Staying #Up2Date 🚨

1: Quitting smoking boosts recovery odds

A cohort study of 2,652 people with substance use disorders found those who quit smoking had a 30% higher chance of recovery (OR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.07–1.57). Since smoking rates are disproportionately high among people with SUDs, the findings suggest quitting cigarettes isn’t just good for the lungs — it may be a powerful lever in addiction recovery itself.

2: HPV awareness still lags in US

A national cross-sectional survey found 34.3% of US adults had never heard of HPV, and 37.6% didn’t know about the vaccine. Even among those who did, awareness of its link to oral cancer was far lower than for cervical cancer. With vaccination most effective early in life, that gap in public knowledge could blunt one of our best cancer-prevention tools.

3: Antithrombotics work equally in men and women

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 33 trials found more intensive antithrombotic therapy reduced heart attack risk by ~15% in both men and women. Major bleeding remained a significant risk (no sex-based difference), but efficacy was also consistent (P for interaction >0.05). The bottom line: these therapies deliver the same safety and efficacy regardless of gender — though vigilance on bleeding is still critical.

Drops That Replace Reading Glasses

Could a tiny drop replace your reading glasses? Here’s what to know

What happened: The FDA approved a new prescription eye drop that helps people ditch their glasses without losing their sight.

Why it matters: Also known as Vizz, the drops are made by the pharmaceutical company Lenz Therapeutics. Taken daily, the drops treat age-related blurry near vision (presbyopia) for up to 10 hours at a time. Presbyopia usually shows up in the early 40s and affects more than 1 in 5 people worldwide. It’s reported more often in North America, likely because of easier access to eye exams. The usual solution is getting a pair of reading glasses — or squinting at menus and tiny print while pretending you can read.

Vizz offers a different approach. It works with the help of aceclidine, a chemical that creates a “pinhole effect,” narrowing the pupil like a camera lens so close-up text appears sharper. Unlike other eye drops that are marketed to treat presbyopia, Vizz doesn’t cause a “zoomed-in” effect or blur distance vision. The FDA recently approved the drops and claims they don’t cause brow heaviness due to ciliary muscle activation.

But: Don’t throw out those reading glasses just yet. Vizz isn’t a permanent solution, and the FDA guidance said users may experience temporary dim or dark vision after use. In rare cases, the drops have caused retinal tears and detachments in people with pre-existing retinal diseases. In clinical trials, 20% of participants reported eye irritation, and 13% reported headaches. 

So far, there isn’t a clear vision for when Health Canada will approve Vizz for Canadians, but a report from Eyes on Eyecare stated that Lenz teamed up with European pharmaceutical company Théa to help bring Vizz to Canada. Until then, the product will be available in the US by October of this year.

Bottom line: The thought of never having to pull out a pair of glasses to read a patient's chart again is tempting, but until Health Canada gets on board, you might want to leave the reading glasses where they belong (in your pocket and every room of the house).

Hot Off The Press

1: ✈️ Air Canada’s flight attendants have reached a tentative deal, ending the strike that grounded thousands of flights and disrupted summer travel. The union says the agreement resolves unpaid work — a key sticking point in negotiations — while the airline will gradually resume operations over the next week. Passengers affected by cancellations can request refunds or rebookings, though limited capacity during peak season may still keep some plans on hold.

🩺 White coats still scream “trust me, I’m a doctor” — but women wearing them often get mistaken for nurses, finds a BMJ Open review. Patient preferences varied by setting: casual clothes worked in primary care, but white coats or scrubs were preferred in emergencies, and specialties like ortho, surgery, derm, and OBGYN leaned toward coats. COVID-era hygiene habits boosted acceptance of scrubs and masks, but the bottom line is the same: white coats aren’t going anywhere, and neither are the gendered biases that come with them.

🧬 A new gel could let burns heal without scars. The “skin in a syringe” combines fibroblast cells on gelatin beads with hyaluronic acid, letting wounds rebuild real dermis instead of scar tissue. In mice, the cells survived, produced skin components, and even formed new blood vessels — and with elastic hydrogel threads also in the mix, researchers say scar-free burn care may one day move from possibility to practice.

4: 🔥 Canada’s wildfires aren’t slowing down — 7.8 million hectares have already burned, and officials say the blazes could keep smoldering into fall as record heat and drought drag on. More than 13,000 Indigenous residents are still displaced, and smoke continues to blanket parts of the US. What used to be a summer crisis is starting to look permanent.

Notable Numbers 🔢

7,250: the megatons of plastic already polluting the planet, with production on track to triple by 2060. World leaders just met for the 6th time to hammer out a global plastics treaty and still couldn’t seal the deal. That’s a lot of waste, in more ways than one. 

$2 billion: Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s record donation to a cancer institute — the largest gift ever to a US university or health system.

80: the percentage of the vote Pierre Poilievre won in the Alberta byelection, sending him back to Parliament this fall.

Postcall Picks ✅

🎧 Listen: to Other People’s Problems on CBC Listen — a podcast of real, recorded therapy sessions. In this episode, bestselling author Elise Loehnen joins to wrestle with some of life’s biggest questions.

😂 Laugh: because in the ED, a little humour goes a long way.

🤑 Save: on back-to-school must-haves, from writing supplies to locker organizers, with Staples’ annual sale.

🧠 Learn: a new language to protect your brain. A new study suggests bilingualism can delay Alzheimer’s by up to 5 years… maybe it’s time to revive that Duolingo streak. 

🍹 Drink: funky twists on the classic Canadian Caesar — pineapple basil, smoky Ardbeg, blueberry, even seaweed-and-prawn. Your palate won’t know what hit it.

Overheard in the ER

This week, we dug through Reddit threads, ER chatter, and resident confessions to bring you the strangest things doctors have actually pulled from patients. (Reader discretion and gag reflex advised.)

🐟 “I pulled a gummy fish out of a 6-year-old boy’s ear. Had probably been in there a month.”
🧱 “Got a Lego out of a teen’s ear. He said it’s been there since he was 7.”
🪳 “Residency in the Bronx: roaches in ears? Totally normal.”
🪱 “Urologist pulled a rubber worm out of a 16-year-old’s bladder. Did it two more times after that.”

👉 Got your own story? Send it to [email protected] we’d love to feature it in a future issue.

Relax

First clue: Cardinal direction of the protein immunoblot lab technique

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.

Meme of the Week

Share Postcall, Get Rewards

Help Us Get Better