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☆ Parents are feeling lonely. Here’s why it matters
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Despite working a full-time job in human relations and caring for her 6-year-old son Chase and 3-year-old daughter Millie, Anne Helmes often feels isolated and lonely. In fact, 66% of 1,005 surveyed parents felt the demands of parenthood sometimes or frequently left them feeling isolated and lonely, while nearly 40% felt as if they have no one to support them in their parenting role. “When parents are feeling lonely and isolated, that tells me their adult needs aren’t being met because they’re pouring what they can into their child. By definition, burnout is an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion, Gawlik said. “Burnout is not new for parents, but I think the pandemic took it to a totally different level,” she added.

Persons: Chase, Millie, Anne Helmes, Lindsay Hutchinson “, ’ ”, “, ”, Kate Gawlik, Kacey Cardwell, aren’t, Cardwell, Gawlik, ” Helmes, Justin Paget, Helmes, didn’t Organizations: CNN, Ohio State University Wexner Medical, Ohio State University College of Nursing, American Association for, Digital, Social Locations: Powell , Ohio, Columbus, Atlanta

☆ There’s still no standard test to detect pancreatic cancer early. Scientists are working to change that
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But there is no standard test to detect early cases of pancreatic cancer, before cancer cells have spread and when surgery is more likely to be helpful. But many studies investigating the potential of liquid biopsy tests for the early detection of pancreatic cancer are still in the early phases. The researchers found that their liquid biopsy approach detected 93% of pancreatic cancers among the US volunteers in their study, 91% of pancreatic cancers in the South Korean cohort and 88% of pancreatic cancers in the Chinese cohort. But there is no blood test that can detect early pancreatic cancer. “Smoking is the most important avoidable risk factor for pancreatic cancer,” according to the American Cancer Society.

Persons: ”, Brian Wolpin, ” Wolpin, “ There’s, Ajay Goel, ” Goel, “, Goel, Al Neugut, Columbia University’s Herbert, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Neugut, “ It’s, It’s, Wolpin Organizations: CNN, Dana, Farber Cancer Institute, US Preventive Services Task Force, American Association for Cancer Research, Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Molecular Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Surgeons, University of Pennsylvania, UC San Diego, Columbia, Columbia University’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, CNN Health, American Cancer Society Locations: United States, City, Japan, South Korea, China, City of Hope, Hope

☆ Ancient giant dolphin discovered in the Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And though there are Amazonian freshwater dolphin species alive today, they aren’t close kin to that ancient cetacean. There’s the South Asian river dolphin (Platanista genus) and the Amazon river dolphin (Inia genus), also known as the pink river dolphin, and the two groups include several species and subspecies. Researchers discovered the Amazonian dolphin fossil in 2018, near the Napo River in Loreto, Peru. At first, they thought it would turn out to be an ancient relative of modern Amazonian river dolphins. “That was a moment where everybody freaked out, because it wasn’t an Amazonian river dolphin,” Benites-Palomino said.

Persons: ”, Jorge Velez, ” Velez, Juarbe, Aldo Benites, Palomino, John J, Flynn, Palomino “, John, freaked, Benites, yacuruna, Rodolfo Salas, Gismondi, ” Benites, Pebanista, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, American Association for, Advancement of Science, Juarbe, of Los, International Union for, Nature, IUCN, University of Zurich’s Department of Paleontology, American Museum of, of, World Wildlife Fund, Velez, Scientific Locations: Peruvian, South Asia, America, of Los Angeles County, Loreto , Peru, New York City, Peru, of Lima, Amazonia

☆ Astronomers used JWST to finally solve a 37-year mystery over one of the brightest cosmic explosions ever seen in modern history
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A neutron star is the collapsed core of a supergiant star that's gone supernova. Pulsar neutron stars, like the one astronomers believe SN 1987A left behind, emit pulses of X-rays. AdvertisementStudying SN 1987A has deepened astronomers' understanding of supernovae and the role they play in our ever-evolving universe. Before JWST, astronomers lacked a telescope powerful enough to observe the compact object that SN 1987A left behind. Advertisement"We interpreted this as being conclusive evidence that the emission lines we were seeing were the result of radiation from the neutron center," Kavanagh said.

