Author: admin

  • Web Advocates Challenge Apple’s EU Browser Policies

    The EU’s Digital Markets Act requires Apple to allow third parties to offer web browsers with their own browser engines. However, more than a year later, there are no browsers built with Chromium, Gecko, or any other engine in the EU.

    At a recent EU workshop on Apple’s compliance with the DMA’s browser requirements, Apple representatives were asked some pointed questions by Open Web Advocacy (OWA), and others about its browser engine policies. OWA, a non-profit that advocates for the open web, raised multiple issues with Apple’s approach to browser engines in the EU that they believe are holding back third-party engines.

    One issue is that versions of the same browser with different engines can’t be part of the same app bundle. According to OWA, that effectively means vendors like Google and Mozilla would need to release a new EU-only version of their browsers, starting the process of acquiring users from scratch, which I can’t imagine any browser company would sign up to do voluntarily.

    Another issue OWA raised is that there is currently no way for web developers outside the EU who are not associated with the browser makers to obtain browsers with competing engines for testing purposes. That’s a problem that’s been solved with other apps by allowing test versions to be distributed outside the EU. However, as things stand today, OWA says that web developers couldn’t use EU-only browsers for testing even if there were any available.

    Other issues were raised, too, but these two strike me as practical impediments to third-party browser engines that can and should be resolved. Apple’s responses to OWA’s challenges focused on privacy and security, which are legitimate factors to consider, but it’s disappointing that more than a year after the DMA took effect, the practical problems raised by OWA and others still haven’t been solved.

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  • FELIX Analysis Highlights Factors Associated With Sustained Remission With Obe-Cel in R/R Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

    FELIX Analysis Highlights Factors Associated With Sustained Remission With Obe-Cel in R/R Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

    R/R ALL | Image
    Credit: ©TheWaterMeloonProjec –
    stock.adobe.com

    Findings from a multivariant analysis of the phase 1/2 FELIX trial (NCT04404660) demonstrated that certain patient and disease factors were associated with improved remission rates and prolonger survival in patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with obecabtagene autoleucel (obe-cel; Aucatzyl).1

    These data were presented at the 2025 EHA Congress and showed that, at baseline, Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)–positive disease (odds ratio [OR], 6.0; 95% CI, 1.4-26.3), 3 or fewer prior lines of therapy (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.2-12.1), and not being refractory to the last line of therapy (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.1-8.0) were all associated with increased complete response (CR)/CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi) rates.

    Additionally, a lower bone marrow blasts percentage (<5% vs ≥75%; HR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.6), receipt of prior hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT; HR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.8), CAR T-cell persistence (HR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.9), and receipt of 3 or fewer prior lines of therapy (HR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-1.0) were all associated with improved event-free survival (EFS).

    “These findings support the potential for obe-cel to serve as a definitive treatment without HSCT in a subset of patients,” Jae H. Park, MD, said in a presentation of the data. “However, longer follow-up, further analyses, and external validations are necessary to confirm these outcomes.” Park is the chief of Cellular Therapy Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York.

    In November 2024, the FDA approved obe-cel for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor ALL, based on prior data from FELIX.2

    Long-term data from the study showed that among patients who achieved a CR/CRi (n = 99), the median duration of response (DOR) after censoring for consolidative HSCT was 42.5 months (95% CI, 12.5-not evaluable [NE]).1 The 12- and 24-month DOR rates were 61.8% (95% CI, 50.1%-71.5%) and 54.1% (95% CI, 42.1%-64.6%), respectively.

    The median EFS among evaluable patients (n = 127) while censoring for HSCT was 11.9 months (95% CI, 8.0-NE); the respective 12- and 24-month EFS rates were 50.0% (95% CI, 40.2%-59.0%) and 43.0% (95% CI, 33.2%-52.3%). In this patient population—without censoring for HSCT—the median OS was 17.1 months (95% CI, 12.9-28.8), and the 12- and 24-month OS rates were 61.4% (95% CI, 52.4%-69.3%) and 46.0% (95% CI, 37.1%-54.5%), respectively.

