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Primary Care Providers in California and Florida Report Low Confidence in Providing Type 1 Diabetes Care

People with type 1 diabetes may receive a significant portion of their care from primary care providers (PCPs). To understand the involvement of PCPs in delivering type 1 diabetes care, we performed surveys in California and Florida, two of the most populous and diverse states in the United States. PCPs fill insulin prescriptions but report low confidence in providing type 1 diabetes care and difficulty accessing specialty referrals to endocrinologists.




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Continuous Glucose Monitoring As a Behavior Modification Tool

Real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) use may lead to behavioral modifications in food selection and physical activity, but there are limited data on the utility of CGM in facilitating lifestyle changes. This article describes an 18-item survey developed to explore whether patients currently using CGM believe the technology has caused them to change their behavior.




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Red and Processed Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Egg Intakes and Cause-Specific and All-Cause Mortality among Men with Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer in a U.S. Cohort

Background:

Research on the relationship of meat, fish, and egg consumption and mortality among prostate cancer survivors is limited.

Methods:

In the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort, men diagnosed with nonmetastatic prostate cancer between baseline in 1992/1993 and 2015 were followed for mortality until 2016. Analyses of pre- and postdiagnosis intakes of red and processed meat, poultry, fish, and eggs included 9,286 and 4,882 survivors, respectively. Multivariable-adjusted RRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results:

A total of 4,682 and 2,768 deaths occurred during follow-up in pre- and postdiagnosis analyses, respectively. Both pre- and postdiagnosis intakes of total red and processed meat were positively associated with all-cause mortality (quartile 4 vs. 1: RR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03–1.25; Ptrend = 0.02; RR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.07–1.39; Ptrend = 0.03, respectively), and both pre- and postdiagnosis poultry intakes were inversely associated with all-cause mortality (quartile 4 vs. 1 RR = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82–0.98; Ptrend = 0.04; RR = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.75–0.95; Ptrend = 0.01, respectively). No associations were seen for prostate cancer–specific mortality, except that higher postdiagnosis unprocessed red meat intake was associated with lower risk.

Conclusions:

Higher red and processed meat, and lower poultry, intakes either before or after prostate cancer diagnosis were associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality.

Impact:

Our findings provide additional evidence that prostate cancer survivors should follow the nutrition guidelines limiting red and processed meat consumption to improve overall survival. Additional research on the relationship of specific meat types and mortality is needed.




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Pancreatic Cancer Risk in Relation to Lifetime Smoking Patterns, Tobacco Type, and Dose-Response Relationships

Background:

Despite smoking being a well-established risk factor for pancreatic cancer, there is a need to further characterize pancreatic cancer risk according to lifespan smoking patterns and other smoking features, such as tobacco type. Our aim was to deeply investigate them within a large European case–control study.

Methods:

Tobacco smoking habits and other relevant information were obtained from 2,009 cases and 1,532 controls recruited in the PanGenEU study using standardized tools. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate pancreatic cancer risk by smoking characteristics and interactions with other pancreatic cancer risk factors. Fractional polynomials and restricted cubic splines were used to test for nonlinearity of the dose–response relationships and to analyze their shape.

Results:

Relative to never-smokers, current smokers [OR = 1.72; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.39–2.12], those inhaling into the throat (OR = 1.48; 95% CI, 1.11–1.99) or chest (OR = 1.33; 95% CI, 1.12–1.58), and those using nonfiltered cigarettes (OR = 1.69; 95% CI, 1.10–2.61), were all at an increased pancreatic cancer risk. Pancreatic cancer risk was highest in current black tobacco smokers (OR = 2.09; 95% CI, 1.31–3.41), followed by blond tobacco smokers (OR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.01–2.04). Childhood exposure to tobacco smoke relative to parental smoking was also associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk (OR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03–1.49). Dose–response relationships for smoking duration, intensity, cumulative dose, and smoking cessation were nonlinear and showed different shapes by tobacco type. Effect modification by family history of pancreatic cancer and diabetes was likely.

