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Health – Articles, Analysis, Comment

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Naloxone can prevent deaths from opioid overdose, but there is no way to reverse the effects of benzodiazepine overdose without risk. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

Benzo-dope’ may be replacing fentanyl: Dangerous substance turning up in unregulated opioids

Fentanyl adulteration led to the replacement of heroin in the unregulated drug supply of British Columbia. Now that benzodiazepines are present in many opioids, are we headed towards a ‘new normal?’
Not only did youth mental health difficulties increase during COVID-19, but they became more prevalent as the pandemic persisted. (Shutterstock)

Child and youth mental health problems have doubled during COVID-19

New research shows the dire effects of the pandemic on the mental health of children and youth, with as many as 25 per cent of young people affected. Immediate action can help address this distress.
Vaccine efficacy statistics are often based on the results of randomized controlled trials. (Art-Aleatoire.com)

How effective are COVID-19 vaccines? Here’s what the stats mean … and what they don’t

Vaccine efficacy is usually expressed as a percentage, but what is it actually measuring? Statisticians explain what the numbers mean, and what they say about how well a vaccine can protect us.
Measures to combat COVID-19 have affected sexual and reproductive health care around the globe, including maternal and newborn care, birth control and access to abortion. Université de Sherbrooke, Centre interdisciplinaire de développement international en santé (CIDIS)

COVID-19 caused a global setback in reproductive and sexual health rights, especially for women

The exceptional measures deployed around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic have impeded access to urgent services like birth control, abortion and maternal and newborn care.
Babies and young children have different sleep patterns. Not every one sleeps through the night at the same age, but social pressure is strong on parents to make sure that their children get enough sleep. (Shutterstock)

Why your baby isn’t sleeping through the night yet … and how to teach them

The sleep of young children varies a great deal. The myth of sleeping through the night at a specific age creates unrealistic expectations that can harm parents’ confidence.
For many people, park and playground closures during COVID-19 meant having even fewer exercise options. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Perkel 

Lack of exercise linked to increased risk of severe COVID-19

Socio-economic factors are major barriers to physical activity. New research suggests this is one more reason why disadvantaged people were at increased risk for COVID-19.
People receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto in June 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Vaccine hesitancy is decreasing in Canada, but it’s too soon to celebrate

Vaccine hesitancy is declining in Canada but hasn’t disappeared. New research shows many of those initially less hesitant have since been convinced. With continued efforts, others can still be reached.
The pipes imprinted on microfluidic chips are about the size of a human hair, and in many ways are like miniaturizing a chemical manufacturing plant. (Katherine Elvira)

New cancer treatments can be tested in artificial cells on tiny chips the size of a postage stamp

Artificial cells on tiny microfluidic chips can provide early insight into how new cancer drugs behave in cells, and why certain kinds of cancer are more resistant to chemotherapy treatment.
There are different types of memory and not all of them are related to Alzheimer’s disease. (Shutterstock)

What types of memories are forgotten in Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is often associated with a decline in episodic memory. Patients will complain that they can’t remember events they’ve experienced, conversations they’ve had, things they’ve done.
A station passageway is crowded with commuters wearing face masks during rush hour at Shinagawa Station. A recent survey suggests that 83 per cent of Japanese citizens don’t want the Olympics to proceed as scheduled, fearing a surge in case numbers. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

The WHO and the IOC are playing with lives at state-of-emergency Tokyo Olympics

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear — nothing short of people’s lives are at stake at the Tokyo Olympics. No amount of money can justify a single preventable death.
Information on COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant or breastfeeding individuals has been inconsistent and hard to find. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant or breastfeeding? Experts explain the safety, evidence and clinical trials

Exclusion from clinical trials, lack of data and inconsistent information made it difficult for pregnant and breastfeeding people to make decisions about COVID-19 vaccines early in the rollout.
Hundreds of residents of Toronto’s M3N postal code, a hotspot for COVID-19 infections, line up at a pop-up vaccine clinic on In April 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Even with equal vaccination rates, COVID-19 hotspots still have higher infection rates

Hotspot neighbourhoods with greater COVID-19 risk exposure continued to have higher infection rates even when they achieved vaccination levels equal to lower-risk neighbourhoods.
Anti-vaxxers protest outside Governor Andrew Cuomo’s official residence in Albany, New York in June 2020. (Shutterstock)

The inherent racism of anti-vaxx movements

Vaccine resistance movements have always been led by white, middle-class voices and promoted by structures of racial inequality.
The first Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine dose in Canada sits ready for use at The Michener Institute in Toronto in mid-December 2020, less than a year from when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Big Pharma’s COVID-19 reputation boost may not last — here’s why

If Big Pharma wants to achieve the ultimate image makeover, it must capitalize on the current public good will about its COVID-19 vaccines by prioritizing socially responsible practices.