Latest news with #ACS
Newsweek
a day ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Woman, 33, Has Small Pimple for Two Years, Then Comes Shock Diagnosis
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When Rachel Archer noticed a small pimple on her forehead, she thought nothing of it—having acne-prone skin, she was used to it. But when it didn't disappear and started to bleed six months ago, she began to worry. The 33-year-old, who lives in North Carolina, sought medical advice and was initially told she was too young for cancer, sent away with the theory that it was a scratched mosquito bite. The next month, she returned to the doctor and was sent for a biopsy. Archer was diagnosed with the most common type of skin cancer, called basal cell carcinoma (BCC), often caused by sun exposure. The American Cancer Society (ACS) states roughly 5.4 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers diagnosed each year in the U.S. After posting her journey online @racheltemac, she told Newsweek: "When you are younger you don't think about the risks of being in the sun too long and getting sun burnt so I believe seeing a video of what it would be like to get skin cancer would be helpful for younger people, so they are more careful! "I think it's good for people to see that you can get skin cancer even at a younger age and you need to be careful, or you could get skin cancer too!" (L-R) Archer before the diagnosis and a close up of the pimple on her forehead. (L-R) Archer before the diagnosis and a close up of the pimple on her forehead. TikTok/@racheltemac Speaking about her own relationship with the sun, the mom of three explained that she only started using sunscreen in her late twenties. She also used tanning beds a handful of times. With no family history of cancer, Archer described the diagnosis as "surreal." "Especially at my age," she said. In a TikTok clip shared on June 15, Archer can be seen with a large round scab on her forehead. This is from six weeks of a chemotherapy topical solution called Imiquimod. The ACS states it is a prescription cream that you can put on during very early-stage skin cancers (like some basal cell cancers). It works by triggering your body's immune system to attack and get rid of the abnormal skin cells. You usually put it on the affected area several times a week for a few weeks, but exactly how often depends on your doctor's instructions. "It was applied multiple times a week for six weeks," explained Archer. "The treatment caused my skin to react by bleeding and scabbing up. It felt like my skin was being burned off and it's possible that is what was happening." Today, she never leaves the house without Sun Protection Factor (SPF), and encourages others to do the same. In the clip, which has 1.2 million views, she says: "There's no excuses to lay out and get burned" with the number of products that contain sunscreen that are now available. What Are the Warning Signs of Skin Cancer? Newsweek spoke to Dr. Hannah Kopelman, a dermatologist clinically trained in cutaneous oncology at Boston University and in hair loss at Columbia University. She said: "Skin cancer doesn't always look dramatic or obvious. It can start as something that seems harmless—a tiny pimple that doesn't heal, a rough patch that keeps coming back, or a mole that slowly changes over time." She explained the key signs to look for are referred to as ABCDEs of melanoma: Asymmetry Irregular borders Color variation Diameter larger than a pencil eraser, and evolution or change. She added: "But even beyond that, any lesion that bleeds, crusts, itches, or lingers longer than a month without healing is worth getting checked. Trust your instincts—if something feels off, it's always better to get it evaluated." If a spot doesn't heal within four to six weeks, Kopelman, who practices in New York at Kopelman Aesthetic Surgery, encourages people to sought medical advice. (L-R) Archer was left with a large scab on her forehead following chemotherapy. (L-R) Archer was left with a large scab on her forehead following chemotherapy. Rachel Archer Advice for People Who Are Dismissed Because of Their Age Kopelman told Newsweek: "This part really hits home for me because I've had young patients come in after being told they're 'too young' for skin cancer. I want to be very clear: skin cancer does not discriminate by age. I've diagnosed aggressive forms of melanoma in patients in their 20s and even late teens. If you feel like your concerns are being brushed off, please don't give up. "You have every right to advocate for your health. Seek a second opinion—preferably with a board-certified dermatologist—and keep pushing until you're heard. You know your body better than anyone, and early detection saves lives." Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@ We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Mango Airlines faces legal challenges in its business rescue plan
