March 20, 2008
Western College of Veterinary Medicine at University of Saskatchewan recommends precautions to prevent spread of equine virus among horses
Posted March 20, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 20, 2008
2008-03-06-WCVM
As a precautionary measure, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine's Large Animal Clinic at the University of Saskatchewan is not accepting any non-emergency equine patients to control risks related to equine herpes virus type 1 (EHV-1) infection.
WCVM suspended its equine clinical services following admission of two local horses that proved to be suffering from the neurologic form of EHV-1 infection, also called equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM).
The virus, which is contagious through contact and through aerosols, can be controlled by restricting contact and with stringent decontamination of hospital facilities. EHV-1 can not be transmitted to humans or to other animal species and is not a reportable disease in Canada.
All other activities and services provided by the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine are not affected by these precautions.
"We suspended equine admissions at the Large Animal Clinic and placed all of our remaining equine patients under isolation to minimize the risk of further disease transmission among horses," says Dr. Katharina Lohmann, a specialist in veterinary internal medicine at WCVM's Veterinary Teaching Hospital and an associate professor in the veterinary college's Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences.
"In addition, we're working closely with the local riding stable where the first two cases originated and where eight other horses have developed clinical signs. The stable owners have also implemented a quarantine of their facility to control the potential spread of EHV-1 to other farms."
The most common sign among horses infected with this virus is mild respiratory disease during the first two years of life. Much less commonly, infections can result in more severe complications such as abortions in pregnant mares or nervous system disease (EHM).
The clinical signs identified in the two horses admitted to WCVM included fever, limb swelling, inco-ordination and urinary incontinence. Affected horses remaining at the stable of origin are being treated supportively and are improving. No deaths have occurred.
Lohmann adds that the current plan is to re-open the Large Animal Clinic for regular services once diagnostic testing determines that in-clinic horses pose no risk of virus shedding and once the hospital facilities have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Clients with scheduled appointments should contact the WCVM Large Animal Clinic for updates.
"The Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the owners of the stable and the owners of horses involved in the outbreak have taken these precautions to prevent any spread of infection," says Lohmann.
For further information about EHV-1, horse owners are urged to contact their local veterinarian, or they can contact Dr. Katharina Lohmann at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (306-966-7157 or 306-966-7178). Fact sheets about equine herpes virus type 1 as well as updates about the Veterinary Teaching Hospital's operations are also available at www.wcvm.com/collegenews and www.ehrf.usask.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Dr. Katharina Lohmann, Large Animal Clinical Sciences
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: 306-966-7157 or 306-966-7178
Email: k.lohmann@usask.ca
Myrna MacDonald, Communications
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: 306-225-4479 or cell: 306-291-9950
Email: sm.ridley@sasktel.net
Canadian Light Source Synchrotron at U of S Allows Scientists to see Norwalk Virus’ Achilles Heel
Posted March 20, 2008
March 19, 2008
Using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron located at the University of Saskatchewan, an international team led by University of Calgary researcher Ken Ng has determined the detailed structure of the enzyme the Norwalk virus uses to make copies of its genetic code in order to replicate itself. The information is crucial to developing drugs that could be used to treat outbreaks of Norwalk and other related viruses.
For more information: http://www.lightsource.ca/media/media_release_20080319.php
March 14, 2008
University of Saskatchewan Unveils Expanded Facilities for Law Students
Posted March 14, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 14, 2008
2008-03-05-LA
The renovated and expanded College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan celebrated its grand re-opening today with a ribbon cutting ceremony to formally unveil the 3,300 square metre facility. The expanded building, which took just over two years and $16.5 million to complete, features state-of-the-art classrooms with multi-media capabilities, a new student lounge, offices for student organizations, additional administrative space and a new home for the University's nationally renowned Native Law Centre.
"The law building marks a new phase in the way the University is enhancing the student experience and advancing our building standards," said Brent Cotter, Dean of the College of Law. "This facility will help enrich teaching and learning at our law school for decades to come."
