The top research stories of 2019
We’re celebrating the Sinai Health researchers who became newsmakers. Through 2019, our scientists made headlines, changing our understanding of some of the most pressing issues from all corners health care. Here are the top-5 discoveries that jumped off the page in 2019.
Dr. Caroline Kramer, endocrinologist and clinician scientist at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Leadership Sinai Centre made big waves in media outlets across Canada, the US and beyond. Her study, Diabetes, Dog Ownership and Survival: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, published in Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes Journal Report, found compared to non-owners, dog owners experienced a 24% reduced risk of all-cause mortality; a 65% reduced risk of mortality after heart attack, and 31% reduced risk of mortality due to cardiovascular-related issues. Read more
Dr. Miguel Ramalho-Santos, a senior investigator at Sinai Health’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, found the diet of expectant mothers could play an important role in her baby’s own fertility later in life. Published in the journal Nature, this study shows how the diet of pregnant women may be linked to diseases their children develop later in life, and genetics alone do not determine how a fetus forms. The study was led by graduate student Stephanie DiTroia. “This is an example of how basic biology works in mysterious ways and has the power to unveil unexpected insights,” said Dr. Ramalho-Santos. Read more
A study from ICES and published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found doctors who are high-intensity antibiotic prescribers were also more likely to prescribe benzodiazepines, opioids and proton-pump inhibitors, compared to average-intensity antibiotic prescribers. This finding may help to screen physicians who could benefit from interventions on appropriate prescribing. Sinai Health authors include Dr. Kieran Quinn, Dr. Nathan Stall, Dr. Andrew Morris, Dr. Allan Detsky, Lianne Jeffs and Dr. Chaim Bell. Read more
Advancing our understanding of treating cancer patients in acute care, Dr. Keerat Grewal, emergency physician at Mount Sinai Hospital and research fellow with the Swartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute, found that patients with cancer who required emergency department care had better outcomes when treated at their original hospital or a cancer centre. Published in Canadian Medical Association Journal, the study suggests the lower admission rates may be because of lack of cancer expertise and missed markers of worsening disease. Read more
