Latest news with #AalborgUniversity
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctors say a silent 'mini-stroke' may explain your constant fatigue
Feeling persistently exhausted could be due to a mini-stroke you had without realizing, a study suggests. Also known as a transient ischemic attack, they occur due to a brief blockage of blood flow to the brain and can last for up to a day. More than 240,000 Americans and about 45,000 Brits experience one every year but only one in 30 realize they have had one. That's because the symptoms can be easily dismissed: muscle weakness, headaches and vision changes. A group of Danish researchers have now found that these mini-strokes can have much longer lasting effects, leaving sufferers feeling fatigued for up to a year. TIA's can cause fatigue due to several factors including the brain's need to compensate for the temporary disruption in blood flow. The brain has to work harder to complete tasks after a TIA and this effort can lead to increased energy consumption and persistent fatigue. Dr Boris Modrau, a neurology professor at the Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark and lead author of the study said: 'People with a transient ischemic attack can have symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech and these resolve within a day. 'However, some have reported continued challenges including reduced quality of life, thinking problems, depression, anxiety and fatigue.' The study followed 354 people with an average age of 70 who had a mini-stroke for a year. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires about their level of fatigue in the first two weeks after a mini-stroke and again at three, six and 12 months later. Researchers looked at how many participants experienced fatigue by defining it as a score of 12 or higher. Those being analyzed also underwent had brain scans to check for blood clots. The experts discovered that 61 percent of those surveyed experienced increases in their fatigue scores two weeks after the mini-stroke. Half reported fatigue at the three, six and 12 month mark. The scientists also found that participants who reported feeling fatigued were twice as likely to have a history of anxiety and/or depression. The team said that the study was observational and cannot prove that the mini-strokes were behind the persistent fatigue. Dr Modrau said: 'Long-term fatigue was common in our group of study participants, and we found if people experience fatigue within two weeks after leaving the hospital, it is likely they will continue to have fatigue for up to a year.' He also advised that experts need to focus on whether mini-stroke patients are showing signs of fatigue and provide adequate care. 'For future studies, people diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack should be followed in the weeks and months that follow to be assessed for lingering fatigue. 'This could help us better understand who might struggle with fatigue long-term and require further care,' he concluded. The study has been published today in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. While not as extensively as a complete stroke, a mini stroke can cause a certain degree of brain damage when it occurs. This damage can leave a person with muscle weakness, difficulty with coordination and a general sense of weariness - which are all signs of fatigue. Fatigue is medically described as the persistent and excessive feeling of tiredness or lack of energy which interferes with daily activities, even after adequate rest. Particularly, physical fatigue can include muscle weakness, aches, pain, gastrointestinal issues and headaches. While mental fatigue entails difficulty concentrating, learning new tasks, slowed reflexes and impaired decision-making. Brain damage due to a mini-stroke can also change sleeping patterns, emotional distress and memory, all of which can contribute to ongoing tiredness.
The Herald Scotland
03-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Why Greenland's mineral resources are critical to Trump administration
While the island's role in the U.S.'s national and international security remains important, its vast mineral wealth - resources critical to modern industries where China holds near-monopoly power - has become a key driver of U.S. interest. In April, Trump signed two executive orders aimed at securing critical minerals: one investigating the need for tariffs on mineral imports and another accelerating offshore mining. The island in the Arctic, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark, has been of interest to Trump before. In 2019, during Trump's first term as president, he expressed interest in buying Greenland. What makes Greenland's minerals significant? Though ice covers about 80% of the island, its ice-free zone encompasses about 250,000 square miles and hosts many mineral deposits, including over 30 critical raw minerals, according to a 2023 report from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. Some of the most notable include graphite, copper, nickel, zinc, tungsten and lithium - essential industrial minerals for making modern technologies. "It's a treasure," Anne Merrild, a professor and head of the Sustainability and Planning Department at Denmark's Aalborg University, described the island she grew up on. Besides the security issue and potential for Greenland to become a transit point for trade and military interactions, Merrild points to its rich mineral resources as a major reason why Trump is so interested in the island. "I don't expect it to be the need for minerals that drives this interest, but rather the opportunity to control who else has access to the resources," Merrild said. While the United States was once a leading mineral supplier, China now dominates the global market. By controlling access to the potential mineral resources in Greenland, the Trump administration sought to prevent its geopolitical rivals, like