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☆ 4 Iranians charged in scheme to hack US agencies and defense contractors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —US prosecutors on Tuesday announced charges against four Iranian men for a sprawling hacking campaign that targeted US federal agencies and sensitive data held by American defense contractors. It was not immediately clear whether the departments of State or Treasury networks were successfully hacked in the campaign. In the indictment unsealed Tuesday, Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Alireza Shafie Nasab and Komeil Baradaran Salmani were charged with wire and computer fraud, among other charges. Nasab had been charged in a previous indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York in February. Prosecutors accused three of the men of working for a front company in Iran that purported to offer cybersecurity services.

Persons: ” Damian Williams, Hacking, Christopher Wray, Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Shafie, Baradaran Salmani, Nasab, General Merrick Garland Organizations: CNN, US State, Treasury, Pentagon, of, Southern, State, Boston Children’s Hospital, Justice Department, Prosecutors, Treasury Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, State Department, Iranian, United Nations Locations: Southern, of New York, US, Iran, Boston, Tehran

☆ Daddy Longlegs Have Been Hiding Extra Eyes From Us
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Veronique Greenwood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Guilherme Gainett, then a biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was looking through a microscope at the embryo of a daddy longlegs when he saw it — or, rather, saw them. Daddy longlegs, the group of splendidly leggy arachnids also known as harvestmen, have been thought to have just two eyes. Arachnids include spiders, scorpions, harvestmen and other arthropods, and divining the relationships among this sprawling group of organisms is tricky. For the current study, Dr. Gainett used fluorescent tags to study the development of harvestman eyes. These findings suggest that the neural architecture that handles the daddy longlegs’ vision may be quite old.

Persons: Guilherme Gainett, Daddy longlegs, Gainett, Prashant Sharma Organizations: University of Wisconsin, Boston Children’s Hospital Locations: Madison

☆ REDs: These young athletes were bound for stardom until a mysterious condition derailed their running careers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

CNN —They were two exceptionally promising athletes, seemingly bound for track and field stardom, when their careers were derailed by a condition that doctors and researchers say they are only now beginning to understand. ‘Instituional buy-in’REDs’ symptoms can affect anyone, particularly athletes training in a culture that celebrates overtraining and undereating – or that has an unhealthy relationship with weight. Eventually, her blog morphed into Project RED-S – a site filled with resources for athletes, coaches and supporters. Access to “dietician input … and appropriate psychological support if it’s needed,” can also help prevent and treat REDs, Dr. Jawad says. Woolven’s Project RED-S aims to provide that support she lacked and initiatives like this allow Cain to envision a future that “looks really bright.”“I’m hopeful,” Cain says.

Persons: CNN —, Mary Cain, Pippa Woolven, Martin Rickett, ” Dr, Farrah Jawad, wouldn’t, Dr, Kathryn Ackerman, Cain, Woolven, you’re, ”, “, Eric Draper, marathoner Alberto Salazar, “ It’s, you’re undereating, Salazar, Women’s, ” Salazar, Jessica Rinaldi, ” Cain’s, Dave Thompson, ” accidently, ‘ Instituional, Ackerman, ‘, Nobody, Jawad, Matt Dunham, “ it’s, ” Cain Organizations: CNN, Championships, Florida State University, REDs, British Universities, Colleges Sports, Pure Sports, CNN Sport, IOC, Harvard Medical School, Sports Medicine Division, Boston Children’s Hospital, Nike Oregon Project, Reuters, The New York Times, Nike, Oregonian, Oregon Project, Sports, Doping Agency, New York Times, Florida State, ’ REDs, Health, New, National Trust, Atalanta NYC Locations: London, British, Tallahassee, “, America, ”

Dorsey-Hollins followed school guidelines and kept her home when she had a cough or a sore throat — or worse — until she was completely better. During the pandemic, schools urged parents and children to stay home at any sign of illness. Fort Worth Independent School District, where Dorsey-Hollins’ youngest daughter attends kindergarten, advises staying home if a child has a cough, sore throat or rash. Some schools in San Diego County seem unaware of California's new guidance allowing kids to attend school while mildly sick, said Tracy Schmidt, who oversees attendance for the county Office of Education. It gives her hope that as more schools and parents learn about this guidance, students will miss less school.

