Author Archives: CMAJ

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The new Canadian guideline presents evidence-based recommendations for prescribing of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain, including maximum dose recommendations, avoiding opioids in high-risk populations, and guidance for tapering.

Jason Busse, Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesia at McMaster University and researcher with the Michael G. DeGroote National Pain Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, co-authored the guideline (open access). In this podcast, he speaks with Dr. Diane Kelsall, interim editor-in-chief, CMAJ, and explains the recommendations.

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Interview with Dr. Andrea Boggild, clinical director in the Tropical Disease Unit at the Toronto General Hospital, and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

In this podcast Dr. Boggild gives practical advice about preventing and diagnosing Zika virus in Canada. She also shares the findings of the research article she co-authored that analyzed data coming from Canadian Travel Medicine Network sites, or CanTravNet, in Canada.

Websites mentioned in the podcast:
Public Health Agency of Canada CATMAT recommendations: www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/catmat-…v/index-eng.php
Government of Canada travel information: travel.gc.ca

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Interview with Dr. Brett Thombs, professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University and senior investigator of the Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. He is also chair-elect of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care and chair of the tobacco guideline working group.

In their clinical guideline published in the CMAJ (open access), Dr. Thombs and the Task Force reviewed the evidence supporting behavioural interventions for prevention and treatment of smoking in children and youth. He explains their findings in this podcast.

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Interview with Dr. Steve Morgan, professor of health policy at the University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health and Dr. Nav Persaud, physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Morgan, Dr. Persaud and their co-authors published a research article in CMAJ in which they estimated the likely savings from public coverage of a list of essential medicines across Canada. They explain their findings in this podcast.

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How do lifestyle factors influence breast cancer prognosis? In a review article published in the CMAJ, Dr. Ellen Warner and Ms. Julia Hamer identify which lifestyle changes can be recommended to patients as an adjunct to standard breast cancer treatments, to reduce their risk of distant recurrence and death.

Dr. Warner is a medical oncologist at the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. Ms. Hamer is a Master of Medical Science student and lecturer at the University of Toronto.

Full review article (open access): www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.160464

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Jay Rankin, news intern for CMAJ, reads the Humanities Encounters article "TB or not TB". The article is written by Adam Komorowski, a second-year medical student at the University of Limerick in Ireland. In the article, Mr. Komorowski describes the time he tested positive for tuberculosis. The story is true.

Full article (subscription required): www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.160828

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Interview with Dr. Nathalie Auger, principal scientist at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CHUM) and associate clinical professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal and with Dr. Brian Potter, clinical investigator and interventional cardiologist at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, and assistant clinical professor with the department of medicine at the University of Montreal.

Dr. Auger, Dr. Potter and their co-authors investigated the association of quantity and duration of snowfall with hospital admission or death due to myocardial infarction.

Full research article (open access): www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.161064

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Interview with Dr. Ian Kitai, tuberculosis specialist with the Hospital for Sick Children and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto School of Medicine. Dr. Kitai co-authored a review article (subscription required) on the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis in children. Tuberculosis is generally uncommon in children and adolescents in Canada, but among some populations we still find high rates of the disease. A high index of suspicion is required to ensure timely diagnosis.

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Barbara Sibbald, News and Humanities editor for the Canadian Medical Association Journal, reads the CMAJ Humanities Encounters article "Lives uncovered: reflections on encounters with newly arrived Syrians" (subscription required). The article is written by Dr. Janet Warren, a family physician at Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.

In the article, Dr. Warren describes what it’s like to be a Canadian physician caring for newly arrived Syrian refugees. The encounters are true but patient details have been changed to protect confidentiality.

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Barbara Sibbald, News and Humanities editor for the Canadian Medical Association Journal, reads the CMAJ Humanities Encounters article "Cathartic narratives for chaotic thinking" (subscription required). The article is written by Dr. Richard Hovey, associate professor in the Division of Oral Health and Society with the Faculty of Dentistry at McGill University.

In the article, Dr. Hovey speaks from personal experience about life with severe chronic pain.

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