UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

Pupil Size

Multidimensional signals and processes map onto a single scalar variable or metric—the pupil size

“Pupil size is a widely used metric of brain state. It is one of the few signals originating from the brain that can be readily monitored with low-cost devices in basic science, clinical, and home settings. It is, therefore, important to investigate and generate well-defined theories related to specific interpretations of this metric. What exactly does it tell us about the brain? Pupils constrict in response to light and dilate during darkness, but the brain also controls pupil size irrespective of luminosity. Pupil size fluctuations resulting from ongoing “brain states” are used as a metric of arousal, but what is pupil-linked arousal and how should it be interpreted in neural, cognitive, and computational terms? Here, we discuss some recent findings related to these issues. We identify open questions and propose how to answer them through a combination of well-defined tasks, neurocomputational models, and neurophysiological probing of the interconnected loops of causes and consequences of pupil size.”

Read more on Neurobehavioral meaning of pupil size via Neuron.

UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

Patients & Summaries by AI

“As artificial intelligence continues to develop in seemingly all facets of life — including health care — experts say it’s important for patients to know AI may be used in their care.

‘I think we’re going to see significant advances in AI use and AI capacity in the next few years,’ said Dr. Sian Tsuei, a family physician at Metrotown Urgent and Primary Care Centre in Burnaby, B.C.

‘I think we’re only seeing the start of it. So I would really encourage patients to continuously stay informed and for doctors to also be staying informed.’

Here are some AI risks and benefits Tsuei and other experts recommend you discuss with your health-care provider…

Read more on What patients should know about doctor visit summaries by AI via CBC.

UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

Canada Patient Safety Week: Virtual Event

A special virtual event during this year’s Canada Patient Safety Week! 

Mark your calendars for October 30, 2024 for a free virtual screening and discussion of “Falling Through the Cracks: Greg’s Story”.

Falling Through the Cracks: Greg’s Story is a short film on Greg Price’s journey through the healthcare system. The 30-minute film gives a glimpse of who Greg was and focuses on the events of his healthcare journey that ended in his unexpected and tragic death. The message of the film is intended to inspire positive change and improvement in the healthcare system. This event offers a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation about patient safety and care.

View the trailer link and register here: https://gregswings.ca/CPSW24

For a closer look into Greg’s healthcare journey, read “Greg Price: Slipping Through the Healthcare System” via Calgary Journal.

To learn how Greg’s story and tragic death are being used as a teaching tool, see “From tragedy to action: Greg Price’s health-care journey now a teaching tool for UCalgary med students” via UCalgary News.

UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

On Emotional Literacy

“I know how much courage it takes for us to ask for help—but it is this courage that creates connection between a doctor and a patient, a teacher and their student, a parent and their child, that we as humans crave.” ~ Dr. Shahana Alibhai

Dr. Shahana Alibhai, a former Abbotsford-Mission family medicine resident and physician at Foundry Youth Health Centre, will be joining us as a presenter at our upcoming Faculty Development Retreat in 2025. She has recently published her first book, Feeling Better: How Understanding Your Emotional Palette Can Keep You from Getting Swept Away. We’re so excited to hear more about her journey and strategies in how we communicate.

“Emotional literacy is more than just understanding our feelings; it’s about harnessing them to foster better mental health and improve our daily lives. In an era where anxiety and depression are prevalent, it is vital to explore the science behind our emotions and how they impact our well-being. As a physician and TEDx speaker with over 10 years of experience in the field of mental health, I have seen first-hand the importance of using emotional literacy as a tool in our understanding and even prevention of mental health disorders. 

Through engaging discussions and practical exercises, participants  will learn the inextricable link between our emotions and the way we communicate, the decisions we make and the relationships we lean into.” 

To learn more about Dr. Alibhai and her new book, visit: https://drshahana.com.
She was also recently featured on the podcast, Chatter that Matters, listen here.

UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

UBC professor Dr. Nadine Caron is being inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in recognition of her transformative leadership in Indigenous health and surgical practice.

Dr. Caron is co-director of the UBC Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health and a professor in UBC’s department of surgery and Northern Medical Program, which is delivered in partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia.

She is among six individuals being inducted into the CMHF for 2025. The distinction honours Canadian citizens whose outstanding leadership and contributions to medicine and the health sciences have led to extraordinary improvements in human health.