The structure is designed to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold standards and is awaiting accreditation. More than half of the building is covered by a living roof, 640 square metres in total, the largest of its kind in Saskatchewan. Planted with a variety of low-growing sedum, perennials and grasses, the roof insulates the building, decreases pollution and has a 50-year lifespan. Energy-efficient features mean the facility will have substantially lower operating and maintenance costs.
Funded by the University, the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan and a large number of private donors, the project involved the construction of 3,300 square metres of new space and the renovation of 665 square metres of existing building space. During construction, recycling reduced 85 per cent of the waste material that would normally have been sent to a landfill.
The College of Law, the oldest University law school in Western Canada, was established in 1912 and has developed a specialty in Aboriginal programming. The College houses approximately 340 undergraduate and graduate students.
Located in the heart of Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan is one of the leading medical doctoral universities in Canada. With 58 degrees, diplomas and certificates in over 100 areas of study, the University is uniquely positioned in the areas of human, animal and plant studies. World-class research facilities, renowned faculty and award winning students make the U of S a leader in post-secondary education.
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For more information, contact:
Laura Herman
Development Officer
College of Law
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-5898
Cell: (306) 290-5004
U of S Students Excel at Western CA Case Competition
Posted March 14, 2008
VANCOUVER, BC, March 13, 2008 – Ricki Beaudoin and Paul Lepage, third year commerce students from the Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan, took home first place in the Western CA Case Competition, held March 7 and 8 in Vancouver, BC.
For more information: http://www.casb.com/pdf/2008_CA_Case_Competition.pdf?
U of S Researcher with International Team Discovers New Family of Superconductors
Posted March 14, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 14, 2008
University of Saskatchewan Canada Research Chair John Tse and colleagues in Germany have identified a new family of superconductors—research that could eventually lead to the design of better superconducting materials for a wide variety of industrial uses.
In an article published today in the prestigious journal Science, the team has produced the first experimental proof that superconductivity can occur in hydrogen compounds known as molecular hydrides.
“We can show that if you put hydrogen in a molecular compound and apply high pressure, you can get superconductivity,” said Tse. “Validation of this hypothesis and understanding of the mechanism are initial steps for design of better super-conducting materials.”
Superconductors conduct electricity without creating friction or heat loss. An electric current can therefore flow in a loop of superconducting wire indefinitely with no power source. Examples of existing superconducting materials include magnets used in MRI machines and the magnets that enable high-speed trains to float above the track without friction or energy loss as heat.
Team member Mikhail Eremets of the Max Planck Institute in Germany did the laboratory work in detecting superconductivity in the hydrogen compound silane, while Tse and his graduate student Yansun Yao provided the theoretical basis for understanding the mechanism involved and identified the key chemical structures.
Most commercial superconducting materials have to operate at very low temperatures which requires expensive super-cooling equipment.
“Our research in this area is aimed at improving the critical temperature for superconductivity so that new superconductors can be operated at higher temperatures, perhaps without a refrigerant,” said Tse.
It has long been hypothesized that hydrogen, the simplest of the elements, may be able to conduct electricity without creating friction or heat loss (superconductive behavior) if it’s compressed into a very dense solid form. Though many researchers have tried using pure hydrogen, they have not been able to achieve the necessary hydrogen density to produce superconductivity.
Instead of using pure hydrogen, Tse’s team compressed hydrogen-rich molecules (hydrides). They were able to reach the necessary density for superconductivity at much lower pressure than with pure hydrogen – an achievement that will shed greater understanding on the fundamental nature of superconductivity.
The U of S work, funded by NSERC and the Canada Research Chairs program, involved extensive calculations – some taking as long as a month – at the WestGrid computing facility and with the Canada Foundation for Innovation-funded high-performance computing facility at the U of S.
In related research, Tse’s team is using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron to study high pressure structures of other hydrides systems on potential superconductivity and making use of them to store hydrogen for fuel cells.
More information on Tse’s work is available at: http://www.usask.ca/crc/profiles/tse.php
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For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
Director, Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506
John Tse
Canada Research Chair in Materials Science
Department of Physics and Engineering Physics
College of Arts and Science
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6410
john.tse@usask.ca
March 13, 2008
MOU Between MIRARCO and Canadian Light Source at U of S Lights Way to Greener Mining
Posted March 13, 2008
Shining synchrotron light on environmental questions facing the mining industry is the goal of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today at the GLOBE 2008 conference between the Canadian Light Source (CLS) and MIRARCO Mining Innovation.