Conclusions:

This study reveals differences in pancreatic cancer risk by tobacco type and other habit characteristics, as well as nonlinear risk associations.

Impact:

This characterization of smoking-related pancreatic cancer risk profiles may help in defining pancreatic cancer high-risk populations.




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Harnessing Population Pedigree Data and Machine Learning Methods to Identify Patterns of Familial Bladder Cancer Risk

Background:

Relatives of patients with bladder cancer have been shown to be at increased risk for kidney, lung, thyroid, and cervical cancer after correcting for smoking-related behaviors that may concentrate in some families. We demonstrate a novel approach to simultaneously assess risks for multiple cancers to identify distinct multicancer configurations (multiple different cancer types that cluster in relatives) surrounding patients with familial bladder cancer.

Methods:

This study takes advantage of a unique population-level data resource, the Utah Population Database (UPDB), containing vast genealogy and statewide cancer data. Familial risk is measured using standardized incidence risk (SIR) ratios that account for sex, age, birth cohort, and person-years of the pedigree members.

Results:

We identify 1,023 families with a significantly higher bladder cancer rate than population controls (familial bladder cancer). Familial SIRs are then calculated across 25 cancer types, and a weighted Gower distance with K-medoids clustering is used to identify familial multicancer configurations (FMC). We found five FMCs, each exhibiting a different pattern of cancer aggregation. Of the 25 cancer types studied, kidney and prostate cancers were most commonly enriched in the familial bladder cancer clusters. Laryngeal, lung, stomach, acute lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin disease, soft-tissue carcinoma, esophageal, breast, lung, uterine, thyroid, and melanoma cancers were the other cancer types with increased incidence in familial bladder cancer families.

Conclusions:

This study identified five familial bladder cancer FMCs showing unique risk patterns for cancers of other organs, suggesting phenotypic heterogeneity familial bladder cancer.

Impact:

FMC configurations could permit better definitions of cancer phenotypes (subtypes or multicancer) for gene discovery and environmental risk factor studies.




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Purification of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus 2 (rAAV2) by Heparin Column Affinity Chromatography

This protocol describes a simple single-step column purification (SSCP) of rAAV2 by gravity flow based on its affinity to heparin, without ultracentrifugation.




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Adiposity Change Over the Life Course and Mammographic Breast Density in Postmenopausal Women

Mammographic breast density is a strong risk factor for breast cancer. We comprehensively investigated the associations of body mass index (BMI) change from ages 10, 18, and 30 to age at mammogram with mammographic breast density in postmenopausal women. We used multivariable linear regression models, adjusted for confounders, to investigate the associations of BMI change with volumetric percent density, dense volume, and nondense volume, assessed using Volpara in 367 women. At the time of mammogram, the mean age was 57.9 years. Compared with women who had a BMI gain of 0.1–5 kg/m2 from age 10, women who had a BMI gain of 5.1–10 kg/m2 had a 24.4% decrease [95% confidence interval (CI), 6.0%–39.2%] in volumetric percent density; women who had a BMI gain of 10.1–15 kg/m2 had a 46.1% decrease (95% CI, 33.0%–56.7%) in volumetric percent density; and women who had a BMI gain of >15 kg/m2 had a 56.5% decrease (95% CI, 46.0%–65.0%) in volumetric percent density. Similar, but slightly attenuated associations were observed for BMI gain from ages 18 and 30 to age at mammogram and volumetric percent density. BMI gain over the life course was positively associated with nondense volume, but not dense volume. We observed strong associations between BMI change over the life course and mammographic breast density. The inverse associations between early-life adiposity change and volumetric percent density suggest that childhood adiposity may confer long-term protection against postmenopausal breast cancer via its effect of mammographic breast density.




