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Showing posts from July, 2023

Medical advances typically begin with a study. Now, universities are struggling to afford them

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The rising costs university libraries are paying to access journals have implications far beyond the ivory tower. From new cancer treatments to debates about foreign policy, new information enters the public domain through academic studies. Now libraries are having trouble affording the subscriptions.

Health Canada assessing popular diabetes, weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for suicide risk

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Federal department is independently reviewing a class of drugs used in diabetes and weight-loss medications following reports that they may lead to suicidal thoughts.

A red meat allergy caused by ticks is rising in the U.S. Health Canada says it's rare here

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Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. are estimated to have developed an allergy to red meat as a result of a tick bite. The bug behind this, the lone star tick, has already been found in Canada, but Health Canada said cases here have been rare. 

How extreme heat affects the human body — and can eventually kill you

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Why is extreme heat so dangerous to the human body? Scientists say it’s because high heat puts strain on the heart and causes rapid dehydration, eventually leading to death if your body can’t cool itself down fast enough.

Inuit elders retrace steps to Hamilton sanatorium where as children they endured traumatic isolation

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Naudle Oshoweetok was 10 years old when he left his home in Kinngait, Nunavut, and boarded the C.D. Howe Arctic Patrol ship. "I didn't know where we were going," he says. Oshoweetok ended up in Hamilton for tuberculosis treatment, and has returned, 65 years later.

Converting doctor's offices to premium clinics could spawn a new health-care crisis

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When a clinic switches to premium fee service or reduced hours, patients will feel pressure to pay up or find a new doctor when they're hard to come by.

B.C. woman waits for court to decide 'the truth' after losing breast to mistaken cancer diagnosis

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A B.C. Supreme Court civil jury awarded Elena Ivanova $400,000 in damages from the pathologist who wrongly diagnosed her with breast cancer. But the verdict has been held back and it will be months before Ivanova has a resolution.

Top medical experts call for national inquiry into Canada's COVID-19 'failures'

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Three and a half years after the virus behind COVID-19 began its rampage around the world — eventually killing tens of thousands of Canadians — a group of top medical experts is calling on federal officials to launch a full national inquiry into Canada's pandemic response.

Food insecurity in kids linked to need for more mental health, substance use help: Ontario study

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A new study finds that kids who don't have access to affordable, healthy food could end up needing medical care more often for mental health and substance use issues.

A reusable stitch in time saves nine? U.K. hospital sterilizing suture kits to reduce waste

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It's almost second nature for doctors to toss aside a suture kit once they've patched up a patient. But as those instruments join a pile of medical waste in an industry already heavy with single-use items, one U.K. hospital is pivoting to reusing them.

Inuit elders making historic healing journey from Nunavut to Hamilton's former sanatorium

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Over a dozen Inuit elders are making a historic healing journey to Hamilton this weekend to revisit the former sanatorium site where they were held in isolation and endured psychological abuse in the 1950s and '60s. 

Surgical sexism in Canada: study finds doctors paid less for reproductive surgeries on women

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A recent study shows that doctors in eight provinces who perform genitourinary (reproductive and urologic) procedures on female patients are paid 28 per cent less on average than those who do similar surgeries on male patients.

Canadian-born doctor gets licence to practice here after 17-month fight

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A Canadian-born doctor who has been in a protracted battle with medical licensing authorities has finally received the documents she needs to practise medicine in Canada.

Independent scientist resigns from pesticide regulator over transparency concerns

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Scientists who advise Ottawa’s pesticide regulator say it could be exposing Canadians to chemicals at unsafe levels — and one has resigned from the agency, citing concerns about transparency.

Ontario regions face ambulance pressures and province won't release offload delay data

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Several Ontario municipalities say their paramedic services are under immense pressure, with worrying stretches of times during which no ambulances are available to respond to calls — but the province doesn't track the problem.

Sleep disorders a risk for recent immigrants, say students, professor

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Some recent immigrants say sleep disorders are widespread in Alberta's international student bodies and in some diaspora communities. A sleep researcher at the University of Calgary says newcomers struggle accessing the health-care system.

Staffing shortages at small-town Ontario hospitals still shutting some ERs

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Small-town hospitals across small Ontario communities continue to close some emergency room departments and collapse available hours, in what one hospital head calls "probably the worst staffing crisis we've experienced in decades."

Hearing aids, counselling may slow cognitive decline for some seniors, new study finds

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Seniors at risk of dementia who were given hearing aids and counselling had less cognitive decline over a three-year period, a randomized trial finds. 

Eli Lilly's Alzheimer's drug slows progression, carries risk of brain swelling, bleeding, study says

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Another experimental Alzheimer's drug can modestly slow patients' inevitable worsening — by about four to seven months, researchers reported Monday.

Dozens of cats in Poland had bird flu but the risk to people is low, UN health agency says

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The World Health Organization said more than two dozen cats have been infected with bird flu across Poland, but no people appeared to have been sickened.

Sask. high court upholds decision to not pay insurance to estate of man who died of drug overdose

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A Saskatoon mother is angry that two insurance companies continued to take premiums from her son while knowing that he was addicted to cocaine, and then denied coverage after he died of a cocaine overdose in 2018.

Canada's first pediatric stool bank opens at Hamilton children's hospital

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McMaster Children’s Hospital wants your kids’ poop — so they can add it to their collection of frozen stool and use it to help other children.

B.C. family searches for stem cell donor to save child with rare neurological disease

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As the Funk family considers their next steps to save their seven-year-old, those who have seen the disease first-hand say Canada should consider screening for the condition at birth and improve out-of-province coverage options.

Cancer kills firefighters but coverage varies by province. A new law seeks to change that

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Fire knows no borders in Canada — but firefighters' workplace compensation for some types of cancer does. A new federal law could change that.