For more information: http://www.lightsource.ca/media/media_release_20080313.php
March 11, 2008
University of Saskatchewan's Edwards School of Business Announces Hanlon Centre for International Business
Posted March 11, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 10, 2008
2008-03-04-ESB
Passion for your work and the ability to market your vision are two of the keys to being a successful entrepreneur, says Ted Hanlon, renowned businessperson and University of Saskatchewan (U of S) alumnus. Hanlon was the keynote speaker for the U of S Edwards School of Business' second lecture in a series on entrepreneurship, and it was his own belief in the vision of the school that compelled him to make a personal gift to the college.
Together with Edwards School of Business Dean Grant Issac, and accompanied by three of his children, Hanlon today announced a $2 million gift towards the study of international business within the School. Hanlon's gift aims to increase the number of international students in the college, grow the number of students who participate in international exchange, and expand international research and community outreach taking place in the Edwards School of Business. In recognition of his generosity, the centre will be called the Hanlon Centre for International Business.
International business, Isaac contends, is the foundation for improving some of the world's most desperate situations, but much work needs to be done. The support of the Hanlon family will enable the Edwards School of Business to make great strides in growing its role in the international business community.
President Peter MacKinnon, who attended the lecture, called the gift "a noble investment in the future of students."
Located in the heart of Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan is one of the leading medical doctoral universities in Canada. With 58 degrees, diplomas and certificates in over 100 areas of study, the University is uniquely positioned in the areas of human, animal and plant studies. World-class research facilities, renowned faculty and award winning students make the U of S a leader in post-secondary education.
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For more information, contact:
Dr. Grant Isaac
Dean
Edwards School of Business
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-4786
March 06, 2008
U of S Participates in $2.25-M Study of How to Heal and Regrow Damaged Nerves
Posted March 06, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 6, 2008
2008-03-02-ME
A team of Alberta and Saskatchewan health scientists has been awarded a $2.25-million team grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to study how best to heal and regrow nerves damaged by injury or disease.
The Western Canada Regeneration Initiative aims to develop an implantable microchip device that will send out electrical signals to encourage nerve fibers to grow together and connect to one another. This could reduce pain and suffering for millions of people with peripheral nerve damage from injury or disease.
University of Saskatchewan neuroscientist Valerie Verge, an expert in growth factors and regeneration of sensory nerves, is part of the team. "We hope that down the road this research will not only help people with nerve injuries, but also degenerative diseases as well," she said.
Dr. Rémi Quirion, Scientific Director at the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, says the team is doing amazing research. "They are merging the best of neuroscience with cutting-edge technology and engineering to explore novel virgin territories that could revolutionize treatments of spinal cord injuries in future years," he said.
Team leader Dr. Doug Zochodne, a University of Calgary professor of neurosciences, says that at present, repair strategies are often only partly successful, and people experience neuropathic pain as a major side effect.
"At present, we have regeneration tubes that we implant for people who have suffered traumatic injuries. But these tubes are, at best, a passive bridge between nerve endings," he said.
The team is close to knowing how to use computer chips to assist the regeneration process and avoid scarring and long-term damage, said Verge, who is also director of the Cameco MS Neuroscience Center.
Other members of the interdisciplinary team include: Naweed Syed, University of Calgary anatomy and cell biology researcher; Dr. Ming Chan, University of Alberta professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation: Tessa Gordon, University of Alberta professor with the Centre for Neuroscience; Graham Jullien, University of Calgary professor of engineering; and Dr. Rajiv Midha, head of neurosurgery at the Calgary Health Region.
More information about Dr. Verge's work is available at: http://www.usask.ca/healthsci/cmsnrc/v-verge.html
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For more information, contact:
Valerie Verge
Professor, Dept. of Anatomy and Cell Biology
College of Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 655-8710
Kathryn Warden
Director, Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2506
Karen Thomas
Director, Media Relations
Faculty of Medicine
University of Calgary
(403) 220-2431