Persons: What's, James Webb, David Malin AAT, Patrick Kavanagh, Everest, hadn't, Kavanagh, SN1987A, Chandra, ALMA, JWST, J, Larsson, Claes Fransson, P.J . Kavanagh, " Kavanagh Organizations: Business, Science, Maynooth University, American Association for, Advancement of Science, NASA, Wikimedia, SN, Hubble, ESA, Stockholm University

☆ 5 caregiving terms to help you access essential services and reduce expenses for an aging parent
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Sharon Epperson | In Sharoneppersoncnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The highest level of care is "skilled nursing care" for those who are chronically ill or disabled and can no longer care for themselves. Medicaid pays for most long-term care services — but only for people with low incomes and little savings. Long-term care insuranceDepending on the plan, long-term care insurance pays for services from at-home care to assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing care, and hospice. Long-term care insurance may have annual premiums that increase over time or may be included as a rider to a life insurance policy. Employers are increasingly offering long-term care insurance as a workplace benefit.

Persons: Abbe Udochi, AARP's Goyer, Ivory Johnson, Johnson, Couples, Goyer Organizations: Maskot, Getty, Healthcare Consulting, National Investment Center, Seniors Housing & Care, Medicare, Delancey Wealth Management, Washington , D.C, CNBC FA, American Association for, Care Insurance, Employers Locations: New York, Washington ,

☆ A Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Jordan Rau | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

You can find contacts for your state’s insurance department through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ directory. But insurance may be worth it if the value of all your savings and possessions excluding your primary home is at least $75,000, according to a consumers’ guide from the insurance commissioners’ association. Many insurers are selling hybrid policies that combine life insurance and long-term care insurance. Those are popular because if you don’t use the long-term care benefit, the policy pays out to a beneficiary after you die. But compared with long-term care policies, hybrid policies “are even more expensive, and the coverage is not great,” said Howard Bedlin, government relations and advocacy principal at the National Council on Aging.

Persons: you’ll, ”, Howard Bedlin Organizations: American Association for, Care Insurance, National Association of Insurance, Social Security, Medicaid, National Council, Aging

☆ Scientists discovered a new way these bats with shockingly large penises mate, and it's unlike anything ever observed in mammals
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

By chance, researchers noticed that one bat species had a very large penis. In fact, the researchers explained in the paper, the male bat's penis is seven times longer and wider than the female bat's vagina. A scientific peep show and future bat porn boxThe researchers observed the serotine bat in the attic of a church and a bat rehabilitation center. The researchers observed 97 mating rituals. Then, the male bat held the female in an "extended embrace".

Persons: —, uglies, Nicolas Fasel, Fasel, Olivier Glaizot Organizations: Service, American Association for, Advancement of Science, University of Lausanne, Diversity Locations: Europe, Ukraine

☆ What is a quantum dot?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Quantum dot research won three scientists the Nobel Prize in chemistry. A quantum dot is a tiny particle that changes color based on its size. Quantum dots are essentially minuscule, inorganic particles that shine different colors when exposed to light. How quantum dots are usedLinke said that quantum dots are now found in daily life, inside "the very best TV screens" with the brightest colors. AdvertisementAdvertisement"The pixels consist of red and green quantum dots, and the blue light from the back controls those colors," Linke said.

Persons: —, Heiner Linke, Linke, Chris Woodford, Woodford, Moungi, Louis Brus, Alexei Ekimov Organizations: Service, Chemistry, Linke, American Association for, Advancement of Science, MIT, Louis Brus of Columbia University, Nanocrystals Technology Inc Locations: Woodford

☆ Many older Americans who will need long-term care won't be able to afford insurance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Living a long life is something that many of us want and could get,” said Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, an insurance education group. “But when we live a long life, the chances of us needing long-term care increase exponentially. Insurance is an option for someLong-term care insurance, a very niche and complex market, has traditionally been an option for those able to buy policies, but it is far from the norm. “The population of seniors who buy long-term care insurance constitutes a segment of the population who are healthier and their longevity is likely different than the nation as a whole,” said Slome. “Our concern is that … it will get even more expensive for those who have had the modest resources to access long-term care insurance to be able to afford it,” she noted.

