Latest news with #KevinAlexander
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Gen Zers who are actually happy are saying yes to religion and family — and no to social media
Many of the kids are not alright — though some are. According to the 2025 World Happiness Report, Americans ages 18 to 29 ranked 62nd amongst the 140 countries surveyed in terms of self-reported well-being and life satisfaction —far below all US adults, who ranked 24th in the most recent report. But a small segment of young Americans are bucking the trend and finding happiness. The Post spoke with several, and they all noted that limiting their time on Instagram, TikTok and the like was crucial to their mental well-being. The average Zoomer spends three quarters of their day consuming content. 'Social media in and of itself is a very negative and toxic place,' Kevin Alexander, a self-described happy 28-year-old from Southern Florida, told The Post. 'I don't use it that much.' Alexander has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth and uses crutches for mobility. His disability taught him that 'comparison is the thief of joy' early on, so he's always avoided social media, which he believes has been key. 'I happen to be physically disabled, so I tend to look more for positive things, because I've certainly dealt with a host of negativity in my life through operations, through stigma, through a lot of things,' he explained. Alexander, who recently got his master's degree in history and is working on an essay collection while applying to PhD programs, also credits his intellectual pursuits for his positive outlook. 'I read a lot, and I try to stay inside in my own head more than listen to the external noise,' he said. 'I'm just so in my books and in my writing that I can get lost to the world for several hours of the day at a time.' Ben Feinblum, a 20-year-old sophomore studying business at Georgia Tech, believes social media is bringing his generation down and credits his positive outlook to restricting his use of it. 'Social media makes people very comfortable being alone, and even when they are hanging out with people they're on their phones and texting people that aren't even there,' the New Rochelle native said. Feinblum turns off notifications on apps, such as Instagram, that aren't essential, and he and his friends have created rituals to stay in the moment while hanging out. 'My friends will be very conscious of who's on their phone and call them out,' he said. 'We stack up our phones on the table, and whoever picks theirs up first is the one to pay the tip for dinner.' Sarah-Elisabeth Ellison, an unusually upbeat 20-year-old sophomore at Samford University in Alabama, also makes efforts to rein in her social media use when she feels it getting out of hand. 'I can kind of take authority and say, you know what, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok is really affecting me. I've got to delete it for a week or two or whatever,' she said. She also avoids 'bed rotting' — a wallowing form of self care beloved by Zoomers — in favor of healthier pursuits. 'Instead, [I say] I'm gonna go take a walk outside. I'm going to read a book,' she said. 'I think sometimes you need to escape whatever your situation is, and I think reading is the greatest resource.' Daily journaling has also been proved helpful to Ellison, who dealt with anxiety in her teens. 'Just getting my thoughts out and getting to stretch those writing legs has always brought a boost to my serotonin,' she said. 'I try to get down five things I'm grateful for.' Nearly all of the happy Zoomers The Post spoke with cited their religion as a major reason for their contentment. 'Something that has always influenced me is growing up with a dad that's a pastor,' Ellison said. 'My faith has ebbed and flowed and changed a lot as I've grown up, but it's always been consistently there for me to fall back on.' For Alexander, his Christian faith has helped him frame his disability in a positive manner. 'The fact that I'm still here 28 years later makes me believe that God has me here for a reason,' he said. 'I have physical limitations, but He spared my ability to speak, to think, and to write effectively. The idea that I'm here for a purpose keeps me from falling into the generational nihilism.' Fay Dubinsky, 28 of Boca, Florida, credits Judaism with providing her with a sense of community and meaning. 'I grew up Jewish and religious, and I think that's probably one of the reasons that I'm not depressed or anxious,' she said. 'I have so much meaning in my life, and that's not typical for my generation.' Dubinsky, who works as a therapist, also says her choice to get married early, at age 25, and start a family soon after has given her more purpose. She has a nearly 2-year-old son and is 7-months-pregnant. 'I take time for myself, but so much of my day is to help others, to take care of my family, to take care of my baby,' she said. 'I think the number one problem in my generation is a lack of meaning. People my age, their life is about them, and serving themselves, and always seeking out more pleasure.'