State-owned Mango appears no closer to the skies again, four years after the low-cost airline was grounded in July 2021, as legal challenges intensify. Image: File Troubled state-owned low-cost airline Mango's business rescue practitioner (BRP), Sipho Sono, has instructed his legal representatives to appeal against the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, judgment stopping the implementation of its business rescue plan. The move follows Judge Denise Fisher finding that 'the plan, shorn of its complexity, amounts to nothing more than the confiscation of the creditors' claims in order that they be transferred by Sono to an investor who pays no value for them or the shares'. The matter was brought by Aviation Co-ordination Services (ACS), which provided security-related services such as baggage and cargo screening services, baggage reconciliation, and check-in services. The company hauled Mango and Sono to court over the plan to save the South African Airways subsidiary. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ ACS is among dozens of creditors owed about R2.91 billion by Mango before it was placed under business rescue in July 2021. Mango owes ACS over R23.3 million and was among the creditors who voted against Sono's business rescue plan approved by 98% of the voting creditors. ACS objected to a payment to the creditors (clause 6.2.6) in the plan, stating that all of the remaining balance of the claims of the remaining concurrent creditors will be ceded to the investor at face value thereof, but for nominal consideration. In his latest communication all affected parties, Sono indicated that on June 17, the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, handed down a judgment in the application launched by ACS in terms of which it declared the compulsory cession contained in clause 6.2.6 of the business rescue plan was declared invalid and of no force and effect. The court also declared that the business rescue plan cannot be implemented. 'Since the handing down of the judgment, the BRP has carefully studied the judgment and consulted with his legal representatives,' Sono explained. The BRP said following the engagements with his lawyers, he intends to apply for leave to appeal against the whole judgment. He has accordingly instructed his legal representatives to prepare the necessary documents for purposes of noting the appeal and undertook to provide further updates on the status of the appeal in due course.
Medscape
4 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Can a Face Mask Diagnose Kidney Disease?
A face mask with specialized sensors was able to detect chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on exhaled levels of ammonia and other metabolites, according to the results of an Italian study. Sensors for ammonia and other relevant molecules achieved a 93.3% true positive rate and 86.7% true negative rate in detecting kidney diseases, reported Corrado Di Natale, professor of electronic engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, and coauthors in a paper in the American Chemical Society's ACS Sensors . The study included 50 patients who had been diagnosed with CKD, alongside 48 healthy control individuals. Control participants were drawn from patients' family members and hospital staff at the same clinic. The test used a breath sensor embedded in a standard face mask. The sensors consisted of coated silver electrodes with a conductive polymer commonly used in chemical sensors. The electrodes were placed between the layers of a disposable medical face mask, with wires attached to allow an electronic readout of exhaled gases. The sensor was designed to detect CKD-related metabolites, including ammonia, ethanol, propanol, and acetone. The project involved people in several departments, including nephrology and electric engineering, Di Natale said. The goal was to make the device easy for medical staff and patients to use, not wanting to add a new complicated process for CKD testing, Di Natale added. 'It was actually very simple, very simple to use,' he said. Expanding Breath Analysis Di Natale told Medscape Medical News that his team plans to continue working on tools for the diagnosis of metabolic disorders and lung cancer via breath analysis. Physicians long have known that CKD and other diseases such as diabetes can affect how breath smells. An emerging field, called volatolomics, or volatilomics, seeks to identify changes in the composition of chemical byproducts expelled normally through breath. Diagnostics based on breath samples would offer an attractive advantage in ease of collection, but there are many hurdles that researchers would need to clear to bring a product like a breath-based CKD test to market, Paul J. Jannetto, PhD, president-elect of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine, Washington, DC, told Medscape Medical News . While the research published in ACS Sensors suggests promise, additional validation studies in larger cohorts would be required, Jannetto said. 