The Best Noise-Cancelling True Wireless Earbuds for 2023
Apple popularized the true wireless earbud category when it launched the original AirPods back in
2023-06-30 10:24
US FDA Uncovers Fresh Faults at India’s Second-Biggest Drugmaker
US Food and Drug Administration officials found multiple faults at a plant run by one of India’s biggest
2023-06-30 05:26
Influencer Tammy Hembrow angers fans by tanning in bikini weeks after having skin cancer removed
A popular fitness influencer has angered fans after posting photos of herself tanning in the sun just weeks after revealing she’d had a skin cancer lesion removed from her leg. Earlier this month, Tammy Hembrow, an Australian-based YouTuber, issued a reminder to her followers about the importance of annual skin cancer screenings in a video posted to TikTok. In the video, the 29-year-old revealed that she’d recently had a “chunk” of her leg removed after doctors identified melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. “Okay so I want to show you guys the chunk they had to take out of my leg because of the melanoma that I have,” Hembrow began the video, before explaining that the week earlier she’d had to get a “skin cancer cut out of my leg”. “It was melanoma, which spreads very quickly and is very dangerous [and] can be very deadly if it spreads,” Hembrow continued, while noting that the mole in question had been “tiny” and “did not look suspicious to [her] at ALL”. In the video, Hembrow informed her followers that she was waiting for confirmation from her doctor that they’d “got it all,” with the influencer noting that she was “very hopeful that they did”. Hembrow then expressed her relief that she’d gotten a skin cancer screening, before urging her fans to “get regular skin checks”.“I am so so so lucky that I went and got my skin checked. Please get regular skin checks, it can honestly be life-saving,” she continued. In the TikTok, the influencer then admitted that, despite spending a lot of time in the sun, she rarely wears sunscreen. However, she said she is “absolutely regretting that now,” as she revealed that the skin cancer scare has “changed [her] outlook on everything”. @tammyhembrow Go book that skin check rn guys 🤍 ♬ original sound - Tammy Hembrow According to the Mayo Clinic, melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, “develops in the cells that produce melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its colour”. “Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV) radiation from sunlight or tanning lamps and beds increases your risk of developing melanoma,” the health organisation states, while noting that melanomas “most often develop in areas that have had exposure to the sun, such as your back, legs, arms and face”. After revealing that she never thought she’d develop melanoma, and admitting that she felt “very silly for that now,” Hembrow showed her followers the two-inch stitched incision behind her knee where the melanoma had been removed. Hembrow is now facing anger and concern from her fans, just weeks after sharing the skin cancer warning, after posting photos of herself tanning in the sun. In the pictures, which the influencer posted to Instagram on Tuesday, she could be seen wearing a patterned yellow bikini as she posed on a sun lounger while sitting outside in the sun. In the photos, Hembrow could also be seen wearing the bandage on her leg where the melanoma lesion had been removed. “OMG, you just had a melanoma removed and are sunbathing,” one person commented under the photos, while another said: “You’re another type of thick if you’re sunbathing after just having a melanoma removed.” “Literally still has the bandage on from having a melanoma removed and now posting photos of herself suntanning. It’s like she wants to get skin cancer?” someone else wrote. However, Hembrow has since defended herself from the backlash in the comments, where she claimed that she was “in the sun for 15 minutes” and that it’s “silly” to think she can “never go in the sun in a bikini again”. “Was in the sun for 15 minutes. It’s also winter here and I don’t go in the sun without sunscreen anymore,” Hembrow wrote in response to one critic. “Alsooo, I am still very much going to go in the sun, to the beach, to the pool, or even if I just want to read a book for 15 minutes in the sun etc. “Just always going to wear SPF and not be out in the hottest hours with no protection like I used to. People are silly if they think I can never go in the sun in a bikini again…” According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, regular daily use of SPF 15 sunscreen can “reduce your risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by about 40 per cent, and lower your melanoma risk by 50 per cent”. However, skin cancer charity Cancer Research UK notes that individuals who have been diagnosed with melanoma are at a higher than average risk of developing the skin cancer again in the future. The Independent has contacted Hembrow for comment. Read More Sarah Ferguson reveals she almost skipped doctor’s appointment that led to cancer diagnosis Best sunscreen for your face 2023: Daily SPF protection, from sensitive to non-greasy formulas Khloe Kardashian says what she thought was a zit turned out to be melanoma
2023-06-30 04:15
Consumers, food-makers face choice as WHO cancer agency set to warn on aspartame sweeteners
By Richa Naidu and Savyata Mishra LONDON Consumers, food companies, retailers and restaurants need to decide whether to
2023-06-30 00:52
Pete Davidson reportedly enters rehab amid mental health struggles