New York Post
26-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Gen Zers who are actually happy are saying yes to religion and family — and no to social media
Many of the kids are not alright — though some are. According to the 2025 World Happiness Report, Americans ages 18 to 29 ranked 62nd amongst the 140 countries surveyed in terms of self-reported well-being and life satisfaction — far below all US adults, who ranked 24th in the most recent report. But a small segment of young Americans are bucking the trend and finding happiness. The Post spoke with several, and they all noted that limiting their time on Instagram, TikTok and the like was crucial to their mental well-being. The average Zoomer spends three quarters of their day consuming content. Advertisement 8 Kevin Alexander has cerebral palsy and believes he's happier than most of his able-bodied peers. Courtesy of Kevin Alexander 'Social media in and of itself is a very negative and toxic place,' Kevin Alexander, a self-described happy 28-year-old from Southern Florida, told The Post. 'I don't use it that much.' Alexander has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth and uses crutches for mobility. His disability taught him that 'comparison is the thief of joy' early on, so he's always avoided social media, which he believes has been key. Advertisement 'I happen to be physically disabled, so I tend to look more for positive things, because I've certainly dealt with a host of negativity in my life through operations, through stigma, through a lot of things,' he explained. Alexander, who recently got his master's degree in history and is working on an essay collection while applying to PhD programs, also credits his intellectual pursuits for his positive outlook. 8 Kevin Alexander says he escapes in books and history. Courtesy of Kevin Alexander 'I read a lot, and I try to stay inside in my own head more than listen to the external noise,' he said. 'I'm just so in my books and in my writing that I can get lost to the world for several hours of the day at a time.' Advertisement Ben Feinblum, a 20-year-old sophomore studying business at Georgia Tech, believes social media is bringing his generation down and credits his positive outlook to restricting his use of it. 'Social media makes people very comfortable being alone, and even when they are hanging out with people they're on their phones and texting people that aren't even there,' the New Rochelle native said. 8 Ben Feinblum believes his generation's mental health is harmed by social media. Courtesy of Ben Feinblum Feinblum turns off notifications on apps, such as Instagram, that aren't essential, and he and his friends have created rituals to stay in the moment while hanging out. Advertisement 'My friends will be very conscious of who's on their phone and call them out,' he said. 'We stack up our phones on the table, and whoever picks theirs up first is the one to pay the tip for dinner.' Sarah-Elisabeth Ellison, an unusually upbeat 20-year-old sophomore at Samford University in Alabama, also makes efforts to rein in her social media use when she feels it getting out of hand. 8 Sarah-Elisabeth Ellison says that exercising and getting outside helps her stay happy. Courtesy of Sarah-Elisabeth Ellison 'I can kind of take authority and say, you know what, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok is really affecting me. I've got to delete it for a week or two or whatever,' she said. She also avoids 'bed rotting' — a wallowing form of self care beloved by Zoomers — in favor of healthier pursuits. 'Instead, [I say] I'm gonna go take a walk outside. I'm going to read a book,' she said. 'I think sometimes you need to escape whatever your situation is, and I think reading is the greatest resource.' 8 Sarah-Elisabeth Ellison sometimes deletes social media apps when she feels they're detrimental to her mental health. Courtesy of Sarah-Elisabeth Ellison Daily journaling has also been proved helpful to Ellison, who dealt with anxiety in her teens. Advertisement 'Just getting my thoughts out and getting to stretch those writing legs has always brought a boost to my serotonin,' she said. 'I try to get down five things I'm grateful for.' Nearly all of the happy Zoomers The Post spoke with cited their religion as a major reason for their contentment. 'Something that has always influenced me is growing up with a dad that's a pastor,' Ellison said. 'My faith has ebbed and flowed and changed a lot as I've grown up, but it's always been consistently there for me to fall back on.' 8 Kevin Alexander recently received a master's degree in history and plans to pursue a PhD. Courtesy of Kevin Alexander Advertisement For Alexander, his Christian faith has helped him frame his disability in a positive manner. 'The fact that I'm still here 28 years later makes me believe that God has me here for a reason,' he said. 'I have physical limitations, but He spared my ability to speak, to think, and to write effectively. The idea that I'm here for a purpose keeps me from falling into the generational nihilism.' 