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PSA Screening Among Elderly Men With Limited Life Expectancies
More men are asking for PSA screening as a means of detecting prostate cancer. What are the prostate cancer screening guidelines? Is there a point in a man’s life when screening should stop and where the detection of prostate cancer does not benefit the patient? A study published in the Nov. 15 issue of the…
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Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships
The news hasn’t been good recently for people planning a cruise ship vacation. Although the majority of travelers experience a trip that is relatively problem-free, we do come across reports of Norovirus outbreaks on some cruise ships. Recently the world’s largest cruise ship was held in port for intensive cleaning after a second outbreak of…
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How Good is Canadian Health Care? An International Comparison of Health Care Systems
Do Canadians get value for the money they spend on their health care system? How do we compare to other countries that have universal-access health care systems with respect to provision and availability of services? According to a study published this week How Good is Canadian Health Care? An International Comparison of Health Care Systems…
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What makes a particular strain of the flu more aggressive than others?
What makes a particular strain of the flu more aggressive than others? Is there a disease model that can explain why the severity of flu seasons can vary? A study published in October 2006 in the online journal Biology Direct, researchers suggest that one possible avenue to explain these variations is an ongoing competition between…
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Five key wait-time initiative areas too restrictive: Poll
The College of Family Physicians has released its discussion paper on wait times in primary care. Of note, approximately five million Canadians (17%) report they do not have a family doctor as their first point of contact when they need to access medical care. Of these, approximately two million (38%) have tried to find a…
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Holiday health and eating habits
Although we look forward to Christmas time and the holidays, it seems our attention to our health wanders just a bit at that time. Does that two to four week indulgence have an impact on our health? Does it have a cumulative effect? Or are people responding by saying “just give me a break and…
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Tropical disease prevention prior to travel
A majority of Canadian boomers are expecting to travel in the coming years, and they are not traveling to just spend time on the beach. Choosing more exotic locales and travel experiences means that more preparation is needed to prevent illnesses caused by tropical diseases. What are the diseases that are tracked and for which…
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A conversation about Bipolar Disorder with Mike MacDonald
Bipolar disorder is an inheritable illness that leads to extreme mood swings. One study revealed a 13 percent risk of bipolar disorder among children of biological parents with the disorder. About one in 100 Canadians suffer from this condition over their lifetime. The World Health Organization identified it as the sixth leading causes disability-adjusted life…
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Genetics of inflammatory bowel disease
Last week I talked about how researchers had uncovered a new genetic mechanism that could explain why some people develop inflammatory bowel diseases like Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s. The discovery by a six-member Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Genetics Consortium of a genetic risk factor for IBD was reported in Science Express, the online publication of…
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