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Advanced ADC Histogram, Perfusion, and Permeability Metrics Show an Association with Survival and Pseudoprogression in Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma: A Report from the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium [FUNCTIONAL]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma is a lethal childhood brain cancer with dismal prognosis and MR imaging is the primary methodology used for diagnosis and monitoring. Our aim was to determine whether advanced diffusion, perfusion, and permeability MR imaging metrics predict survival and pseudoprogression in children with newly diagnosed diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A clinical trial using the poly (adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor veliparib concurrently with radiation therapy, followed by maintenance therapy with veliparib + temozolomide, in children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma was conducted by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium. Standard MR imaging, DWI, dynamic contrast-enhanced perfusion, and DSC perfusion were performed at baseline and approximately every 2 months throughout treatment. ADC histogram metrics of T2-weighted FLAIR and enhancing tumor volume, dynamic contrast-enhanced permeability metrics for enhancing tumors, and tumor relative CBV from DSC perfusion MR imaging were calculated. Baseline values, post-radiation therapy changes, and longitudinal trends for all metrics were evaluated for associations with survival and pseudoprogression.

RESULTS:

Fifty children were evaluable for survival analyses. Higher baseline relative CBV was associated with shorter progression-free survival (P = .02, Q = 0.089) and overall survival (P = .006, Q = 0.055). Associations of higher baseline mean transfer constant from the blood plasma into the extravascular extracellular space with shorter progression-free survival (P = .03, Q = 0.105) and overall survival (P = .03, Q = 0.102) trended toward significance. An increase in relative CBV with time was associated with shorter progression-free survival (P < .001, Q < 0.001) and overall survival (P = .004, Q = 0.043). Associations of longitudinal mean extravascular extracellular volume fraction with progression-free survival (P = .03, Q = 0.104) and overall survival (P = .03, Q = 0.105) and maximum transfer constant from the blood plasma into the extravascular extracellular space with progression-free survival (P = .03, Q = 0.102) trended toward significance. Greater increases with time were associated with worse outcomes. True radiologic progression showed greater post-radiation therapy decreases in mode_ADC_FLAIR compared with pseudoprogression (means, –268.15 versus –26.11, P = .01.)

CONCLUSIONS:

ADC histogram, perfusion, and permeability MR imaging metrics in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma are useful in predicting survival and pseudoprogression.




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Anoxic Brain Injury Detection with the Normalized Diffusion to ASL Perfusion Ratio: Implications for Blood-Brain Barrier Injury and Permeability [FUNCTIONAL]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Anoxic brain injury is a result of prolonged hypoxia. We sought to describe the nonquantitative arterial spin-labeling perfusion imaging patterns of anoxic brain injury, characterize the relationship of arterial spin-labeling and DWI, and evaluate the normalized diffusion-to-perfusion ratio to differentiate patients with anoxic brain injury from healthy controls.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

We identified all patients diagnosed with anoxic brain injuries from 2002 to 2019. Twelve ROIs were drawn on arterial spin-labeling with coordinate-matched ROIs identified on DWI. Linear regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between arterial spin-labeling perfusion and diffusion signal. Normalized diffusion-to-perfusion maps were generated using a custom-built algorithm.

RESULTS:

Thirty-five patients with anoxic brain injuries and 34 healthy controls were identified. Linear regression analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation between arterial spin-labeling and DWI signal. By means of a combinatory cutoff of slope of >0 and R2 of > 0.78, linear regression using arterial spin-labeling and DWI showed a sensitivity of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.71–0.94) and specificity of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.66–0.92) for anoxic brain injuries. A normalized diffusion-to-perfusion color map demonstrated heterogeneous ratios throughout the brain in healthy controls and homogeneous ratios in patients with anoxic brain injuries.

CONCLUSIONS:

In anoxic brain injuries, a homogeneously positive correlation between qualitative perfusion and DWI signal was identified so that areas of increased diffusion signal showed increased ASL signal. By exploiting this relationship, the normalized diffusion-to-perfusion ratio color map may be a valuable imaging biomarker for diagnosing anoxic brain injury and potentially assessing BBB integrity.




