1: Cannabis in Adolescence: A Psychiatric Risk Signal?

A cohort study of 463,000 adolescents aged 13 to 17 examined associations between past-year cannabis use and psychiatric diagnoses by young adulthood. Adolescents who reported cannabis use in the past year had a higher risk of developing psychotic, bipolar, depressive, and anxiety disorders by age 26. As cannabis legalization expands, the findings highlight the importance of monitoring early exposure during a vulnerable neurodevelopmental window.

2: Rethinking the Rotator Cuff MRI

A cross-sectional study of 602 adults aged 41 to 76 years undergoing MRI found that 99% had at least one rotator cuff abnormality. These findings were present in both symptomatic and asymptomatic shoulders. The data suggest that imaging abnormalities in patients over 40 may often reflect age-related changes rather than clinically meaningful pathology — reinforcing the need to interpret MRI results within the broader clinical picture.

3: Cervical HSIL and Future Cardiovascular Disease

A cohort study of nearly 30,000 women (adolescents and young adults) examined cardiovascular outcomes in those with prior cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). Previous HSIL was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (HR 1.20; 95% CI, 1.15–1.24), including myocardial infarction (HR 1.58; 95% CI, 1.41–1.76), heart failure (HR 1.38; 95% CI, 1.23–1.54), and cerebrovascular disease (HR 1.42; 95% CI, 1.29–1.56) (all P < .001). The findings suggest clinicians may need to consider cardiovascular risk more closely in patients with a history of HSIL.

In Nova Scotia, a scan may now come before the symptoms

What happened: Nova Scotia’s lung screening program has diagnosed dozens of cancer cases in its first 2 years.

Why it matters: More than 20,000 Canadians die from lung cancer each year, making it the leading cause of cancer-related death in the country. To make a bad thing worse, symptoms of the disease usually don’t appear until it’s too late. Around 80% of people die within 5 years of a late-stage diagnosis.

To change that trajectory, Nova Scotia launched a program specifically for people aged 50 to 74 who smoked regularly for at least 20 years, even if they’ve since quit. Nurses assessed the risk of lung cancer in 1,500 patients to determine if they would benefit from a chest CT scan. Out of that group, 55 patients were either diagnosed with cancer currently in the diagnostic process.

The program is currently limited to the central and eastern health zones of Nova Scotia, though leaders hope to go province-wide soon. While British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec have already established organized, permanent screening programs, Nova Scotia’s rollout is proving that proactive outreach—even in regions with significant resource hurdles—can change the survival trajectory.

But: The progress hasn’t been seamless. The program relies on 15 radiologists, who train on their own time while juggling their regular workloads. There have also been hurdles with the IT infrastructure used to monitor and follow up with patients.

Only about half of the applicants ultimately received scans, but the program offers smoking cessation support to anyone who’s applied. This includes things like counselling and smoking cessation products. Program members have been working closely with community organizations like Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia and Indigenous health organizations to inform people about the program. Those who qualify will be monitored for years, so researchers can catch changes to their health early on.

Bottom line: Despite its hurdles, the program has been deemed a huge success. Nova Scotian doctors are spending less time in surgery trying to manage late-stage complications, and for many patients, a diagnosis is no longer an automatic death sentence. There is still work to do, but the goal is to make this as accessible as possible for everyone in the province.

Women’s Hormonal Health at Every Life Stage: A Multidisciplinary and Personalized Approach to Primary Care

For the postcall brain that only has room for "useful information," this course is a win. It provides a solid, patient-centred framework for the variables we balance daily in women’s health. By simplifying the management of symptoms from adolescence to post-menopause, it helps make your next full clinic day just a little bit more streamlined.

1: 🇲🇽 Airlines are resuming flights to Mexico, but the travel advisory hasn't moved. While WestJet and Air Canada have restarted service to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara as of Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada is still urging a "high degree of caution.” The chaos was sparked by a Sunday military operation that killed "El Mencho," the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The fallout was immediate: burning vehicle roadblocks and shootouts that forced over 55,000 registered Canadians to shelter in place. While Minister Anita Anand says things are "normalizing," the government is stopping short of an all-clear — so if you're heading down for a break, keep your situational awareness high and double-check your flight status before leaving for the airport.

2: 🧪 A “universal” nasal spray could end the annual respiratory vaccine guessing game. Researchers at Stanford have developed an experimental spray that, instead of targeting a single virus, boosts the lungs’ innate immune defences to stay on alert for months against COVID-19, influenza, and even bacterial pneumonia. In mice, the treatment (GLA-3M-052-LS) reduced viral levels and prevented severe illness by mimicking the immune signals triggered during infection. Human trials are still several years away, but the goal is a single seasonal spray offering broad protection against the most common winter respiratory threats.

3: 🐈 Your cat’s quiet wisdom might go deeper than you thought. A recent study in Science found cancer-driving mutations in domestic cats that closely match key patterns in humans — especially in aggressive breast cancers. Researchers found that over 50% of feline mammary tumours carry a mutation in the FBXW7 gene, a marker that also signals a poor prognosis in human patients. Since cats share our homes and environmental exposures, they’re a “win-win” precision-medicine model: test targeted therapies in vet clinics to help pets — while accelerating advances for us, too.

4: 🧠 AI may finally be showing up in the data. A recent study of more than 12K European firms found that adopting AI boosted labour productivity by 4% on average, without triggering short-term job losses. However, the gains were concentrated in larger firms, suggesting a growing "digital divide" in corporate performance. This gap is even more visible in clinical settings: a new 2026 survey revealed nearly 20% of healthcare workers report using unauthorized AI tools. And nearly half say they’ve used AI to speed up workflows — sometimes with unvetted systems and sensitive data. There’s little doubt AI is speeding up productivity... and sometimes, speeding off the rails.

$10K: the fine handed to a Toronto Superstore for “maple washing” imported food. The grocer used maple leaf decals to promote foreign products as “Product of Canada” — a penalty that, for a company with billions in revenue, feels more like a rounding error than a reckoning.

#15: where Vancouver’s Nemesis landed on "World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops" list for 2026. Beating out every other café in the country, the Gastown-born roaster was judged on everything from innovation to pastries — proof that in a city powered by caffeine, hierarchy still matters.

March 8: the day Canadians lose an hour of sleep but gain a month’s worth of debate. It’s the annual “spring forward” ritual that has us all adjusting internal clocks for a century-old policy most are ready to retire.

15%: Trump’s new tariff on US imports worldwide — the highest rate legally allowed. This came less than a day after the Supreme Court ruled he’d overstepped his authority in his previous tariff program, and just a day after announcing a 10% rate.

📚 Read: a harrowing account in People of a woman who underwent a quadruple amputation after a simple dog lick led to life-threatening sepsis. A rare, sobering look at Capnocytophaga canimorsus — and how quickly ordinary flora can become extraordinary catastrophe.

🧀 Make: an ultra-gooey, crisp-topped macaroni and cheese. A blend of sharp cheddar and muenster (plus a quiet dash of hot sauce) that reminds you comfort food still earns its name.

📺 Watch: Uncomfortable Truth about Ozempic. It asks a pointed question: if obesity reflects a biological mismatch with the modern environment, are GLP-1s a stopgap — or a structural reset?

📚 Save: up to 30% off  Indigo’s current bestsellers. Consider it preventative care for your next postcall recovery day.

✈️ Visit: Europe’s hidden gem coastlines for 2026 — from Latvia’s dunes to Sicily’s turquoise coves. Fewer crowds, same sea air.

First clue: Pneumonia acquired outside the hospital, for short

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