Sask. researchers evaluate effects of breast reconstruction surgery on cancer survivors
WATCH: Researchers in Saskatchewan are studying the impacts of reconstruction surgery for breast cancer patients, and how it impacts their strength and mobility later in life.
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CBC
21 minutes ago
- CBC
Small but 'life-changing' policy helps Parkinson's patients who need emergency care at Guelph's hospital
When people go to the emergency department, they're not allowed to take their own medications while they wait, which Theresa Daly says can be a huge problem for people with Parkinson's. A longtime nurse and social worker who actively works in Parkinson's disease support groups, Daly says she's thrilled the hospital in Guelph, Ont., has recently made a tweak to a long-standing practice to make it easier for Parkinson's patients to take their medications on time. "It's life-changing," Daly said. "Life-giving and life-saving and certainly quality of life saving." Hospitals have a policy that any medication given while a person is in the hospital must be through the pharmacy or a physician's order. Hospitals will monitor every patient's medication to avoid mixing, doubling up, choking or even overdosing. But emergency departments can be very busy and this can lead to people not getting medications on time. One of the more common medications for Parkinson's is Levodopa, used to control some of the physical deterioration symptoms. Daly says when a dose is missed, it can lead to people not feeling "normal" again for days, weeks or even months afterwards. The new policy at Guelph General Hospital says, an emergency department nurse is able to give permission to those with Parkinson's to take the medication they brought from home. Daly volunteers with the southwestern Ontario branch of Parkinson Canada and her brother also has the disease. She says she's very familiar with the toll the conditions take on both a sufferer and their loved ones. "To see them move into suffering because they haven't had their medication on time affects two people. The person with Parkinson's and the one who loves them. So it's a big deal," Daly said. 'Hospitals don't like you bringing your own pills' Parkinson's disease is a neurological and degenerative condition. It has no cure and can get worse over time. The most commonly known issues from PD include slowness of movement, rigidity, tremors and instability. There are other symptoms associated with the condition including insomnia, anxiety, depression, bladder issues, faintness, leg swelling, heavy sweating, double vision and a multitude of other challenges. Ian Smith has Parkinson's and in the past few months, he's had to go to Guelph General Hospital three times. "[Parkinson's patients] all have different problems, some more than others ... and generally, hospitals don't like you bringing your own pills in," he said. While Smith doesn't always feel drastic effects if he misses a pill, he's familiar with how demanding the medication schedule can be. He takes three pills a day with specific food and timing restrictions. "My little Parkinson pill isn't high on the priority list because nobody has told them that it should be," Smith said. By allowing Parkinson's patients to monitor their medication, he said it's less stress for both them and, he assumes, the medical professionals. Not red tape but 'a matter of best practice' Andrea de Jong is the director of the emergency department Guelph General Hospital hospital. She said it's become a successful best practice to give emergency room nurses the power and knowledge to administer medications without having to get an order from a physician. She said there are still restrictions on who is able to administer Parkinson's medication that's brought in from home, but nurses are very familiar with these guidelines. "This ideally helps them go back home quicker and overall have a better experience here," she said. Daly said that Guelph General Hospital was very quick to approve this directive with their emergency department teams and medical advisory committee and said it's in line with much of the work Parkinson Canada aims to do within hospitals. A patient's knowledge of their own rights and their ability to advocate is a separate hurdle, she said. "There's a double prong education piece to this... people with Parkinson's have to know that it was okay, and emerge has to know that they have Parkinson's and that it's important they get their pills on time," Daly said. Parkinson Canada spokesperson Emma Gostovic told CBC News that the organization wasn't aware of any other hospitals in the country with a similar directive for Parkinson's patients and their medications. Most hospitals are still aware this is a concern and are conscious of medication timing, she said. Gostovic called Guelph General Hospital's model one they'd like to "explore and share with others throughout the clinical community."
