“On our way to dig up Dad’s empty coffin”

To dig or not to dig.

Dupuytren disease: on our way to a cure?

Despite its high prevalence, the clinical presentation and severity of Dupuytren disease is extremely variable. The disease features a broad spectrum of symptoms, from simple nodules without the slightest clinical impact towards an extremely disabling form requiring multiple surgical procedures, sometimes even partial hand amputations. Recurrence after surgery is considered a failure for both p...

Our Steps on the Bickel Way

Peter has been a leading figure in the field of statistics in the forty-three years since he received his Ph.D. in Statistics at the age of 22 from UC Berkeley in 1963 under the guidance of Erich Lehmann. His contributions are in education, research, and service to the profession and society. In education we find more than fifty students who have received their Ph.D. in statistics under Peter’s...

Cycling our way to fit fat

Adipose tissue is increasingly being recognized as a key regulator of whole body carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. In conditions of obesity and insulin resistance mitochondrial content in this tissue is reduced, while treatment with insulin sensitizing drugs such as thiazolidinediones (TZDs) increase mitochondrial content. It has been known for decades that exercise increases mitochondrial con...

Finding our way home

Eleven years ago, my wife and I lost our son Callum to cancer. He had just celebrated his 3 birthday at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto where he was undergoing his 3 “rescue” stem cell transplant for his 6 and final chemotherapy cycle, following the surgical removal of a brain tumor. The image above is a plaster imprint of Callum’s untouched foot, and was created on November 11, 2006 – just momen...