Persons: ”, Jesse Slome, Jason Hopper, Ramsey Alwin Organizations: CNN, American Association for, Care Insurance, of Health, Human Services, Insurance, HHS, National Council, Aging, Washington Locations: United States, American, Washington, Pennsylvania, California, New York

☆ Polls Were Great in 2022. Can They Repeat Their Success in 2024?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Andrew Fischer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The 2020 election presented another distinct challenge — it took place amid the pandemic. An assessment by The Times found that weighting its 2020 polls using recalled 2016 vote would have made them even more biased toward Mr. Biden. And a report from the American Association for Public Opinion Research examining how 2020 polls could have been improved found that polls that weighted on recalled vote were no better than those that didn’t. Similarly, in 2022, weighting by recalled vote would have made Times/Siena polls less accurate. When weighted using recalled vote to 2020 election results, average error would have increased by a percentage point, and overall the polls would have been slightly biased toward Republicans.

Persons: Pollsters, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: The Times, American Association for Public, Research Locations: Siena

☆ Honoring the Body Donors Who Are a Medical Student’s ‘First Patient’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( April Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Similar scenes played out across the country this spring as medical, dental and physical therapy students assembled to offer tributes to whole-body donors and their families. At the ceremonies, students perform music, light candles, read letters and share art. Sometimes a tree designation or an offering of flowers to a donor’s family is included. Even with the introduction of elaborate 3-D visualization software, dissection remains a cornerstone of a medical education for most first-year students, as it has for centuries. Students spend months methodically studying the structures of the body, including organs, tendons, veins and tissue.

Persons: Bree Zhang, Diana Cervantes, Joy Balta, “ You’re, you’ve, ”, Balta Organizations: Columbia, The New York Times, American Association for, Anatomy Learning, Point Loma Nazarene University Locations: Columbia, United States, Point, San Diego

☆ Corporations are 'greenwashing' you. An expert explains how big companies mislead us into thinking they're making better choices for the environment when they could be making things far worse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Tom Lyon | The Conversation | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

For example, a company may tout the $5 million in its renewable energy investments for the year. Lyon: Greenwashing is any communication that leads the listener to adopt an overly favorable impression of a company's greenness. You may get a company that says: Look at this, we invested US$5 million in renewable energy last year. Instead they're coming from a voluntary offset that's offered by some free-standing producer that's not included in a cap. You can look at the whole movement toward renewable energy and companies that produce solar or wind energy.

☆ Moderna shares fall despite promising data from cancer vaccine trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Moderna fell Monday as Wall Street chewed over new trial results on the personalized cancer vaccine it is developing with Merck . Those results, presented at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Florida, add to the initial results on the treatment combination released in December. Analysts from SVB Securities said the results suggest the personalized cancer vaccine shows promise. Wells Fargo analyst Mohit Bansal also said he's expressing "cautious optimism" about the treatment combination. In a Sunday note, Bansal pointed to "trial imbalances" that potentially produced more favorable results for the personalized cancer vaccine.

The Merck/Moderna collaboration is one of several combining powerful drugs that unleash the immune system to target cancers with mRNA vaccine technology. BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) and Gritstone Bio Inc (GRTS.O) are working on competing cancer vaccines based on mRNA technology. Barr said it took about eight weeks to design a personalized mRNA vaccine for each patient. In the past, similar experimental cancer vaccines were developed targeting a single tumor mutation, or neoantigen. With mRNA technology in combination with Keytruda, "we can create this shotgun approach ... that can create a more potent immune response," Barr said.

