Blog

  • 125,000-year-old ‘fat factory’ run by Neanderthals discovered in Germany – MSN

    1. 125,000-year-old ‘fat factory’ run by Neanderthals discovered in Germany  MSN
    2. Neanderthals had a ‘fat factory’ where they processed bones for grease  New Scientist
    3. The clever ways Neanderthals got their fat long before modern humans  News-Medical
    4. Neanderthals had a “fat factory” for processing bone grease 125,000 years ago – much earlier than thought  Popular Archeology
    5. Neanderthals Ran “Fat Factories” 125,000 Years Ago  Universiteit Leiden

    Continue Reading

  • Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Maintains OS, ORR Benefits in Chinese Patients With Unresectable HCC

    Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Maintains OS, ORR Benefits in Chinese Patients With Unresectable HCC

    Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Unresectable
    HCC | Image Credit: © Sebastian Kaulitzki –
    stock.adobe.com

    Findings from a subgroup analysis of the phase 3 CheckMate 9DW trial (NCT04039607) demonstrated that the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) provided overall survival (OS) and overall response rate (ORR) benefits compared with lenvatinib (Lenvima) or sorafenib (Nexavar) in Chinese patients with unresectable or advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).1

    Data presented at the 2025 ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress showed that at a median follow-up of 31.3 months (range, 15.4-46.5), Chinese patients treated with nivolumab plus ipilimumab (n = 98) achieved a median overall survival (OS) of 23.5 months (95% CI, 18.0-37.8) compared with 20.1 months (95% CI, 15.3-24.0) in those given lenvatinib or sorafenib (n = 110; HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.57-1.18). The 24-month OS rates were 48% and 39%, respectively.

    In the Chinese subgroup, nivolumab plus ipilimumab elicited an ORR of 37% (95% CI, 27%-47%) compared with 14% (95% CI, 8%-22%) for lenvatinib or sorafenib (difference, 23.1%; 95% CI, 11.4%-34.3%). The rates of complete and partial response were 7% and 30%, respectively, in the experimental arm. These respective rates were 2% and 12% in the lenvatinib or sorafenib arm.

    “The results further support nivolumab plus ipilimumab as a potential new first-line standard-of-care therapy for patients with unresectable HCC in China, a region with the highest HCC incidence and overall mortality rate from HCC globally,” lead study author Shukui Qin, MD, of Nanjing Tianyinshan Hospital of China Pharmaceutical University, and colleagues wrote in a poster presentation of the data.

    In April 2025, the FDA approved nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HCC, based on data from CheckMate 9DW.2

    CheckMate 9DW and Subgroup Analysis Overview

    The randomized, open-label study enrolled patients with unresectable HCC who were naive to systemic therapy in the unresectable/advanced setting.1 Patients needed to have at least 1 measurable lesion per RECIST 1.1 criteria, a Child-Pugh score of 5 or 6, and ECOG performance status of 0 or 1, and no main portal vein invasion.

    Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive nivolumab at 1 mg/kg plus ipilimumab at 3 mg/kg once every 3 weeks for up to 4 cycles, followed by nivolumab alone at 480 mg once every 4 weeks (n = 335); or single-agent treatment with investigator’s choice of lenvatinib at 8 mg or 12 mg per day, or sorafenib at 400 mg twice per day. Treatment continued until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or consent withdrawal. Treatment in the experimental arm only lasted for a maximum of 2 years.

    Stratification factors included etiology (hepatitis B [HBV] vs hepatitis C vs uninfected); macrovascular invasion (MVI) or extrahepatic spread (EHS; yes vs no); and alpha-fetoprotein level (<400 ng/mL vs ≥400 ng/mL).

    OS served as the trial’s primary end point. Blinded independent central review (BICR)–assessed ORR and duration of response (DOR), along with time to symptom progression, were secondary end points. BICR-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) and safety were exploratory end points.

    The subgroup analysis included 208 Chinese patients from mainland China (n = 29), Hong Kong (n = 67), Taiwan (n = 48), and an additional group from mainland China (n = 64).

    Within the Chinese subgroup, the median age was 63.5 years (range, 37-84) in the nivolumab/ipilimumab arm vs 62 years (range, 26-81) in the control arm. The majority of patients were male (experimental arm, 80%; control arm, 81%), had an HVB etiology (79%; 70%), had a Child-Pugh score of 5 (76%; 79%), and had Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C disease (78%; 74%). An ECOG performance status of 1 was reported in 35% of patients and 13% of patients in the respective arms.

