It’s December 6th — and here at Postcall, we’re commemorating The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

In 1989, 14 women studying at École Polytechnique in Montreal were killed in an act of “fighting feminism.” 💔 The anniversary of the Montreal Massacre now serves to bring recognition to gender-based violence throughout Canada. ❤️‍🩹

Let’s get into this week’s stories.

Driving these numbers: Canada’s main stock index (the TSX) gained 7% in November on hopes that slowing inflation will avoid a recession. 😅 And tech might be back in season, as companies like Roku (+155% YTD), Shopify (+104%), and Uber (+126% YTD) are gaining, along with crypto.

Did you know that some men actually believe women can control their periods? Or that women aren’t virgins if they use tampons?🧐

What happened: A House of Commons standing committee is digging into major women’s health issues in Canada, such as sexual and reproductive health, cancer research, and breast cancer screening. Currently, the committee is a men’s club: only one woman sits on the committee. If you find it weird that these men are discussing crucial aspects of women’s health — including those affecting trans and non-binary individuals — you’re not alone. After getting called out on social media, multiple women from different political parties have been swapped in for a more inclusive perspective.

Why it’s interesting: In the last 12 years, women's health research received only 5% of funds from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. The federal government earmarked just 0.5% of the $1 billion budget — $20 million over 5 years — for a national women's health research institute. Cindy Moriaty, Health Canada's director general, stresses, “There’s not a health issue that doesn’t have an impact on women.” Yet women face diagnosis delays, more drug side effects than men, and are often labeled with “atypical” symptoms — even if the disease is more common in women. Health system metrics favour pregnancy, sidelining periods, menopause, prolapse, or pelvic pain. Uniquely female experiences like hormonal contraceptive use, pregnancy, menstrual cycles, and menopause can significantly shape health outcomes — yet historically, clinical research has centred on men.

Why? Lots of reasons. Body-shaming and dismissed concerns are major barriers for women accessing care, especially BIPOC and LGBTQI+ individuals. There’s also society’s negative perception of aging women — even as Canadian women disproportionately fuelled “the workforce shift into low-contact, higher-paying and higher-skilled jobs.” 

Gender disparities also exist in higher-level admin decisions. Surgery equipment favours male surgeons, leaving female surgeons unsupported in operating room budgets. Dr. Fiona Mattatall questions, “Are we not supported as gyn surgeons because we're mostly women performing the surgeries, or because we're mostly doing surgeries on women?” 🤔 A Toronto-based study partially answers that: surgeons earn less for procedures on female patients compared to similar surgeries on male patients.

Bottom line: Female health practitioners advocate prioritizing women’s health and eliminating gender biases in curricula. While Canada still has ground to cover, change is brewing☕️. This October, Ontario slashed the age for regular, publicly funded breast cancer screenings from 50 to 40, and Manitoba will offer free birth control for all residents. Having a women’s club in House of Common health committee discussions could be another step towards shaping a healthier and more equitable future. 👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏽

The recently published MINT trial compared liberal vs. restrictive blood transfusion strategies in patients post-MI with anemia. The study found that a liberal strategy (< 100 g/L) did not significantly lower the risk of another heart attack or death within 30 days compared to the restrictive strategy (< 70-80 g/L). However, it also suggested that the restrictive strategy might have some risks of its own. 

Another recent trial, DAPA-MI, has shown that there is significant benefit of dapagliflozin in terms of cardiometabolic outcomes as compared with placebo in patients without diabetes or chronic HF presenting with acute MI and impaired LV systolic function. However, keep in mind that hard clinical endpoints (death, CV death, MI, stroke, etc.) were not different in the two groups.

A study in JAMA showed that direct-mail self-sampling significantly increased screening rates by over 14% in individuals due or overdue for screening, compared to education alone, suggesting that direct-mail HPV self-sampling is an effective strategy for increasing cervical cancer screening adherence. You might not want to open the package at the holiday dinner table though 🫢.

Step aside, CT Head Rule — the newly introduced Falls Decision Rule, published in the CMAJ, establishes criteria for identifying older adults who have fallen but may not need a head CT in the emergency department to exclude intracranial bleeding. This rule is applicable to all older adults who have experienced a fall, irrespective of the presence of head injury or their ability to recall the incident.

1: 🍟 The dip in food-industry stock prices may be related to the rise in anti-obesity drugs, according to The Economist. Those taking GLP-1 medicines tend to buy less food. However, the article notes, drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro might be a red herring — since other factors for a stockmarket drop include a cooling labour market and food companies taking too much advantage of their pricing power.

2: 🏀 Bronny is back! USC’s star player has been cleared to play after suffering cardiac arrest four months ago. He could return to the court as soon as Dec. 10 — but still needs to undergo a final evaluation. Cardiac arrest among young, elite athletes is on the rise, as Postcall discussed back in Sept.

3: ☠️ According to a report released last week, the life expectancy for Canadians has decreased three years in a row, with 2022 being the year more people died of COVID-19 than any other year. In 2019, the average was 82.3; in 2022, 81.3. Last year also saw COVID-19 being the third-leading cause of death, above accidents and unintentional injuries.

4: ⛽ There’s lots of talk lately about Canada’s carbon tax (which is paid in ON, MB, SK and AB). While politicians are batting around the pros and cons, CBC used a StatsCan model to show that “a clear majority of households do receive rebates that are larger than the carbon taxes they pay for.“ The devil is in the details though — the higher your household income, the less likely it is that your rebates cover your costs.

5: Even kangaroos know to avoid the Quebecois winter: last week one escaped its handlers while on the way to a Quebec zoo. It ran around for a weekend in east Toronto, and even punched a police officer as it was being apprehended. Fortunately, the kangaroo (and officer) are in good health 🦘.

🥧 Eat: In the mood for a healthy meal that’s packed with flavour? The Food Network’s Herb Chicken Masala might just be for you. It’s topped with low-calorie sautéed mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes for a healthy, satisfying dish.

🧑‍🍳 Buy: With the holidays around the corner, you might be wondering what to get that person in your life that loves cooking, and loves gadgets. Wonder no more as TechCrunch has put together a list of the best kitchen gadgets of 2023.

👀 Watch: “Take Care of Maya” sheds light on a mother's relentless fight for her daughter's life, exposing the chilling consequences of a system that turns a blind eye.

Ready or not… It’s that time of the week again! 🤗

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