Persons: Trenace Dorsey, Hollins, Dorsey, “, ”, Hedy Chang, ” Chang, Hollins ’, can’t, Claire McCarthy, McCarthy, “ It’s, Malika Elwin, she’s, haven’t, who’ve, Noha Aboelata, Tracy Schmidt Organizations: The American Academy of Pediatrics, Fort Worth Independent School District, Austin Independent School District, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, CDC, Boston Public Schools, Roots Community Health Center, of Education, Associated Press Locations: Fort Worth , Texas, California, Texas, New York City, Montgomery, Boston, Long, Oakland , California, San Diego County, AP.org

☆ Illicit Iranian programs targeted by sanctions and criminal charges, US says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Michael Conte | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Washington CNN —The US announced a number of measures including sanctions and criminal charges targeting a range of malicious Iranian initiatives, including their cyberwarfare and drone programs, as well as Iran’s alleged illegal oil trafficking to fund foreign terrorist organizations. Earlier in the day, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against several Iran- and Hong Kong-based companies for allegedly supporting Iran’s drone program and missile production. The three alleged front companies in Hong Kong and an Iranian subsidiary allegedly obtained components, such as engines and carburetors, for Iran’s drone program. Treasury also announced sanctions targeting the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber–Electronic Command and five other senior officials for alleged cyberattacks against critical infrastructure in the US and other countries. That’s a reference to a series of hacks that defaced computers at multiple water utilities in the US in November.

Persons: Biden, ”, General Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, Brian Nelson, Matthew Miller, That’s, ” John Hultquist, Mandiant, CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz Organizations: Washington CNN, US, Justice Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Department, DOJ, FBI, Treasury Department, Treasury, Terrorism, Financial, Command, Google, CNN, Boston Children’s Hospital Locations: Iran, Jordan, Omani, ”, Washington ,, United States, Hong Kong, Iranian, Israel, Boston, Tehran

☆ The tween skin care craze: What is actually worth it?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“ The most preventive skin care product that anyone can use is sunscreen,” she added. That is why it might not be the best idea to try to curb a tween or teen’s skin care obsession by saying, “You shouldn’t care so much about skin care,” Hida said. It is also important to keep an eye on whether an interest in skin care is a normal part of self-exploration or a sign of deeper issues. Families are the experts on their kids, Hida said, and she suggests looking for signs like fixated worry over appearance or a rigid skin care regimen. Skin care itself isn’t concerning, but how a person responds to it is what determines whether it is healthy or not, Hida said.

Persons: CNN — Tweens, aren’t, “, Dr, Jodi Ganz, ”, Rahma, Javon Ford, “ We’ve, Jessica Weiser, Weiser, Ford, ” Weiser, Ganz, tweens, “ That’s, they’ve, ” Hida, Hida, ” Ganz Organizations: CNN, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, Los Angeles, New York

☆ Israel’s cyber defense chief tells CNN he is concerned Iran could increase severity of its cyberattacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

So far, suspected Iranian hackers appear to have had minimal impact on their publicly claimed targets in Israel in the last month. But Portnoy said those hackers have been relatively quiet in the latest Israel-Hamas war (Israeli airstrikes have decimated internet infrastructure in Gaza.) “There is a gap between their [cyber] capabilities and their rhetoric,” the official told CNN, referring to Iran-backed hackers. “Even the successful, real cyberattacks are probably not going to be about the actual attack,” John Hultquist, Mandiant’s chief analyst, told CNN. This campaign is “maybe the most sophisticated we have seen from Iran on a technological level,” Sergey Shykevich, threat intelligence group manager at Check Point, told CNN.