    Long-term safety data showed that at a median follow-up of 32.8 months, there were no changes in the rates of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) compared with the analysis conducted at a median follow-up of 21.5 months. The rates of any-grade CRS and ICANS were 69% and 23%, respectively. The respective rates of grade 3 or higher CRS and ICANS were 2% and 7%.

    At the 21.5-month analysis, the rates of any-grade infections and malignancies were 78% and 2%, respectively. The grade 3 or higher rates were 52% and 2%, respectively. At the 32.8-month analysis, rates of any-grade and grade 3 infections increased to 81% and 55%, respectively. The rate of any-grade secondary malignancies increased to 4%, although there was no change in grade 3 or higher secondary malignancies.

    With longer-term follow-up, new infections included 1 instance each of viral pneumonia, recurrent chest infection, enterocolitis infectious and hospital-acquired pneumonia, and multi-lobular pneumonia. The 2 new secondary malignancies reported with longer-term follow-up included lentigo maligna melanoma and urothelial transitional cell carcinoma, which were both deemed unrelated to obe-cel.

    FELIX Overview and Analysis Breakdown

    The phase 1/2 study included patients at least 18 years of age with relapsed/refractory ALL. Enrolled participants underwent leukapheresis and received bridging therapy and lymphodepleting chemotherapy during obe-cel manufacturing. Lymphodepletion comprised fludarabine at 30 mg/m2 per day for 4 days and cyclophosphamide at 500 mg/m2 per day for 2 days.

    Obe-cel was dosed based on individual tumor burden, with doses split between days 1 and 10. The target dose was 410 x 106 CAR T cells.

    CR/CRi rate and minimal residual disease–negativity rate served as the trial’s primary end points. Secondary end points included DOR, EFS, OS, safety, CAR T-cell expansion, and CAR T-cell persistence.

    Among the 127 patients infused with obe-cel, 28 patients did not respond or were not evaluable for response; the CR/CRi rate was 78.0%. At a median follow-up of 21.5 months, 40.4% of patients remained in remission without subsequent HSCT or other therapy; 18.2% of patients underwent HSCT while in remission; 5.1% began a new anticancer therapy; 31.3% of patients experienced relapse; and 5.1% died while in remission without subsequent transplant or therapy. At 32.8 months of follow-up, 38.4% of patients remained in remission without subsequent transplant or therapy, and 7.1% of patients had died in remission without subsequent HSCT or treatment. There were no changes in the rates of patients who underwent HSCT while in remission, patients who started a new anticancer therapy, or patients who relapsed.

    The multivariant analyses used univariate analysis–selected baseline characteristics to further ascertain which patients were most likely to experience long-term benefit associated with obe-cel. Baseline characteristics alone were used for the CR/CRi multivariant analysis, and the EFS/OS analysis included baseline characteristics and CAR T-cell persistence after treatment.

    In the univariate analysis, characteristics that had a P value of less than 0.1 included an age of 55 years or younger (proportion of trial population, 37.8%); not Hispanic or Latino, or unknown ethnicity (70.1%); Ph-positive disease (28.3%); 3 or fewer prior lines of therapy (85.0%); not being refractory to the last prior line of therapy (48.0%); prior HSCT (44.1%); no prior treatment with inotuzumab ozogamicin (Besponsa; 68.5%); no extramedullary disease at lymphodepletion (78.7%); and a bone marrow blasts percentage of less than 5% at lymphodepletion (28.3%).

    References

    1. Park JH, Roddie C, Tholouli E, et al. Can CAR T-cell therapy be a definitive treatment for adult R/R B-ALL without transplant? Long-term findings and predictors of sustained remission for obecabtagene autoleucel. Presented at: 2025 EHA Congress; June 12-15, 2025; Milan, Italy. Abstract S113.
    2. FDA approves obecabtagene autoleucel for adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. FDA. November 8, 2024. Accessed July 14, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-approves-obecabtagene-autoleucel-adults-relapsed-or-refractory-b-cell-precursor-acute

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  • Evaluating the Therapeutic Effect of Dehydroepiandrosterone on Stromal Fibrosis and Endocrine Function in Patients With Resistant Ovary Syndrome: A Case-Control Study

    Evaluating the Therapeutic Effect of Dehydroepiandrosterone on Stromal Fibrosis and Endocrine Function in Patients With Resistant Ovary Syndrome: A Case-Control Study


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  • LA28 reveals first version of detailed competition calendar with three years to go until the 2028 Olympic Games

    LA28 reveals first version of detailed competition calendar with three years to go until the 2028 Olympic Games

    Friday, 14 July 2028 will be a day to remember for fans, athletes and performers alike, as the Olympic Games LA28 spring to life with an undoubtedly memorable Opening Ceremony split between two iconic venues: the ​​LA Memorial Coliseum and 2028 Stadium in Inglewood.