Pete Davidson has reportedly checked into a rehabilitation center amid ongoing struggles with his mental health. The Saturday Night Live alum, 29, is receiving treatment for his previously diagnosed borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, Page Six initially reported. According to People, sources said Davidson “should be getting out” of the in-patient treatment center “pretty soon”. “Pete will often check himself into rehab to work on these issues,” another source told the outlet. “His friends and family have been supportive during this time.” Davidson has previously been open about his mental health struggles. In 2017, the King of Staten Island actor shared he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) during an appearance on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast. He explained that he had checked into a rehabilitation center in December 2016 after struggling with symptoms of the disorder. “I started having these mental breakdowns where I would, like, freak out and then not remember what happened after. Blind rage,” the comedian said, noting that he originally thought smoking weed caused his extreme mood swings. He stopped smoking weed and entered rehab, though he resumed the habit and soon had a “really bad mental breakdown”. Davidson was eventually diagnosed with BPD several months later. “I found out I have BPD, which is borderline personality disorder,” he said. “One of my psychiatrists… He was always saying before this big meltdown, ‘You’re probably bipolar or borderline, we’re just going to have to figure it out.’” The Bupkis star also admitted that he was “depressed all the time” but praised therapy for improving his mental health. “It is working, slowly but surely,” he said. “I’ve been having a lot of problems. This whole year has been a f***ing nightmare. This has been the worst year of my life, getting diagnosed with this and trying to figure out how to learn with this and live with this.” That same year, he went on SNL’s “Weekend Update” to further discuss his diagnosis and urge others to seek medical treatment if they think they have depression. “As some of you may know, I was recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder — a form of depression,” Davidson told viewers. “Depression affects more than 16 million people in this country and there’s no cure, per se. But for anyone dealing with it, there are treatments that can help. “First of all, if you think you’re depressed, see a doctor and talk to them about medication. And also be healthy: eating right and exercise can make a huge difference.” Bipolar personality disorder (BPD) is a type of a mental disorder characterised by unstable moods, behaviour, and relationships. It’s estimated that 1.6 per cent of the US population have BPD. In an interview with Variety in 2019, Davidson shared that he’s been “in and out of mental health facilities” since he was nine years old. His father, Scott Matthew Davidson, was a firefighter who died at the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in 2001, when Davidson was just seven. Speaking with Jon Bernthal on his Real Ones podcast last March, Davidson said that the event had an impact on his “fear of abandonment” as well as his PTSD. More recently, he underwent “trauma therapy” in April 2022 due to online harassment from Kanye West while Davidson was dating West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian. “The attention and negativity coming from Kanye and his antics is a trigger for [Pete], and he’s had to seek out help,” a source told People at the time. Pete Davidson’s latest stint in rehab comes after he was charged with reckless driving in connection with a Beverly Hills car accident, in which he and current girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders crashed into the side of a house. He was reportedly driving in the affluent Los Angeles neighbourhood when his vehicle went over the curb, hitting a fire hydrant and collided into the home. He is expected to be arraigned in court on 27 July. The Independent has contacted Pete Davidson for comment. Read More Pete Davidson charged with reckless driving in connection with Beverly Hills car crash Pete Davidson opens up about borderline personality disorder diagnosis: ‘The weight of the world feels lifted’ Pete Davidson says he learned his firefighter dad died on 9/11 while watching TV
2023-06-30 00:49
Diet Coke fanatics react to forthcoming WHO announcement on ‘possibly cancerous’ aspartame: ‘The final straw’
Fans of Diet Coke have reacted with despair at reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) may catagorise aspartame – an artificial sweetener in the drink – a potential carcinogen. It was reported on Thursday (29 June) that the health organisation’s cancer research unit, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), is preparing to label aspartame as potentially cancerous from July. Aspartame is a low-calorie artificial sweetener that is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar and is used in a huge number of soft drinks, including Diet Coke, Pepsi Max, Diet Irn Bru, and Sprite Zero, among others. It is also used in foods such as chewing gum, candy, breakfast cereal, frozen desserts and puddings, and gelatins. Although the IARC’s ruling on the sweetener remains confidential until July, Diet Coke fans are already wondering if they might have to give up their favourite fizzy drink. “If they interfere with Diet Coke it will be the final straw for me I’m afraid,” one person warned. Another joked they have already “drunk the Diet Coke equivalent of swimming at a superfund site” in their lifetime. “You can take away my Diet Coke when you pry it out of my cold dead hands,” a third mordantly added. “Listen, if you’re going to take away Diet Coke from us, you better be prepared for 72 per cent of