1: Time Is Brain… But Maybe There’s More Time Than We Thought

An RCT of 560 patients with non–large-vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke looked at IV tenecteplase given beyond the traditional thrombolysis window. When administered 4.5 to 24 hours after symptom onset, patients were more likely to have an excellent functional outcome at 90 days compared with standard care (43.6% vs 34.2%). That benefit came with trade-offs: higher rates of intracranial hemorrhage (2.8% vs 0%) and higher 90-day mortality (5.0% vs 3.2%) in the tenecteplase group. In other words, there may be more time than we once thought — but not without added risk.

2: Hypertension in Pregnancy Doesn’t End at Delivery

A cohort study of 570,000 women found that hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with higher long-term risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, stroke, myocardial infarction, and atrial fibrillation. Chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia all carried a moderately elevated risk. The highest risk was seen in women with superimposed preeclampsia (chronic hypertension plus preeclampsia), suggesting this group may benefit from closer postpartum cardiovascular monitoring and counselling.

3: Ketogenic Diet Shows Modest Gains in Treatment-Resistant Depression

An RCT of 88 individuals with treatment-resistant depression tested a ketogenic diet (high-fat, low-carbohydrate) as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy. After 6 weeks, the ketogenic group showed modest antidepressant benefits compared with a well-matched control diet. Adherence remained a challenge — most participants reverted to their usual eating patterns once structured support ended. The findings point to limited benefit and raise questions about how sustainable this approach is outside a trial setting.

New research suggests menstrual blood may have an unexpected role in cervical cancer screening.

What happened: Researchers tested whether menstrual blood collected on a sanitary pad could detect HPV accurately.

Why it matters: Each year, more than 1,600 Canadians are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 400 die from it. Most of these deaths are preventable through HPV vaccination and routine screening — yet in practice, many patients miss or avoid screening altogether.

Researchers in China designed a sanitary pad with an integrated blood-sample strip to detect HPV. They studied just over 3,000 Chinese women aged 20 to 54 with regular menstrual cycles. Each participant provided 3 samples: one collected via the modified sanitary pad, one clinician-collected cervical sample, and one additional clinician-collected sample processed in the lab.

Put head-to-head, the pad-based test held up. The samples collected from the pads had 94.7% accuracy for detecting cervical cell abnormalities, and the clinician-collected sample had 92.1%. The trade-off: the pad was less precise at ruling out disease among people who tested negative.

But: Experts caution that this approach wouldn’t serve everyone, such as menopausal women. And before it goes anywhere, the findings need replication in larger, more diverse groups. This would help them understand how well the pad works for different people and whether or not it could join other screening methods. 

Bottom line: This doesn’t replace current screening — but it does point to a different way forward. And it could make screening more attainable for patients who lack access — or avoid it altogether.

1: 📠 The feds are declaring war on the fax machine. Health Canada introduced Bill S-5, the Connected Care for Canadians Act, aimed at ending the "unacceptable" era of siloed health data. While the law won't technically make owning a fax machine a crime, it aims to make them obsolete by mandating national digital standards and banning "data blocking." The goal is to force EMRs to finally speak the same language so a patient’s story can follow them from the walk-in to the ER without a single piece of thermal paper involved. It’s a bold move toward the 21st century — though for many family docs, the real question is whether the government or the IT vendors will be the ones footing the bill for the "upgrade."

2: ❄️ Team Canada is officially on the board at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. After kicking off last week, Canada has 3 medals: 0 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze (as of Tuesday evening). The big news was a silver medal in the short-track speed skating on Tuesday. This joins 2 earlier bronze medals: Valérie Maltais (speed skating, 3000m) and Megan Oldham (freestyle skiing, slopestyle). With the Games running until Feb. 22, Canada sits in 17th place. But expect the count to climb as hockey and curling medal rounds approach.

