
Northwestern develops biomedical device to monitor breastfeeding
Northwestern has unveiled a new biomedical device to help new parents track breastfeeding and ensure their baby is getting enough to eat.
The device was developed by a team of engineers, neonatologists and pediatricians at Northwestern University. It wraps around the nursing mother's breast and transmits data wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet app, where mom can then view a live display of how much milk her baby has consumed in real time.
The developers noted that new parents often experience anxiety around whether their baby is eating enough, especially in the first days and weeks after birth. The device is meant to provide them with peace of mind, and could have particular benefits for fragile babies in the NICU who have specific nutritional needs and markers to hit.
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CNET
37 minutes ago
- CNET
AT&T Has a New Affordable Senior Mobile Plan -- and Sorry, 55 Counts as a 'Senior'
AT&T has revealed its new phone plan for seniors, which offers mobile service at a discount for customers 55 years old and up. (Yes, Gen X, that's you -- or some of you, at least.) While the new plan only has the essentials, it's also cheaper than the carrier's feature-packed options. Even better, it's notably more affordable than AT&T's former senior plan. Carriers typically offer several plans to satisfy a range of customers, from the frugal to those that are willing to pay for every perk and bundled streaming service they can get. But plans targeting older Americans are often more bare-bones offerings, offered at lower prices to appeal to customers on fixed and limited incomes. AT&T's new AT&T 55 Plus plan is the most affordable it's offered in years. In exchange, the AT&T 55 Plus plan is pretty basic. For $40 per month for a single line (or $35 per month per line with two lines), you'll get unlimited voice calls, texting and data in the US, Canada and Mexico, and though AT&T's senior plan page indicates it has "5G access included," there's no clarity on which circumstances will enable high-speed data downloads and uploads on the senior plan. The plan also has 10GB of hotspot data per line per month, which is more generous than some other carrier offerings on our best senior plans list, along with a maximum 720p (SD) streaming speed for video. The plan also provides access to AT&T's free ActiveArmor app that blocks spam calls. Previously, AT&T offered a slightly discounted senior phone plan at $62 per month that was only available to customers living in Florida. Verizon retains a similar Florida-only senior plan. T-Mobile has several plans for seniors, from an older and basic Essentials Choice 55 plan starting at $45 per month up to Experience Beyond w/ 55 Plus starting at $85 per month and offering all the perks and extras of T-Mobile's other plans, including a five-year plan price guarantee, streaming services and satellite service beyond T-Mobile's network. Here's a breakdown of the best senior plans carriers offer 55-years-old and up customers: Best Senior Plans: T-Mobile, AT&T, Mint Mobile and Verizon Plan Cost 1 line (AutoPay) Cost 4 lines (AutoPay) High-speed data Hotspot data limit Price guarantee Max number of lines Streaming resolution T-Mobile Essentials Choice 55 $45 N/A 50GB Unlimited 3G N/A 2 480p (SD) T-Mobile Go5G 55 Plus $75 N/A Unlimited 5G 50GB N/A 2 Up to 4K T-Mobile Experience Beyond w/ 55+ $85 N/A Unlimited 5G 250GB 5 years 2 Up to 4K AT&T AT&T 55+ $40 $140 Unlimited 10GB N/A 10 480p (SD) Mint Mobile Mint 55 $15 N/A 5GB Shared 5GB main data budget N/A 5 480p (SD) Verizon Verizon 55 Plus $62 N/A Unlimited 4G LTE Unlimited 3G N/A 2 480p (SD) It's worth noting that every carrier plan's listed lowest price requires customers to sign up for autopay -- otherwise, the plans are more expensive every month. Customers must also prove their age by submitting an identification document to their carrier. Later this summer, AT&T will also offer a bundle combining two lines of AT&T 55+ with the customer's choice of either AT&T Fiber or AT&T Internet Air fixed wireless access internet, according to the carrier's blog post.


