We gathered some of the faculty's most news-worthy accomplishments over the past year. Many of these stories were covered not just in Edmonton, but across the province and, in some cases, around the world. The following samples have been edited and paraphrased for length.
Need a reason to become a dog lover? How about their ability to protect kids from allergies and obesity? A new University of Alberta study led by Anita Kozyrskyj, pediatric epidemiologist and one of the world's leading researchers on gut microbes, found that babies from families with pets―70 per cent of which were dogs―had higher levels of two types of microbes associated with lower risks of allergic disease and obesity.
-New York Daily News, April 2017
How much pee is in our swimming pools? New urine test reveals the truth
It is an antisocial act that normally goes under the radar: People are peeing in the pool. And U of A researcher Xing-Fang Li, a professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, can tell us exactly how much. Li and her team report they can determine how much pee is in a pool by measuring the artificial sweeteners found in most people's urine. By collecting samples of pool water from hotels and recreation centres in two Canadian cities and testing for a sweetener called acesulfame potassium, commonly found in many foods, Li and PhD student Lindsay Blackstock have determined that a 220,000-gallon commercial-size swimming pool contains almost 20 gallons of urine.
-The Guardian, March 1, 2017
University of Alberta researchers make breakthrough in understanding mad cow disease
Researchers at the University of Alberta have unlocked a mystery in how mad cow disease spreads through an infected brain. Throughout a three-year study, U of A associate professor of biochemistry Holger Wille used electron cryomicroscopy-in which samples are examined under an electron microscope in cryogenically cold temperatures-to collect thousands of high-resolution images, or micrographs, of the infectious prion protein and study how it propagates. Because of the way prion proteins are misfolded, they are impossible to study using standard structural biology techniques. But now, thanks to Wille's groundbreaking use of cryomicroscopy, researchers have created a three-dimensional model of the structure of the infectious proteins that should offer new insights into how the infection spreads.
- Edmonton Sun, September 2016
Want a smarter baby? Eat more fruit during pregnancy
What if we told you there was a magical food you could eat during pregnancy that could potentially increase your newborn baby's level of intelligence? Well, according to a recent study by researchers at the U of A, there's one food group that just might do the trick-and that's fruit. Piush Mandhane, associate professor of pediatrics, was senior author of the paper
-Wall Street Journal, August 2016
Prof counters claims flossing is pointless
Sorry, you still have to floss. That's according to the head of periodontology at the U of A, who says a flurry of articles arguing there's no benefit to the practice have got it wrong.
Dentistry professor and head of the division of periodontics Liran Levin says the takeaway from studies that say adding flossing to your routine isn't much more effective than brushing alone isn't that you shouldn't floss-it's that your technique probably needs work. The studies didn't look at whether people were flossing effectively. According to Levin, flossing is a task most people flunk
-Metro News Edmonton, August 2016
Solar-powered oxygen concentrators save young lives at Ugandan hospital
At the children's hospital in Jinja, Uganda, power failures occur two or three times a week, sometimes for up to 12 hours at a time. And every time that happens, babies' lives are endangered when their oxygen concentrators-which separate oxygen from ambient air-stop functioning. While conducting research at the hospital, pediatrician Michael Hawkes-associate professor at the U of A's division of pediatric infectious diseases-devised a way to use solar power instead of the unreliable electric grid to run the oxygen concentrators, saving the lives of infants with respiratory illnesses.
-Globe and Mail, June 2016
How a new Canadian study helps dispel the myth of a vitamin D panacea
A new Canadian study suggests that vitamin D might not be a powerhouse supplement capable of reducing the risk of multiple sclerosis, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic health problems after all. A U of A team led by Mike Allen of the Department of Family Medicine recently examined the evidence for 10 common beliefs about vitamin D pills, and found most research into its positive effects isn't sufficient proof because the studies were too small, had inconsistent results or had other biases.
-Globe and Mail, June 2016