Buying and selling to themselves would have no impact on their...

Buying and selling to themselves would have no impact on their profitability, the net effect is zero (minus
brokerage and interest). It wouldn't even be possible really, they can't buy the shares from themselves anymore because naturally they've already sold when they went short. They are reliant on shareholders selling, which doesn't appear likely anymore at these prices.

I am aware that there are all these conspiracy theories on HotCopper about shorters controlling the world, but they really don't control anything. They're punters betting that a share price will go down, gambling on pretty bad odds as well. They did well the past year or so, mainly due to healthcare stocks generally taking a big hit and a lack of patience amongst investors in CUV, but it definitely seems like things have taken a rapid U-turn. Healthcare stocks are coming back fast, and CUV has put its foot on the accelerator, buying back shares and moving seemingly a lot faster now with its clinical and cosmetic programs.