LOS ANGELES, July 1 (Xinhua) — A new study led by scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that two common forms of hormone therapy may alter breast cancer risk in women under the age of 55.
According to the study, women who received unopposed estrogen hormone therapy (E-HT) had a lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who did not use hormone therapy. In contrast, women treated with combined estrogen plus progestin hormone therapy (EP-HT) were found to have a higher risk of developing the disease.
The findings, published Monday in The Lancet Oncology, are based on an extensive analysis of data from over 459,000 women under the age of 55 across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
“Our study provides greater understanding of the risks associated with different types of hormone therapy, which we hope will help patients and their doctors develop more informed treatment plans,” said lead author Katie O’Brien, a researcher at NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
The study found that E-HT use was associated with a 14 percent reduction in breast cancer incidence compared to non-users. The protective effect was more pronounced among women who began E-HT at a younger age or used it for a longer duration.
Conversely, women using EP-HT experienced a 10 percent higher risk of breast cancer, which increased to 18 percent among those who used the therapy for more than two years.
The cumulative risk of breast cancer before age 55 was estimated at 3.6 percent for E-HT users, 4.5 percent for EP-HT users, and 4.1 percent for women who never used hormone therapy, according to the study.
The researchers also noted that the elevated risk associated with EP-HT was particularly significant among women who had not undergone hysterectomy or oophorectomy, emphasizing the importance of considering surgical history when evaluating hormone therapy options.
“These findings underscore the need for personalized medical advice when considering hormone therapy,” said NIEHS scientist and senior author Dale Sandler. ■
Stent placement does not appear to reduce the risk of recurrent strokes compared with medical therapy in patients with narrowing of arteries in the brain, according to a study published July 1 in Radiology.
The finding is from a prospective trial in China in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) and supports similar findings from earlier trials, noted lead author Bonaventure Ip, MD, of The Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, and colleagues.
“The results of our study support the current recommendations of medical therapy over stenting for secondary stroke prevention in patients with symptomatic ICAS,” the group wrote.
ICAS is caused by the build-up of plaque in the arteries due to atherosclerosis and is a major cause of ischemic stroke with a risk of recurrence. Endovascular revascularization therapy (stenting) has been hypothesized as a treatment, yet previous trials have shown little benefit of the procedure over medical therapy, the authors noted.
However, previous trials included patients with concurrent branch atheromatous disease adjacent to the stent target, with these patients being at higher risk of complications during the procedure, they added. In this study, to further evaluate the use of stenting in ICAS, the researchers first excluded patients with branch atheromatous disease using three-dimensional rotational angiography.
The study included 150 participants (mean age, 61 years old, 45 women) with transient ischemic attack or ischemic stroke attributed to severe ICAS who were randomized into stenting (n = 74) and medical therapy (n = 76) groups. The primary end point was a composite of transient ischemic stroke, ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, and death within 30 days or any ischemic stroke from 30 days to one year.
According to the results, stenting did not result in a reduction in ischemic stroke cumulative incidence compared with medical therapy with antiplatelet drugs at one year (stenting versus medical therapy: 12 of 74 [16%] vs. 18 of 76 [24%], p = 0.26). Stenting also did not reduce the cumulative incidence of ischemic stroke compared with medical therapy over a 10-year follow-up period, the researchers reported.
“Intracranial stenting did not result in a reduction in the cumulative incidence of stroke or death at 30 days or stroke from 30 days to one year,” the group wrote.
To date, despite considerable efforts to introduce endovascular revascularization therapy for severe ICAS, no randomized control trial has shown its benefits over intensive medical therapy, the authors noted. Ultimately, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to substantiate the findings, the researchers concluded.
In an accompanying editorial, Joan Wojak, MD, of Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, noted that primary stent placement has become a focus due to its historical success compared with angioplasty alone in patients with coronary artery disease. The long struggle to develop effective endovascular therapy (thrombectomy, for instance) in patients with coronary artery disease ultimately resulted in disruptive evolution and the widespread acceptance of the therapy, she wrote.
“Establishing a role for endovascular therapy in the treatment of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis has proved to be even more elusive,” Wojak concluded.
Astronomers taken on the role of cosmic archeologists, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to excavate over 100 disk galaxies from up to 11 billion years ago. Just like artifacts excavated here on Earth tell the story of the human race, these galaxies could tell the story of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
The aim of this investigation was to discover why galaxies like the Milky Way are constructed of thick disks of stars with embedded thin stellar disks. Each of these disks feature its own distinct stellar population with its own movement.
