3D imaging could improve outcomes for breast cancer patients &#8211; CTV News London

LONDON, ONT. —
Researchers are investigating digital breast tomosynthesis, a type of 3D imaging, to see if it’s better at detecting breast tissue abnormalities than the 2D mammography regularly used today.

The study is being conducted by Lawson Health Research Institute.

Current practice uses digital 2D mammogram, which uses two x-ray images of the breast, one from top-to-bottom and another from side-to-side at an angle.

This technology is limited by the overlapping breast tissue, which occurs due to the required compression of the breast, and can leave some breast abnormalities hidden.

A tomosynthesis exam is relatively new technology in which the x-ray tube moves in an arc over the compressed breast and captures multiple images from different angles. The images are then reconstructed into a set of 3D images by a computer.

By being able to examine the breast at multiple layers of depth, the radiologist is better able to distinguish normal breast tissue from potential tumours.

This method could be especially useful for women with dense breast tissue.

To determine whether this newer 3D method is more superior than the conventional 2D exam, researchers are conducting a study which will Include approximately 165,000 participants from centres across Canada, the U.S. and Argentina.

Participants will undergo either an annual or biennial screening frequency, depending on their risk factors for breast cancer, for approximately four years.

Then participants will undergo long-term follow-up for at least three more years.

Health

Nova Scotia awards contract for wood heat projects to N.S., P.E.I. companies – Cape Breton Post

Published

1 hour ago

September 29, 2020

Fossil fuel heating systems at six sites in Nova Scotia are to be converted to locally sourced wood chip boilers over the next several months.

An announcement from the province on Monday said the contracts to design, build and operate boilers include agreements to source wood chips from private woodlots and sawmills.

The contracts were awarded to Mira Forestry Development of Albert Bridge to convert Memorial High School in Sydney Mines and Riverview High School in Sydney. Wood4heating Canada of Charlottetown will convert Perennia Park Atlantic Centre for Agri-Innovation in Bible Hill and Hants East Rural High School in Milford. Spec Resources in Church Point was awarded the contract for NSCC Centre of Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown, and ACFOR Energy of Cocagne, N.B. will convert Bridgewater Provincial Court.

Additional sites for expansion of the program are being assessed.

At Perennia Park, a district heating network will be formed and three buildings will be heated by the new boiler. Bridgewater provincial court will be converted to a two-building district heating network that will also include the NSCC Lunenburg campus.

“These projects help us progress towards a greener economy and reduce the carbon footprint of government buildings by replacing fossil fuels with a renewable resource,” Lands and Forestry Minister Iain Rankin said in a release. “Using lower grade wood for heat will create new and stable markets for Nova Scotia’s wood chips and opportunities for private woodlot owners and sawmills to sell lower grade wood locally.”

Each wood heat system will be in an exterior structure built so that it can be expanded. The six sites are forecast to use between 2,000-2,500 tonnes of wood chips.

Health

Contracts awarded for wood heat projects – TheChronicleHerald.ca

Published

2 hours ago

September 29, 2020

Fossil fuel heating systems at six sites in Nova Scotia are to be converted to locally sourced wood chip boilers over the next several months.

An announcement from the province on Monday said the contracts to design, build and operate boilers include agreements to source wood chips from private woodlots and sawmills.

Additional sites for expansion of the program are being assessed.

Each wood heat system will be in an exterior structure built so that it can be expanded. The six sites are forecast to use between 2,000-2,500 tonnes of wood chips.

Health

Interactive map shows neighbourhoods with higher and lower rates of COVID-19 – Ottawa Citizen

Published

3 hours ago

September 28, 2020

The map provides numbers as well as rates per 100,000 people, and also shows significant outbreaks at long-term care homes and retirement homes.

Among the neighbourhoods with the highest cumulative number of cases: Ledbury-Herongate-Ridgemont (123 cases); Overbrook-McArthur (73 cases); Old Barrhaven East (54 cases); Bayshore-Belltown (48 cases); Portobello South (42 cases) and Centretown (40 cases).

The map shows the neighbourhoods where people with confirmed COVID-19 live, and does not necessarily reflect when they were infected. Exposure to COVID-19 can occur anywhere people congregate, such as workplaces or services open to the public.

There are several factors that may be driving the observed rates of COVID-19 in Ottawa neighbourhoods. For instance, the population differences between urban and rural neighbourhoods affects the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people because rural neighbourhoods have smaller populations making rates more sensitive to changes. The Marlborough neighbourhood in the rural south of the city, for example, had seven confirmed cases — but this translates to 363.98 per 100,000 people.

Testing rates have also not been uniform across the city and in some cases certain groups have been prioritized.

Meanwhile, factors such as income can have an effect on disease prevalence. A study released in May by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) found that those tested, and those confirmed positive, were more likely to live in marginalized neighbourhoods.

The ICES researchers found that those confirmed positive for COVID-19 were also more likely to live in neighbourhoods with a relatively greater concentration of immigrants and visible minorities.

The Ottawa Neighbourhood Study’s interactive map is updated monthly and reflects the number and rate of Ottawa residents with confirmed COVID-19. Currently illustrating cases up to Aug 31, 2020.