women aged 25-45 to quit their jobs,” another person claimed. “That’s all I’m saying. *Cracks open third Diet Coke before noon*” Others appeared smug that they had never switched from regular full-fat Coke – which contains around 10.6g of sugar per 100ml, equating to 35g per 330ml can – to the low-sugar version. One person referred to a scene from hit series Friends that showed Chandler (Matthew Perry) shouting: “I knew it!” Another said: “I told you all that Diet Coke was just as bad as regular Coke.” The IARC is expected to make its decision over aspartame public on 14 July, the same day as the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which is also reviewing aspartame use this year. JECFA has said it is safe to consume aspartame within accepted daily limits since 1981. An adult weighing 60kg (132 pounds) would have to drink between 12 and 36 cans of diet soda every day to be at risk, a view widely shared by national regulators. The additives committee “conducts risk assessment, which determines the probability of a specific type of harm (eg., cancer) to occur under certain conditions and levels of exposure”. The review of aspartame comes after a study conducted by experts from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and Sorbonne Paris Nord University, published on March 2022, claimed it could increase the risk of cancer in people who consume it. But previous large-scale studies on humans have not revealed similar associations. A separate study published last December found that aspartame was linked to anxiety in mice. The deputy chief scientific adviser of the UK’s Food Standards Agency, Rick Mumford, commented on reports and said: “Our view is that the safety of this sweetener has been evaluated by various Scientific Committees and it is considered safe at current permitted use levels. “The IARC report has not yet been published and, when it is, it will be examined by the JECFA, who will put together a risk assessment by the end of July. We will closely study JECFA’s report and decide whether any further actions are needed.” The Independent has contacted Coca-Cola for comment. Read More Walk this way... but not like that: How men’s walks became sexualised Colleen Ballinger: Everything we know about the ‘grooming’ allegations against YouTuber Miranda Sings Kevin Costner’s estranged wife says she’ll move out of their $145m home on one condition ‘My small rash turned out to be a parasite living in my leg after a beach trip’ Chrissy Teigen welcomes fourth child – how does surrogacy actually work? Heart disease digital check-ups for over 40s being rolled out
2023-06-29 23:50
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review
The $99.99 Soundcore Liberty 4 NC noise-cancelling true wireless earphones are a well-rounded addition to
2023-06-29 20:56
Spanish researchers aim to 'trick nature' with artificial womb
By Horaci Garcia BARCELONA Researchers in Barcelona are trying to "trick nature" by creating an artificial womb for
2023-06-29 19:23
Heart disease digital check-ups for over 40s being rolled out
People over 40 in England will be sent a blood test to carry out at home in a bid to reduce heart disease and obesity. Digital NHS health checks, which will also include an online health questionnaire, will be launched next spring for people aged 40 to 74. Around 15 million people will be eligible, with around one million online checks expected to be carried out over the next four years. Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented every year through simple health checks, which could save lives and ease pressure on the NHS. “This new digital check-up will mean people can do simple tests and get tailored advice from homes while reducing pressure on GP services.” The home blood test will check cholesterol levels with patients asked to take a blood pressure test at a pharmacy, alongside the online assessment covering details such as weight, height, diet, alcohol intake and exercise levels. Results will be made available online with help available to anyone showing early signs of issues such as diabetes or heart disease, as well as referrals to weight-loss clinics or medication. The online questionnaire will be available via phone, tablet or computer and the Government believes each check will save 20 minutes of NHS time. This could play an important role in helping people live healthier for longer and saving lives in the coming years, while reducing pressure on the NHS Professor Sir Nilesh Silemani Cardiovascular disease is the second biggest killer in England, affecting around 6.4 million people. The Government says the new digital check will help to identify 200,000 people who could benefit from the use of statins, 30,000 cases of hypertension and prevent around 400 heart attacks and strokes over the first four years. Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “This initiative will help to reach more people and encourage them to get their blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked so that, where necessary, healthcare professionals can work with them to manage their condition. “This could play an important role in helping people live healthier for longer and saving lives in the coming years, while reducing pressure on the NHS.” Existing NHS health checks for people in the same age group take place face-to-face with a GP and concerns have been expressed that elderly people are not left behind if they struggle with technology. David Baines, vice chair of the Local Government Association, told The Times: “Making more digital health checks available is a useful tool to detect certain illnesses but it should be treated as an addition to, not a replacement for, a physical health check.”