The team behind this research wanted to know how and why this “dual-disk” structure forms, turning to observations of 111 disk galaxies that are oriented “edge-on” from our perspective here on Earth. This represented the first time astronomers had studied thick- and thin-disk structures of galaxies that existed during the infant stages of the cosmos, as early as 2.8 billion years after the Big Bang.
“This unique measurement of the thickness of the disks at high redshift, or at times in the early universe, is a benchmark for theoretical study that was only possible with the JWST,” team leader Takafumi Tsukui of the Australian National University said in a statement. “Usually, the older, thick disk stars are faint, and the young, thin disk stars outshine the entire galaxy.
“But with the JWST’s resolution and unique ability to see through dust and highlight faint old stars, we can identify the two-disk structure of galaxies and measure their thickness separately.”
Telling the history of the Milky Way
The first step for the team was to separate the 111 galaxies in the sample into two categories: dual-disked and single-disked.
What this seemed to reveal was that galaxies grow their thick stellar disk first, with the thin disk forming at a later point.
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The team thinks the timing of these disk formation processes hinges on the mass of the galaxy in question. High-mass, single-disk galaxies transformed into dual-disk structures by forming an embedded thin disk around 8 billion years ago in our approximately 14-billion-year-old universe. Lower-mass galaxies only seemed to undergo this transformation when they were around 4 billion years old.
“This is the first time it has been possible to resolve thin stellar disks at higher redshift. What’s really novel is uncovering when thin stellar disks start to emerge,” Emily Wisnioski, study team member and a researcher at the Australian National University, said in the statement. “To see thin stellar disks already in place 8 billion years ago, or even earlier, was surprising.”
Some of the edge-on thin disk and thick disk galaxies studied by the JWST. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Takafumi Tsukui (ANU))
The team then set about determining what caused the transitions for these different types of galaxies. To do this, the researchers went beyond their sample of 111 galaxies to investigate how gas flowed around these subjects.
They used gas-motion data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) — a collection of 66 antennas in northern Chile that work together as a single telescope — and other ground-based observatories.
This showed that turbulent gas in the early universe triggers bouts of intense star formation in galaxies, birthing these galaxies’ thick stellar disks. As these thick-disk stars form, the gas is stabilized, becoming less turbulent and thinning out. That leads to the formation of the embedded thin stellar disk.
This process, the team says, takes a different amount of time in high-mass galaxies and low-mass galaxies because the former convert gas to stars more efficiently than the latter. That means gas is depleted more rapidly in high-mass galaxies, getting them to the point at which their thin stellar disks can form more quickly.
An illustration of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
This links to our own galaxy as well. The timing of these transitions matched the period at which the Milky Way is theorized to have grown its own thin disk of stars.
All in all, the team’s research demonstrates the ability of the JWST to peer back in time and find galaxies that match the evolution of our own galaxy, allowing these galaxies to act as proxies that tell the story of the Milky Way.
The next step for this research will involve the team adding more data to see if the relationships they observed still stand.
“There is still much more we would like to explore,” Tsukui said. “We want to add the type of information people usually get for nearby galaxies, like stellar motion, age and metallicity [the abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium].
“By doing so, we can bridge the insights from galaxies near and far, and refine our understanding of disk formation.”
The team’s results appear in the July edition of the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
It’s hard to think of any celebrity who has done more to advance the concept of aging gracefully than Pamela Anderson. The actress, who turns 58 today, has recently taken to going makeup-free on the red carpet, telling Glamour: “Anti-aging is a lie. We’re getting older no matter what. Things change, and if you can find a sense of humor in it, it’s better. It’s good to have a sense of self and to be able to be your own best friend.”
Anderson’s road to self-acceptance as a Hollywood star has been a long and winding one—arguably beginning with her appearance as a Playboy cover girl, which quickly led to her breakthrough role as C.J. Parker on Baywatch. Anderson also had a long and notable reality-TV era; enjoyed a stint on Broadway; and released a memoir, a cookbook, and a moving documentary—all before wowing audiences as middle-aged Las Vegas showgirl Shelly in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl last year. (I’m still so mad that movie was shut out of the Oscars race, but that’s a rant for another day!)