Persons: “, ”, Gaby Portnoy, ” Portnoy, Portnoy, –, Christopher Wray, ” Wray, ” Eric Goldstein, CrowdStrike, ” John Hultquist, “ It’s, Solomon, Israel, Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike’s, ” Meyers, Sergey Shykevich Organizations: CNN, Israel National Cyber Directorate, Lebanese, Hezbollah, Palo Alto Networks, Hamas, Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI, Boston Children’s Hospital, ” CNN, Iranian, United Nations, “, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, East, Iranian, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, –, Palo, Gaza, Palestine, China, Russia

☆ F.D.A. Experts Will Vote on Safety of a Cure for Sickle Cell Disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Gina Kolata | More About Gina Kolata | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

An estimated 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease, most of whom have African ancestry. will decide on another application for sickle cell gene therapy made by Bluebird Bio. Two other companies and an academic center, Boston Children’s Hospital, are testing their own sickle cell gene therapies. While these therapies could reduce the suffering of sickle cell patients in the United States and other wealthy countries, there is an even greater need for them in some developing countries like Nigeria. One company, Beam, is testing a way to provide gene editing that requires nothing more than a single infusion in a doctor’s office.

Persons: “, Mariah Jacqueline Scott, Scott, ”, Stephan Grupp, What’s Organizations: Institute for Clinical, CRISPR Therapeutics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Bluebird, Boston Children’s Hospital Locations: United States, Highland Park, N.J, Boston, Nigeria

☆ Nearly 4 in 10 Toddlers Diagnosed With Autism No Longer Have It by Age 6
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter(HealthDay)MONDAY, Oct. 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Not all children diagnosed with autism as toddlers continue to have that diagnosis once they reach elementary school, a new study shows. The children in the study received a diagnosis between 12 months and 36 months of age, and received community-based interventions. They then had a research diagnosis assessment at age 5 to 7 years, between August 2018 and January 2022. Other researchers have suggested a turning point around [age] 6 where children no longer have the symptoms,” Harstad said. More informationThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on autism spectrum disorder.

Persons: Cara Murez HealthDay, ”, Elizabeth Harstad, “, ” Harstad, Alycia Halladay, Halladay, that's, ” Halladay Organizations: Boston Children’s Hospital, Harstad, Autism Science Foundation, ”, U.S . Centers for Disease Control Locations: Boston, ” Harstad, Harstad, Scarsdale, MD, N.Y

☆ What We Know About Children and Opioids
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Benjamin Mueller | More About Benjamin Mueller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

How can children be exposed? It is not clear how the children at the Bronx day care might have come into contact with any drugs. But nearly all cases of children being exposed to opioids involved their ingesting the drug, a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics in 2019 found. The study looked at more than 80,000 records of children under 18 who had been exposed to drugs containing an opioid over a five-year period. The study found that roughly 99 percent of the exposures involved children orally ingesting it.

Persons: Narcan, Dr, Sharon Levy, Levy Organizations: Boston Children’s, Pediatrics Locations: Boston

☆ How being a mom changes the game for elite tennis players
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Eryn Mathewson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

If she’s successful, Wozniacki, 33, would join a short list of mothers who have reached the finals of a grand slam, or won. But the rule limits how many grand slams players can enter, something that tennis pro Taylor Townsend of Chicago would like to see changed. No matter what level of income a player earns, the training required to compete and win at the elite level in tennis is intense. “It’s certainly hard enough to win a grand slam without having a child going, ‘Mom, when are you coming back?’ ” Stubbs told CNN. “Serena … I think she wanted to win the grand slam as a mom more than anything,” she said.

Persons: Caroline Wozniacki’s, Tatiana Prozorova, Petra Kvitová, Jennifer Brady, Coco Gauff, —, Wozniacki, “, ”, ‘, she’s, Serena Williams, Olympia, Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki, Jada, Australia’s Margaret Court, Naomi Osaka, Terry Holladay, Taylor Townsend, Townsend, Rennae Stubbs, “ It’s, ’ ” Stubbs, Karolina Pliskova, “ Serena …, Christine Stromberg, She’s, Kate Ackerman, Wu Tsai, ” Ackerman Organizations: New, New York CNN, Vogue Magazine, Queens, Women’s Tennis Association, WTA, ESPN, CNN, Professional Tennis Operations, Services, Harvard University Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital Locations: New York, Russian, Czech, Florida, Belgian, Chicago

☆ Three Vaccines for Fall: What You Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Most Americans have had one or more shots of the flu and Covid vaccines. Federal health officials are hoping that widespread use of these three vaccines will head off another “tripledemic” of respiratory illnesses, like the one seen last winter. Here’s what he and other experts say about who should receive which vaccines, and when. What respiratory illnesses are coming our way? are all likely to resurge this fall, but exactly when and how much damage they will do are unknown.