    In the nivolumab/ipilimumab arm at baseline, 30% of patients had MVI, 52% had EHS, and 66% had both. These respective rates were 31%, 55%, and 72% in the control arm. Forty-two percent of patients in the experimental arm had an AFP level of at least 400 ng/mL compared with 39% of patients in the lenvatinib/sorafenib arm. The rates of prior local therapy were 43% and 58%, respectively.

    Additional Subgroup Efficacy Data

    The median DOR was not reached (95%% CI, 23.4-not evaluable [NE]) in the nivolumab/ipilimumab arm vs 8.4 months (95% CI, 6.4-NE) in the lenvatinib or sorafenib arm. The median time to response was 2.1 months (95% CI, 1.8-9.1) and 5.5 months (95% CI, 1.9-13.9), respectively.

    Among evaluable patients, the median tumor reduction from baseline was –47.1% (interquartile range [IQR], –70.5% to –4.8%) in the nivolumab/ipilimumab arm (n = 77) vs –13.8% (IQR, –28.2 to 1.2) in the control arm. Any reduction was reported in 75% of patients in the experimental arm vs 72% of patients in the control group. In the nivolumab/ipilimumab arm, tumor reductions of more than 50% and more than 75% occurred in 45% and 21% of patients, respectively. These respective rates were 5% and 1% in the control arm.

    Further analyses showed that the ORR benefit with nivolumab/ipilimumab was consistent across subgroups within the Chinese population.

    Any subsequent therapy was administered to 47% of Chinese patients in the nivolumab/ipilimumab arm vs 55% of patients in the lenvatinib or sorafenib group. These included radiotherapy (experimental arm, 6%; control arm, 5%), surgery (4%; 3%), locoregional therapy (14%; 12%), and systemic therapy (41%; 52%). Types of subsequent systemic therapy included anti–PD-(L)1 therapy (5%; 15%), anti–PD-(L)1 plus anti–CTLA-4 therapy (0%; 3%), anti–PD-(L)1 plus anti-VEGF therapy (12%; 19%); platinum-based chemotherapy (1%; 0%), and anti-VEGF therapy (30%; 15%).

    The median time to second progression (PFS2) was 22.0 months (95% CI, 15.7-34.0) in the experimental arm vs 15.5 months (95% CI, 13.1-18.6) in the control arm (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.54-1.09).

    QOL and Safety Findings

    Numerical improvements in health-related quality of life were reported with nivolumab/ipilimumab over the course of the study, with the exception of week 25. In the experimental arm, mean changes from baseline in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep) surpassed the minimal important difference (MID) of 8 points between weeks 53 and 89; however, in the control arm, FACT-Hep score worsened at several time points, and the MID was exceeded at week 61.

    Regarding safety, any-grade treatment-related adverse effects (TRAEs) occurred in 90% of patients in the nivolumab/ipilimumab arm vs 95% of patients treated with lenvatinib or sorafenib. The rates of grade 3/4 TRAEs were 43% and 38%, respectively. Serious TRAEs of any grade occurred at respective rates of 31% and 17%; the rates of grade 3/4 serious TRAEs were 27% and 15%, respectively. TRAEs led to treatment discontinuation in 20% of patients in the nivolumab/ipilimumab arm vs 13% of patients in the lenvatinib or sorafenib arm. TRAEs led to death in 3 patients (3%) and 1 patient (<1%), respectively.

    In the nivolumab/ipilimumab group, hepatic TRAEs included hepatobiliary disorders (any-grade, 15%; grade 3/4, 12%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (23%; 1%) increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (18%; 3%), and increased bilirubin levels (11%; 0%). In this group, cardiac TRAEs and hemorrhagic TRAEs were reported at rates of 6% and 3%, respectively; no grade 3/4 cardiac or hemorrhagic TRAEs were noted.

    In the control arm, hepatic TRAEs comprised hepatobiliary disorders (any-grade, 6%; grade 3/4, 3%), increased AST levels (16%; 0%) increased ALT levels (10%; <1%), and increased bilirubin levels (17%; 2%). The rates of any-grade cardiac TRAEs and hemorrhagic TRAEs were 51% and 12%, respectively; the respective rates of grade 3/4 cardiac and hemorrhagic TRAEs were 10% and <1%.

