Publications

Les publications qui suivent sont des exemples de recherches rendues possibles grâce aux données de CanPath et de ses cohortes régionales.

2025

Provincial variation in colorectal cancer screening adherence in Canada; evidence from the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health

Auteurs : M. Darvishian, A. Moustaqim-Barrette, P. Awadalla, P. Bhatti, P. Broet, R. A. Murphy, K. Skead, R. Urquhart, J. Vena, T. J. B. Dummer.

The researchers investigated how social and medical characteristics influence adherence to breast cancer screening in Canada. They used data from five regional cohorts of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath): the BC Generations Project (BCGP), Alberta’s Tomorrow Project (ATP), the Ontario Health Study (OHS), Quebec’s CARTaGENE, and the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health Study (Atlantic PATH). They analyzed self-reported data on screening mammography among 79,986 participants aged 50-74 and 46,907 participants aged 40-49. Most participants reported undergoing screening within two years of enrollment, with rates ranging from 77.8% in OHS to 86.3% in BCGP. Factors linked to lower odds of screening included lower household income, being single or never married, current daily smoking, poor self-perceived health, no history of breastfeeding, and longer intervals since the last routine medical check-up. Among women aged 40-49 with a first-degree family history of breast cancer, screening adherence varied by region and was lower among those post-menopause or with longer intervals since medical check-ups. These findings highlight key factors for targeting underserved communities and suggest that early screening guidelines may benefit from considering regional differences and individual health characteristics.

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2025

Covert vascular brain injury and cognitive dysfunction among Chinese adults living in Canada and China

Auteurs : C. Ke, S.S. Anand, E.E. Smith , K.M. Schulze, A. Moody

The researchers examined how country of residence influences covert cerebrovascular disease (VBI) and cognitive dysfunction among Chinese adults living in Canada and China. The study compared Chinese adults in Canada and China. They found that people in Canada had a lower prevalence of covert VBI and cognitive dysfunction than those living in China, even though both groups shared the same ethnicity. Living in China was associated with a much higher risk of covert VBI and lower cognitive function, although the link between cognitive dysfunction and country of residence was explained by education and traditional cerebrovascular risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol.

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2024

Exposure to air pollutants and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis measured by magnetic resonance imaging: A cross-sectional analysis

Auteurs : S. M. Azab, D. Doiron, K. M. Schulze, J. R. Brook, M. Brauer, E. E. Smith, A. R. Moody, D. Desai, M. G. Friedrich, S. I. Bangdiwala, D. Zeraatkar, D. Lee, T. J. B. Dummer, P. Poirier, J.-C. Tardif, K. K. Teo, S. Lear, S. Yusuf, S. S. Anand, R. J. de Souza.

The researchers examined how long-term exposure to air pollution affects early signs of heart disease. They used data to explore whether low levels of air pollutants are linked to the thickening of artery walls. The study included 6,645 adults from five Canadian provinces and estimated their exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) over several years. Using MRI scans to measure carotid artery wall thickness, the researchers found mixed results. Higher levels of ozone were linked to thicker artery walls, suggesting a potential negative effect, while higher nitrogen dioxide levels were associated with thinner artery walls, a finding that requires further investigation.

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2024

Investigating the genetic architecture of eye colour in a Canadian cohort

Auteurs : F.Lona-Durazo, R.Thakur, E. Pairo-Castineira, K. Funderburk, T. Zhang, M. A. Kovacs, J. Choi, I. J. Jackson, K. M. Brown, E. J. Parra

Researchers used data from 5,641 participants of European ancestry from the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) and performed genome-wide association studies to investigate the genetic basis of eye color. The study identified multiple independent candidate causal variants in the HERC2/OCA2 region, along with single candidate variants near other genes such as IRF4, SLC24A4, TYR, and TYRP1. These findings suggest that eye color variation is influenced by specific molecular processes in iris melanocytes.

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2023

Factors associated with change in moderate or severe symptoms of anxiety and depression in community-living adults and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

Auteurs : Helen-Maria Vasiliadis, Jessica Spagnolo, Mary Bartram, Marie-Josée Fleury, Jean-Philippe Gouin, Sébastien Grenier, Pasquale Roberge, Grace Shen-Tu, Jennifer E Vena, Catherine Lamoureux-Lamarche , JianLi Wang

Researchers explored changes in moderate or severe symptoms of anxiety or depression (MSSANXDEP) from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, and examined associated sociodemographic, economic, psychosocial, health behavior and lifestyle, and clinical factors. Data from 59,997 participants from the five established cohorts of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) were used. Analyses indicated that certain sociodemographic, economic, lifestyle, health behavior, psychosocial, and clinical factors were associated with remitted, incident, and persistent MSSANXDEP.

