LONDON, ONT. Researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) are receiving $40,000 from Veterans Affairs Canada to study the role of personality traits in relation to the mental health of veterans. The research will look at whether an individual s personality traits will serve as risk or protective factors for a veteran developing mental health disorders. Some traits to be researched included include openness, agreeableness, emotionality, honesty-humility, conscientiousness, extraversion, and resiliency. “Past research has identified some risk factors, including history of childhood trauma, age, gender, and education. However, no one to date has investigated the role that personality traits might play in Veterans’ symptoms of mental health conditions,” said Dr. Rachel Plouffe with Lawson.
LONDON, ONT. It’s called The Geko, and like the lizards it is small, but don’t let its size fool you because it can make a big difference for patients recovering from kidney transplants. The Geko is a wearable muscle pump activator, designed to improve blood flow. Researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) studied the device and found that patients using it following their transplant experienced shorter hospital stays and reduced infections by 60 per cent. “After surgery, many of these organ recipients require a longer hospital stay due to delayed kidney function, infection, lack of mobility or edema,” says Dr. Alp Sener with Lawson.