Persons: ”, Ofer Levy Organizations: Boston Children’s Hospital, Food and Drug Administration Locations: hospitalizations

☆ Federal Officials Hatch a Three-Pronged Defense Against Another ‘Tripledemic’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To prevent a repeat of last winter’s “tripledemic” of respiratory illnesses, Americans will be encouraged to roll up their sleeves not just for flu shots but for two other vaccines, one of them entirely new. Federal health officials have already asked manufacturers to produce reformulated Covid vaccines to be distributed later this year. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took an additional step, endorsing two new vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus for older Americans. The three shots — flu, Covid and R.S.V. But there are uncertainties about how the vaccines are best administered, who is most likely to benefit, and what the risks may be.

Persons: ”, Ofer Levy Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Boston Children’s Hospital, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Federal

☆ Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Parenting in the era of ubiquitous screens and social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Dr. Sanjay Gupta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Other moves include laws that aim to tighten regulations on social media platforms in general, like those recently enacted by Arkansas and Utah. They are more likely to lie on their beds and scroll through endless social media feeds. Nowadays, she tells me, many teenagers feel an obligation to be on social media, or they will feel left behind. Lembke, who had her own struggles with problematic media use, told me, “Ten years from now, social media will not be what it is today. How to talk about screentimeNot sure how to start a conversation with your kids about internet and social media use?

☆ How to Help a Teen Who Can’t Sleep
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Catherine Pearson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With packed schedules, school days that kick off at 8 a.m. and the lure of screens, it’s little wonder that many adolescents in the United States don’t get enough sleep. And more than one in five adolescents grapple with insomnia, characterized by problems falling asleep, staying asleep or getting sufficient quality sleep (or some combination thereof). “There are two basic things that happen” when teens hit puberty, said Dr. Judith Owens, the director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital. “The first is that there’s a shift in their natural circadian rhythms, so their natural fall asleep time and wake time shift later — by up to a couple of hours. The second thing that happens is their sleep drive slows.” So not only do adolescents want to stay up later, but their bodies are actually capable of doing so, she explained.

☆ TikTok to set one-hour daily screen time limit by default for users under 18
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —TikTok announced Wednesday that every user under 18 will soon have their accounts default to a one-hour daily screen time limit, in one of the most aggressive moves yet by a social media company to prevent teens from endlessly scrolling. Teenage TikTok users will be able to turn off this new default setting, which will roll out in the coming weeks. The move comes after TikTok and other social media platforms have faced years of scrutiny over their impact on young users, including their potential to lead teens down harmful rabbit holes. TikTokKeenan added that if a teen decides to turn off this new default limit and spends more than 100 minutes on TikTok a day, they will be prompted to set a daily screen time limit for themselves. Parents will be able to filter videos with words or hashtags they don’t want to appear in their teen’s feed, set a custom daily screen time limit for their teen, and set a custom schedule to mute TikTok notifications sent to their teen.

A key adviser to the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine panel is questioning whether more Covid booster shots are necessary for healthy, younger people. The FDA later backed the vaccine panel, authorizing a new formulation of the booster shots. “The people who are talking about why young people need it are missing the point,” he said, referring to the booster. Levy, the director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, continues to encourage Covid boosters for everyone who is eligible. Relatively few people in the U.S. have had updated boosters.

☆ Why detransitioners are crucial to the science of gender care
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +43 min

A Canadian health provider said it couldn’t participate, citing recent threats to hospitals offering youth gender care. But as Reuters found, hard evidence on long-term outcomes for the rising numbers of people who received gender treatment as minors is very weak. Dr Marianne van der Loos, the Dutch study’s lead author, is a physician at Amsterdam University Medical Center’s Center for Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, a pioneer in gender care for adolescents. For those who also received medical treatment, detransitioning typically includes halting the hormone therapy they otherwise would receive for years. One is Max Robinson, who was 16 when she sought gender care at Kaiser in 2012.