8 Fay Dubinsky's Jewish faith grounded her with larger meaning. Courtesy of Fay Dubinsky Fay Dubinsky, 28 of Boca, Florida, credits Judaism with providing her with a sense of community and meaning. Advertisement 'I grew up Jewish and religious, and I think that's probably one of the reasons that I'm not depressed or anxious,' she said. 'I have so much meaning in my life, and that's not typical for my generation.' 8 Dubinsky, 28, is the mother of a son and is also 7 months pregnant with her second child. Courtesy of Fay Dubinsky Dubinsky, who works as a therapist, also says her choice to get married early, at age 25, and start a family soon after has given her more purpose. She has a nearly 2-year-old son and is 7-months-pregnant. 'I take time for myself, but so much of my day is to help others, to take care of my family, to take care of my baby,' she said. 'I think the number one problem in my generation is a lack of meaning. People my age, their life is about them, and serving themselves, and always seeking out more pleasure.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Acoramidis Reduced Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation Events in Patients with ATTR-CM
- In a post-hoc analysis of ATTRibute-CM, acoramidis reduced the annual frequency of CVH due to AF/AFL by 43% compared to placebo and reduced the incidence of new-onset AF/AFL by 17% in the subgroup with no prior history of AF compared to placebo - In the ATTRibute-CM study, acoramidis demonstrated the most rapid benefit seen in any Phase 3 study of ATTR-CM to date in both ATTRv-CM and ATTRwt-CM patients: - In as few as 3 months, the time to first event (ACM or CVH) durably separated relative to placebo- A 42% reduction in composite ACM and recurrent CVH events relative to placebo at Month 30- A 50% reduction in the cumulative frequency of CVH events relative to placebo at Month 30 - Acoramidis is approved as Attruby™ by the U.S. FDA and is approved as BEYONTTRA® by the European Commission, Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency and UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency PALO ALTO, Calif., May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBIO) ('BridgeBio' or the 'Company'), a new type of biopharmaceutical company focused on genetic diseases, presented data from ATTRibute-CM, highlighting the reduced incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) events in the overall ATTR-CM population. These data were presented in a moderated ePoster at the Annual Congress of the Heart Failure Association of the ESC (Heart Failure 2025), taking place in Belgrade, Serbia from May 17 - 20, 2025. Acoramidis is a selective small molecule, orally administered, near-complete (≥90%) transthyretin (TTR) stabilizer. 'The reduction in new-onset atrial fibrillation and AF-related hospitalizations represents an important finding for the ATTR-CM community. I am encouraged by the growing body of data from the ATTRibute-CM study, which adds to the understanding of acoramidis and its potential impact on clinical outcomes for patients. Furthermore, the observed reductions in hospitalizations and mortality, along with improvements in functional capacity and quality of life, suggest that acoramidis may offer benefit to both variant and wild-type ATTR-CM patients who have limited treatment options,' said Kevin Alexander, M.D. of Stanford University School of Medicine, USA. 'These data support further consideration of acoramidis as a promising front-line therapy for ATTR-CM, particularly for patients with the hereditary form of the disease, who often face rapid and severe progression.' Details from the post-hoc analysis on incidence of AF in ATTRibute-CM included: Acoramidis Treatment Is Associated with a Lower Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation-related Events in Patients with ATTR-CM: A Post-hoc Analysis of the ATTRibute-CM Trial, presented by Dr. Alexander AF is a common complication of ATTR-CM, observed in up to 70% of patients, and the onset of AF is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular-related hospitalizations (CVH) In ATTRibute-CM, a 43% relative risk reduction in the annual frequency of CVH due to AF/atrial flutter (AFL) was observed with acoramidis relative to placebo. In the subgroup who had no prior history of AF, a 17% lower incidence of new-onset AF/AFL was reported with acoramidis compared to placebo These findings show the potential of acoramidis to reduce both disease progression, as indicated by a lower incidence of new-onset AF/AFL, and CVH morbidity caused by AF/AFL, in patients with ATTR-CM In addition to the moderated ePoster, three analyses were shared on the strong clinical outcomes in ATTRv-CM versus placebo. ATTRv-CM is associated with early age of disease onset with more advanced heart failure symptoms, which often leads to a poorer prognosis than those with wild-type ATTR-CM (ATTRwt-CM). These findings included: Acoramidis Improves Serum TTR Levels in Patients with Wild-type or