    Beginning at 17:00 local time (GMT -7), the ceremony will be perfectly timed to take full advantage of the afternoon sun, so-called “golden hour” lighting and what will hopefully be a spectacular sunset over the City of Angels.

    The timing of the Opening Ceremony was revealed as part of the first version of the detailed competition calendar released by LA28 on Monday, 14 July, which coincided with the three years to go milestone for the Olympic Games LA28.

    The competition schedule – which can be viewed by day and by session – sets the tone for two (and a little extra) incredible weeks of sporting competition, beginning with preliminary action across seven sports on Wednesday, 12 July.

    There will certainly be plenty of excitement in the air along the world-famous shores of Venice Beach during the early morning hours of Saturday, 15 July, with triathlon set to award the first set of medals at the Olympic Games LA28.

    In fact, the first week of the Olympic Games LA28 will have an entirely different flavour than the Olympic Games Paris 2024, as athletics swaps places with swimming on the competition calendar, bringing track and field finals forward by a week, while leaving the marathons in their traditional slot at the end of the Olympic Games.

    Of course, that doesn’t mean the second week of the Olympic Games LA28 will be any less entertaining, with swimming finals at the 2028 Stadium in Inglewood creating a once-in-a-lifetime atmosphere in the heart of Los Angeles.

    For fans interested in wall-to-wall action, Saturday, 29 July will likely be a highlight of the Games. Featuring 16 gold and bronze medal team sport matches, along with 19 finals in individual sports, there’ll be an almost endless buffet of sports to choose from on what could easily be dubbed “Super Saturday.”

    Unfortunately, as the idiom goes, all good things must come to an end – and the Olympic Games LA28 are no exception.

    After 19 days of unforgettable action, the Olympic Games LA28 will reach their conclusion during a highly-anticipated Closing Ceremony at 18:00 local time (GMT -7) on Sunday, 30 July.

    Stay tuned for more updates about the Olympic Games LA28 on Olympics.com.

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  • Leveraging Contingency Management to Encourage Online Brain Training Among Economically Disadvantaged Seniors: A Pilot Study

    Leveraging Contingency Management to Encourage Online Brain Training Among Economically Disadvantaged Seniors: A Pilot Study


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  • Stock market news for July 14, 2025

    Stock market news for July 14, 2025

    Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on July 10, 2025.

    NYSE

    The S&P 500 edged higher on Monday even after President Donald Trump threatened high tariffs on more countries over the weekend. Losses were kept in check as investors bet those duties will eventually be negotiated down and looked ahead to a busy week for second-quarter earnings season.

    The S&P 500 added 0.14% to close at 6,268.56, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.27% to settle at 20,640.33. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 88.14 points, or 0.20%, ending at 44,459.65.

    Investors continue to monitor ongoing updates on the tariff front, after Trump announced Saturday that the U.S. will impose 30% tariffs on the European Union and Mexico starting Aug. 1. Leaders of the EU and Mexico indicated they intend to keep talking with the Trump administration this month in an attempt to agree on a lower rate.

    The U.S. president’s announcement comes ahead of inflation readings this week, which will give investors a better sense of how the Trump tariffs already in effect are being felt throughout the economy.

    Eyes are on a slew of earnings reports set to roll out this week. Major banks, including JPMorgan Chase, will deliver quarterly reports starting Tuesday.

    “The big question for markets in the coming weeks is if earnings, which are expected to be solid, can overshadow the tariff issues that are still there in the background,” said Glen Smith, chief investment officer of Texas-based GDS Wealth Management. “So far, the market has been able to withstand tariff headlines and is more focused on earnings and economic resiliency.”

