Staying #Up2Date 🚨

1: PP in the Pee Pee 🫣

For the first time ever, research published in Nature demonstrated that human penile tissue specimens contained microplastics. Six individuals undergoing inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) placement for the treatment of erectile dysfunction took part in the study. Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) — found in everyday goods and packaging — were identified predominantly via microspectroscopy. 

2: Guideline watch 👀

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released statement recommendations for interventions in children (6 y.o.) and adolescents with a high BMI. A systematic review with over 60 studies revealed that:

• Comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions (i.e. supervised physical activity, education on healthy diet, and strategizing on behavior change) totalling 26 contact hours or more for up to 1 year resulted in weight loss.

• Involving parents and family achieved better outcomes.

• At this time, there is insufficient evidence to make concluding statements about using medications as an intervention for high BMI in children and adolescents. 

Updated Canadian practice guidelines on pediatric obesity are in progress. 

3: S/O to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) 🫀

An observational study investigated whether patients surviving the early phase of a STEMI had long-term excess mortality. Over 18K patients treated with PCI were matched against an age- and- sex-matched general population of 90K. In primary PCI-treated STEMI patients on guideline-recommended therapy, those surviving the first 90 days had a 10-year mortality that was only 2% higher than that of the general population - a testament to modern cardiology!

One Big Thing: Tweet Others with Kindness

As social media pops up more in schools, some officials worry about the impact it’s having on young kids.

What happened: US surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy called on Congress to put warning labels on social media platforms similar to the ones on cigarette cartons.

Why it’s interesting: About 95% of youths aged 13 to 17 use social media. A third of them admit to using the apps “constantly.” Researchers at The Conversation say too much screen time can cause negative physical, behavioural, and cognitive outcomes, which include:

• Cyberbullying: Some adolescents may get harassed online, resulting in anxiety or depressive symptoms.

• Pressure for social validation: Youths may feel pressured to post/write certain things to gain more likes and followers.

• Body image issues: Social media can sometimes portray unrealistic body types and beauty standards, leading people to feel dissatisfied with themselves.

• Distraction: Research found that it can take up to 20 minutes for students to regain focus after being distracted by their smartphones. 

But: it’s important to remember that these factors are correlational and not every person who uses social media experiences them. One of the benefits of social media use is its ability to create communities. Youths who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community can use the apps to support others, receive information, and develop their identity. 

Dr. Murthy believes Congress should implement legislation that would protect young people from online harassment, abuse, and exploitation. This includes preventing apps from collecting sensitive data from users and disabling push notifications and autoplay, which can prey on developing brains and cause excessive use. 

That’s not the only public health crisis he’s tackling. Yesterday, he also declared the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence, following a spate of mass shootings in the first weekend of summer. "For too long, this issue has been mired in polarization and politics, but our goal, my goal, is to take this issue out of the realm of politics and put it into the realm of public health, which is where it belongs," says Murthy.

Bottom line: While warning users that social media could be harmful won’t stop youths from using them, it can be a helpful reminder that social media isn’t always a representation of real life. Potentially, it could remind parents to set limits on how long their children spend on the apps. 

Hot off the Press

1: 🥵 2024 is coming in hot. More than 100 Canadian heat records were smashed last week as emerging research reminds us of how deadly heat extremes can be on the human body. For example, one study found that “between 2000 and 2020, roughly 670 more deaths than usual were recorded in the country's 12 largest cities during periods of extreme heat that lasted two days or longer.”

2: 🥛As the H5N1 outbreak in the US nears the three-month mark, the USDA secretary is urging farmers to take protective measures with the use of personal protective equipment, limiting traffic, and increasing disinfection practices. “The more we learn about H5N1, the more we understand that good biosecurity is a critically important path to containing the virus,” he wrote in an op-ed last Friday.

3: 🥽 BC became the first province to sue PFAS chemical makers — so-called “forever chemicals” — claiming that they knew these products damaged people’s health and contaminated drinking water. Legal experts think that this might be the start of an “avalanche of litigation” that could seriously damage the existence of PFAS companies.

4: 🔭 In case you were worried, NASA’s Voyager 1 is back up and running. After a technical glitch with its flight data system seven months ago, NASA completed the repair last month and has since returned to normal operating modes. Voyager 1 and 2 are the first human-made objects to reach interstellar space.

5: 🫘 Here’s to the surgeons and patient who tackled a kidney transplant… while the patient was awake. A first for the Chicago-based healthcare system, the 28-year-old was discharged the next day. Instead of general anesthesia, surgeons administered a single-spinal anesthesia shot. We commend the doctors and the patient for having some real backbone!

6: 🏆️ The Edmonton Oilers became only the third team in NHL history to force a Game 7 after being down 0-3 in the Final. Unfortunately for them (and anyone hoping to break the 31-year dry spell for Canadian teams), the Florida Panthers fought back to take the Cup.

Notable Numbers 🔢

1%: the increase in healthcare prices in the US that lowers an employer’s headcount by about 0.4%, according to a new study. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, rising health care prices may be costing Americans jobs.

50 weeks: the curriculum length of Advanced Course in Communication and Physician Examination, a class at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ that teaches communication skills to physicians.

$6.7 billion: the price Jazz Pharmaceuticals announced that it’ll spend to buy cannabis-focused drugmaker GW Pharmaceuticals. UK’s GW Pharma is best known for making a cannabis-derived drug for patients with rare and severe forms of epilepsy, which is the first cannabis-derived drug approved by the FDA.

💬 In Our Community

Let’s celebrate! Postcall is turning one, and to celebrate we’re inviting our MD (and med student) readers out for some free food, open bar, and a fun time with other smart doctors in Vancouver, BC on July 4th. Come share a drink with us and the rest of the med community (​and we have a few fun surprises for the first guests through the door). RSVP here.

Maternity Leave: There was a great question asked on Facebook about how long MDs took for maternity leave. Here’s how everyone responded:

And commenters gave some tips around saving money during mat leave. The common themes we observed:

1. Get hand me down or second hand baby gear

2. Ask for help from family when transitioning back to work

3. Many of those who took <6 months wished they took a longer leave

To read the comments, click here (you’ll need to be part of the private FB group).

Postcall Picks

😂 Laugh: Medicine vs. Surgery: A Tale as Old as Time.

🧠 Learn: Listen to Dr. Chadha discuss all things individual pension plans (IPP), including at what point of your career it's best to start one and valuable tips to maximize its benefits. 

🛡️ Insure:

• Newly incorporated? Discover how you can use a Private Health Services Plan to use your pre-tax corporation dollars to cover 100% of your family’s health and dental costs. 

• Looking for disability insurance? We wrote a simple guide to deciding which one to buy a couple months ago here.

🤑 Save: Planning your next weekend adventure this summer? Use code “EXPLORE 50” and take an additional 50% clearance items AND $50 off when you spend $200+ at Eddie Bauer!

💳️ Buy: Need a new computer or iPad? Until 9/30, get a gift card for up to $200 when you buy Mac or iPad from the Apple Education Store.

🪧 Advocate: Spending too much time filling out Disability Tax Credit Forms? The CFPC is advocating for eliminating the requirement for physicians to fill it out. If you agree, take 10 seconds to fill out your info to generate a form to your MP here.

 🏡 Mortgage: Refinancing or buying? Last chance! Get $4,000 cashback with BMO's 130-day rate guarantee. Just email Helen Sy (your physician-friendly banker) at [email protected] before June 30th. **

**This is sponsored content

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