WebMD
38 minutes ago
- WebMD
The Next-Gen Sweetener You May Be Eating
June 6, 2025 – It's time to add the word "neotame" to your ingredient label watch list, especially if you vape. It's a relatively new artificial sweetener found in every disposable e-cigarette that researchers tested – and the ultra-sweet substance is increasingly being used in food and drink. You probably have heard of aspartame. But neotame is its lesser-known sibling, with just one molecular difference. It showed up in laboratory tests of 11 top disposable e-cigarette brands when researchers from Duke and Yale Universities were trying to figure out what makes the vapes, like Elf and Geek Bars, so, so sweet. Neotame is between 7,000 and 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar and up to 65 times sweeter than aspartame. The sweetened e-cig study results were published this week in The Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA. Neotame wasn't found in JUUL or other cartridge-based devices, which have their own checkered ingredient history, including the 2019 finding that the sucralose used in them was linked to the production of toxic aerosols. Even if you don't vape, you may already be consuming neotame, since it's found in baked goods, candy (Mentos, for example), and gum – plus salad dressing, fruit spreads, dairy desserts, and yogurt. It's also used in some flavored sparkling waters and drinks like Tampico Mango Punch. Some researchers have soured on neotame because its use makes e-cigs appealing to young people, and because lab tests show it may harm our intestines when ingested. Why You've Never Heard of Neotame Maybe you saw it on an ingredient label and passed over it sometime in the past two decades. It has zero calories, no nutritional value, and was FDA-approved as a food additive in 2002. It's not listed on disposable e-cigarette packaging. Researchers track these sweeteners. Havovi Chichger, PhD, a professor at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England, says that for more than four decades, we have been consuming "traditional" artificial sweeteners like acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), sucralose, saccharin, and aspartame. But newer substances like neotame "herald the next generation of sweet additives," she said. The substance was developed in the 1990s in a quest for a more stable sweetener for processed products, and its use has steadily grown, she said. It's even used now in some lip cosmetics that have a sweet flavor and aroma. Neotame has also become the 21st-century spoonful of sugar Mary Poppins sang about: It's used to make some pharmaceuticals more palatable. According to a website about neotame set up by Georgia-based maker NutraSweet Co., neotame has an "ability to mask the taste of supplements, vitamins, bitter food ingredients and active pharmaceuticals. Moreover, its high sweetness intensity allows formulation at very small quantities, leaving ample room for your pharmaceutical ingredients." Neotame is not, however, approved for use in products that are inhaled. Why Neotame Is Used in E-Cigarettes – and in Baked Goods The liquid vaporized by e-cigarettes is heated sometimes as hot as 800 degrees Fahrenheit, said Sven Jordt, PhD, senior author of the JAMA study and a Duke University professor who is an expert in chemical sensory biology. Heating vape liquid can chemically change its ingredients, and neotame's strong sweetness and heat stability seem to have led to its new use in vapes, he said. If a lot of a sweetener is burned up or chemically changed when heated, the desired taste profile can still be achieved if just a bit of the ultra-sweetness remains. "The FDA also has determined that neotame can be used for baking, for example, because it's more heat stable than many of the other sweeteners," Jordt said. "Sweeteners like aspartame or Ace K, they are basically burned at normal baking temperatures. However, with neotame, a large proportion survives baking and likely also survives being vaporized by e-cigarettes." His team is concerned that the sweetness makes the products particularly attractive to kids. It's not used in the few e-cigarettes that are legal to sell in the U.S. and was just found in the disposable ones that are illegal but widely available amid lack of enforcement. "We did this study specifically because this category of disposable e-cigarettes is seeing an explosive growth in sales and use," Jordt said, noting that their nicotine concentration is higher than in older products, and at a fraction of the price. "You buy this once and then you can use it a whole week. And kids are puffing on these all the time," he said. "Some have like 15,000 or 20,000 puffs [compared to a few hundred puffs in the older JUUL devices]. So if you use this continuously, you become really heavily addicted to nicotine … and now we are asking: Is it just the design or is there something else in it that makes them much more attractive to kids to use and make them taste better? And then we found this neotame." The Damage Neotame Can Cause Approval of neotame for use in food products was based on studies on mice and other animals that didn't show any adverse physical effects. But what about the effects on humans? Findings published last year suggest that neotame can damage the human intestine. "Neotame can cause previously healthy gut bacteria to become diseased and invade the gut wall – potentially leading to health issues including irritable bowel syndrome and sepsis – and also cause a breakdown of the epithelial barrier, which forms part of the gut wall," said Chichger, who is a cell and molecular biologist and senior author of the study, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. The study showed that neotame can damage the "intestinal epithelium," or lining, by causing the death of epithelial cells. It also damages bacteria commonly found in the gut, she added. "Despite the smaller quantities used, the impact of neotame on the epithelium-microbiota relationship has the potential to cause poor gut health, which in turn could lead to metabolic and inflammatory diseases." The findings were the latest in a line of studies showing the effects of artificial sweeteners on gut health. Another recent study led by Los Angeles-based endocrinologist Ruchi