1: A Small Prompt, Fewer Pills — EHR Alerts Boost Deprescribing
An RCT of 201 primary care physicians found that electronic health record (EHR) alerts during patient visits increased deprescribing rates by up to 10.4% compared with usual care. The notifications prompted clinicians to start deprescribing conversations and follow up at subsequent visits — a simple intervention that could help curb polypharmacy in older adults and reduce complications linked to inappropriate medications.

2: Strong Family Bonds, Stronger Social Lives — Even 20 Years Later
A cohort study of 7,000 individuals followed from adolescence into adulthood found that those with stronger family connections in their teen years were more likely to report high social connectedness two decades later. The findings suggest that safe, stable, and nurturing family relationships early in life may shape social well-being well into adulthood.

3: Olezarsen Cuts Pancreatitis Risk in Severe Hypertriglyceridemia
An RCT tested whether olezarsen, an antisense oligonucleotide injection, could reduce pancreatitis risk in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia. After 6 months, olezarsen significantly lowered the incidence of acute pancreatitis compared with placebo (mean RR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.05–0.40; P < .001). Higher doses (80 mg) were linked to elevated liver enzymes and thrombocytopenia, though overall adverse event rates were similar between groups.

Our understanding of obesity is changing fast. Definitions are evolving, treatment options are expanding, and the realities of practice are shifting alongside them.

The Canadian Obesity Summit 2026 focuses on these shifts, with sessions designed to help clinicians sort through what’s new, what’s debated, and what actually matters in practice across a patient’s lifespan.

Program sessions already drawing attention:

More Than a Number: Moving Beyond 5% to Meaningful Outcomes in Obesity Care
Featuring Dr. Arya Sharma, Dr. Luca Busetto, Dr. Sean Wharton, Dr. Debbie Horn, Dr. Yudith Preiss, Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, Dr. Diana Sherifali, and Patty Nece

Obesity and Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy in Trans & Gender-Diverse Care
With Dr. Wayne Baici, Dr. Albina Veltman, and Dr. Tehmina Ahmad

Framework Face-Off: Decoding Obesity Definitions for Real-World Practice
With Dr. Arya Sharma, Dr. Francesco Rubino, and Dr. Luca Busetto

Advanced Pharmacotherapy in Obesity: Beyond First-Line Options
With Dr. Megha Poddar

Defining Obesity Subtypes: Mechanistic Insights into Phenotypes and Treatment Response
With Dr. Carel Le Roux

Across the program, the focus stays practical, grounded in how obesity care actually plays out across specialties, care settings, and the lifespan.

Join us in Montréal on March 25–29, 2026

A new Canadian project is tackling racial bias in medicine, one genome at a time. Here’s how.

What happened: Canada has launched a new genome project to examine why Black Canadians are disproportionately affected by certain diseases.

Why it matters: A healthcare administrator involved in the genCARE project said that less than 5% of genetic studies worldwide include data from Black people, meaning the findings of those studies don’t always apply to them. Black Canadians face higher rates of conditions like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and triple-negative breast cancer. The project, which launched Feb. 1st, aims to change that by mapping the genomes of more than 10,000 Black Canadians diagnosed with these diseases, as well as people without underlying medical conditions. 

GenCARE administrators hope the research will not only lead to anti-racist outcomes in healthcare but also inform where treatment and preventive care can be targeted. 

But: Starting this project wasn’t easy. Black researchers involved in the project had to overcome a long history of discrimination against Black people in the medical world. This made recruiting participants and even administrators difficult. 

To build trust with volunteers, the researchers said they will anonymize DNA data from participants, keeping them in Canada and only sharing the information with community leaders like healthcare directors during events like town halls. During the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and activists worked with Black community members to offer outreach and promote healthcare services, a tactic that volunteers hope to replicate for the genome project. 

Bottom line: If the genCARE project is successful, it can improve diagnosis and treatment options for Black Canadians. It will also ensure that every Canadian, regardless of racial background, receives the same respect and care when seeing their physician. 