China, from tightening its grip on global supply chains. What are critical minerals? The Energy Act of 2020 defines a "critical mineral" as a non-fuel mineral essential to U.S. economic or national security, with a supply chain susceptible to disruption. These minerals are vital for manufacturing products, renewable energy development and infrastructure. They are key components for producing everything from smartphones, computers, and electric vehicle batteries to wind turbines, solar panels, and advanced military systems. The United States Geological Survey published a list of 50 critical minerals in 2022. In an executive order published April 15, the White House added uranium to the list of critical minerals. Though not formally designated critical, the White House prioritized offshore mining of copper, potash and gold in an April 24 executive order. From mining to processing, China dominates today's global critical mineral market. Based on a report from the USGS published earlier this year, China was the top producer of 30 critical minerals in 2024, and the U.S. relies heavily on mineral imports from China and Canada. What's the status of mining in Greenland right now? Merrild said there's "almost no mining activity" in Greenland for critical minerals right now due to challenges like harsh weather, limited workforce and high costs of transportation and infrastructure, making it "really an untapped resource." Tapping into Greenland's rich resources would require big companies with the financial capacity to invest in the initial exploration phase. "If they do so," Merrild said. "I think it could contribute significantly to the Greenlandic economy, and it could be really good for developing the infrastructure around the mines." But Merrild emphasizes the importance of development with "care" as mining activities could "potentially cause significant negative impact" to the people and the environment. "It would be really sad if Greenland was sacrificed for the sake of its mineral resources to other parts of the world," Merrild said. Read more: Why Trump wants Greenland: Military security, rare minerals, trade routes, for starters What do Greenlanders think? Greenland is about three times the size of Texas but has a population of just 56,000 - about the same as Carson City, Nevada. Most of its residents don't want their land to be a part of the United States, according to a poll in January. Eighty-five percent of Greenlanders rejected becoming Americans, while 6% said yes. The rest were undecided. Merrild, whose parents and siblings are living in Greenland, expressed concerns about an unknown political issue. Merrild said her parents are considering moving to Denmark because "they're afraid of what will happen if the United States takes over Greenland, if they will have the same rights, and so on."
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
JD and Usha Vance make a last-minute change of plan to Greenland trip - and Denmark is relieved
Danish officials appear relieved after Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance changed their Greenland visit itinerary, which had sparked anger among residents. The couple, joined by national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, will visit the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland. The Second Lady was initially scheduled for a solo trip to Greenland's capital, Nuuk, and the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut. The visit comes after President Donald Trump reiterated his desire for the U.S. to obtain Greenland, claiming earlier this week that the territory is important for national security. The itinerary change keeps the group away from highly-populated areas and reduces the likelihood that they will cross paths with residents protesting the Trump administration's attempts to annex the vast Arctic island, a semi-autonomous Danish territory. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told Danish broadcaster DR Wednesday that the Vances' updated travel plans are a good thing, calling it a de-escalation. Anne Merrild, a professor and Arctic expert at Aalborg University in Denmark, said recent anti-U.S. demonstrations in Nuuk might have scared the Trump administration enough to revise the trip to avoid interactions with angry Greenlanders. Still, Merrild said, even a visit to the space base shows that the U.S. administration still considers annexing Greenland to be on the table. 'It's a signal to the whole world, it's a strong signal to Denmark, it's a signal to Greenland,' she said. 'And of course it's also an internal signal to the U.S., that this is something that we're pursuing.' The original itinerary was viewed as controversial because Greenland doesn't currently have a government after holding elections earlier this month, according to Marc Jacobsen, a professor at the Royal Danish Defense College. 'Greenland and Denmark have stated very clearly that they don't want the U.S. to visit right now, when Greenland doesn't have a government in place,' Jacobsen said. Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland in January, arriving on Trump Force One just weeks before his father took office. Trump Jr. posted a video of himself there on Instagram, posing beneath a statue of the Lutheran missionary Hans Egede who is credited with first settling the barren territory in 1721 before spinning his phone camera around to showcase the 'incredible scenery.' Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk also turned out to be among his entourage. After the visit, Pipaluk Lynge, an MP from Greenland's largest party and chair of the parliamentary foreign and security policy committee, said the whole event was 'staged.' A spokesperson for Trump Jr. denied this. Danish MP Rasmus Jarlov wasn't happy with the visit, writing on X: 'This level of disrespect from the coming US president towards very, very loyal allies and friends is record-setting.' --- Additional reporting by AP.