These days, Anderson seems closer than ever to writing her own ticket, which makes this the perfect opportunity to look back at just how far she’s come. In honor of her 58th birthday, here are 17 vintage photos of Anderson over the years:
Tech entrepreneur and investor Vinod Khosla‘s prediction of AI automating 80% of high-value jobs by 2030 coincides with a reckoning for Fortune 500 companies.
Khosla shared his predictions for the future in a wide-ranging interview on the Uncapped with Jack Altman podcast. As a venture capitalist and early investor in companies like Square and Instacart, Khosla offered advice for business leaders on navigating unprecedented changes ahead. Companies like Sears and Toys ‘R’ Us collapsed under digital pressure, but Khosla warns the 2030s will see a “faster demise” of giants as AI rewrites industry rules.
See below for an overview of Khosla’s major predictions for AI, the economy, and more.
Key takeaways:
Era of unprecedented disruption: Khosla describes the current technology cycle as “crazy and frenetic,” stating, “I’ve never seen a cycle like this… almost every job is being reinvented, every material thing is being reinvented differently with AI as a driver.” He compares the scale of change to the 1960s, noting, “We’re going to see this large change in such a short time, it’s almost hard to imagine how society adjusts.”
AI and the end of work: Khosla predicts, “Within the next 5 years, any economically valuable job humans can do, AI will be able to do 80% of it… 80% of all jobs can be done by an AI.” He believes by 2040, “the need to work will go away. People will work on things because they want to, not because they need to pay their mortgage.”
Disruption of the Fortune 500: He forecasts a dramatic acceleration in the demise of large incumbent companies: “One of my predictions is the 2030s will see a faster rate of demise of Fortune 500 companies than we’ve ever seen… that transition won’t happen from existing companies. Somebody new will reinvent this.”
Predictions by sector:
Health care: “If all medical expertise is free… you have an unlimited number of primary care doctors, oncologists, gastroenterologists, mental health therapists… how would you redesign the healthcare system?” Khosla argues that entrenched interests and regulatory barriers will slow—but not stop—AI-driven transformation.
Robotics: He predicts that “almost everybody in the 2030s will have a humanoid robot at home… probably starting with something narrow like doing your cooking for you.” The main bottleneck is not hardware, but intelligence.
Energy: Khosla is “very bullish about energy,” especially fusion and super-hot geothermal, which he believes could make power “cheaper than natural gas.”
Advice for entrepreneurs:
Societal and geopolitical implications: Khosla warns of the risks of authoritarian regimes using AI for both hard and soft power: “By 2040 the biggest risk we might face… is China using both good AI—cyber AI, warfare AI—but also socially good AI, like free doctors to everybody on the planet… to embed their political philosophy.”
Philosophy on venture and innovation: Khosla emphasizes founder-driven innovation: “Innovation only—I can’t think of very many large examples where large innovation came from somebody who was large or in the business… experts are terrible at predicting the future; they extrapolate the past. Entrepreneurs invent the future they want.”
On risk and impact: “Most people reduce risk to increase the probability of success. I do the opposite: Start with [the] high consequences of success. I don’t care about the probability of failure.”
Disclaimer: For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
Introducing the 2025 Fortune 500, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in America. Explore this year’s list.
DLA Piper advised Yorkville Acquisition Corp. in its initial public offering of 17,250,000 units at US$10.00 per unit, totaling US$172.5 million.
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The Tour de France is the biggest road cycling race. The second Grand Tour of the season, which is three weeks long, features 21 days of racing (known as stages) and two rest days. At its finish, the overall (general classification) winner is awarded the iconic yellow jersey.
But it’s not as simple as that. Within the race are subplots and constant twists and turns, with a further three jerseys (sprinter, king of the mountain and youth) being contested. Each day has its ebbs and flows as riders target individual glory while trying to evade the pursuing peloton.
Reportedly watched by 3.5 billion people around the world, its appeal extends beyond the traditional cycling fan base, as people tune in to watch the daily dramas unfold against a picturesque and ever-changing backdrop of France.
If you’re one of those who might be tuning into the Tour for this first time, you’re in luck. Ahead of the start of its 112th edition, we’ve pulled together a beginner’s guide of teams, tactics, favourites and phrases that will help you get your head around what you’re watching on screen.
