Giardiasis, also known as “beaver fever”, is caused by an infection with the gastrointestinal parasite, Giardia lamblia. This parasite was first discovered by the “Father of the Microscope”, Antoine van Leeuwenhoek, and later described by and named after Alfred Mathieu Giard and Vilém Dušan Lambl.
Giardia lamblia, as visualized by Trichrome staining
**Evy Roussakis, a recently graduated Occupational Therapist Assistant/Physiotherapist Assistant from Durham College in Oshawa, ON describes her physiotherapy volunteer experience in Hanoi, Vietnam in the summer of 2015.**
Evy Roussakis (left) with a child from the Friendship Village (right)
**George Papadopoulos is a PhD student at the University of Sydney in Australia, focusing on Tertiary Mathematics Education whilst also working as a lecturer and tutor within the university. After meeting George last year in Greece, it was clear his interest and passion for science and research was boundless, as he is always searching for the truth and logic behind everything. During this interview, he will describe his current and past educational and research experiences.**
George Papadopoulos, PhD student at the University of Sydney
First discovered by Sir David Bruce in 1894, Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis, also known as “sleeping sickness”. It is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa. Trypanosoma brucei consists of a group of three organisms: T. brucei gambiense, T. brucei rhodesiense, and T. brucei brucei. While all of these organisms cause trypanosomiasis, T. brucei brucei only infects animals and is not pathogenic in humans. All of these organisms within the disease share the same vector, the tsetse fly.
Tsetse fly, the vector of African trypanosomiasis
**Mary Michalski, a Registered Nurse and recent graduate of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology describes her clinical experiences within the haematology-oncology/bone marrow transplant program at a children’s hospital, emphasizing the caring and courage needed in the nursing profession.**
Mary Michalski and her beads
First reported by Victor Babes in 1888, Babesia microti is an intracellular parasite that infects red blood cells, and its related infectious disease is known as babesiosis. The vector of the disease is the tick of the Ixodes species, also the vector of Borrelia burgdorferi , the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. For this reason, coinfections of babesiosis and Lyme disease are common.
Ixodes scapularis, vector of babesiosis infections
**Brendon Bissonnette, a Biology and English post-secondary student with a love of cetaceans, will discuss his education and the animals he admires.**
Brendon Bissonnette, Biology and English student at the University of Ottawa
**Russell Croker, a Physiotherapist Assistant and co-founder of Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy service company TherAssist, details his experiences.**
Russel Croker, Physiotherapist Assistant and co-founder of TherAssist
For my final rotation in the clinical laboratory, I was placed in the chemistry lab. This branch of the lab deals with a large majority of the tests routinely ordered in a hospital, such as glucose, electrolytes, etc. Continue reading
The clinical hematology laboratory contains two different types of testing: hematological and coagulation testing. On the hematological side of testing, the main test performed is the complete blood count (CBC), which directly measures the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and hemoglobin, as well as indirectly measuring other values by calculations. These tests are performed using a well-mixed whole blood sample that has been collected in a tube containing ethylene diamine triacetic acid, also known as EDTA. Before hematological results are sent out to the healthcare team, they are reviewed by the medical laboratory technologist (MLT). Any abnormal results that are seen by the MLT (either increased or decreased beyond reference ranges) are made into slides and further microscopic analyses are performed. Some results may even be “critical” in the sense that they are so abnormal that the patient may be at risk if the result is not reported immediately. While reviewing parameters, certain “checks” are also performed as an internal quality control system for the sample. One of these kinds of systems include delta checks, which are a comparison of a patient’s previous results to those most current. While changes in values can occur due to the physiological state of the patient, these internal checks are also great for identifying if a sample was taken from the wrong patient.
My Kind of Science 
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