Helicopter carrying Iran's president found by rescue teams: Iran official
Rescuers on Monday found a helicopter that was carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, which had crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran the day before.
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Inside the brain imaging centre at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Scientific Director Neil Vasdev is hopeful that his team is on the cusp of being able to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a living person.
Speaking with CTV National News, Vasdev shares that, “If we can detect CTE in life then we can start working towards stopping the disease in its tracks.” That would be a game-changer for untold thousands across the world.
The disorder has increasingly been found in the brains of deceased athletes like football and hockey players, and more recently it has been discovered in military veterans.
Researchers have found that people with a history of substantial repetitive head impacts (RHI), can experience a buildup of a type of protein around the blood vessels called "tau." A different strain of tau is also found in Alzheimer’s patients.
A concentration of the CTE-specific tau protein can have life-altering cognitive effects on the living by impacting their cognitive ability, which can lead to depression and even suicidal tendencies.
Currently, doctors are unable to diagnose CTE in a living patient, though Vasdev and his team of Canadian scientists at CAMH are hoping to change that.
Their work focuses on taking a drug and making it radioactive. Known as a tracer, the radioactive drug is injected into a patient who’s then placed inside what’s called a PET imaging scanner. As the drug travels through an area of the body, doctors can then detect any red flags.
Simply put, using PET imaging and radioactive drugs, doctors can “look at the living human brain,” Vasdev explains.
Vasdev’s hope lies in a new radio-pharmaceutical, that has been optimized to potentially detect the type of tau protein found in CTE, and in the weeks ahead his team will begin a Canadian research study on humans to test its effectiveness.
For many fighting on the front lines of this brain disorder, it’s a positive step. International Research Director Samantha Bureau with the Concussion Legacy Foundation tells CTV News that “for those suffering from suspected CTE, this study can provide an immense amount of hope. A substantial challenge for those who suspect they may have CTE is the uncertainty around the cause of what they are experiencing.”
The hope is that if successful, this study will open up opportunities for better treatment avenues in the future.
“The ability to engage in clinical trials to develop treatments that alter disease progression, by either slowing, or in best case scenarios, reversing or clearing the disease, would completely change how we address CTE in the clinic,” adds Bureau.
Vasdev’s research into concussions began more than a decade ago when he was working at Harvard University.
He shares his belief that “significant strides have been made for looking at Alzheimer’s disease tau, but CTE tau protein is different because no two head injuries are the same and it’s often found in much younger people.”
For Vasdev, it’s a project of passion. His mother is a Canadian military veteran who enlisted in the 1970s. At the time, she was one of the only East Indian women in the army. She has dedicated her brain to CTE research. Vasdev is hoping his work will help his mother, veterans and Canadians from all walks of life.
Vasdev believes that having the ability to diagnose CTE in life “means we could immediately start working towards prevention strategies, treatment regimens and ultimately stopping the disease.”
Rescuers on Monday found a helicopter that was carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, which had crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran the day before.
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Canada’s largest First Nations police service, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service issued a community safety alert as extremely toxic drugs are likely circulating in many of the communities it serves.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.