    Immune-mediated AEs (irAEs) reported in the experimental arm included pneumonitis (5%), hepatitis (14%), rash (23%), hypothyroidism/thyroiditis (22%), hypothyroidism (13%), thyroiditis (10%), and hyperthyroidism (19%). irAEs that led to treatment discontinuation included pneumonitis (n = 1) and hepatitis (n = 2).

    References

    1. Qin S, Bai Y, Han G, et al. Nivolumab (NIVO) plus ipilimumab (IPI) vs lenvatinib (LEN) or sorafenib (SOR) as first-line (1L) treatment in Chinese patients with unresectable/advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): CheckMate 9DW expanded analyses. Presented at: 2025 ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress; July 2-5, 2025; Barcelona, Spain. Abstract 157P.
    2. FDA approves nivolumab with ipilimumab for unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. FDA. April 11, 2025. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-approves-nivolumab-ipilimumab-unresectable-or-metastatic-hepatocellular-carcinoma

    Continue Reading

  • Microsoft Warns 400 Million Windows Users—Upgrade Your PC Now

    Microsoft Warns 400 Million Windows Users—Upgrade Your PC Now

    This should have been a huge milestone for Microsoft, one years in the making. But instead it’s overshadowed by a critical new decision for 400 million of its users, the exact same number that seemed to ditch Windows in another surprising twist.

    Windows 11 has finally caught Windows 10’s market share after years of frustration. Data to the end of June, courtesy of Statcounter, shows the two neck and neck — with less than a percentage point between them. Given this data is not exact, that’s within any statistical margin of error. We can say the milestone has been reached.

    ForbesFBI Warning—Do Not Take These Calls On Your Smartphone

    At least for now. Microsoft’s decision to let all Windows 10 users stick with the older OS for another year, even if their PC can be upgraded seems a mistake. That u-turn on Microsoft’s part made absolute sense when it comes to those with older, ineligible PCs. But given the acceleration in recent upgrades, it seems the wrong time to reverse.

    Microsoft warns users eligible to upgrade that they should do so now, waiting is an unnecessary security risk. “New Windows 11 PCs have seen a reported 62% drop in security incidents,” it says, “and a 3x reported reduction in firmware attacks.”

    Microsoft tells waivering users that “Windows 11 is secure by design and by default, with layers of defense enabled on day one to enhance your protection without the need to first configure settings.” It is, the company says, “the most secure operating system we’ve ever built, and offers advanced security like TPM 2.0.”

    That’s the same hardware that separates PCs that can and can’t upgrade to Windows 11. “Security is at the heart of Windows 11,” after all, and so reducing pressure on users to upgrade by offering them a Windows 10 extension seems a backward step.

    Conversely, allowing those with older, ineligible PCs to maintain Windows 10 security updates makes sense, and it should allay the feared PC landfill catastrophe feared by some. Although, this temporary solution is still being criticized as a part measure.

    Of the 700 million Windows 10 users, it’s thought more than 400 million can upgrade, with at least 240 million PCs missing that security hardware hurdle. Those 400 million users should not be tempted into staying put and should upgrade now.

    ForbesSamsung’s Android Upgrade Just Made Galaxy More Like iPhone

    Notably, some reports suggested Microsoft may have actually lost 400 million Windows users in the last few years, which would make all this math wrong. But it turns out that was just an error in a company post that did say 1 billion instead of 1.4 billion users, but which now says “Windows powers over 1.4 billion monthly active devices.”

    Whether it’s October 2025 or October 2026, I suspect Microsoft will be delighted to consign its Windows 10 to Windows 11 upgrade program to the company history books. This has been a roller coaster and it is now resulting in inevitable compromises. The sooner the user base hunkers down on the latest version of the OS the better.

    Continue Reading

  • George Russell admits Mercedes ‘not close’ to frontrunners on Friday at Silverstone as he hopes for cooler weather

    George Russell admits Mercedes ‘not close’ to frontrunners on Friday at Silverstone as he hopes for cooler weather

    George Russell conceded that Mercedes were “not close” to the frontrunners during the opening day of action at Silverstone, with the Briton admitting that the squad are hoping for the temperatures to drop during the remainder of the weekend.

    After ending Free Practice 1 in fifth place on the timesheets, Russell classified eighth in the second session on a lap seven-tenths off the pace-setting time of McLaren’s Lando Norris.