'These preliminary small-scale studies are just the first step,' explained Jannetto, who is also a professor of laboratory medicine and pathology and vice chair of practice laboratory medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. One of the biggest challenges in efforts to develop breath-based diagnostics is addressing the sheer number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) carried out of the body through exhalation, Jannetto noted. More than 1400 VOCs have been linked to human breath. A single human breath contains hundreds of VOCs, representing various pathophysiological processes that alter a person's metabolic state, wrote Pritish Varadwaj of the Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, India, and coauthors in 2023 in Molecular Diagnosis & Therapy . 'Electronic Noses' There's been a long-standing interest in developing breath-based tests, or 'electronic noses,' for lung cancer, including a 2003 paper from Di Natale and coauthors in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics . Researchers in the UK and China have also published recent reports detailing attempts to develop an e-nose. Among the most developed projects in this field is an e-nose collection device currently in a clinical trial of about 119 patients. Gaetano Rocco, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, the principal investigator for this study, said early results indicate the technology agreed with histopathologic results 86% of the time when assessing for lung cancer in very small nodules detected by a CT scan. Further testing continues on the ability of this e-nose device 'to modulate its response according to different phases of the patient's clinical history — ie, to detect the response after treatment of thoracic cancers, irrespective of the type of treatment (surgery, chemo and immunotherapy),' Rocco told Medscape Medical News via email. Successfully developing an e-nose would result in a technology to aid patients at a high risk for lung cancer, as it could 'guide the timing of the imaging, thereby avoiding multiple CT scans,' Rocco added. 'This would decrease costs and radiation exposure; in addition, the miniaturization of the technology will serve the purpose of allowing the patients to self-screen by breathing in the collection device in the comfort of their homes.' Di Natale received financial support from the European Union-NextGenerationEU (project ECS 0000024 Rome Technopole). Rocco and coauthors received support from National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA008748 and Memorial Sloan Kettering's Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research. Rocco reported having a financial interest with Scanlan International, Merck, and Medtronic. Further author disclosures are available in the text of the paper.
Vancouver Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Canadians feel unwelcome in the U.S. as mistrust remains high: new poll
Now that Canada's trade war with America has surged back into public consciousness like a blast from the recent past, a new poll suggests Canadian frustration with and mistrust of the U.S. remains high, despite a slight easing. In March, for example, polling showed a dramatic realignment of Canadian attitudes toward its southern neighbour. Europe and Britain were suddenly the countries Canadians felt best about, and Canadians were starting to feel about America the way they felt about Russia. But lately, with U.S. President Donald Trump's attention mostly elsewhere, there are signs of a slight bump back from this low point, despite troubling news developments like the death of a Canadian citizen in U.S. immigration custody. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. More than half of Canadians now say they 'no longer feel welcome in the United States,' for example, and this sentiment is strongest among women and older people. During the recent Canadian election campaign with its looming threat of crippling tariffs and annexation, there was a 'worrisome intersection' in the Canadian mind of the American government and the American people, according to Jack Jedwab, president of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies (ACS). But in this latest poll, he sees a 'healthy development' of Canadian anger and frustration being focused primarily on the American government, and less so the American people. Back in April, barely one Canadian in five (21 per cent) said they trust Americans in a similar poll. But in the latest poll, that figure has rebounded to 34 per cent, which is historically normal, about the same as it was near the end of Trump's first term, but still considerably lower than the 59 per cent it reached in October 2023, Jedwab said. Asked if they trust the United States, the country as opposed to the American people, those numbers drop substantially. A majority of 53 per cent said the country could not be trusted, and only 21 per cent said it could. That distrust is greater among Canadians older than 65. It is also stronger among residents of British Columbia, and lowest among Albertans and Atlantic Canadians. The poll was taken by Leger for the ACS between June 20 and 22, so it does not reflect Canadian reaction to Donald Trump's latest cancellation of trade talks last weekend, which prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to rescind a digital industries tax, which targeted American tech firms, in order to restart negotiations. But the poll shows a silver lining in an otherwise gloomy picture of this longstanding national friendship, military alliance, and economic partnership. 