“I am truly humbled,” Dr. Caron said. “This is recognition of all those individuals who believed in and supported me with my hopes and dreams, which have really only started and that I will one day pass on. This honour is a symbol of what family, friends, colleagues and community can do when we all wish for a tomorrow that is better for our children.”

Read more on Dr. Nadine Caron inducted into Canadian Medical Hall of Fame via UBC Faculty of Medicine news.

UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

Ovarian Cancer Prevention Vaccine

“Scientists at the University of Oxford are designing OvarianVax, a vaccine which teaches the immune system to recognise and attack the earliest stages of ovarian cancer. The team will receive up to £600,000 for the study over the next three years to support lab research into the vaccine.

In this study, the Cancer Research UK-funded scientists will establish the targets for the vaccine. They will find out which proteins on the surface of early-stage ovarian cancer cells are most strongly recognised by the immune system and how effectively the vaccine kills mini-models of ovarian cancer called organoids.

If this research is successful, work will then begin on clinical trials of the vaccine. The hope is that in the future, women could be offered this vaccine to prevent ovarian cancer in the first place.”

Read more on Oxford researchers secure funding for world’s first ovarian cancer prevention vaccine via University of Oxford.

UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

HPV Vaccination

“Canada’s federal vaccine advisory body is now recommending a single dose of the HPV vaccine for children and youth, bringing the country in line with multiple others that have already reduced the number of required doses for young people.

The new guidance, out Wednesday from the National Committee on Immunization (NACI), strongly recommends that individuals nine to 20 years of age should receive one dose of the vaccine for human papillomavirus, instead of two or three.

Research over the last decade has shown that one dose of this “highly effective vaccine” can provide comparable protection against HPV infection and disease among female individuals in that age group, NACI noted. 

The advisory body still calls for two doses of the HPV vaccine for Canadians aged 21 to 26, along with a three-dose schedule for people who are immunocompromised or living with HIV.”

Read more on Canada’s vaccine advisers now recommend 1 dose of HPV shot for younger groups via CBC News.

UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

Networks secure $10M in funding for women’s heart & brain health research

Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (c. 1484–1486). Tempera on canvas. 172.5 cm × 278.9 cm (67.9 in × 109.6 in). Uffizi, Florence

“Women experience distinct heart disease and stroke symptoms and risk factors that remain under-researched and misunderstood. With these new investments, we’re closing the gap and moving toward a future where all women receive the high-quality heart and brain health care they need.

Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced that the Government of Canada and partners, Heart & Stroke and Brain Canada, are investing $10M to establish two new national research networks for women’s heart and brain health.

The networks will be led by Dr. Rohan D’Souza at McMaster University, whose team will create a Canada-wide collaboration aimed at reducing deaths and serious illness from heart conditions during and between pregnancies, and Dr. Amy Yu at the Sunnybrook Research Institute whose team will work on improving evaluation, diagnosis, and outcomes of stroke in women across Canada.

Each network will receive $5M in funding over five years to better understand women’s risk factors for heart and brain conditions and to improve the diagnosis and treatment of conditions more common among women or that are less well studied.”

Read more on Closing the gap: Two national networks secure $10M in funding for women’s heart and brain health research via Government in Canada.

UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

Alzheimer Disease & Blood Biomarkers

An Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1768

Question  Can a blood test based on the ratio of plasma phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217) relative to non–p-tau217 (expressed as percentage of p-tau217) combined with the amyloid-β 42 and amyloid-β 40 plasma ratio (the amyloid probability score 2 [APS2]) accurately identify Alzheimer disease in primary care and secondary care when prospectively applying predefined biomarker cutoff values?

Findings  There were 1213 patients undergoing cognitive evaluation in primary or secondary care. The APS2 had high diagnostic accuracy (range, 88%-92%) for detecting Alzheimer disease pathology in both primary and secondary care. Dementia specialists identified clinical Alzheimer disease with a diagnostic accuracy of 73% vs 91% using the APS2 and primary care physicians had a diagnostic accuracy of 61% vs 91% using the APS2.

Meaning  This blood test (the APS2) had high diagnostic accuracy for identifying Alzheimer disease among individuals with cognitive symptoms in primary and secondary care, providing superior performance compared with the diagnostic accuracy after standard clinical evaluation (not using Alzheimer disease biomarkers).

More on Blood Biomarkers to Detect Alzheimer Disease in Primary Care and Secondary Care via JAMA.

Learn more on the significance of An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump by Joseph Wright of Derby via Wikipedia.