ERs face worse wait-times this summer, as 'waiting-room' medicine gets creative

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Staying in the ER for hours or even days waiting for a hospital bed should be seen by Canadians as unacceptable, says an emergency physician. But what's the solution for 'waiting-room medicine'?

Windsor summers with no AC means health risks and doing whatever it takes to stay cool

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Windsor is Canada's southernmost city. For locals, it's nothing new that temperatures can skyrocket up to 40 degrees or more with the humidex reading. It makes having air conditioning less of a luxury and more of a necessity. 

Documents offer glimpse into why some P.E.I. doctors chose to leave

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Some of the doctors who resigned or retired from the Health P.E.I. system over the past year and a half said the workloads they faced were unreasonable, documents reveal.

WHO says aspartame could be a cancer risk. Experts say more research is needed

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While a "consistent association" between aspartame consumption and a specific cancer type was not observed, researchers say the change in designation should be taken as a sign for further research into the artificial sweetener's health impacts. 

Thousands of Canadian drug users dying as government red tape limits help, advocates say

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The majority of drug overdose deaths in Canada are now caused by smoking. But the national system of safe sites remains geared towards injection. Advocates say government red tape is slowing inhalation site approvals and contributing to thousands of deaths.

Whooping cough still spreading as southern Alberta outbreak grows

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Dozens more cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, have been identified as an outbreak in southern Alberta shows no signs of letting up. And sporadic cases of the highly contagious disease, which can be prevented through vaccination, are popping up elsewhere in the province.

Did past health accords work? Ottawa is trying to make that question easier to answer

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The Federal government is looking to create a complete picture of the health-care system by overhauling the way Canada collects and shares health data.

First over-the-counter birth control pill gets FDA approval in U.S.

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U.S. officials have approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, which will let American women and girls buy contraceptive medication from the same aisle as aspirin and eye drops.

Prime Energy drinks pulled from Canadian shelves — but how did they even get here?

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The recall of a highly caffeinated energy drink is raising questions about how the cans of Prime Energy that violated Canada's health regulations got onto store shelves in the first place.

BMI is an 'imperfect' way to measure health. But replacing it is complicated

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Last month, the American Medical Association (AMA) formally recognized BMI’s shortcomings and created a new policy advising caution when using it.

Highly caffeinated version of Prime Energy drink shouldn't be sold in Canada, regulator says

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A highly caffeinated version of a new energy drink made popular by social media influencers is being sold at some stores in Canada, in violation of national heath regulations.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines recommended for fall boosters, Canada's vaccine advisers say

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The country’s national vaccine advisers are recommending Canadians get another COVID-19 booster shot this fall, with updated vaccines expected in the months ahead.

Indigenous men at higher risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer study finds

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Indigenous men have more serious and later-stage prostate cancer when they're diagnosed than non-Indigenous men, a new Canadian study says.

Record number of organ donors in Sask. last year a sign of 'positive changes': transplant surgeon

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Saskatchewan saw a record-high number of organ donations last year, according to the province — something one transplant surgeon says points to a shift in how people think about donating their organs after they die.

Ontario long-term care homes with poor care records are getting tax dollars to expand

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CBC found several long-term care homes planning to expand with taxpayer support are run by operators with long histories of non-compliance with the law, or poor outcomes through the pandemic.

Why scientists say wastewater surveillance needs to continue despite low COVID-19 levels

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Despite wastewater sites across Canada reporting some of the lowest levels of COVID-19 since analysis began, some researchers say surveillance should continue so the country can be prepared for the next pandemic. 

More countries are dropping the number of doses needed for HPV vaccines. Should Canada?

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Starting this fall, teens in England will get just one HPV shot — making it the latest country to drop the number of required doses for the highly-effective vaccines known for protecting against a slate of cancers. Should Canada follow suit?

National drug shortage triggers some heart testing delays in Alberta doctors say

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A countrywide shortage of drug used for heart imaging is sparking testing delays for some Alberta cardiology patients.

Alzheimer's drug Leqembi has full FDA approval in the U.S. now and that means Medicare will pay for it

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U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer's drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease.

Wildfire fighters work in heavy smoke and in Canada have little protection

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People who work on the front lines of Canada's wildfires often do so without specialized respiratory protection. The International Association of Fire Fighters and some governments and agencies want to change that given the high number of illnesses closely associated with exposure to wildfire smoke.

9 new African countries to receive millions of malaria vaccines

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Global vaccine alliance GAVI said on Wednesday 12 countries in Africa would receive 18 million doses of malaria vaccine over the next two years, expanding access to the shots to nine new countries in the region.

Cancer lung disease risks of exposure to industrial fires health expert says in wake of Point Douglas blaze

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Health impacts of a large industrial fire in Point Douglas could last long after the firefighters extinguish the last hot spots.

Ontario's top doctor says rise in tick-borne illnesses linked to climate change

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There have been anecdotal reports and publications about anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus being found in Ontario in recent years, but the province now needs to start formally tracking them, said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore. 

P.E.I. replaces Pap tests with HPV tests to detect cervical cancer

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After decades of using the traditional Pap test to detect early signs of cervical cancer, Prince Edward Island is among the first provinces in Canada to replace it with HPV testing. 

Number of Alberta babies born with syphilis rising at alarming rate experts say

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The province's new sexually transmitted infections report shows the number of Alberta babies born with syphilis is rising at what experts say is an unacceptable and alarming rate.

Mothers in recovery are reuniting with their children thanks to housing designed to help

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A unique approach to supportive housing is helping mothers recovering from addiction in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside reunite with their children. The concept, which is mostly funded by private donations: keep families together, create supports to help them heal, and break the generational cycle of addiction.