This is the 112th edition of the Tour de France and the 106th year the yellow jersey has been presented to the overall race winner. Founded in 1903 by a newspaper to increase its sales, Le Tour is now one of the greatest annual sporting events in the world, with 12 million spectators lining the roadside during the three weeks, in addition to all those watching on at home.
Starting in Lille on July 5, the 2025 Tour de France race route will remain completely in France for the first time since 2020, with recent Grand Departs including Florence, Bilbao and Copenhagen. The route winds its way 3,338.8km around the country in 21 stages, which breaks down into seven flat stages, six hilly stages, six mountain stages and two individual time trials, finishing in Paris on June 27.
Jai Hindley climbs the Col du Noyer during the 2024 Tour
The final stage returns to the cobbled circuit of the Champs-Elysées after a break in Nice in 2024 because of the Paris Olympics, and will be fiercely contested by the sprinters while the yellow jersey isn’t contested, so its winner can treat it as a procession and celebration of their achievements.
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What the coloured jerseys mean
While each of the 21 stages has its own winner, prize money and points up for grabs, five competitions run concurrently throughout the Tour de France – the general classification, youth, points, king of the mountains (KOM) and teams. The first four are awarded a special jersey, with that competition’s leader wearing it on the next day’s stage, while the leading team can choose to wear yellow helmets and have yellow race numbers.
Nico Denz rides for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe at Tour de France 2024
The general classification is arguably the main competition of the Tour de France, and its leader is awarded the famous yellow jersey.
How to secure the yellow jersey: Presented to the rider with the lowest cumulative time, the GC is contested by the strongest all-round riders who can generally excel in the mountainous stages while minimising time losses in individual time trials. Tadej Pogacar is the most recent winner and is targeting his fourth title this year.
The youth competition follows the same format as the GC, but is limited to riders who will be aged 25 and under at the end of 2025
How to secure the white jersey: Introduced in 1975, the white jersey is a sign of a rider with promise and potential, and can sometimes be won by the overall general classification winner – as shown by Egan Bernal (2019) and Tadej Pogacar (2020, 2021). Remco Evenepoel is the most recent winner, and while the Belgian will be targeting the yellow jersey this year, the 25-year-old is still eligible to defend his white jersey.
The points jersey is green in colour and is worn by the rider who has accumulated the most points.
How to secure the green jersey: Points are awarded for the first 15 places on each stage, while the amount of points on offer vary depends on the type of stage – with 50 awarded for winning a flat stage, while only 20 are awarded for coming first in a mountain stage. Each day’s racing also includes an intermediate sprint where points are also awarded for the first 15 riders. Generally contested by the out-and-out sprinters, the competition can sometimes be won by riders who get in each days breakaway and are able to contest hilly finishes – as Wout van Aert managed in 2022.
The red and white polka dot jersey:
The leader of the mountains classification gets to wear the red and white polka dot jersey, and the race’s out-and-out climbers contest it. While it does work on a similar format to the points competition, specific KOM points are awarded to riders who lead that day’s stage as they cross the peaks of categorised climbs.
How to secure the polka dot jersey: The most points on offer (20) is for leading over a hors categorie (HC) climb, while leading over a fourth categorie climb will only score you one point.
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe at the Tour de France 2024
Finally, the team competition is based on the cumulative time of each team’s fastest three riders.
There are a total of 184 riders in 23 teams for the 2025 Tour de France – an increase on the 22 teams from the last edition. Each team is made up of eight riders who are supported by an army of background staff, including mechanics, soigneurs (assistants), medics, chefs and physios. A Director Sportif – the head of the business – is in charge of each team and follows the race in a team car, dictating tactics on the road and relaying information between riders and support staff. Each team has two cars that follow the race, and each can offer support on the road, including water, food and mechanical assistance (including a whole new bike) in the event of an issue.
Riders wear an earpiece so that they can hear the instructions from their Director Sportif and can communicate with other riders. Some tactics will have been rehearsed and planned, while others will be split-second calls either dictated by the Director Sportif or decided by the riders on the road.
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Tour de France etiquette
While there is an extensive list of official dos and don’ts, there are also unwritten rules of the road based on sporting behaviour and traditions that are adhered to by all riders (most of the time…). The main one is to never take advantage of another’s mechanical or crash, but it extends to using the toilet (if one rider needs to go, they all go), sharing food and water if a rival needs it, and letting a rider ‘lead’ the race if passing through their hometown or it’s their birthday.