CTV News
30 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘If you're seeing liquids or funny smells… call 911': Thousands of abandoned oil wells pose danger to landowners in Brant County and across Ontario
A public meeting in Brant County raised concerns on tens-of-thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells across Ontario Wednesday. CTV's Alexandra Holyk reports. A public meeting in Brant County raised concerns on tens-of-thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells across Ontario Wednesday. CTV's Alexandra Holyk reports. Thousands of abandoned oil wells pose danger to landowners in Brant County and across Ontario A public meeting in Brant County raised concerns on tens-of-thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells across Ontario Wednesday. The province and Brant County confirmed there are around 27,000 wells left behind, with a potential for more being undocumented. A majority of these wells are on private land and in homeowners backyards. These wells were abandoned without following modern safety protocols. Rebecca Comley, the acting medical officer of health for Grand Erie Public Health told CTV News this can cause concern for health and safety. 'Legacy wells can be a source of potentially dangerous gases such as hydrogen sulfide,' said Comley. 'Leaking hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere, into the air, especially in contained spaces can cause a very dangerous health risk.' Comley said these gases can smell like rotten eggs. 'Our noses can detect it at a very low level; less than one part per million,' said Comley. 'It's important to remember though the smell doesn't correlate with the concentration in the air… we can often lose the sense of smell at higher concentrations.' The wells also pose a threat to contaminating groundwater, possibly affecting the health of plants, animals and people. The province said it's spending nearly $20 million to tackle challenges related to these wells. They said so far they have spent around $33 million to plug 440 wells across Ontario. What should landowners look out for? Brant County officials have asked residents to take a deeper look at their properties. 'Ignoring [oil and gas wells] and having something tragic happen is not the way to go. It's putting themselves, their neighbours or their families at risk,' said Kent Pottruff, the community of emergency management coordinator for Brant County. 'So, the [Ministry of Natural Resources] stated they want to work with [landowners], there's resources available to assist them.' At Wednesday's meeting, the ministry said oil and gas wells on private property that meet criteria may be eligible to be partially or fully covered financially. Deputy Chief Brant Cain with the Brant County Fire Department said identifying an oil and gas well is simple. 'If it smells funny, it probably is funny. If it looks funny, it probably is funny,' said Cain. 'If you're seeing liquids or funny smells coming from something you've struck while excavating on your property, that's a good sign to call 911.' Officials said the best way for a landowner to see if their property is impacted by a documented legacy oil and gas well is to use a well map.
Globe and Mail
36 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
5 Investors Betting Big on UnitedHealth Stock After Q1
UnitedHealth Group's (UNH) awful spring has scared off many investors, but given its size and inclusion in benchmark indexes like the S&P 500 Index ($SPX), it is widely owned by institutions. Plus, corporate insiders have been buying up shares on the dip. UnitedHealth reported its Q1 numbers on April 17, which is before the March 31 cutoff for Q1 13F reports and prior to the nasty 25% drop in the stock in just the last month. UnitedHealth missed earnings expectations, slashed guidance, the CEO left, and the company was hit with a Justice Department probe. #1: Vanguard Group Vanguard ended Q1 with 90.73 million shares, up 6.6% from December. The purchase raised its ownership to 9.92% of the float. The vast majority sits in broad market index funds, so it will remain a top holder unless UnitedHealth falls out of those benchmarks. Investors should note that Vanguard has actually reported adding more UNH stock after the Q1 cutoff. In a 13G filing dated April 30, Vanguard revealed that it added 1,073,375 shares, which pushed its ownership to 10.04%. #2: BlackRock BlackRock's (BLK) 13F lists 74.29 million shares. It increased its holdings by 2.27 million shares, or by 3.16%. It owned 8.12% of UNH in Q1. Like Vanguard, most of its exposure is not direct. The iShares ETFs and other indirect holdings are why the company holds so much of UNH. The company can and does run active strategies, but index mandates dominate the UNH position. You should read BlackRock's stake as passive market ownership that could shrink or grow solely with ETF flows and benchmark weightings. #3: State Street Among the top five, State Street is the only investor that trimmed its UNH holdings in Q1. However, it still held 45.34 million shares, down only by 0.56%. Its ownership of UNH is at around 4.96%. Again, this is unlikely to be due to State Street itself being bearish on UNH stock. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) bled about $24 billion in Q1 and lost its crown as the top exchange-traded fund to Vanguard's S&P 500 ETF (VOO). When cash exits an ETF, authorized participants redeem ETF shares for a 'basket' of stocks that mirrors the index. Because SPY holds UNH at the benchmark weight, any redemption led to State Street trimming UNH. That mechanical selling clipped State Street's UNH position. #4: JPMorgan JPMorgan (JPM) held 26.3 million shares and grew its holdings by 7.62% to 2.87% ownership of UNH. Unlike the top three holders, JPMorgan runs numerous active large‑cap funds. The next 13F will show whether or not they've bought the dip. However, buying in Q1 was what many investors were doing during the tariff spook. UNH stock was seen as a solid tariff hedge since it had little exposure and healthcare stocks are typically seen as defensive. #5: Wellington Management Group Wellington is another active owner. It held 25.8 million of UNH stock in Q1 and increased its holdings by 10.65% to 2.83% of UNH. Wellington runs high‑active‑share, research‑heavy mandates for pensions and endowments, so this is a true security‑selection call. Management there has a long history of buying quality stocks during macro turbulence. They were likely de-risking their portfolios ahead of tariffs, though those investments haven't panned out well. Still, their average buy-in price at $170.16 is far lower than UNH's $301.4 price today.