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2023

Factors associated with mental health service use during the pandemic: Initiation and barriers

Auteurs : Helen-Maria Vasiliadis, Jessica Spagnolo, Marie-Josée Fleury, Jean-Philippe Gouin, Pasquale Roberge, Mary Bartram, Sébastien Grenier, Grace Shen-Tu, Jennifer E. Vena, JianLi Wang

This study aimed to understand the factors associated with initiating new mental health service use (MHSU) during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as distinguishing between different reasons for not seeking mental health services. The research found that several factors influenced MHSU, such as age, living situation, income, and health professional status. The study suggests the need for awareness campaigns targeting older adults to explain the importance of seeking treatment and for sensitizing health professionals to facilitate access to mental health care for individuals at risk of social isolation and lower socioeconomic status.

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2023

The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Canada: a time-series study, 2020-2023

Auteurs : Tanya J. Murphy, Hanna Swail, Jaspreet Jain, Maureen Anderson, Philip Awadalla, Lesley Behl, Patrick E. Brown, Carmen L. Charlton, Karen Colwill, Steven J. Drews, Anne-Claude Gingras, Deena Hinshaw, Prabhat Jha, Jamil N. Kanji, Victoria A. Kirsh, Amanda L. S. Lang, Marc-André Langlois, Stephen Lee, Antoine Lewin, Sheila F. O'Brien, Chantale Pambrun, Kimberly Skead, David A. Stephens, Derek R. Stein, Graham Tipples, Paul G. Van Caeseele, Timothy G. Evans, Olivia Oxlade, Bruce D. Mazer, David L. Buckeridge

This study used data from the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, which includes CanPath data, to track the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the Canadian population over the pre-vaccination period, the vaccine rollout, and the emergence of the Omicron variant. By March 2023, over three-quarters of the population had detectable antibodies, with the most substantial increases seen after the arrival of the Omicron variant. However, variations in immunity by age and geography highlight the importance of tailoring public health policies and clinical decisions to local patterns of population immunity, considering factors like potential antibody decline and the emergence of new variants that might evade immunity.

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2023

Development and external validation of partial proportional odds risk prediction models for cancer stage at diagnosis among males and females in Canada

Auteurs : Timofei Biziaev, Michelle L. Aktary, Qinggang Wang, Thierry Chekouo, Parveen Bhatti, Lorraine Shack, Paula J. Robson, Karen A. Kopciuk

This study examined health patterns in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project participants before cancer diagnosis to find factors related to cancers caught early versus late. The researchers found factors then tested them in a similar group from the British Columbia Generations Project.

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2023

Provincial variation in colorectal cancer screening adherence in Canada; evidence from the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health

Auteurs : Maryam Darvishian, Amina Moustaqim-Barrette, Philip Awadalla, Parveen Bhatti, Philippe Broet, Kelly McDonald, Rachel A. Murphy, Kimberly Skead, Robin Urquhart, Jennifer Vena, Trevor J. B. Dummer

The researchers sought to assess regional variation in screening uptake, identify factors to non-adherence to screening, and estimate adherence to screening in those with differing risk profiles. Using national CanPath data, they found adherence suboptimal amongst Canadians and noticed variation by region.

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2023

From genetic association to forensic prediction: Computational methods and tools for identifying phenotypically informative single nucleotide polymorphisms

Auteurs : Cristina L. Abbatangelo, Frida Lona Durazo, Frank R. Wendt, Esteban J. Parra, Nicole M.M. Novroski

The researchers assessed how pigmentation genetics can enhance forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) for predicting externally visible characteristics (EVCs) such as hair, eye, and skin color. Using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach, they analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with pigmentation traits in data from CARTaGENE, Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, Ontario Health Study, BC Generations Project, and Atlantic PATH. Specifically, they examined genetic variants related to eye color in individuals with a blue eye color background (rs12913832:GG genotype). The study demonstrated how GWAS data, combined with post-genotyping analyses and functional annotation, can provide insights into pigmentation-associated loci. The findings contribute to refining FDP accuracy and may serve as a reference for future genomic investigations of EVCs in forensic settings.

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