1: 🫁 In a rare medical case, surgeons kept a man alive without lungs for 48 hours while he waited for a transplant. A severe flu triggered ARDS and drug-resistant pneumonia, leaving his lungs so damaged they were described as “melting.” His heart stopped on arrival, requiring CPR. After removing both infected lungs, the team connected him to an external artificial-lung system that oxygenated his blood and maintained circulation. Once stabilized, his organs began to recover, and two days later a donor became available for a double lung transplant. Years later, he’s reportedly doing well — a case doctors say could open new options for patients with otherwise irreparable lung damage.

2: ❤️‍🩹 Psychosis diagnoses are rising among Ontario teenagers, and not evenly. A 30-year analysis of provincial health data covering more than 12 million people found rates climbed about 60% among those aged 14 to 20, while staying flat or falling for adults. The increase held even after accounting for better detection and access to care. Researchers don’t point to a single cause, but substance use — including cannabis and stimulants — keeps coming up.

3: 🦠 India has reported a small number of Nipah virus cases in West Bengal. The virus, carried by fruit bats, can spread to humans through close contact with animals or contaminated food. It typically begins with fever, headache, and respiratory symptoms, and in severe cases can cause brain swelling and death. There’s no vaccine or specific treatment, and care is supportive. While past outbreaks have seen fatality rates of 40–75%, health officials say there’s no sign of broader spread so far — a situation to monitor, not panic over.

4: 🚀 World-domination-hopeful Elon Musk is folding xAI into SpaceX, effectively merging rockets, satellites, and artificial intelligence into a single private company and creating what may become the world’s most valuable private firm. Musk says it’s about energy: AI’s power demands are outgrowing Earth-based infrastructure, pushing ambitions toward space-based data centres. The subtext, however, looks like consolidation — one person, one company, steadily concentrating control over communications, national security, and AI itself, with very little public oversight.

79%: how much worse heart-health scores were for night owls than early risers in a large new UK study that followed adults for more than a decade. The biggest gaps weren’t in cholesterol or blood pressure, but in smoking, sleep, and physical activity — risks that, apparently, pile up after midnight.

$230: how much gold prices fell in just 2 weeks, one of the steepest short-term drops in years. The sudden slide rattled traders and investors alike, a reminder that even “safe havens” can move fast when sentiment shifts.

71: the age of Catherine O’Hara, who passed away last week. She lived with dextrocardia situs inversus, a condition causing the heart to be formed on the right. A rare phenomenon, fitting for someone who spent her long career proving that dignity is optional, kindness is not, and comedy can be an act of deep generosity.

After WestJet sent a 12-page medical form to a 6’5” passenger requesting accommodation, last week we asked: If a patient asked you for a note for extra legroom on a flight, would you write it?

Some of you said yes:

Many of you drew a pretty clear line saying no — not because it’s unreasonable, but because it doesn’t feel medical. And for a bunch of you, it seems great minds think alike:

First clue: Prefix of sanguineous for describing bodily fluid thinner than blood

Need a rematch? We’ve got you covered. Check out our Crossword Archive to find every puzzle we’ve ever made, all in one place.

Think you crushed it? Challenge your physician friends to beat your time.

🎧 Listen: to this podcast about a US-trained doctor in Toronto caring for more than 2,000 patients — yet still without permanent residency. A firsthand look at physician shortages, immigration red tape, and why Canada needs more doctors.

🧠 Learn: how to spot and manage generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) with this free 45-minute accredited course. It covers "red flag" symptoms of this life-threatening skin condition and the latest IL-36 treatment breakthroughs.

💰 Save: on a new car battery while the deep freeze continues haunting all of us. There’s nothing worse than a dead battery on a frosty morning, so swapping yours now might save you a roadside headache later.

🍲 Make: a crowd-pleasing Spanish paella with bomba rice, saffron, veggies, chicken, chorizo, and seafood. Don’t skip the crispy socarrat everyone fights over — ideal for a family dinner or date night.

🤣 Laugh: at this video showing a relatable moment when the February sun comes out for five minutes and every Canadian starts planning their first BBQ.

Thank you to Postcall reader Chris S. for the submission. 😂