    Another potential factor for investors to monitor is the rift between the Trump administration and the Federal Reserve. On Sunday, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told ABC News that Trump can fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell “if there’s cause.”

    Trump officials are probing the costs of renovation of the Federal Reserve’s main building in Washington, D.C., while the president has repeatedly criticized Powell for not lowering interest rates. The central bank has pushed back against some of the criticisms of the renovation project.

    Monday’s moves come after a negative week for stocks, although the major averages are still near record highs.

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  • HER2+ Horizons: Debates and Decisions in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Episode 1

    HER2+ Horizons: Debates and Decisions in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Episode 1

    First-Line Therapy—Has the Standard of Care Shifted for Good?

    In this episode, Dr. Sara Tolaney, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses how DESTINY-Breast09 is redefining first-line treatment in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. She explores whether T-DXd plus pertuzumab should replace the long-standing THP regimen, the future role of induction-maintenance strategies, and open questions on optimal therapy duration.

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  • Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart

    Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart

    Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish?

    Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and change fish behaviour. Many of these behaviours are essential for healthy ecosystems.

    In a new study, my colleagues and I found that pesticides affect many different behaviours in fish. Overall, the chemical pesticides make fish less sociable and interactive. They spend less time gathering in groups, become less protective of their territory, and make fewer attempts to mate.

    Imagine the ocean without the vibrant schools of fish we’ve come to love – only isolated swimmers drifting about. Quietly, ecosystems begin to unravel, long before mass die-offs hit the news.

    Healthy reef ecosystems feature fish swimming together and socialising.
    Mike Workman, Shutterstock

    Fish are living and dying in polluted water

    Australia is a major producer and user of pesticides, with more than 11,000 approved chemical products routinely used in agricultural and domestic settings. Remarkably, some of these chemicals remain approved in Australia despite being banned in other regions such as the European Union due to safety concerns.

    When a tractor or plane sprays pesticides onto crops, it creates a mist of chemicals in the air to kill crop pests. After heavy rain, these chemicals can flow into roadside drains, filter through soil, and slowly move into rivers, lakes and oceans.

    Fish swim in this diluted chemical mixture. They can absorb pesticides through their gills or eat contaminated prey.

    At high concentrations, mass fish deaths can result, such as those repeatedly observed in the Menindee Lakes. However, doses in the wild often aren’t lethal and more subtle effects can occur. Scientists call these “sub-lethal” effects.

    One commonly investigated sub-lethal effect is a change in behaviour – in other words, a change in the way a fish interacts with its surrounding environment.

    Our previous research has found most experiments have looked at the impacts on fish in isolation, measuring things such as how far or how fast they swim when pesticides are present.

    But fish aren’t solitary — they form groups, defend territory and find mates. These behaviours keep aquatic ecosystems stable. So this time we studied how pesticides affect these crucial social behaviours.

    Dead fish floating on the surface of Menindee lakes.
    Thousands of dead fish washed up at the Menindee lakes in outback New South Wales in March 2023.
    AAP Image/Samara Anderson

    Pesticide exposure makes fish less social

    Our study extracted and analysed data from 37 experiments conducted around the world. Together, these tested the impacts of 31 different pesticides on the social behaviour of 11 different fish species.

    The evidence suggests pesticides make fish less social, and this finding is consistent across species. Courtship was the most severely impacted behaviour – the process fish use to find and attract mates. This is particularly alarming because successful courtship is essential for healthy fish populations and ecosystem stability.

    Next, we found pesticides such as the herbicide glyphosate, which can disrupt brain function and hormone levels had the strongest impacts on fish social behaviours. This raises important questions about how brain function and hormones drive fish social behaviour, which could be tested by scientists in the future.

    For example, scientists could test how much a change in testosterone relates to a change in territory defence. Looking at these relationships between what’s going on inside the body mechanisms and outward behaviour will help us better understand the complex impacts of pesticides.

    We also identified gaps in the current studies. Most existing studies focus on a limited number of easy-to-study “model species” such as zebrafish, medaka and guppies. They also often use pesticide dosages and durations that may not reflect real-world realities.

    Addressing these gaps by including a range of species and environmentally relevant dosages is crucial to understanding how pesticides affect fish in the wild.