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Polymorphous Low-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor of the Young as a Partially Calcified Intra-Axial Mass in an Adult [RADIOLOGY-PATHOLOGY CORRELATION]

SUMMARY:

Polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumors of the young (PLNTYs) are recently described CNS tumors. Classically, PLNTYs are epileptogenic and are a subtype of a heterogeneous group of low-grade neuroepithelial tumors that cause refractory epilepsy, such as angiocentric gliomas, oligodendrogliomas, gangliogliomas, and pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas. Although they are a relatively new entity, a number of imaging and histologic characteristics of PLNTYs are already known. We present the imaging and pathologic findings of such a tumor as well as the surgical approach and clinical management.




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Sở hữu ngay căn hộ cao cấp giá tốt nhất tại Quy Nhơn Ecolife Riverside

* Khởi công xây dựng: Quý 3 / 2019. * Bàn giao căn hộ: Quý 2 / 2021. * Tầng 1 - Tầng 5: Thương mại, Dịch vụ, tiện ích ngoài trời, bãi giữ xe,.. * Tầng 5 - Tầng 28: Căn hộ ở. * Diện tích căn hộ: 1PN: 33 - 43m2. - 2PN, 2WC: 59m2 - 65m2. - 3PN: Trên 70m2. - Lý do bạn nên đầu tư tại Ecolife Riverside. + Căn hộ chuẩn xanh quốc tế EDGE đầu tiên tại Quy Nhơn. + Mức giá chỉ ...




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Sở hữu căn hộ cao cấp Ecolife Riverside với giá tốt nhất tại trung tâm TP Quy Nhơn

Sở hữu Căn hộ cao cấp Ecolife Riverside với giá tốt nhất tại trung tâm TP Quy Nhơn. Sau chuỗi ngày dài mệt mỏi với bộn bề công việc, được trở về căn hộ Ecolife Riverside đó là một cảm giác thật tuyệt vời. - Căn hộ Ecolife Riverside đạt chuẩn Xanh - EDGE quốc tế tiết kiệm nă...




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Beautiful mini villa for sale. District 12, HCMC, 80m2, price 3.8 bil VND. Call Mr Nam 0914823244

Beautiful mini villa Ground floor: Kitchen, living room, motorcycle parking room, 1 toilet, 1 front yard First floor: 3 bedrooms, 1 toilet. Land area: 80m2 Total usable area: 130m2 Best price: 3.8 Billion VND ...




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Only 1.7 billion for a house near to the university 5x19m, certificate, furnished - 0903049288

Our family need to sell the ground floor of the Trang Dai center. The house is 100m from Nguyen Khuyen street, 150m radius is Dong Nai Technology University, Truong Sa high school, Ha Huy Giap primary school, Hoang kindergarten Yen, Trang Dai market, Thai An parish is 800m away. ...




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Beautiful, clean, mordern room for rent near Tan Son Nhat airport, 3 minutes by motorcycle

The room is beautiful, clean and convenience. On top of that, it nears to the airport. We have free wifi, amenities, modern furniture, elevator, TV. We also have a kitchen shared with everyone. In the kitchen, we have modern equipment for cooking. We have laundry, clothes drier,....




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Identifying real estate investment opportunities post-pandemic

Premier industry experts also share an overview of the first quarter of the year, as well as brief market forecasts.




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12 differences between buying and renting a home

Borrowing money to buy a house or renting it is a normal anxiety of many people who can’t afford a house. Let's take a look at 12 key differences between the two options that Business Insider lists to help you make the right decision:




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Simple repairs make a big difference to your home

You are preparing your home for sale? Don’t forget to make some small repairs since they can make a big difference both in terms of interest levels and offer prices for the home.