Variant Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy: Results from ATTRibute-CM, presented by Anique Ducharme, M.D. of Université de Montréal, CAN In both subgroups of ATTRv-CM and ATTRwt-CM, acoramidis treatment induced a rapid increase in serum TTR levels, a measure of TTR stability, by Day 28, with comparable serum TTR levels achieved in both subgroups from Day 28 through Month 30. Relative increases in serum TTR concentrations resulting from greater TTR stability have been associated with reduced risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in the general population in recent literature1 Effect of Acoramidis on Functional Capacity and Quality of Life in Patients with Variant ATTR-CM: Results from ATTRibute-CM, presented by Marianna Fontana, M.D. of University College London, UK Data from ATTRibute-CM showed that when acoramidis was administered for 30 months, participants with ATTRv-CM had a clinically significant slower decline in functional capacity and quality of life compared with placebo, consistent with the overall results in both ATTRv-CM and ATTRwt-CM At Month 30, the mean difference between acoramidis and placebo treatment groups in the change from baseline in 6-minute walk distance was 86.7 meters (p = 0.0048) in favor of acoramidis and in the change from baseline in KCCQ-OS at Month 30, was 20.3 points (p = 0.0019) in favor of acoramidis, in patients with ATTRv-CM Effect of Acoramidis on All-cause Mortality, Cardiovascular Hospitalization and NT-proBNP in Variant ATTR-CM: Results from ATTRibute-CM, presented by Marianna Fontana, M.D. of University College London, UK In ATTRibute-CM, acoramidis treatment administered for 30 months led to a substantial reduction (>50%) in the composite of all-cause mortality (ACM)/CVH, ACM and CVH in participants with ATTRv-CM compared to placebo. This improvement was accompanied by favorable effects on N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels 'Based on the findings from ATTRibute-CM, we believe that acoramidis has the potential to enable patients with both variant and wild-type ATTR-CM to live longer, healthier lives, especially for those with variant ATTR-CM who typically have a poorer prognosis. We observed both a striking reduction in the frequency of cardiovascular hospitalizations (which included clinic or emergency department visits for urgent heart failure management) and a clinically important and statistically significant reduction in all-cause mortality in the important subgroup. These clinical outcomes were further mirrored in robust improvements in functional capacity, quality of life, and biomarkers of heart failure severity,' said Jonathan Fox, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Medical Officer of BridgeBio Cardiorenal. 'Given these compelling results, acoramidis should be considered as first-line treatment for newly diagnosed patients, and those currently on other therapies could be switched to acoramidis to maximize their potential to achieve such benefits.' Additional acoramidis moderated ePosters at Heart Failure 2025 included: Disease Progression Among Patients Receiving Tafamidis for ATTR-CM in a Real-world Setting, presented by Daniel P. Judge, M.D. of Medical University of South Carolina, USA This analysis suggests disease progression despite treatment with tafamidis in ATTR-CM. CVH was frequent, with approximately 1 in 5 tafamidis-treated patients hospitalized in the first six months of therapy. As more therapeutic options become available, measuring the clinical effectiveness of therapies in a real-world setting will be important to help inform physicians and patients when making treatment decisions Cause of Death in Patients with Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM): Findings from the ATTRibute-CM Study, presented by Laura Obici, M.D. of University of Pavia, ESP In the ATTRibute-CM study, total deaths were numerically lower with acoramidis compared with placebo. The relative risk reduction of 30% in cardiovascular-related mortality by Month 30 was driven predominantly by a reduction in heart failure-related deaths Time from First Recorded Clinical Manifestation to Diagnosis of Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using U.S. Claims Data, presented by Joshua Mitchell, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, USA The median time from the first documented clinical manifestation to ATTR-CM diagnosis was almost 5 years, and over 2 years from the first heart failure diagnosis. This demonstrates that the patient journey to an ATTR-CM diagnosis can be prolonged and challenging, which potentially leads to more severe disease at diagnosis. Understanding the factors contributing to diagnostic delays is important to improving diagnostic pathways and patient outcomes Acoramidis is approved as Attruby by the U.S. FDA and is approved as BEYONTTRA by the European Commission, Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, and the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency with all labels specifying near-complete stabilization of TTR. More data on the benefit of Attruby for ATTR-CM patients is planned for future medical meetings. 