We are pleased to share that the protocol for the PSY-CA consortium on psychosocial factors and cancer incidence has been published. Led from the Netherlands by Dr. Lonneke van Tuijl and Dr. Joost Dekker, this study includes 18 cohorts including Atlantic PATH, the Ontario Health Study and CARTaGENE from CanPath. https://bit.ly/38B8oQc

Congratulations to Dr. Gabriela Ilie, Dr. Rob Rutledge and Dr. Ellen Sweeney on their publication in Current Oncology! This is the third article in a series of research on prostate cancer survivors in Atlantic PATH funded by Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute. It examines the post-treatment adverse health correlates among prostate cancer survivors in Atlantic PATH. https://bit.ly/3x0hqAd

Congratulations to Dr. Daniel Stevens, Dr. Pantelis Andreou and Dr. Daniel Rainham on their publication on environmental correlates of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and self-rated health in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention. https://bit.ly/2Vi6FvO

We’re happy to share a new article from Dr. Vanessa DeClercq & Dr. Ellen Sweeney on the age- & sex-specific associations in health risk factors for chronic disease in the Atlantic PATH cohort. They found that there are evident differences in health risk factors for males and for females, as well as across age groups, and public health efforts need to account for the role played by sex and age in addressing chronic disease burden in Canadian adults. https://bit.ly/36UxHMx

We are pleased to announce the latest in our research on Atlantic PATH shift workers! Sweeney et al. (2021) evaluated the relationship between mental health and shift work in a matched study with 12,413 participants, including 4155 shift workers and 8258 non-shift workers. Shift workers were more likely to have increased rates of depression and poor self-rated health, as well as depressive and anxiety symptom scores compared to non-shift workers. The full article can be found free for 50 days compliments of Elsevier – https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1dMIjKt2p%7EjIi This research builds on our previous work that found an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes among shift workers, despite higher levels of physical activity and lower levels of sedentary behaviour (https://bit.ly/2TJEoxN).    

Initial preliminary results from the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) COVID-19 Antibody Study, based on close to 6,000 dried blood spot samples collected between February 8 and May 17, 2021, show a high degree of variability in the level of antibodies produced by a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. These findings highlight the importance of accelerating second doses as the Delta variant continues to spread, particularly with the vast majority of Canadians having received only a single vaccine dose. This is the first pan-Canadian study using samples from a wide range of participants to confirm evidence from vaccine manufacturers’ clinical trials, as well as findings in a recent preprint from the United Kingdom and other smaller studies.   Participants from Atlantic PATH, CARTaGENE, the Ontario Health Study, Manitoba Tomorrow Project, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, and BC Generations contributed to the COVID-19 Antibody Study. https://bit.ly/3gVLeb2  

Atlantic PATH is thrilled to be involved in the newly funded project led by Dr. Juliet Daniel at McMaster University. The New Frontiers in Research Fund 2020 Exploration grants target high-risk, high-reward and interdisciplinary research. This work will focus on disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes in a Black Nova Scotian community (Shelburne, Nova Scotia). This research is truly interdisciplinary, incorporating natural and social sciences to consider the role of environmental, biological, genetic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors with the high cancer incidence and mortality in this community. We’re pleased to be working with our Dalhousie University colleagues, Dr. Ingrid Waldron (School of Nursing), Dr. Jong Sung Kim (Faculty of Medicine), Dr. Paola Marignani (Faculty of Medicine) and Dr. Charles Hostovsky (School of Planning).   https://bit.ly/3fHw3CU  

Atlantic PATH’s Scientific Director, Jason Hicks was recently interviewed by CBC PEI about research with our data holdings and CanPath’s timely move into COVID-19 research. https://bit.ly/33l8vNj