Latest news with #LavalUniversity
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Quebec researchers identify biomarkers linked to chronic pain
Smoking has been recognized as a risk factor for a very long time. People who smoke experience more pain, but those who smoke the most experience even more pain. Pictured here is a public ashtray in Ottawa in 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Two biomarkers identified by a research team at Laval University could lead to improved management of chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP). Professor Clermont Dionne's team found that the presence of acrylamide and cadmium in the body increased the risk of CMP by 24 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively. 'We don't really understand what causes most of these syndromes,' said Dionne, who is a professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and a researcher at the Quebec University Hospital Centre (CHU de Québec) – Laval University Research Centre and VITAM – Sustainable Health Research Centre. 'It causes a lot of disability,' Dionne explained. 'Even if patients eventually recover within a few weeks, these are recurrent syndromes, so the pain will come back.' Acrylamide and cadmium are toxic compounds found in cigarette smoke, but also in food and other products that people can be exposed to daily. Researchers believe that their accumulation in the body could influence the nervous system and contribute to chronic pain, at least in some people. For reasons that are still poorly understood, CMP is very frequently associated with smoking. By analyzing data from a large U.S. health and nutrition survey, Dionne and his colleagues found an increased risk of chronic pain associated with tobacco use. The presence of acrylamide in the body increased the risk of chronic pain by 26 per cent, compared to 56 per cent for the presence of cadmium. The combined effect of the two substances doubled the risk compared to non-smokers. 'These results suggest that the link between smoking and CMP is mediated by acrylamide and cadmium and that these substances, also present in food and the environment, could serve as biomarkers for CMP,' the study authors said. A previous study had measured a statistical association between blood concentrations of acrylamide and cadmium and chronic pain in the neck, shoulders, and lower back in a representative sample of the general population. 'Smoking has been a known risk factor for a very long time,' said Dionne. 'People who smoke have more pain, but those who smoke the most also have the most pain, so it's a sign of causality.' The data from the new study, said Dionne, could initially lead to a less subjective assessment of these pains. It could also make it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions offered to patients and lead to measures to reduce exposure to these substances or develop treatments to reduce their concentrations in the body. Currently, Dionne said, chronic pain management is 'at a dead end,' and patients are too often simply told to learn to 'manage their pain'—a situation made more complex by the fact that, in most cases, the cause of the problems remains a mystery. '(The study) could lead to better personalization of these syndromes,' he said. 'If it allowed us to identify some of the people who suffer from these problems and treat them differently because they have a different source of problems, then we could advance knowledge and prevention.' We often look for a biomechanical explanation for the problem, added Dionne, 'but we could imagine that there are potentially other mechanisms at play in some people.' 'This changes the biomechanical paradigm somewhat,' he said. 'It could change the way we approach research and, eventually, the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain issues.' It is estimated that CMD affects five per cent of the Canadian population. The findings of this study were published in the medical journal Pain. - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 9, 2025.
National Observer
17-06-2025
- Science
- National Observer
Dispatches from the Last Ice Area
This story was originally published by bioGraphic and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration There is nothing easy about visiting the Last Ice Area, the last stronghold of permanent, multiyear sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. The million-square-kilometer expanse of jagged, fractured, floating ice is located in the Canadian and Greenlandic High Arctic. Despite its character and location, Mathieu Ardyna, a biological oceanographer at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada, felt compelled to visit. But while leading the first of a pair of 28-day expeditions beginning in August 2024, he had to pivot several times. At one point, impenetrable sea ice blocked the team's icebreaker, the CCGS Amundsen, from cutting through to the Greenland coast. The pair of expeditions, together called Refuge-Arctic, was an effort by Ardyna and his collaborators to collect glacial samples and ice cores from the Last Ice Area. He aspired to gather enough samples to thoroughly study the withering environment. 'We knew that it would be impossible,' he says. 'But it was still part of the plan.' As the world warms, the Last Ice Area will likely be—as its name suggests—the last remaining chunk of permanent sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Recent research suggests the Last Ice Area will hold out until around 2045. After that, scientists expect the swiftly thinning ice to break up and flow into the Atlantic Ocean. That's put pressure on scientists to understand how the region is changing, says Stephanie Pfirman, who studies sea-ice dynamics at Arizona State University and was not involved in the recent expedition. For decades, scientists have been monitoring the Last Ice Area with satellites and ground-based weather stations. In general, researchers understand the big picture of the region's sea-ice dynamics, such as how strong Siberian winds push floating ice across the Arctic basin like a snowplow, jamming it into the Canadian and Greenlandic coasts, says Pfirman. But details from the field are sparse. Not much is known, says Warwick Vincent, an expert on Arctic ecosystems and a Refuge-Arctic collaborator, about what kinds of animals and microbes find refuge on, in, and under the ice, nor how they're affected by climate change or other threats, such as oil spills, pollution, and shipping activity. 