Quarterly Highlights: April – June 2017
In the News
Trans and saturated fats
The New Zealand Herald included research by Russell de Souza (HIE) in an article about trans fats and saturated fats.
Can diabetes be put into remission
CHML radio interviewed Hertzel Gerstein (Medicine) about a new pilot study he’s leading looking at whether diabetes can be put into remission.
An expensive non-blockbuster drug
CBC Second Opinion spoke to Mark Tarnopolsky (Medicine) about an expensive drug that couldn’t make money and large-scale gene therapy clinical trials for rare disorders.
Using a whole dietary approach to reduce heart disease
CBC News spoke to Russell de Souza (HIE) about moving away from cutting saturated fats to reduce heart disease and instead focusing on a whole dietary approach
The benefits of rehydrating with milk
Fox News Radio quoted Brian Timmons (Pediatrics) about the benefits of rehydrating with milk, a source of high quality protein, carbohydrates, calcium and electrolytes.
Reducing room temperature may help with reducing obesity and type 2 diabetes
CBC Second Opinion interviewed Gregory Steinberg (Medicine) about new research on the idea of deliberately varying office temperatures, based on the notion that changing temperatures have some benefit in reducing obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Hertzel Gerstein honored by the Jewish National Fund of Hamilton
The Spectator and Hamilton Community News wrote about the Jewish National Fund of Hamilton’s annual Negev Dinner, which honoured the work of Hertzel Gerstein (Medicine) and other McMaster researchers who have been at the forefront of local health-care research and innovation.
CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
Katherine Morrison (Pediatrics), Gregory Steinberg (Medicine) and their team were featured in the CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes Newsletter about their current work on examining how agricultural and food processing practices may regulate BAT through its interplay with the gut microbiome. These studies will help develop new strategies to enhance BAT activity that may be effective for treating and preventing obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes.
Publications
Postbiotics mitigate insulin resistance in mice
Jonathan Schertzer (Biochemistry) with Gregory Steinberg (Medicine) and colleagues published “Muramyl dipeptide-based postbiotics mitigate obesity-induced insulin resistance via IRF4” in Cell Metabolism.
FGF21 improves whole-body glucose homeostasis independent of AMPK or ACC
Gregory Steinberg (Medicine) with former MAC-Obesity postdoctoral researcher Emilio Mottillo and colleagues published “FGF21 does not require adipocyte AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) or the phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) to mediate improvements in whole-body glucose homeostasis” in Molecular Metabolism.
Perspectives of elderly women in indigenous community on perinatal health
Gita Wahi (Pediatrics) co-authored a recently published article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal titled “Elder women’s perceptions around optimal perinatal health: a constructivist grounded-theory study with an Indigenous community in southern Ontario”
Celebrations and Successes
Canada Graduate Scholarships
Congratulations to Stephan Oreskovich, MSc student (supervisor: Katherine Morrison), who was awarded a Canada Graduate Scholarship Master’s Award from CIHR.
Heart and Stroke Foundation Research Grant
Brian Timmons (Pediatrics) and team have received funding over the next three years for the project “Longitudinal Cardiovascular Health AssessMent in Pediatric chronic Inflammatory conditions: role of physical activity and fitness (the CHAMPION-2 Study)”
POGO Seed Funding
Congratulations to Brian Timmons (Pediatrics) on receiving funding for project “Using exercise to boost the immune system of children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia”
CIHR Project Grant Success
Congratulations to Brian Timmons (Pediatrics) and Joyce Obeid (Pediatrics) for being awarded a two-year project grant (worth $206,550) for the iPlay! Study. The goal of the study is to learn more about measuring physical activity and sedentary time in toddlers using activity monitors.