'We just don't trust the motivation behind the re-opening of trade,' Jedwab said. 'We're persuaded we're the kindler, gentler nation, and we're being bullied by their president.' Overall, a majority of Canadians feel unwelcome in the United States, the poll suggests. They regard the borders as secure, but 45 per cent of Canadians say the United States is not a trusted security and defence partner, compared to just 32 per cent who say it is. The poll also shows Canadians overwhelmingly feel Canada's trade rules for the U.S. are fair, but the U.S. trade rules for Canada are unfair. Fully 75 per cent say American rules governing trade are unfair to Canada, whereas only 12 per cent feel Canada's rules are unfair. 'I think that trust is the key predictor of Canadians feeling unwelcome in the United States and it also hampers our ability to fix perceived problems between our two countries,' Jedwab said. 'The lack of trust a key indicator in trade negotiations and we will need to build or re-build trust if we re going to succeed. That won't be simple because in effect the U.S. President is not perceived to be a trusted ally by Canadians.' Despite all that, the poll also shows a majority of Canadians believe they have more in common with Americans than with any other people in the world. This poll was conducted through an online panel survey, so a margin of error cannot be calculated. But a randomized poll of similar size, with 1,579 respondents, would be considered accurate to within 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Haryana govt to hold birth registration camps to boost sex ratio
As improving Haryana's sex ratio at birth (SRB) remains a challenge despite taking a slew of punitive measures, the health department on Tuesday decided to hold birth registration camps in areas inhabited by economically weak sections. Sources say that there is a growing impression among the authorities that a section of the people not registering births in some districts is apparently one of the factors behind the dip in SRB of Haryana. (HT File) Sources say that there is a growing impression among the authorities that a section of the people not registering births in some districts is apparently one of the factors behind the dip in SRB of Haryana. For instance there are seven districts in Haryana where till May SRB was recorded below 900 girls per 1,000 boys. It is in such districts where the health department is planning to focus on improving the birth registration practices. While reviewing the progress of the special task force (STF) set up to improve the sex ratio and deal with the challenges the flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign has been facing in the state, additional chief secretary (health) Sudhir Rajpal directed officials to organise birth registration camps in economically disadvantaged areas. According to official sources, Rajpal emphasised the need for widespread public awareness campaigns to inform residents about the birth registration drive, ensuring that all unregistered children are brought into the official system. The concerned officials were directed to prepare lists of unregistered children in consultation with local anganwadi workers within a week. Rajpal further said that senior medical officers (SMOs) will be held accountable for any illegal practices reported in their jurisdictions. He warned that non-compliant SMOs would face disciplinary action, including being barred from leaving their stations, and directed to prepare a blacklist for such officers. Meanwhile, health and women and child development departments have launched an intensified state-wide Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign under which awareness rallies and marches are being organised in public parks across the state. At each rally venue banners featuring the sex ratio of the respective district are displayed prominently with a message of valuing the girl child. Tuesday's review meeting focused on intensifying efforts to curb illegal abortions and further improve the state's sex ratio under the 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign. 'During the meeting, ACS (health) directed officials to intensify enforcement against illegal abortions, take strict punitive action and cancel licence if any doctor is found performing illegal abortion and violating the law,' a government spokesperson said. The officials were also directed to keep surveillance on suspected IVF centres carrying out PGT (preimplantation genetic testing) and indulging in sex-determination activities. Rajpal further directed to intensify raids in the districts where the SRB is low. To curb cross-border sex-selective practices, Rajpal called for strengthened inter-district coordination with Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan, particularly in border areas where residents may be accessing such services outside Haryana. Meanwhile, the state government has cancelled the medical termination of pregnancy licence of a Hisar hospital for alleged illegal abortion activities.
