD," she said.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Are you overdoing it on electrolytes? Quebec poison control says calls are on the rise
Electrolyte drinks may quench your thirst on a hot day or after a gruelling workout, but Quebec's poison control centre is warning they're not without risks. Centre antipoison du Québec is reporting a sharp increase in exposure cases related to electrolyte supplements. The number of reported cases has increased by 30 per cent in the province over the past four years. According to data from the centre, cases involving electrolyte and mineral supplements increased to 763 as of 2024, up from 584 in 2020. Children under the age of five make up a significant portion of calls received by the centre, rising to 121 cases last year from 89 in 2020. Dr. Josh Wang, a toxicologist at the poison control centre and incoming president of the Canadian Association for Clinical Toxicology and Poison Centres, said the reason for the uptick is still unclear. 'It's hard to speculate. The numbers certainly show an increase in reporting to the poison centres,' said Wang, who also works as an emergency room physician at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). 'It's not clear to me from the data that we have what the reason is, however.' Generally safe, but don't overdo it While many products, including well-known brands like Gatorade and Pedialyte, are generally safe, Wang said problems can occur when people overdo it or take them without proper guidance. 'As an emergency physician, I frequently advise patients who are dehydrated to take these,' he said. 'But when [people] take it upon themselves to take supplementation, it's important to know what their medical problems are, and perhaps [seek] counsel from a pharmacist or doctor if there's any doubt in terms of the safety, for overdose or interactions.' He mentioned that one popular hydration drink, Prime, contains 700 milligrams of potassium, 'the same as two bananas.' That could pose a risk for people with kidney issues. 'If [people] have kidney problems, difficulty eliminating, extra potassium in their diet or from beverages could be potentially a risk,' he said. So, if you feel parched, should you choose an electrolyte drink or stick to the old standby — water? Wang assured that most products are safe when used as directed, but said to keep it simple. 'Generally, if you're thirsty, you should drink water. I think that's a good rule of thumb,' he said. If you opt for electrolyte drinks, he noted that 'it's easy to go over, make arithmetic errors, and too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.' Symptoms depend on the mineral Symptoms of overdoing it vary depending on the mineral. 'Some of them can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting. In more extreme cases, they can cause decreased mental status,' Wang said, pointing to magnesium. 'Calcium... can be associated with constipation.' Potassium, he said, is 'my most respected electrolyte in terms of overdose risk, danger for cardiac disturbances and dangerous cardiac rhythms that could lead the patient to present to the emergency department.' Advice for parents He also urged parents to keep all supplements safely stored away. 'Keeping supplements and medications out of lock and key, away from the reach and away from the curious eyes and fingers of little ones,' he said. 'I continue to encourage it to all my patients and all the people that ask me about it.' Wang said the Quebec poison centre is a great resource, and when in doubt, people can call the team at 1-800-463-5060. 'Specifically, in regard to overdose, we provide very efficient, very rapid advice,' he said.
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Alberta measles cases could pose risk for N.W.T., says territory's public health officer
The province has reported over 1,500 cases this year. Only one case detected in the N.W.T so far. Sarah St-Pierre has more.