    A large group of convict surgeonfish on the reef in French Polynesia
    One of the experiments in our study involved convict surgeonfish, which gather in large groups or ‘shoals’.
    Damsea, Shutterstock

    Behaviour is a blind spot in regulation

    Regulatory authorities should begin to recognise behaviour as a reliable and important indicator of pesticide safety. This can help them catch pesticide pollution early, before mass deaths occur.

    Scientists play a crucial role too. By following the same methods, scientists can produce comparable results. A standardised method then provides regulators the evidence needed to confidently assess pesticide risks.

    Together, regulatory authorities and scientists can find a way to use behavioural studies to help inform policy decisions. This will help to prevent mass deaths and catch pesticide impacts early on.

    Leave no stone unturned in restoring our waters

    Rivers, lakes, oceans and reefs are bearing the brunt of an ever-growing human footprint.

    So far, much of the spotlight has focused on reducing carbon emissions and managing overfishing — and rightly so. But there’s another, quieter threat drifting beneath the surface: the chemicals we use.

    Pesticides used on farms and in gardens are being detected everywhere, even iconic ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef. As we have shown, these pesticides can have disturbing effects even at low concentrations.

    Now is the time to cut pesticide use and reduce runoff. Through switching to less toxic chemicals and introducing better regulations, we can reduce the damage. If we act with urgency, we can limit the impacts pesticides have on our planet.

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  • Cramer makes the case for why Apple and investors should stick with CEO Tim Cook

    Cramer makes the case for why Apple and investors should stick with CEO Tim Cook

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  • Sexual Health and HIV Care Integration Key to Better Care

    Sexual Health and HIV Care Integration Key to Better Care

    The overlap of HIV care and sexual health care presents an opportunity to address both at the same time; however, funding challenges, stigma and research gaps prevent this from happening, according to a panel discussion called ‘Time to bring HIV, sexual and reproductive health together for better care,’ presented today at the International AIDS Society (IAS) 2025 meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.

    Person-centered care and interest in ending pandemics as a public health threat are both listed as global goals from the WHO concerning HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to Andrew Grulich, Ph.D., head of the HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program at The Kirby Institute. These issues also both carry stigma, which makes them difficult subjects to address.

    “In many countries, politicians don’t want to talk about sex,” Grulich said. “When you have meetings at the UN where some countries find it discomforting even to talk about sexual matters, it’s a great impediment to progress in this field.”

    Mitchell Warren, executive director of AVAC, cited the January 2025 defunding of USAID as a major challenge for funding and care. For example, while PEPFAR remains, they can only give PrEP to pregnant and breastfeeding women.

    “Since January 20, an agency that has been the leader, not only in HIV, but also in contraception and family planning, doesn’t exist any longer,” Warren said. “Hundreds of staff and the remaining programs from that are in the State Department, which is good news that PEPFAR exists and that global health still exists in the US government, but it doesn’t exist in an agency that thinks about people-centered care.”

    One of the programs affected by USAID defunding is the Tangerine Clinic in Thailand, a transgender-focused health clinic. The clinic, which was fully funded by USAID since its inception in 2015, has seen at least a 20% decrease in clients since the defunding happened, largely because clients must now pay for their services. The clinic is currently trying to close mental health gaps, since they have lost staff members and have seen depression and suicidality in at least 20% of clients.

    Felix Mugaka, MBChB, a research scientist from the Kenya Medical Research Institute, discussed a project where HIV prevention is being delivered alongside contraception and STI testing within retail pharmacies in Kenya. Mugaka explained that retail pharmacies offer a solution to barriers found in government clinics, such as long waiting times and limited operating hours. As a result, approximately half of people in sub-Saharan Africa go to retail pharmacies as their first point of care. This is especially true for the approximately 40% of women in Kenya seeking contraception and emergency contraception, since many public healthcare settings do not offer emergency contraception.

    “About half of all pregnancies are unintended in the world, and 95% of unintended pregnancies occur in women who do not use modern contraception or use it infrequently or improperly,” Deborah Anderson, Ph.D., professor at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, said during the presentation.

    “We can’t go back to January 19,” Warren concluded. “We’ve just had a series of massive quakes, and we’ve got to now build differently.”

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