The Merck/Moderna collaboration is one of several combining powerful drugs that unleash the immune system to target cancers with mRNA vaccine technology. BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) and Gritstone Bio Inc (GRTS.O) are working on competing cancer vaccines based on mRNA technology. Barr said it took Moderna about eight weeks to design a personalized mRNA vaccine for each patient. In the past, similar experimental cancer vaccines were developed targeting a single tumor mutation, or neoantigen. With mRNA technology in combination with Keytruda, "we can create this shotgun approach ... that can create a more potent immune response," Barr said.

☆ Nations reach accord to protect marine life on high seas
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept. The treaty will create a new body to manage the conservation of ocean life and establish marine protected areas in the high seas. "For the first time, we are getting a binding agreement for the high seas, which until now have hardly been protected," Lemke said. Several marine species — including dolphins, whales, sea turtles and many fish — make long annual migrations, crossing national borders and the high seas. The high seas have long suffered exploitation due to commercial fishing and mining, as well as pollution from chemicals and plastics.

☆ Here are key things you need to know if you’re eyeing a Medigap policy alongside basic Medicare
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

For about 23% of Medicare's 65.1 million beneficiaries, the solution for covering those outlays is a so-called Medigap plan. The reasons that some beneficiaries instead choose Medigap alongside basic Medicare vary from person to person, according to Elizabeth Gavino, founder of Lewin & Gavino and an independent broker and general agent for Medicare plans. watch nowHere's what to know about Medigap policies if you're considering purchasing one. There's huge variation in costDespite Medigap policies' standardization, the premiums can vary greatly. The way a Medigap plan is 'rated' also mattersAnother difference in Medigap premiums can come from how the plans are "rated."

Nationally, 51% said they would vote for the Democratic candidate if the election for House were being held today and 49% said they would vote for the Republican candidate. A deeper analysis of state-level results reveal concerns for Democrats in several critical states where the party is trying to gain or hold Senate seats. For voters who identify as Democrat or Republican, their ballots break down as expected — 97% of Democrats say they’ll vote for the Democratic candidate and 97% of Republicans say they’ll vote for the Republican. There are differences across party lines, and critically, priorities of independent voters are closer to those of Republicans than Democrats. Analyses of subgroups of states were weighted according to population targets in those states.

A month before the midterm elections, most Americans say abortion is important to their vote. Ninety percent of Americans who identify as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 78 % of independents and 74 % of Republican and Republican-leaning Americans say abortion matters at the voting booth. Nine in 10 Americans think a pregnant woman should be able to legally have an abortion if her health is seriously endangered by the pregnancy. Aggregating the states where abortion is legal, 88 % of Americans think abortion should be legal in the case of rape or incest. Two-thirds of Americans also said they think abortion regulations should be determined by public referendum rather than by elected officials or judges.

☆ Cancer death rates continue to fall, driven by new treatments and improved screening
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Kaitlin Sullivan | Kaitlin Sullivan Is A Contributor For Nbcnews.Com Who Has Worked With Nbc News Investigations. She Reports On Health | Science | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Significant strides in cancer treatments, diagnostic tools and prevention strategies continue to drive down cancer death rates, according to a report published Wednesday by the American Association for Cancer Research. Death rates from cancer have been falling over the past two decades, particularly sharply in recent years, the group's annual Cancer Progress Report found. “Cancer cells are mavericks, but they are your own cells. Coussens also highlighted developments in cancer drugs that work by targeting specific DNA mutations in cancer cells but noted that more work is still needed. Catching cancer earlyAlso key to cutting cancer death rates is catching the disease as early as possible.

☆ Cancer death rates fall steadily in the US, with more survivors than ever
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Carma Hassan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —More people are surviving cancer than ever before in the United States, according to a new report from the American Association for Cancer Research. The report notes that there were only 3 million US cancer survivors in 1971. Declines in smoking and improvements in catching and treating cancer early are driving the change, according to the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2022, released Wednesday. The reversal of Roe v. Wade is also expected to affect cancer care by limiting health care options for pregnant women with cancer, the report said. The Covid-19 pandemic had an effect on cancer in the US, with nearly 10 million breast, colorectal and prostate cancer screenings missed in 2020.

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