Indian-born women who already have two daughters are significantly more likely to have a son after moving to Canada, which the researchers and the author of an accompanying commentary believe shows “prenatal sex selection is likely present among first-generation immigrants to Canada from India and provide strong evidence that suggests induced abortions are being used […]
Tag: Canada
Stop screening for developmental delay
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommends against using a screening test to identify developmental delay in young children who show no apparent signs of delayed development. The recommendation applies to children aged one to four years old who have no visible signs, or whose parents have no concerns, of delay. Developmental delay […]
Poor health in prisons
Canadians in jails and prisons are more likely to have mental health or substance abuse issues compared to the general population, according to a review of the available evidence. Additionally Canadians in jail or prison are more likely to attempt suicide. More than half of the individuals incarcerated in federal or provincial prisons and jails […]
Screening for lung cancer – New Canadian guidelines
New lung cancer screening guidelines have been released by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. The guidelines take into account the latest evidence and aim to balance the benefits of early detection against the harms caused by overdiagnosis and invasive testing. The new guidelines recommend annual CT scans for adults aged 55-74 years […]
Public health and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Inquiry
An editorial is calling for public health to play a larger role in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous women inquiry (MMIW). Dr. Kirsten Patrick, a deputy editor at the Canadian Medical Association Journal believes many factors underlying the interpersonal violence plaguing Aboriginal women and girls are linked to mental health issues, substance abuse, and other […]
The Brain Prize – Congratulations Dr. Collingridge
Dr. Graham Collingridge, Chair of the Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, has been awarded The Brain Prize, widely known as the “Nobel of neuroscience”, for his research on the cellular mechanisms of learning and memory. The million euro prize is awarded by the Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation in Denmark. Dr. Collingridge shares […]
Breast-feeding after one year and Vitamin D
Breastfeeding children after their first birthday does not provide adequate levels of vitamin D, even if the child is also eating solid foods, according to researchers. They recommend these children should take a vitamin D supplement to prevent health problems, such as rickets. Currently the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends children take vitamin D supplements […]
NSERC Award Winners
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada The winners of the 2016 NSERC prizes celebrating exceptional research in Canada were announced yesterday they include: Dr. Victoria M. Kaspi, McGill University, is the winner of the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering. Kapsi studies neutron stars and her research sheds light […]
Dear, Health Minister – some friendly advice
The editors of the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a letter to Canada’s new Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Philpott. They called on Dr. Phillpott to let science and evidence guide policy. The authors also asked the new minister to follow through on her promises to expand home care, improve vaccination rates, and address mental […]
The role of science in Canadian policy
The Science Integrity Project, which aims to make evidence-based decision-making a high priority for government at all levels, has released four principles for improving policy decisions using the best available evidence. The principles were developed through the collective wisdom of 75 leaders — in science, indigenous knowledge, public policy, civil society, and governance. The project […]
Failing our fish: Most at-risk fish species less likely to be listed
The more at risk a marine fish is in Canada, the less likely it is to be listed on the Species At Risk Act according to new research. According to Susanna Fuller, co-author and Marine Program Coordinator at the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax, “less than 20% of at-risk marine fishes in Canada have been […]
Who owes what? Quantifying global climate debt
A letter in Nature Climate Change presents a new way to quantify the contribution each country has made to climate change through a nation’s carbon and climate debts. This new method ranks Canada as the fourth largest climate debt-holder. Considering only national CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion accumulated between 1990 and 2010 the […]
Canadians receiving false positives for Lyme disease from U.S. labs
Canadians may receive false-positives for Lyme disease, from some commercial labs in the United States over half the time, according to an editorial in the CMAJ. Lyme disease, which is becoming more common in Canada, is spread by ticks and causes fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and if not treated, the infection can spread to joints, […]
The importance of health care in the federal election
In the upcoming federal election, health care must be a key issue otherwise Canada’s health care problems will continue, according an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Additionally the editorial calls on federal political parties to articulate clear policy platforms on health care. The Deputy Editor of the CMAJ, Dr. Matthew Stanbrook, says “the federal government […]
A new chemo delivery system minimizes impact on healthy cells
A research team developed a nanoparticle that releases chemotherapeutics inside tumor cells only, sparing healthy tissues. This nanoparticle, called ZnO-nanocarrier, activates when surrounded by high acidity – a pathological feature of tumor cells. The particle releases its chemotherapeutic load within six hours in acidic pH. During this process, the tumor cell undergoes a color change which […]
HPV vaccination of boys could be cost-effective
A new study shows that vaccinating 12-year-old boys against the human papillomavirus (HPV) may be a cost-effective strategy for preventing cancers that start at the back of the throat and mouth, and involve the tonsils and base of the tongue. The disease is known as oropharyngeal cancer. Researchers used a statistical model and estimate […]
