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The Canadian Medical Association Journal
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January 8, 2026 at 4:18 PM
A health system wrecking ball:
CMAJ editors stand unequivocally in support of our colleagues in Quebec in challenging this Bill 2.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.252070
Quebec’s Bill 2: a health system wrecking ball
During his 2018 election campaign, recognizing health care access as a top priority for his electorate, Quebec Premier François Legault promised that all residents of Quebec would be rostered with a f...
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December 15, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Curbing HIV/AIDS:
"Now is the time to deliver on the promise of a made-in-Canada strategy to end HIV/AIDS."
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251245
Canada must act to prevent the unravelling of progress toward curbing HIV/AIDS
[See related editorial at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.252036][1] Key points In 2002, the G8 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, launched the G8 Africa Action Plan,[1][2] which identified HIV/AIDS ...
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December 15, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Tuberculosis in Canada:
"Canada has the resources required to reverse current trends and move toward TB elimination, but political prioritization and collective action are needed to use resources effectively."
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250722
Leadership and political will are needed to address tuberculosis in Canada
[See related editorial at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.252036][1] Key points Despite being preventable and curable, tuberculosis (TB) disease affects nearly 11 million people worldwide per yea...
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December 15, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Global funding for infectious disease control:
"Canada’s reduced pledge to the Global Fund reflects short-sighted political thinking that fails to appreciate the complexity of global health threats and long-term health consequences."
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.252036
Canada’s reduced pledge to the Global Fund will threaten infectious disease control at home
[See related articles at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250722][1] and [www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251245][2] Commentaries in this issue of CMAJ highlight Canada’s mixed performance on ...
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December 15, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Phenobarbital for severe alcohol withdrawal:
Phenobarbital is an effective adjunctive medication for alcohol withdrawal.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250637
Adjunctive phenobarbital for severe alcohol withdrawal
Most patients with alcohol withdrawal symptoms improve with benzodiazepines; however, certain individuals with severe withdrawal and functional γ-aminobutyric acid deficiency experience a blunted resp...
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December 15, 2025 at 6:50 PM
The Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 9V is associated with increased antimicrobial resistance, is more prevalent in western Canada, and has increasing prevalence in elderly populations nationally than other pneumococcal serotypes.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251139
Invasive pneumococcal disease caused by vaccine serotype 9V in previously immunized adults
Key points A 73-year-old woman presented to the emergency department in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a 1-week history of cough, myalgias, malaise, and decreased appetite, as well as falls and confusion fo...
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December 15, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Access to pediatric trauma centers:
Across 9 Canadian provinces, 1 in 4 children with major trauma did not receive care in a pediatric trauma centre.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250625
Access to pediatric trauma centres in Canada: a population-based retrospective cohort study
Background: Children with major trauma have better outcomes when treated in pediatric trauma centres, but population-based data on access to these centres in Canada are lacking. We aimed to estimate t...
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December 15, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reduced global funding for infectious diseases: what are the anticipated health impacts?

CMAJ Volume 197, Issue 43, features new articles on global funding for infectious disease control; invasive pneumococcal disease; curbing HIV/AIDS, and more.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/content/197/43
December 15, 2025 at 6:50 PM
A family like this:
A neonatologist reflects on the resilience and strength of a family supporting their newborn son with encephalopathy.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251156
A family like this
A single tear rolled down his cheek. I remember this. I remember the same way he looked away from me and down at the table the very first time we had a family meeting. Except this time, it was under v...
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December 11, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Surgeons can achieve the goal of consistent quality and accountability by structuring single-entry referral networks so that the receiver of referrals is a group — within a hospital or a geographic area — and not an individual surgeon’s office.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251492
Single-entry models as an ethical approach to decreasing surgical wait times
Key points Few issues generate more public concern in Canadian health care than long wait times for surgical procedures. Delays in care are associated with physical pain, psychological distress, long-...
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December 11, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Bullous fixed drug eruption:
Fixed drug eruption accounts for 14% to 22% of cutaneous adverse drug reactions, with ibuprofen among the most common causes.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251212
December 11, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Chagas disease:
Although people infected with Chagas disease can develop a febrile acute illness lasting 4 to 8 weeks, most remain asymptomatic until cardiac or gastrointestinal manifestations occur 1 to 3 decades after infection.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250963
Chagas disease
Trypanosomiasis is transmitted by infected triatomine bugs (“kissing bugs”) through bites, oral–fecal routes, contact with infected blood, and vertical transmission.[1][1],[2][2] This underdiagnosed c...
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December 11, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Toxocariasis and eosinophilia:
Parasitic infections — such as with Toxocara — are a common cause of eosinophilia in tropical regions but are less common in Canada.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250714
Toxocariasis in 62-year-old man with eosinophilia
Key points A 62-year-old man with hypertension and chronic renal disease presented to an emergency department with abdominal pain and chills. His vital signs were normal except for high blood pressure...
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December 11, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Surgical versus percutaneous revascularization:
The risk of adverse events was significantly elevated for 1 year among patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting versus percutaneous coronary intervention.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250312
December 11, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Chagas disease: who is at risk?

