Staying #Up2Date 🚨

1: BF% Outweighs BMI in Predicting Mortality

This cohort study pitted BMI against body fat percentage (BF%) to see which better predicts mortality in young adults. After 15 years, higher BF% was associated with increased all-cause (HR 1.78; 95% CI, 1.28-2.47; P < .001) and heart disease mortality (HR 3.62; 95% CI, 1.55-8.45; P = .003). BMI, meanwhile, showed no significant link to all-cause mortality, suggesting BF% might be the better metric for risk stratification.

2: The Climate Is Changing — and So Is Your Skin

This systematic review and meta-analysis looked at how climate change affects atopic dermatitis. In 40+ studies across 14 countries, higher levels of air pollution were linked to more ED  and outpatient visits for atopic dermatitis, while temperature extremes were linked with increased atopic dermatitis severity. These results make one thing clear: climate change and pollution are already leaving a mark — on dermatology.

 3: Hot Tub Wins the Heat Therapy Showdown

This study compared the effects of acute hot water immersion, traditional sauna, and infrared sauna. In 20 healthy adults, acute hot water immersion led to the biggest rise in core temperature and immune response. In other words, when it comes to short-term physiologic effects, the hot tub comes out on top.

Canada’s Hazy Cannabis Curriculum 🌿

It’s not your hippie parents’ weed.

What happened: The lack of cannabis education in medical school is leaving physicians unprepared — and young people at risk. 

Why it matters: Canada has some of the world’s highest rates of youth cannabis use (no pun intended), with 43% of 16- to 19-year-olds reporting use last year. The Federal Cannabis Act caps retail THC gummies at 10 mg per package, but enforcement is lax. For under $100, some stores offer 8,000-mg 4-packs of edibles — 200x the federal standard and strong enough to keep one budtender (a cannabis worker) “high for 3 days.”

As the drug becomes more accessible, healthcare workers are raising concerns about its impact on the brain. Emergency departments across Canada are seeing more cases of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), a rare condition that mimics gastroenteritis and disordered eating symptoms. And because the brain keeps developing until 25, young users are especially at risk for long-term effects on memory and emotional regulation. 

Cannabis use has grown since legalization in 2018 — but research hasn’t kept up. In 2020, a Quebec study found that med students felt unprepared to handle cannabis-related issues in clinical practice, thanks to a lack of exposure in the classroom. When patients don’t get answers from physicians or pharmacists, some turn to budtenders — and take cannabis for medical reasons without real medical advice.

But: Canadian clinicians are pushing for change. A pair of cannabis-specialized pharmacists have proposed a national strategy that includes integrating cannabis into med school curricula, offering evidence-based training for practicing clinicians, funding more research, and launching public education campaigns. 

And there’s no shortage of interest. A 2019 study found that 75% of medical trainees wanted more cannabis education, and 91% of nursing students reported gaps in their training on both medical and recreational use. The message (and demand) is clear — and urgent. 

Bottom line: Legalization without education is putting patients at risk and leaves physicians without the tools they need to do what they do best: help.

Hot Off The Press

1: 🇨🇦🇺🇸 Forget complex diagnoses — the real head-scratcher lately is US-Canada trade negotiations. Last week, President Trump abruptly halted all discussions and threatened new tariffs, angered by Canada's digital services tax — a 3% levy on what tech giants like Amazon and Google earn off Canadian users. But in a sudden policy pivot, Canada rescinded the tax, instantly getting talks back on track for a July 21st agreement. Prognosis: cautiously optimistic — for now.

2: 🪰The New World screwworm — a flesh-eating parasitic fly —  is spreading rapidly north from Central America, and the US is on alert. In just 2 years, it’s travelled more than 2,200 kilometres from Panama to southern Mexico, infecting thousands of animals and even a few  humans. Now only 1,100 kilometres from the US border, officials are racing to contain it. What’s at stake? Livestock… and public health.

3: 🏥 Ontario is spending $14 billion to build the largest teaching hospital in Canada — 22 storeys, over 950 private beds, and one of the province’s biggest ERs, slated to open in 2033. Replacing the Mississauga Hospital, it’s expected to serve 2.2 million people and bring in 400 new doctors. This headline-grabbing plan comes just over a month after the Ontario Nurses’ Association accused the province of funnelling money into private infrastructure while neglecting urgent staffing needs.

4: 🦠 Scientists have figured out how to turn plastic into paracetamol. The key ingredients? Genetically modified E. coli and…. garbage. Scottish researchers engineered the bacteria to convert recycled PET plastic into a compound called PABA, then into the common painkiller. The process could offer a wild new path for medical waste recycling and reduce our reliance on oil. (Little-known fact: many everyday drugs, like paracetamol and ibuprofen, are made from petrochemicals.)

Notable Numbers 🔢

5: how many internal medicine physicians at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital in St. John’s, Newfoundland, have submitted resignation notices. They say unsafe working conditions are putting patients at risk. The resignations follow two major programs pulling their residents from the hospital over similar concerns.

$12 million: the value of contraceptives and HIV-prevention meds the Trump administration is reportedly set to destroy. Purchased by USAID for developing countries, the drugs have been sitting unused in warehouses since the agency was nearly dismantled in January.

14 years: how long Calgarians went without fluoride in their drinking water (2011–2025). After years of rising childhood tooth decay, the city has invested $28.1 million to bring it back — including major upgrades to 2 water plants and $1 million in annual maintenance.

Postcall Picks ✅

😂 Laugh: because July 1 hits hard — and this meme gets it.

🎧 Listen: to 2 med students unpack why fewer trainees choose primary care — a must-hear for anyone invested in the future of the frontline.

🤑 Save: on just about anything with Amazon’s early Prime Day deals.

📖 Read: this NEJM study on gene therapy for Pompe’s Disease.

🍴Eat: this delicious cold cucumber soup on a hot summer day — a refreshing blend of crisp cucumbers, tangy Greek yogurt, and enough basil and dill to make your fridge smell like July.

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First Question: CRISPR-___9 gene editing enzyme

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