October 2025: Volume 10 Issue 1

In 2021, the McCaig Institute for Bone & Joint Health launched the “Mobility For Life” (M4L) Project during the COVID-19 pandemic with the objective of improving the mobility and wellness of Albertans. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to provide insight regarding the health of Albertans during the pandemic focusing on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, mood, pain and quality of life parameters, and to compare the differences between ‘Lockdown’ and ‘Post-lockdown’ groups. Between February and December 2021, 197 adults enrolled in the M4L cohort and completed an online intake questionnaire. In addition to demographics, the following validated questionnaires were used to characterize the cohort: the Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire (SCQ), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), The EuroQol Group 5 Dimension 5 Level (EQ-5D-5L), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) for pain and physical function. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistics. Overall, participants spent 2.57 hours per day being active and 2.12 hours per day sitting, and rated their current health as 85 out of 100. The results also indicated that most participants experienced normal to mild levels of depression and minimal or mild anxiety based on PHQ-9 and GAD-7 results; however, 15.5% of respondents had moderate or severe depression, while 3.4% of respondents had moderate or severe anxiety. The cohort scored similar to the population average for the PROMIS questionnaires, indicating that even though participants were experiencing the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on daily life, their perception of pain and physical function was not very different from the population average. With the exception of ethnicity, there were no statistical differences between the ‘Lockdown and ‘Post-lockdown’ groups. Our results suggest most Albertans were not anxious or depressed and were meeting aerobic physical activity requirements during the pandemic.

Microplastics are primarily produced from the fragmentation of larger plastic materials via physical, chemical, or biological means to eventually be carried by wind and water to marine environments, such as estuaries. As a result, in these microplastic sinks, the concentration of microplastics accumulated in sediments depends on grain size, such that microplastics are deposited with similarly sized grains. Ultimately, sampling in microplastic sinks provides information about microplastic retention. Samples were collected from Craig Bay, British Columbia, Canada, to determine if different energy levels within depositional environments
affect the accumulation and retention of microplastics. Samples were split into three subsets: one subset was sifted through various sieves to determine grain size distributions and dominant grain size; a second subset was used to determine organic matter content; and, the third was used for microplastic extraction using density floatation and enzyme digestion. Although the study showed no relationship between grain size and microplastic concentration, samples closest to the tidal channel contained fewer microplastics, suggesting that higher energy environments may be less likely to retain microplastics. Although the sample size was insufficient to confirm whether a correlation between microplastics and sediment exists, this study evaluated two analytical methods and developed a workflow that can be applied to future sample sets. A larger sample size from various locations may provide insight into other factors that affect microplastic retention and quantity, such as energy levels and proximity to urban areas. This research is part of a new and emerging research area within sedimentology that focuses on the correlation between sediments and microplastics.

Black and female individuals are systemically undertreated for pain. While studies on racial biases in pain care have predominantly focused on the effects of between-race differences, few have considered the potential role of racial stereotypicality (how closely an individual resembles “typical” features of their race). Past research demonstrates that Black individuals perceived to be higher in racial stereotypicality face significant disadvantages in various domains, such as criminal justice and education, due to stronger associations with negative racial stereotypes. Findings suggest that stereotypicality may also have implications for healthcare. Therefore, the present study used a 2 (Racial Stereotypicality: Less Stereotypically Black vs. More Stereotypically Black) × 2 (Gender: Male vs. Female) between-subjects design to investigate how targets’ racial stereotypicality and gender influence lay perceivers’ pain perception, empathy, and treatment decisions. Furthermore, this study examined the relationships between perceivers’ perceptions of targets’ trustworthiness and attractiveness and their empathy toward targets. In an online experiment on Qualtrics, participants (N = 233) were randomly assigned to view one of four medical vignettes, each containing a photo insurance card, medical chart, and pain rating. Participants then rated the target’s pain, indicated how likely they would be to recommend a series of treatments for the target, completed a measure of empathic concern toward the target, and rated the target’s trustworthiness and attractiveness. Racial stereotypicality and gender did not significantly affect perceived pain, empathy, and most treatment decisions. However, perceivers’ empathy was positively correlated with targets’ perceived trustworthiness and attractiveness. This study provides a valuable starting point for further investigation into the role of racial stereotypicality and gender in pain care. Future research with working clinicians and advanced analyses are essential to deepening our understanding of the complexities of pain care disparities, and ultimately, achieving equitable pain care.

Bulimia nervosa (BN) presents significant psychological, behavioural, and physical challenges, often co-occurring with psychiatric conditions such as depression, PTSD, and ADHD, which can worsen prognosis and psychosocial functioning. This narrative review explores the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy for bulimia nervosa (CBT-BN) as an evidence-based treatment, contrasting its rapid symptom improvement with traditional approaches like psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Studies consistently show that CBT-BN offers substantial reductions in binge eating and purging within a short treatment duration, making it an efficient and effective intervention. Key to its success is the structured targeting of dietary restraint and cognitive distortions that drive the binge-purge cycle. Group CBT also emerges as a promising, cost-effective alternative with comparable efficacy to individual CBT, suggesting potential for broader accessibility. Despite the positive outcomes, access to specialized CBT-BN practitioners remains limited, underscoring the need for scalable models such as group therapy. This review highlights CBT-BN’s potential as a comprehensive, impactful approach that addresses primary and secondary symptoms of BN and offers enduring benefits for affected individuals.

The focus of this article is to understand the social perspectives of end-of-life care within the South Asian community in Western countries such as the UK, through the influence of spiritual and faithbased approaches, cultural norms, family relationships, and community experiences in healthcare settings. In this paper, South Asian’s perspectives of end-of-life care will be conceptualized using Corr’s (1992) task-based approach to coping with dying (Copp, 1998). This approach helps understand how coping with dying takes various forms and outcomes, going beyond understanding the experiences of a dying person as well as the effects on family and carers (Copp, 1998). This model’s consideration for family and carers is important, especially when understanding their involvement in decision-making during end-of-life care for older adults. The aspects of this approach that will be utilized are the four primary areas of coping with dying: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual (Copp, 1998). Each area of this model can be applied to the ways that the South Asian community perceives end-of-life care and is inclusive of all the different challenges that may be faced during this phase.

Our experience with food extends beyond taste alone. All our senses play a part in the enjoyment and perception of food. This narrative review aims to discuss the contributions of orthonasal olfaction, audition, haptics, thermoception, and vision to the multisensory perceptions and enjoyment of food. Smells impact food enjoyment by enhancing specific flavours and triggering appetite. Ambient sounds, as well as sounds made during food consumption, affect the experience and enjoyment of eating. The feeling of food in the mouth, including its spice, contributes to the enhancement of the eating experience. Visual cues such as food arrangement and colour, as well as ambiance, make an important contribution to the aesthetic satisfaction, food preferences, and enjoyment. These senses also interact with each other to create new expectations. For example, scents are perceived more intensely if a beverage is coloured, which in turn affects the perceived intensity of taste. Understanding how senses interact to influence the eating experiences provides valuable insights into what affects food enjoyment.