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Ramadan 2020 Sehri & Iftar Time Table: 05 मई 2020, जानें सहरी और इफ्तार का समय

Ramadan 2020 Today Sehri & Iftar Time Table : जानिए रमजान में सहरी और इफ्तार का समय




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Ramadan 2020 Sehri & Iftar Time Table: 06 मई 2020, जानें सहरी और इफ्तार का समय

Ramadan 2020 Today Sehri & Iftar Time Table : जानिए रमजान में सहरी और इफ्तार का समय




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Ramadan 2020 Sehri & Iftar Time Table: 07 मई 2020, जानें सहरी और इफ्तार का समय

Ramadan 2020 Today Sehri & Iftar Time Table : जानिए रमजान में सहरी और इफ्तार का समय




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Ramadan 2020 Sehri & Iftar Time Table: 08 मई 2020, जानें सहरी और इफ्तार का समय

Ramadan 2020 Today Sehri & Iftar Time Table : जानिए रमजान में सहरी और इफ्तार का समय





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Ramadan 2020 Sehri & Iftar Time Table: 10 मई 2020, जानें सहरी और इफ्तार का समय

Ramadan 2020 Today Sehri & Iftar Time Table : जानिए रमजान में सहरी और इफ्तार का समय




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Coronavirus in Bihar Sharif: महताब ने जीती कोरोना से जंग, बीमारी का डटकर मुकाबला करने की अपील

जानलेवा महामारी कोरोना वायरस से संक्रमित बिहार के बिहार शरीफ के रहने वाले महताब आलम संक्रमण से मुक्त हो गए हैं।




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Mother's Day Gifts: मातृ दिवस को खास बनाने के लिए मां को दें ये बेहतरीन तोहफा

मदर्स डे के मौके पर मां को स्पेशल फील करवाने का बेहतरीन विकल्प है तोहफा। आप अपनी मां को सरप्राइज गिफ्ट दे सकते हैं। जिन्हें देखकर मां जरुर खुश हो जाएंगी।




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भारत में लॉन्च हुई Jaguar F-Type facelift, जानिए स्पोर्टी कार की कीमत और फीचर्स, सेकेंडों में पकड़ेगी 100 की स्पीड

वायरस महामारी और जारी लॉकडाउन के बीच Jaguar Land Rover ने भारत में चुपचाप अपनी 2020 Jaguar F-Type facelift लॉन्च कर दी है। Jaguar Land Rover कंपनी की गाड़ियों को पसंद करने वाले काफी लोग इसका बेसब्री से इंतजार कर रहे थे।




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Justin Trudeau should lift Canada's economic sanctions now

Ken Stone

On March 23, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed to G20 leaders: "I am encouraging the waiving of (economic) sanctions imposed on countries to ensure access to food, essential health supplies, and COVID-19 medical support. This is the time for solidarity not exclusion ... Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world." At the same time, AP News reported, ambassadors of eight countries currently affected by economic sanctions -- namely, Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Nicaragua, China, Russia and North Korea -- petitioned the secretary-general for "the immediate and complete lifting of those measures to enable nations to respond to the coronavirus pandemic." 

Regrettably, so far the wealthy and powerful countries of the world haven't heeded the secretary-general's call to loosen the screws on the weaker and poorer ones. They also ignored a similar appeal by Pope Francis in his Easter address. On the contrary, President Trump actually weaponized the pandemic by instituting further sanctions on both Iran and Venezuela, countries already targeted for regime change. 

In Canada, however, two peace groups, the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War and le Mouvement Québécois pour la paix, sent an open letter signed by 100 prominent Canadians to Trudeau asking him to lift all of Canada's economic sanctions now. 

Unknown to most Canadians, Trudeau's government maintains economic sanctions regimes against 20 countries of the world, including nine African countries. In fact, under the Harper government in Ottawa in June 2013, Canada co-ordinated economic sanctions for the U.S.-led coalition of countries participating in the regime change operation against Syria. Similarly, under the Trudeau government, Canada helped lead the Lima Group in organizing multilateral sanctions against Venezuela. 