The Tour de France has fostered a rivalry for the ages since 2021, with Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar sharing two titles each. Pogacar has won the last two editions, as well as the Covid-delayed 2020 race, and swerved defending his Giro d’Italia title this year to focus solely on winning a fourth yellow jersey. Vingegaard, meanwhile, has only entered three races in 2025, including the Tour de France warm-up, the Criérium du Dauphiné, where he finished second in the GC behind his Slovenian rival.
Wout Van Aert is always a threat for stages wins at the Tour de France
Although both Vingegaard and Pogacar have occupied the top two spots of the last four editions, the GC battle isn’t a two-horse race. Remco Evenepoel finished third last year and will be looking to improve, while six-time Grand Tour winner Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe’sPrimož Roglič is targeting an elusive yellow jersey to complete his Giro, Tour, La Vuelta set.
The hectic nature of a sprint finish can make it hard to predict a winner in the Tour, but the points jersey rewards the most consistent of the fast men, of which three immediately stick out. Biniam Girmay won the green jersey last year, becoming the first African to claim a stage victory at the Tour de France along the way, although he’s yet to win a race this year. Nine-time stage winner Jasper Philipsen meanwhile won the green jersey in 2023 and will be looking to regain his title after falling 33 points short last year. And then there’s Wout van Aert.
Wout van Aert celebrating the green jersey victory after the Tour de France
The Belgian dominated the competition in 2022 while helping Vingegaard to the overall, and will be looking to repeat the feat this July. The 30-year-old has already raced the Giro d’Italia this year and looked back to his best, winning one stage and playing a crucial role in team-mate Simon Yates’ pink jersey-winning attack on stage 20.
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A Tour de France dictionary
La Grande Boucle: The big loop. An affectionate name for the Tour de France.
Maillot jaune: Yellow jersey. Also used to refer to the rider wearing the yellow jersey, as in ‘the yellow jersey is 30 seconds behind the front group.’
Lanterne rouge: The last rider. The translation means ‘red face’ presumably because of the embarrassment of being last, but being dead last is lucrative as it has a celebrity of its own that can be traded against at post-tour races and events.
Tête de la Course: Head of the race. Simply meaning the rider or riders who are leading on that stage. If the yellow jersey holder is not in the front group, you can bet they will be keeping a careful eye on who is and how far ahead they are getting.
Chute! Chute!: Crash! No one ever wants to see riders hurt but there is undeniably an undertone of excitement when the shout goes up, followed by a flurry of action as commentators try to work out what has happened, who has gone down, and how that has affected the race.
Domestique: Servant. A rider whose role is to support other riders on their team, their jobs range from fetching and carrying extra food and water, blocking the wind at the front to protect another rider, chasing down rival teams’ riders who are a threat to their leader’s position, and even giving up their own bike in the event of a mechanical.
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe riders take on Stage 12 in 2024
Taking place July 5-27, the 2025 edition of the Tour de France marks the 112th anniversary of the famous yellow jersey. For results and more info, and to enter the official Fantasy League, visit www.letour.fr/.
Photo: Jonathan Bailey recalls what ‘Wicked’ co-star Jeff Goldblum him ahead of ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’
Jonathan Bailey recently shared that Jeff Goldblum contacted him when he landed the Jurassic World: Rebirth gig.
Speaking with PEOPLE Magazine, the actor, who found fame by starring in Bridgerton as Anthony, recalled the time when his Wicked co-star Jeff Goldblum reached out to him
Jonathan recounted him saying that “just have a great time.”
He even gushed over the actors who starred in the previous three Jurassic Park movies by saying, “They’re all just incredible, iconic actors.”
It is pertinent to mention here that Jeff played the character of The Wizard of Oz in the musical Wicked whereas in Jurassic Parke he starred as Dr. Ian Malcolm, a mathematician and chaos theorist.
Moreover, the Bridgerton star admitted in a former chat the pressure of leading his upcoming role as Dr Loomis in Jurassic World: Rebirth, releasing on 2nd July 2025.
The insider mentioned, “There are moments where, yes, you feel like you have to be excellent just to prove you can do it.”
He went on to add, “There’s the weight of history, and the many brilliant people who came before who’ve changed how we talk about sexuality. Being an out gay actor, historically, meant you wouldn’t be able to play straight—and there weren’t many gay parts to play, either.”
“That’s changed massively. But there’s still work to do,” the actor noted in this chat with The Hollywood Reporter.