Mathur, MD, linked artificial sweeteners to changes in the microbial composition and diversity in stool and the small intestine. That research, which was published in the journal Cell, didn't include neotame. Changes observed in the gut microbiome's biochemical activity "raise concerns regarding the potential impacts of non-sugar sweeteners on metabolic and gastrointestinal health," said Mathur, who is director of the Diabetes Outpatient Teaching Education Center and a professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai in California. All the experts interviewed for this article said that while there's not enough data to say for sure that inhaling neotame is bad for you, the existing research suggests reasons to be cautious. When you vape, some of the "smoke" can mix with saliva and get swallowed – so neotame could reach your gut, Chichger said. "In fact, there are other studies which show that e-cigarette fluid can cause the same level of damage that we noted from neotame." Unanswered Questions About Neotame Big questions about neotame: How does it affect the lungs? How can we keep track of how much we've consumed (eating, drinking, or inhaling)? And how much is too much? "These sweeteners are only approved for use in food, but not for inhalation," Jordt said. "We don't know how safe they are if you inhale them every day." Mathur noted that the lungs have their own microbiome, and past studies have shown that vaping alters saliva as well as the nasal cavity microbiome. A large study published in March showed a significant link between exclusive e-cigarette use and development of COPD. The FDA has set daily intake limits for neotame, which is sometimes referred to by the brand name Newtame, and other sweeteners. But experts say there is no labeling requirement that shows consumers how much is included in a product, whether it's food, drink, or vape liquid. Jordt said it's unlikely someone would reach that limit by vaping alone. But if you also eat products with the sweetener, then exceeding that limit becomes more likely. "I do think it is reasonable to assume that there should be consumer awareness and caution, as there is little if any data on what happens when this substance is inhaled," Mathur said. You should also be aware of artificial sweeteners in food and drink, Mathur said. Make a plan with your doctor, especially if eating artificially sweetened foods is part of how you manage your body weight or diabetes. "There is enough data to suggest it is safe to use these non-sugar sweeteners in moderation," Mathur said. "If someone uses artificial sweeteners in non-traditional ways, such as inhaling it through an e-cigarette, they are doing so without the benefit of any good information on the potential long-term consequences of taking in the substance through their airways and down into their lungs or what byproducts may be created in the process."


CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
How Trump and Musk's relationship has unfolded over the years — from feud to alliance, and back again
The alliance between President Trump and Elon Musk went up in flames Thursday, days after the world's richest man left the administration and tried to wield his influence to kill a massive budget bill that is central to enacting the president's top legislative priorities. Their spat played out in public and marked another remarkable turn for Musk, who spent tens of millions on Mr. Trump's reelection campaign and was given the reins to slash the size of the federal government. Here's a look back at how Mr. Trump and Musk got here: Trump "not the right guy," Musk says in 2016 The Tesla CEO praised Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's economic and environmental policies as "the right ones" in an interview with CNBC before the 2016 election. "I feel a bit stronger that he is not the right guy," Musk said of Mr. Trump at the time. "He doesn't seem to have the sort of character that reflects well on the United States." "I don't think this is the finest moment in our democracy," Musk added. Musk joins — and quits — Trump administration roles Shortly after Mr. Trump's first term began, Musk joined a handful of White House advisory boards, including Mr. Trump's "manufacturing jobs council." But Musk left those roles just months later, citing Mr. Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords. "Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world," Musk tweeted in June 2017. Musk continued to have a close relationship with the federal government, however, as his rocket company SpaceX has billions in contracts with NASA and other agencies. Mr. Trump praised Musk at a 2020 SpaceX launch in Florida, saying at one point: "I speak to him all the time. Great guy. He's one of our great brains. We like great brains. And Elon has done a fantastic job." President Trump talks with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk at the White House on Feb. 3, 2017. Evan Vucci / AP Musk sours on Democrats in 2022 — but still feuds with Trump In May 2022, Musk said he was ending his support for Democrats because "they have become the party of division & hate." "So I can no longer support them and will vote Republican," Musk tweeted, later adding that he voted for Clinton in 2016 and former President Joe Biden in 2020. But just two months later, Musk suggested he didn't support Mr. Trump launching another run for the White House amid a public spat with the then-former president over the course of several days in July 2022. Mr. Trump called the Tesla CEO a "b---s--- artist" at a rally and said his companies would be "worthless" without federal backing, while Musk tweeted Mr. Trump should "hang up his hat & sail into the sunset." Later in 2022, Musk purchased Twitter, now known as X, and quickly reinstated Mr. Trump's account, which had been suspended since the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The reinstatement came four days after Mr. Trump announced his third run for the presidency after losing to Biden. In the Republican presidential primary, Musk initially threw his support behind one of Mr. Trump's rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. In May 2023, the billionaire and the Floridian appeared together on a glitchy Twitter livestream to launch DeSantis' campaign. Musk endorses Trump in 2024, wields influence The tech billionaire formally endorsed Mr. Trump on July 13, 2024, moments after Mr. Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," Musk wrote alongside video of the bloodied presidential candidate raising his fist in the air as he was surrounded by Secret Service agents. Musk joined Mr. Trump on the campaign trail and spent roughly $277 million to help elect him and other Republican candidates, mostly through a Musk-backed super PAC called America PAC, campaign finance records show. Mr. Trump shouted Musk out during his election night victory speech: "A star is born," Mr. Trump said. "He's an amazing guy." Before Mr. Trump was inaugurated for a second term, Musk used his political influence in December 2024 to whip up outrage against a bipartisan spending bill and torpedo it days before a potential government shutdown. Elon Musk jumps on the stage as President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show on Oct. 5, 2024 in Butler, Pa. Evan Vucci / AP Musk joins Trump administration, spearheading DOGE Mr. Trump appointed Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which was tasked with cutting federal government spending, but fell far short of Musk's $1 trillion goal. Musk quickly became a member of Mr. Trump's inner circle, participating in Cabinet meetings and traveling on Air Force One with his young son. Less than a month into his government service, Musk professed on X: "I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man." DOGE quickly gained vast influence within the Trump administration, slashing government staff and nearly dismantling some federal agencies. Musk and Mr. Trump appeared together in the Oval Office in February — with Musk's son in tow — and jointly answered questions from the press. President Trump listens as Elon Musk, joined by his son X Æ A-Xii, speaks in the Oval Office on Feb. 11. Alex Brandon / AP Mr. Trump stood by Musk as some of his efforts drew backlash. In late February, a DOGE-backed email telling federal employees to report what they had accomplished in the preceding week sparked confusion in some agencies. During a Cabinet meeting days later, Mr. Trump called Musk "tremendously successful" and said people were "thrilled" with his performance — and said federal workers who haven't responded to the emails are "on the bubble." When Tesla faced protests from Trump opponents, the president boosted Musk, climbing into a Tesla on the White House South Lawn in March and calling the car "beautiful." Days prior, Mr. Trump said on Truth Social he would "buy a brand new Tesla" as a show of support for Musk, who the president said was "doing a FANTASTIC JOB." President Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11. / AP Musk clashed with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro in April over Mr. Trump's tariff strategy. Musk called Navarro "dumber than a sack of bricks" after Navarro said Tesla relies on "cheap foreign parts." Mr. Trump's White House didn't take sides: "Boys will be boys," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. In a late April Cabinet meeting, Mr. Trump praised and thanked Musk — but suggested his time in government would end soon. "You're invited to stay as long as you want. At some point, he wants to get back home to his cars," Mr. Trump said, as he and his Cabinet led a round of applause for the billionaire. President Trump to @elonmusk: "We just want to thank you very much. And, you know, you're invited to stay as long as you want. At some point, he wants to get back home to his cars." — CSPAN (@cspan) April 30, 2025 Musk leaves administration and ramps up criticism Days before wrapping up his work for the federal government, Musk began criticizing a massive piece of legislation aimed at advancing Mr. Trump's second-term agenda. Musk told "CBS News Sunday Morning" he was "disappointed" in the price tag of the package, which would extend Mr. Trump's signature 2017 tax cuts, boost border security spending, impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients and roll back clean energy tax credits. Musk left his position in the administration on May 30 after reaching the maximum number of days he could serve as a special government employee. Musk, who had a black eye, stood next to Mr. Trump in the Oval Office as the president praised the billionaire's government work and called him "one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced." "Elon's really not leaving. He's going to be back and forth, I think, I have a feeling," Mr. Trump said. Musk said he would continue to serve as a "friend and adviser" to the president. President Trump presents a key to Elon Musk during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30. Evan Vucci / AP Musk-Trump spat bursts wide open In the following days, Musk escalated his criticism of the legislation Mr. Trump has dubbed a "big, beautiful bill," calling it a "disgusting abomination" in a lengthy early June tirade on his social media platform. The insults continued through the week, reaching a climax on June 5 with Mr. Trump threatening to cancel Musk's lucrative government contracts and Musk claiming that Mr. Trump could not have won the presidency without him. Musk said he would shut down a SpaceX program that NASA relies on to transport astronauts — before later backtracking — and seemed to endorse an X post calling for Mr. Trump to be impeached. Musk also warned Republican lawmakers: "Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years." During the back-and-forth, Mr. Trump claimed that he asked Musk to leave his administration and upset him with a provision in the budget bill that would end tax credits for electric vehicles. "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" the president wrote. Musk then alleged that Mr. Trump's name appeared in the files related to the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while facing charges of sex trafficking. "@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public," Musk wrote. "Have a nice day, DJT!" In response to the spat, Leavitt called it an "unfortunate episode from Elon." A red Tesla is parked on West Executive Drive on the White House campus on June 5, 2025 — the same day as Elon Musk and President Trump's public feud. Alex Brandon / AP