Canada typically applies five types of sanctions: arms embargoes, asset freezes, import-export restrictions, financial prohibitions and technical assistance prohibitions. Not all sanctioned countries feel the full weight of all five. However, some countries do: Iran, Syria, North Korea and Libya. 

The effect on the targeted country is crippling. The first result is usually a drastic decline in its currency's value, which translates into ordinary people being unable to put food on the table for their children. Then follow other crises for working people: unemployment due to closing markets for the country's exports and the inability to get spare parts; inability to receive payments from relatives abroad because the international banking system excludes the targeted country; the closing down of whole industries, such as tourism, because access to credit cards or even air access to national airports, as in the case of Syria, is turned off by the sanctioners.

Supporters will point out that sanction regimes generally exclude food and medical supplies. However, international trade requires financing through banks which are subject to penalties in the U.S., for example for trading with Iran, even though the participating bank may be domiciled in a country that has lifted its sanctions on Iran. This practice by the U.S. is called extraterritoriality.

Some have likened economic sanctions to acts of war and compared them to sieges of medieval towns in which the besiegers hope to make life so difficult for the besieged that they rise up against their feudal lords and open the gates. The comparison isn't far off since the brunt of sanctions aren't felt so much by the targeted countries' ruling elites but rather their civilian populations. A monstrous example was the decade of UN sanctions against Iraq between the First and Second Gulf Wars. Between 1992 and 2000, 500,000 Iraqi children perished from lack of food and medicines. But Madeleine Albright, former U.S. secretary of state in the Clinton administration, famously quipped that it was "worth it."  It was worth it to Albright because sanctions were part of U.S. foreign policy to soften up Iraq in preparation for the Anglo-American invasion and occupation of 2003 which continues today.

Notably, coercive economic measures are not levelled against U.S. client states, no matter the enormity of their crimes. Israel, which turned Gaza into the world’s largest open air prison and is annexing the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia, which wages a bloody war on Yemen and murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, don't worry about sanctions.

Under international law, economic sanctions are acts of war. That's why the UN charter restricts the power to level sanctions exclusively to the UN Security Council. That also explains why Canada's unilateral sanctions against 19 countries are illegal. Only in the case of North Korea are Canada's regime of a full spectrum of coercive measures explicable under international law.

While Trudeau tries to play the competent caring leader in his daily COVID-19 press conferences, he cannot ignore the damage he is doing to the efforts to fight the novel coronavirus in 20 of the world's poorest countries, and indeed to the global effort.

Ken Stone is a longtime peace, social justice, labour, anti-racist and environmental activist-resident in Hamilton, Ontario. He is treasurer of the Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War and executive member of the Syria Solidarity Movement.

Image: CanadianPM/Video Screenshot/Twitter




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Ignoring plea from UN, Justin Trudeau refuses to lift sanctions on poor nations during pandemic

These days, any national leader not actively urging their citizens to drink disinfectant is managing to look (relatively) good on the world stage.

Certainly, compared to the neurotic leadership south of the border, Justin Trudeau has emerged as a steady hand on the tiller, quickly providing Canadians with a wide economic safety net and behaving like an adult in the crisis.

So it's all the more disappointing that, out of the limelight, he's doing a great deal to make the situation worse during this pandemic for some of the most vulnerable people on the planet.

I'm referring to the prime minister's decision to ignore a plea last month from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres -- and the Pope -- for nations to lift sanctions against other nations in order to help some of the weakest and poorest countries cope with the coronavirus crisis.

That sounds like a reasonable request, under the circumstances.

Indeed, even if we don't care about the world's vulnerable people, helping them deal with the crisis is in our interests too. As the UN leader noted: "Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world."

Yet Canada, ignoring the plea from the UN's highest official, continues in the midst of the pandemic to impose sanctions on 20 nations, including Lebanon, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Nicaragua and Yemen.

While Canada's sanctions are typically aimed at punishing the regimes running these countries, the impact of the sanctions falls primarily on ordinary citizens, according to Atif Kubursi, professor emeritus of economics at McMaster University.