1Christoffersen M et al. Transthyretin Tetramer Destabilization and Increased Mortality in the General Population. JAMA Cardiol. 2024 Dec 4:e244102. About Attruby™ (acoramidis) INDICATION Attruby is a transthyretin stabilizer indicated for the treatment of the cardiomyopathy of wild-type or variant transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) in adults to reduce cardiovascular death and cardiovascular-related hospitalization. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Adverse Reactions Diarrhea (11.6% vs 7.6%) and upper abdominal pain (5.5% vs 1.4%) were reported in patients treated with Attruby versus placebo, respectively. The majority of these adverse reactions were mild and resolved without drug discontinuation. Discontinuation rates due to adverse events were similar between patients treated with Attruby versus placebo (9.3% and 8.5%, respectively). About BridgeBioBridgeBio Pharma (BridgeBio; NASDAQ:BBIO) is a new type of biopharmaceutical company founded to discover, create, test, and deliver transformative medicines to treat patients who suffer from genetic diseases. BridgeBio's pipeline of development programs ranges from early science to advanced clinical trials. BridgeBio was founded in 2015 and its team of experienced drug discoverers, developers and innovators are committed to applying advances in genetic medicine to help patients as quickly as possible. For more information visit and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. BridgeBio Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. Statements in this press release may include statements that are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 'Securities Act'), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 'Exchange Act'), which are usually identified by the use of words such as 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'continues,' 'could,' 'estimates,' 'expects,' 'hopes,' 'intends,' 'may,' 'plans,' 'projects,' 'potential,' 'seeks,' 'should,' 'will,' and variations of such words or similar expressions. BridgeBio intends these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the potential impact of acoramidis on clinical outcomes for patients, the possibility that acoramidis may offer benefit to both variant and wild-type ATTR-CM patients, the consideration of acoramidis as a promising front-line therapy for ATTR-CM, the potential of acoramidis to reduce disease progression and cardiovascular hospitalization morbidity caused by AF/AFL, BridgeBio's belief that acoramidis could help patients live longer, healthier lives—especially those with variant ATTR-CM—and the view that acoramidis should be considered as a first-line treatment or as a replacement for current therapies to maximize patient benefit, reflect BridgeBio's current views about its plans, intentions, expectations, and strategies, which are based on the information currently available to BridgeBio and on assumptions it has made. Although BridgeBio believes that its plans, intentions, expectations, and strategies as reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such plans, intentions, expectations, or strategies will be attained or achieved. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, but not limited to: the risks associated with BridgeBio's dependence on third parties for development; regulatory authorities requiring additional studies or data to support the continued or expanded commercialization of acoramidis; whether data and results meet regulatory requirements or are sufficient for continued development, review, or approval; and whether other regulatory agencies agree with BridgeBio's strategies or data interpretations. These risks also include impacts from global health emergencies, such as delays in regulatory reviews and other activities, manufacturing and supply chain interruptions, adverse effects on healthcare systems, and disruption of the global economy; and the impacts of macroeconomic and geopolitical events, including changing conditions from hostilities in Ukraine and in Israel and the Gaza Strip, increasing inflation rates, and fluctuating interest rates on BridgeBio's operations and expectations. Additional risks are described in the Risk Factors section of BridgeBio's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, BridgeBio operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment in which new risks emerge from time to time. These forward-looking statements are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of BridgeBio's management as of the date of this press release and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these statements. Except as required by applicable law, BridgeBio assumes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. BridgeBio Media Contact:Bubba Murarka, EVP Communicationscontact@ (650)-789-8220 BridgeBio Investor Contact:Chinmay Shukla, VP Strategic Financeir@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
