We’re proud to introduce our Evidence Speaks series, a recurring feature highlighting the latest in CHÉOS research. This series features summaries of select publications as well as in-depth features on the latest work from our investigators. In the early days of CHÉOS, the Centre had a series known as “The Evidence Speaks,” a monograph series to keep media and the research community up-to-date with CHÉOS’ current research results in the health outcomes field.
Pan SW, Zhang Z, Li D, Carpiano RM, Schechter MT, Ruan Y, Spittal PM. Religion and HIV sexual risk among men who have sex with men in China. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2016;73(4):463-74.
Since the early 1980s China has seen an increase in religious affiliations and today the country has more than 300 million Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims. The impact of this shift in religious practice on the HIV vulnerabilities on China’s population of men who have sex with men (MSM) is unknown. CHÉOS Scientist Dr. Patricia Spittal and her former PhD candidate Stephen Pan led a team of researchers to assess this relationship. The study found that, compared to non-religious MSM, HIV vulnerability was higher among Buddhist MSM and lower in Muslim and Christian MSM. Religiosity was found to have both negative and protective influences on HIV sexual risk.
—
Ke C, Morgan S, Smolina K, Gasevic D, Qian H, Khan N. Mortality and cardiovascular risk of sulfonylureas in South Asian, Chinese and other Canadians with diabetes. Can J Diabetes. 2016 Oct 21 epub ahead of print.
CHÉOS Scientist Dr. Nadia Khan recently published a study on the long-term health impact of sulfonylureas, a treatment for type 2 diabetes, in different ethnicities within Canada. Previous studies have shown that this treatment may increase the risk of cardiovascular events but the majority of research has been conducted in Caucasian populations. The study found that sulfonylureas increased the risk for all-cause mortality and major cardiovascular events in all ethnicities. This study was the first of its kind to demonstrate this risk in South Asian participants and provides further evidence against the widespread use of these medications.
—
Sheehan KJ, Sobolev B, Guy P, Kuramoto L, Morin SN, Sutherland JM, Beaupre L, Griesdale D, Dunbar M, Bohm E, Harvey E, for the Canadian Collaborateive Study of Hip Fractures. In-hospital mortality after hip fracture by treatment setting. CMAJ. 2016 Dec 6;188(17-18):1219-25.
Dr. Jason Sutherland, as a part of the Canadian Collaborative Study of Hip Fractures, recently co-authored a study on the effect of treatment setting on in-hospital deaths after hip fracture. The risk of death during a hospital stay following hip fracture is 1 in 10 and can be affected by a number of factors, including treatment setting. Compared to teaching hospitals, the study found that the risk of in-hospital death following hip fracture was higher in medium and small community hospitals and the risk of death following related surgery was higher at medium community hospitals. This research highlights the need to understand the impact of bed capacity, volume, demand, and hospital setting on care delivery.
—
Di Pietro N, De Vries J, Paolozza A, Reid D, Reynolds JN, Salmon A, Wilson M, Stein DJ, Illes J. Ethical challenges in contemporary FASD research and practice: a global health perspective. Camb Q Healthc Ethics. 2016;25(4):726-732.
CHÉOS Knowledge Translation Program Head Dr. Amy Salmon co-authored a publication that addressed the key ethical issues in research and clinical treatment of global fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The framework outlined by the document calls for development of culturally appropriate practices, promotion of responsibility in the alcohol industry, closing knowledge gaps, improved consenting practices, and understanding and eliminating stigma. Some of the FASD- and prenatal alcohol exposure-related clinical challenges were discussed in a recent Work in Progress Seminar.