Kubursi, who also served as a UN under-secretary-general and has extensive UN experience in the Middle East and Asia, says the impact of Canada's sanctions on the people in these countries is devastating.

While the sanctions often appear to be directed exclusively at military items, they frequently end up being applied to virtually all goods -- including spare parts needed to operate machinery in hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, notes Kubursi, who signed a letter from prominent Canadians to Trudeau requesting the lifting of sanctions.

For instance, if a Syrian businessman wants to buy Canadian products, he has to open an account for the transaction. But Kubursi says the Canadian government instructs Canadian banks not to allow such accounts for the purposes of trade with Syria -- no matter how benign the Canadian product may be, or how urgently it might be needed in Syria.

For that matter, Ottawa's sanctions prevent Canadians from using our banks or financial services to transfer money to Syria -- for instance, to family members living in Syria.

The impact of sanctions, while always painful, is particularly deadly during the pandemic, when even advanced nations have struggled to obtain life-saving equipment.

While Canada's sanctions mostly date back to the Harper era or earlier, the Trudeau government has generally maintained them and even added new ones against Venezuela.

Ottawa's sanctions appear primarily aimed at appeasing the U.S., which ruthlessly enforces sanctions against regimes it wishes to destabilize or overthrow. Washington also punishes countries and companies that don't co-operate with its sanctions.

Ottawa's willingness to fall in line behind Washington is reflected in the fact it doesn't impose sanctions against U.S allies Saudi Arabia or Israel, despite Saudi Arabia's brutal murder of dissident Jamal Khashoggi and Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank. Even Israel's announcement that it plans to annex the West Bank in July has produced no sanctions or criticism from Canada.

Trudeau's decision to continue sanctioning 20 nations seems quite out of sync with the spirit of the times, when it's hard to find a TV commercial that doesn't proclaim the sentiment that "we're all in this together."

That spirit of international togetherness has been amply demonstrated by Cuba, which sent Cuban doctors to Italy to help its overwhelmed health care system and has offered similar medical help to First Nations in Canada.

When 36 Cuban doctors arrived in Milan last month, a grateful Italy thanked them and Italians at the airport cheered.

Meanwhile, Canada, in the spirit of the international togetherness, rebuffs Cuban doctors, ignores the UN and imposes sanctions on some of the world's poorest nations.

Linda McQuaig is an author and journalist. This column, which appeared in The Toronto Star, is based on research from her new book The Sport & Prey of Capitalists.

Image: CanadianPM/Video Screenshot/Twitter

May 8, 2020




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Jarvis: The call to prayer, beautiful and haunting

The sun set Thursday, and a deep, melodious voice began from a loudspeaker at Windsor Mosque. “God is great,” Imam Mohamed Al-Jammali sang in Arabic. It was the athan, the Islamic call to prayer. The same words have summoned faithful Muslims around the world daily for centuries. It was beautiful and haunting. It was over […]




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Electrified artificial skin can feel exactly where it is touched

Orange-coloured gel has been made into artificial skin that can be 3D printed in any shape and detect human touch – one day it could help robots feel




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A fingerprint can show if someone has taken cocaine or just touched it

A person who has ingested cocaine will excrete a compound that can be detected from a single fingerprint, even if they have washed their hands




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What would our lives be like if Amazon or Tinder ran an entire city?