3: 👶 A new shield against RSV is heading to Canadian pharmacies. Health Canada just approved Enflonsia (clesrovimab), a long-acting monoclonal antibody designed to protect newborns and infants through their first full RSV season. Unlike older treatments that required monthly shots, this is a "one-and-done" intramuscular injection. With the trial showing significant reductions in medically attended lower respiratory tract infections, it’s being hailed as a potential game-changer for winter surges in pediatric ERs across the country.

4: 🛠️ Grand Forks, BC has decided it can’t wait for the province to solve primary care — so it’s opening its own chequebook. The city (population ~4,100) has earmarked $125K in local tax dollars to cover the clinic’s fixed overhead (rent, utilities, licensing fees) for a 1-year pilot meant to make the math less punishing when doctor numbers drop. If staffing rebounds, the clinic says it could support up to 7,500 patients. It’s not a new care model. It’s a city stepping in where the system hasn’t.

4 of 66: how many listed statin side effects were actually caused by the drug in a massive new Lancet study. Symptoms like memory loss and fatigue showed up just as often in patients taking placebo — a reminder that expectation can be a powerful (and misleading) side effect.

6 million: how many Canadians are now living with heart disease or stroke, according to a new report from Heart & Stroke. Death rates have fallen more than 80% since the 1950s — which means cardiovascular disease is increasingly something patients live with, not just die from.

$650 billion: the projected AI spend from Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft this year, up 60% from 2025. It rivals the 2 biggest capex splurges in US history — railroads and telecom — both remembered less for foresight than fallout. AI’s future, for now, is being built with concrete and debt.

78 years: how long Minute Maid’s frozen juice concentrate sat in North American freezers before being discontinued last week. After decades of teaching us how to dilute a can into “juice,” the brand is bowing out as consumers ditch concentrates for fresh, bottled, or… just water.

First clue: Thrombus

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.

📚 Learn: how to strengthen your flu season strategy via MDBriefCase. These bite-sized modules cover everything from managing vaccine hesitancy to using point-of-care decision tools — perfect for a quick review between patients.

🎧 Listen: to this Freakonomics MD episode on medicine’s great tech paradox — we can keep failing organs alive on bypass, yet still rely on pagers and faxes to learn someone’s having a heart attack. A sharp reality check on whether AI can actually clean up healthcare’s digital mess.

🎁 Buy: something that isn’t drugstore chocolate from PopSci’s 2026 Valentine’s Guide if you’re currently spiralling. Highlights include merino wool hoodies for Canadian winters and sunrise alarm clocks — a gentler way to start a shift than your phone’s siren.

🍓 Make: chocolate-covered strawberry brownies that look labour-intensive but come together with a standard brownie mix. High return on minimal effort.

🤣 Laugh: at a Dr. Glaucomflecken video where Ortho takes over Internal Medicine rounds and immediately mandates that everyone call him “bruh.”

Prompt: AI, what should I get my doctor for Valentine’s Day?
We asked the bots to play Cupid and match gifts to specialties. The results were… uncomfortably accurate.

💕Cardiology: A “stress-test-proof” heart-shaped box of chocolates. Dark chocolate only (vascular integrity matters).

💕Radiology: A high-contrast 4K candle, to be enjoyed exclusively in a pitch-black room.

💕Orthopedics: Heavy-duty steak knives and a gym membership valid only at 4:00 AM.

💕Family Medicine: A 10-pack of “No, I can’t look at that rash during dinner” business cards.

💕Dermatology: A fancy dinner — provided the patio has a 12-foot UV-blocking umbrella and the wine is SPF 50.

💕OB/GYN: Flowers that definitely weren’t delivered at 3:00 AM, plus a dinner reservation with a very flexible cancellation policy.

💕Anesthesia: A high-end espresso machine (for the first half of the case) and a World’s Best Sudoku Solver mug (for the second).

💕Emergency Medicine: A mystery box of snacks and a gift card for a nap. No reservations. No timing. Just hope.

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