2023-06-29 16:15
Exclusive-WHO's cancer research agency to say aspartame sweetener a possible carcinogen-sources
By Jennifer Rigby and Richa Naidu LONDON One of the world's most common artificial sweeteners is set to
2023-06-29 14:20
Dementia diagnosis could be sped up thanks to AI
A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool may be able to look for early signs of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, speeding up diagnosis. The technology, which could help doctors assess the early signs of the condition more efficiently, has been developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield. Known as CognoSpeak, the system uses a virtual character displayed on a screen to engage a patient in a conversation. It asks questions to test memory, inspired by those used in outpatient consultations and conducts cognitive tests, such as picture descriptions and verbal fluency tests. This tool could help patients start treatments sooner, reduce waiting times and give people certainty earlier Dr Dan Blackburn, University of Sheffield After that, the tool uses AI and speech technology to analyse language and speech patterns to look for signs of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders. Researchers behind the technology suggest it could play a key role in reducing the burden on dementia assessment services, once further testing in GP and memory clinics across the UK is complete. The National Audit of Memory Assessment Services in England and Wales, conducted between January and August 2021 by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and supported by Alzheimer’s Society, found that the average waiting time from referral to dementia diagnosis had increased to 17.7 weeks. This was up from 13 weeks in 2019, with waiting times across services nationwide ranging between zero and 104 weeks (two years), compared to three and 34 in 2019. There are currently around 900,000 people in the UK living with dementia, and this is projected to almost double by 2040, according to the Alzheimer’s Society. Dr Dan Blackburn, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Neuroscience, said: “Waiting for a possible diagnosis of dementia can be a very anxious time for patients and their families. “This tool could help patients start treatments sooner, reduce waiting times and give people certainty earlier. “The CognoSpeak system could transform how dementia and other memory disorders are diagnosed by speeding up assessments. “This would also free up clinicians’ valuable time and mean that those who need specialist care get access to it as quickly as possible.” Also an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and researcher at NIHR Sheffield BRC, he added: “There is a real clinical need for this kind of technology. “There are long waiting lists for memory clinics across the UK, but there are also inequalities in accessing the memory clinics service. “The CognoSpeak tool can reduce these inequalities and help make the service more efficient.” The CognoSpeak system could transform how dementia and other memory disorders are diagnosed by speeding up assessments Dr Dan Blackburn Professor Heidi Christensen, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Computer Science, added: “The way a person speaks can tell us a great deal about their cognitive health and emotional wellbeing, and give us a very early indication of any signs of cognitive decline that may not otherwise have been detected. “The system we’ve developed here at Sheffield uses speech technology to automatically extract these signs and the automation means we can provide a consistent, accurate and fast assessment for everyone. “CognoSpeak is advanced, high tech and based on world-leading research in this field. “We have the biggest collection of data for this type of assessment anywhere in the world, which we’re using to advance the technology and improve its accuracy.” The system is being designed in a way that means once it is fully rolled out, a GP could refer a person with memory complaints to use the technology. CognoSpeak would send the test results back to the GP and then they would decide whether to refer the patient to a memory clinic for further assessment. The programme can be accessed through a web browser – meaning patients are able to take the test in the comfort of their home, rather than having to wait for a hospital appointment to take a pen-and-paper-based assessment. Researchers say early trials have shown the technology is as accurate at predicting Alzheimer’s as the current written tests used to assess or screen for cognitive, memory or thinking impairments. According to the team, previous research has demonstrated accuracies of 90% for distinguishing people with Alzheimer’s from people that are cognitively healthy. Developed by Dr Blackburn and Prof Christensen, the system is still in the research phase, but a £1.4 million National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) grant will allow it to be trialled more widely. The researchers are recruiting 700 participants from memory clinics across the UK to help develop the system further. The tool has been developed in collaboration with Therapy Box – a company specialising in speech and language technology – and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Devices for Dignity MedTech Cooperative (D4D). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Reading for pleasure in childhood boosts brain health in teenage years – study Stan Wawrinka on setbacks, preparing for Wimbledon and friendship with Roger Federer Hacks for saving money on school uniforms
2023-06-29 13:51
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend welcome fourth child via surrogate: ‘Our new love’
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have announced the arrival of their fourth child, a baby boy born via surrogate. On Wednesday, the cookbook author, 37, and the “All of Me” singer, 44, shared the news that their family had expanded once more on Instagram, where they revealed they’d welcomed a son named Wren Alexander Stephens on 19 June. On Teigen’s Instagram, she reflected on the couple’s surrogacy journey in a lengthy post, in which she revealed that she’s wanted four children for “as long as [she] can remember”. In the emotional post, Teigen then reflected on the loss of her and Legend’s unborn child, Jack, in 2020, with the model revealing that she didn’t think she’d be able to “carry any more babies on my own”. According to Teigen, who gave birth to her and Legend’s third child, a daughter named Esti, in January 2023, she and the singer reached out to a surrogacy agency in 2021 about the possibility of “having two tandem surrogates, each to bring us a healthy baby boy or girl”. However, Teigen revealed that, early on in the surrogacy journey, she also decided that she wanted to try getting pregnant “just one more time”. “If it doesn’t work, we will be okay. We’ve already seen the worst,” she wrote. “I promised I would be okay no matter what happened.” According to the Cravings author, at that point, she and Legend started undergoing IVF, which she noted was the same process that allowed the couple to welcome their daughter Luna, seven, and son Miles, four. “We made new embryos. We did my transfer, and were so happy to learn it worked - we were pregnant with our little girl, Esti,” Teigen wrote, adding that “around this same time,” the couple also met the “most incredible, loving, compassionate surrogate we could ever imagine”. In the candid post, Teigen revealed that the first embryo transfer to their surrogate “didn’t survive,” before noting how “hard” their surrogate fought to prepare for a second transfer. According to Teigen, she and Legend didn’t want to rush the process, and so they were “patient” as she enjoyed the first trimester of her pregnancy “with, of course, a little bit of fear that isn’t any different from any other expecting couple”. Teigen said she and Legend learned that their surrogate was pregnant with a boy as they “crept toward the safe zone” of her own pregnancy, with the celebrity chef writing that she and the family’s surrogate celebrated together with their “growing bellies, our families blending into one for the past year”. In the post, Teigen then revealed that she’d gotten to witness as the “most beautiful woman, my friend, our surrogate,” gave birth “just minutes before midnight” on 19 June. Teigen concluded the lengthy post expressing her gratitude to her surrogate for the “incredible gift” before sharing a photo of their surrogate and one of the couple holding their newborn child in the hospital. The final photo showed a close-up shot of the baby. “Our hearts, and our home, are officially full. And to our Jack, we know both their angel kisses are from you,” she wrote. Legend also shared the news of the baby’s arrival on his Instagram, where he posted a photo of himself surrounded by his and Teigen’s four children, as well as the photo of the couple cradling their newborn. “Wren Alexander Stephens, our new love,” Legend captioned the album. More follows… Read More Chrissy Teigen responds to critics claiming she has a ‘new face’: ‘I gained weight’ Chrissy Teigen praised for thanking team of four nannies in Mother’s Day tribute ‘My small rash turned out to be a parasite living in my leg after a beach trip’ Bre Tiesi reveals whether she’d have another child with Nick Cannon How do I get a mammogram screening?
2023-06-29 03:27