'If you want to understand how [the Last Ice Area] may change or predict its fate, you need to have an idea of what is present,' Ardyna says. Despite the challenges, Ardyna and his team caught a break. In August 2024, their icebreaker managed to navigate the ice floes, carving a path into five of the original eight glacial fjords they were hoping to investigate across the Far North. From there, some of the scientists split into two small teams. One launched in a helicopter, the other in an inflatable boat, but both had the same goal of gathering water samples from coastal glaciers. With glacier water samples in hand, researchers on the second 28-day leg of the Refuge-Arctic expedition turned their focus to the sea ice itself. This time, the scientists sought out ice floes that were stable enough that a small squad of scientists could disembark and collect cores up to five meters (16 feet) long. These ice cores, capturing a detailed view of some of the oldest sea ice in the Arctic, will be closely analyzed to give the scientists a sense of the ice's internal structure and the chemistry at play. The researchers will also analyze the diversity of microbial life hidden within the ice, and the extent to which this rugged, remote ecosystem is already affected by threats like pollution and microplastics. Melanie Lancaster, a conservation biologist with the World Wide Fund for Nature who wasn't involved in the Refuge-Arctic project, says the research could play a big role in securing additional help for key Arctic species that depend on sea ice, like polar bears and bowhead whales. Parts of the Last Ice Area are already protected by the Canadian government. But to extend those protections, and to better manage shipping activity and resource extraction in the central Arctic Ocean, 'science is really needed to make the case for that policy action,' Lancaster says. In early 2025, the water and ice samples collected by the Refuge-Arctic team were securely packaged and sent to laboratories in France, Norway, Japan, and Canada. The team expects that the results of this lab work will start to roll out later this year, giving scientists the most detailed look yet at life in the Last Ice Area—and its potential future. For now, the scientists' daring adventure to the North is over. But, says Ardyna, 'We are just at the beginning of what we'll discover.'
CTV News
14-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Four universities call for measures to attract foreign researchers
The McGill University campus on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, in Montreal. (The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz) Four Quebec universities are calling on the Quebec and Canadian governments to implement measures to attract foreign researchers in a 'global context marked by geopolitical instability.' Laval University, McGill University, the University of Montreal and the University of Sherbrooke stated in a press release issued on Saturday morning that at a time when 'political and social tensions are weakening the global research ecosystem,' Quebec and Canada have an opportunity to position themselves as a welcoming place for research. 'We are calling on governments to take swift action to seize the opportunities that this context of instability may bring for the benefit of Quebec and Canada. Other countries, particularly in Europe, have already invested significant resources in their universities to attract talent from around the world,' said Eugénie Brouillet, vice-rector of Research, Creation and Innovation at Laval University, in the same document. The four universities have released proposals that include a Quebec component and a federal component. The educational institutions suggest first creating new research chairs in strategic sectors, such as artificial intelligence, health and biodiversity, as well as offering targeted scholarships to recruit talented doctoral and postdoctoral students. The universities also propose supporting early-career researchers and investing in modern research infrastructure. 'Although some proposals target researchers based in the U.S., particularly Quebecers and Canadians pursuing careers there, the initiatives aim to attract talent from around the world, offering them a space of freedom of thought, scientific rigour, innovation and unparalleled creativity to advance their research,' the press release states. Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced significant cuts in various fields of research, including health. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French June 14, 2025.
CBC
08-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canadian star swimmer Aurélie Rivard will skip Para world championship to focus on studies
Canada's Aurélie Rivard has withdrawn from selection for the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships in order to focus on her studies. The 29-year-old native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., said she remains passionate about the sport but wants to focus on earning her law degree at Laval University. "I've always put swimming first," Rivard said Sunday in a statement. "I took sabbatical sessions and built my life around this sport." Rivard has won six gold medals at the Paralympics since making her debut in 2012. "I'm still training and I'm still enjoying the process," Rivard said. "LA 2028 is still in the back of my mind. This is my fifth cycle, and I want to approach it slowly and thoughtfully, without burning out. I was excited about the worlds, but this time it didn't fit into my schedule." Rivard was scheduled to compete at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria on Monday and Tuesday.
Hamilton Spectator
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian swimmer Aurelie Rivard to skip para world championship to focus on studies
VICTORIA - Canada's Aurelie Rivard has withdrawn from selection for the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships in order to focus on her studies. The 29-year-old native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., said she remains passionate about the sport but wants to focus on earning her law degree at Laval University. 'I've always put swimming first,' Rivard said Sunday in a statement. 'I took sabbatical sessions and built my life around this sport.' 'But at this point, with just under a year to go in law school and the goal of graduating in April 2026, I didn't want to put off again.' Rivard has won six gold medals at the Paralympics since making her debut in 2012. 'I'm still training and I'm still enjoying the process,' Rivard said. 'LA 2028 is still in the back of my mind. This is my fifth cycle, and I want to approach it slowly and thoughtfully, without burning out. I was excited about the worlds, but this time it didn't fit into my schedule.' Rivard was scheduled to compete at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria on Monday and Tuesday. Singapore will host the Sept. 21-27 world championship. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2025.