☆ POTS, a debilitating heart condition, is linked to Covid and, to a lesser degree, vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Research published Monday has confirmed a link between a Covid infection and a debilitating heart condition called POTS, or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, that has been diagnosed in some patients with long Covid. POTS was also linked, to a lesser degree, to Covid vaccination with an mRNA vaccine, according to the new study. He also said that the link between POTS and Covid vaccination needs to be confirmed with further studies. Other vaccines have also been linked to POTS in early accounts, but further research did not establish a causal link. The link between an infection — including Covid — and POTS, however, is more well-established.

☆ Period underwear FAQS — answered
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Period underwear has grown popular over the past few years for several reasons. Period underwear brands offer a variety of absorbencies since people have different flows. Does period underwear affect symptoms and period length? Some people on social media platforms and product reviews have reported a lighter flow or shorter period while wearing period underwear. “People should be able to access and use whatever type of period management tools that work best for them, including period underwear,” Brandi said.

☆ Texas man charged with threatening Boston doctor who provides transgender care
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Phil-Helsel-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Phil Helsel | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A Texas man was arrested Friday and charged with threatening to kill a Boston doctor who provides care to transgender people, federal prosecutors said. The threats on Aug. 31 targeting a doctor affiliated with a Boston healthcare education center came after “inaccurate information spread online” about Boston Children’s Hospital and transgender care, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said. Boston’s Children Hospital is home to the Gender Multispecialty Service, which provides care to transgender and gender-diverse adolescents. Several children’s hospitals, most notably Boston Children’s, were targeted by of a far-right harassment campaign, led by led by anti-trans influencers with millions of collective followers. The FBI in court documents called it a sustained campaign that falsely alleged pedophilia or "grooming" against Boston Children's Hospital, and there have been death threats and threats of mass casualty attacks.

☆ America’s gun epidemic is deadlier than ever, and there are vast disparities in who’s dying
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The researchers found that firearm mortality rates increased for most demographic groups in recent years – especially during the pandemic – and vast disparities persisted. With infant mortality in the United States, when you look at Black infants versus White infants, there’s over a two-fold (difference in) mortality rate. There are two key factors driving community gun violence, says Jonathan Jay, an assistant professor at Boston University School of Public Health: disadvantage at the neighborhood level and exposure to gun violence at the individual level. “Gun violence is most likely in spaces that show signs of physical disinvestment. The gun suicide rate increased 10% while the non-gun suicide rate decreased by 8%, and the gun homicide rate increased 45% while the non-gun homicide rate increased only 6%.

☆ After the Colorado Springs attack, LGBTQ people are furious at the rhetoric targeting them
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

And she’s angry with people who have spread anti-LGBTQ rhetoric online — some for years — leading up to the shooting. Courtesy Elizabeth Pixie / Snapchat“They can call it religion, they can call it politics, they can call it saving people,” Pixie, who lives in Colorado Springs, said. The suspect was apprehended by police after being injured in the attack and is in the hospital. James Davis said the attack at Club Q was a result of "cause and effect." Parker Grey used to be a regular at Club Q but stopped going out of safety concerns.

People who got the updated booster shots after two or more shots of the original vaccine were compared to another group of people who received only two or more doses of the original vaccine. The updated booster shots performed better in preventing infections in all adult age groups, with higher vaccine efficacy seen in people who waited longer before getting the updated booster, the CDC found. He noted that studies have shown longer intervals between Covid vaccine doses can lead to higher antibody levels. Previous Covid infections may be underreported, the agency said, and low uptake of the updated boosters could have affected the results. New subvariants BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 are on the rise in the U.S., she said, and it’s unclear how the updated boosters will perform against those strains.

Pfizer-BioNTech's updated booster shot generates a stronger immune response against the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 compared with the original Covid vaccine, the companies said in a release Friday. Pfizer's original vaccine formula, which was first administered to older adults in December 2020, was designed to target the original coronavirus strain. The updated booster shot is designed to target the original virus strain, as well as BA.4 and BA.5, in a single shot. Two independent studies posted online late last month suggested that the updated shots do not offer better protection against the new omicron subvariants than the original vaccines do. The new findings may hint that the updated booster is better than the original vaccine, but not by much, said John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College.

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