CMAJ Volume 197, Issue 42, features new articles on chagas disease; surgical versus percutaneous revascularization, and more.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/content/197/42
December 11, 2025 at 6:14 PM
This week on #CMAJPodcasts, we discuss the diagnosis and management of celiac disease with Jedid-Jah Blom and Dr. Maria Ines Pinto-Sánchez.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/transcript-2...
December 3, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Definition of merit in admissions:
"The definition and assessment of merit for medical school admissions must consider population health needs and the recruitment of a diverse health workforce as an evidence-based contribution to the path forward."
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.251020
Expanding the definition of merit in admissions: comprehensive excellence responsive to population health needs
Key points Ontario’s recently passed Bill 33 will require publicly assisted colleges and universities to have clearly outlined, merit-based admission policies.[1][1] Although this sounds reasonable, i...
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December 3, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Cutaneous systemic lupus erythematosus:
Between 30% and 50% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus will have cutaneous involvement over their lifespan.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250991
Cutaneous systemic lupus erythematosus in a woman with skin of colour
A 66-year-old woman with Fitzpatrick skin type V presented to our internal medicine unit with new erythematous polycyclic lesions (discoid lupus) of the scalp, elbows, limbs, and feet (lupus profundus...
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December 3, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Chronic spontaneous urticaria:
Chronic spontaneous urticaria presents as hives with or without angioedema for more than 6 weeks.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250818
Managing chronic spontaneous urticaria
It is not an allergy and carries no risk of anaphylaxis, but is a chronic type 2 inflammatory disease driven by autoimmune mast cell activation.[1][1],[2][2] Noncausal, aggravating factors include str...
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December 3, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Congenital haptoglobin deficiency:
Dark or tea-coloured urine has many different causes, including dehydration, medications, urinary tract infections, and hemolytic disorders.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250985
A 34-year-old man with tea-coloured urine
Key points A healthy 34-year-old man presented to his local walk-in clinic with dysuria and dark (tea-coloured) urine. He did not have any previous episodes of dark urine and denied any other infectio...
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December 3, 2025 at 6:22 PM
HIV prophylaxis guideline update:
Multiple safe, effective PrEP and PEP regimens are now available in Canada, making it increasingly possible to find suitable options for all who could benefit.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250511
Canadian guideline on HIV pre- and postexposure prophylaxis: 2025 update
Background: New HIV infections occur annually in Canada, highlighting the need for pre- and postexposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP). Through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Pan-Canad...
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December 3, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Adolescents and young adults with cancer:
Both palliative care and intensive care are increasingly used among adolescents and young adults with cancer at the end of life in Ontario, Canada.
➡️ www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250615
December 3, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Reposted by CMAJ
Proud to announce on World AIDS Day today that our 2025 update to Canadian guideline on HIV PrEP and PEP is now published in @cmaj.ca! The guideline include 31 recommendations and 10 good practice statements to support clinical decision making.

Learn more 👉 doi.org/10.1503/cmaj...
December 1, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by CMAJ
Now published in @cmaj.ca: a 2025 update to Canadian guidelines on HIV PrEP and PEP. 

Led by CTN+’s Dr. Darrell Tan, these guidelines include 31 recommendations and 10 good practice statements to support clinical decision making, developed by experts from across Canada. 
 
👉  https://bit.ly/3MyNfNG
December 1, 2025 at 5:20 PM