A sci-fi collection explores extreme corporate futures, such as a Tinder-run city where you can swipe left or right for everything from sex to teachers




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UK plans to regulate the internet won't make much difference at all

The UK government has announced plans to police content on platforms like YouTube and Facebook, but it won't be able to do more than the social networks are already doing




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Cyborg grasshoppers have been engineered to sniff out explosives

The super-sensitive smelling ability of American grasshoppers has been used to create biological bomb sniffers, which could prove useful for security purposes




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Gamifying hate: How alt-right extremists recruit and mobilise online

Julia Ebner infiltrated the hidden forums that extremists use. Her experiences lay bare how they hijack social media and video games to spread hate – and how to beat them




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AI can pick out specific odours from a combination of smells

An AI can detect the presence of smells and even distinguish between scents like ammonia or carbon monoxide, which could be useful for detecting hazardous odours




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Artificial leaves made from aluminium could keep windows frost-free

In winter, the veins of leaves don’t get completely covered in frost. Mimicking this effect could be the best way to create ice-resistant surfaces




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How DeepMind's artificial intelligence is reinventing the eye exam

Join Pearse Keane to find out why the NHS is collaborating with AI company DeepMind and how deep learning could transform ophthalmology




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Experiment Shows Some Life Can Survive in Exoplanet-Like Conditions

These findings suggest that scientists may need to broaden their definition of what a life-supporting planet might look like.




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Calculator Hacked for Cheating Includes a Secret OLED Screen, Wifi, and Even a Chat Function

But can you still write "BOOBS" on it?




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Bioluminescent Waves Draw Crowds to California Beaches

It’s quite the spectacle, but the light show is leading people to be less than cautious about social distancing.




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Prepare for Sex and Dating to Get Even More Complicated Once the Lockdown Lifts

Mario Tama/Getty

For the past two months, Katie Holliday has been cooped up alone in her Brooklyn apartment thinking longingly about an unlikely erogenous zone: the lower half of a stranger’s face. 

“I remember joking to my friend before all of this started, ‘Imagine if someone’s face becomes their most coveted body part?’” Holliday, who is 31, told The Daily Beast. “‘When someone removes their mask, is it a sign of trust? Is it like letting someone see you naked?’ I was kidding back then, but now it’s reality.”

Holliday doesn’t know exactly when it will be safe to start seeing people like she did before the pandemic began, but she’ll return to a singles scene unlike any other in history. “I’m picturing walking into a bar where everyone’s wearing masks,” she said. “I’ll meet someone whose face is covered. Are they cute or not? I don’t know!” 

Read more at The Daily Beast.



  • Arts and Culture

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Telstra Just Quietly Rolled Out SMS Over Wifi

Over the past week we have been hearing about issues that some rural Australians are having installing the COVIDSafe app. This is because Telstra, unlike Vodafone and Optus, didn't have SMS over Wifi, which prevented 2FA texts from being received by people who don't have mobile phone reception. Importantly, is an issue that also impacts other 2FA SMS as well as emergency texts. During our investigation into this Telstra started quietly rolling the feature out. More »
    




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Best Gadget Gifts For Mum This Mother's Day

With Mother's Day right around the corner, there's still time to book in a last minute gift. It's 2020 and all the best gifts are basically gadgets now so here's our roundup to help you out. More »
    




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Best Iso Experiences To Gift Mum On Mother's Day

There's only a few days left before Mother's Day and if you've forgotten to pop in online orders, it's probably a little too late now. Don't fret because the internet is a wonderful place and can serve up a number of experiences you can buy mum instantly without having to resort on physical deliveries. Here's the best experiences you can gift your mum this Mother's Day. More »
    




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Meeting the NASA Mars rover that might find life on the Red Planet

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover will search for signs of life on Mars, and New Scientist’s Leah Crane visited it in the clean room where it is being assembled




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Jill Tarter: The hunt for alien life is only just beginning

We may not have found alien life yet, but new methods and the discovery of exoplanets and extreme life on Earth is revolutionising the hunt, says the doyenne of SETI research




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NASA's next Mars rover is called Perseverance and will search for life

Out of 28,000 suggestions, NASA selected the name Perseverance for its Mars 2020 rover, which will search for signs of life on the Red Planet




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Solar flares and cosmic rays may make Proxima b warm enough for life

Proxima Centauri b, a planet orbiting our nearest stellar neighbour, is being blasted with cosmic rays and solar flares – which could make it warm enough to host life