    When asked how close he felt to those at the front following Friday’s running, the 27-year-old answered: “Well after today not very close, but it has been warmer today. The track was 40 degrees and we are hoping the rest of the weekend it cools down.

    “So it is a little frustrating for us that every single week we are at the mercy of the weather and we need to improve that, especially now we are entering the summer months. We are doing everything we can to improve it.

    “I think our fortunes will turn a little bit and it will come back towards us but, as I said, we can’t be at the mercy of the weather and we are right now.”

    With Ferrari proving to be McLaren’s closest competitors during Friday, Russell suggested that the Scuderia have taken a step forward.

    “Ferrari have really turned it up the last couple of races,” the 27-year-old explained. “They’ve been strong in race pace all season really, but they’ve been having bad Qualifyings.

    “But I think now we are entering summer, everyone is overheating a little bit more and we are probably taking a step backwards, and they’ve taken a step forward purely because of the temperature.

    “So that’s probably not great for them for some reasons, but it is also not great for us for other reasons too. Anyway, I’m enjoying being here at Silverstone, enjoying seeing all the fans. I love this race weekend and I just hope we can improve for the rest of the week.”

    Despite having a tricky Friday, Russell responded positively when asked if the arrival of rain or gustier conditions could put Mercedes back in the fight for pole position on Saturday.

    “Yeah for sure, coldness definitely. If it is wet for Qualifying then definitely excited for that,” the four-time race winner said. “It’s a bit of a unique one because the wet tyres actually deg more than the dry tyres.

    “It’s like, I don’t want to get too bogged up in the details here but actually a wet race probably wouldn’t be ideal. But we just want it… cold and dry would be ideal.”

    Kimi Antonelli echoed his team mate’s sentiments about the difficulties of Friday, the Italian having placed P9 and P6 in first and second practice respectively.

    “[It] was definitely not the easiest today, but I’m having quite a lot of pleasure driving around here,” Antonelli reflected. “Today, temperatures were quite a bit higher than expected.

    “Overall to be honest the car didn’t feel too bad, there is a little bit to work on and a little bit to work on with the driving. But tomorrow hopefully it is going to be a lot cooler, that is what the forecast is saying, and we’ll see what we can do.”

    Like Russell, Antonelli is hopeful that Mercedes can be in the battle with Ferrari and McLaren if the temperatures cool as the British Grand Prix event progresses.

    “Hopefully, that is definitely the goal,” the 18-year-old added. “I think hopefully it is going to cool down. Tomorrow is predicted to be overcast so probably track temp will be a bit cooler. I don’t know by how much, but a little bit cooler and hopefully we can take the fight to Ferrari and the McLarens.”

    Continue Reading

  • AI-designed material captures 90% of toxic iodine from nuclear waste

    AI-designed material captures 90% of toxic iodine from nuclear waste

    Scientists may have finally found a solution to tackle the problem of radioactive iodine, one of nuclear energy’s most stubborn threats, thanks to AI.

    A research team in South Korea has used artificial intelligence to discover a powerful new material that can trap radioactive iodine, specifically isotope I-129, one of the most persistent and dangerous byproducts of nuclear energy that poses serious environmental and health risks.

    With a half-life of 15.7 million years, I-129 is highly mobile in the environment and notoriously difficult to remove from contaminated water.

    Developed by researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in collaboration with the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), the breakthrough material belongs to a class called Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs).

    These compounds are known for their structural flexibility and ability to trap negatively charged particles like iodate (IO₃⁻), the form radioactive iodine most often takes in aqueous environments.

    AI narrows down the options

    Instead of testing thousands of LDH combinations manually, which would be difficult to search through conventional trial-and-error experiments, the team turned to machine learning to identify optimal iodate adsorbents.

    Starting with experimental data from 24 binary and 96 ternary compositions, they trained a model to predict the most promising candidates from a vast pool of metal combinations.

    The team focused on the fact that LDHs, like high-entropy materials, can incorporate a wide range of metal compositions and possess structures favorable for anion adsorption.

    The AI model guided the researchers to a quinary compound made of copper, chromium, iron, and aluminum, named dubbed Cu₃(CrFeAl).

    This material showed over 90 percent efficiency in removing iodate from water, outperforming traditional silver-based absorbents, which often fail to trap iodate effectively.

    Small sample, big leap

    Remarkably, the team only needed to test about 16 percent of all possible material combinations to find the optimal one, demonstrating the power of AI in reducing both time and cost in nuclear environmental research.

    “This study shows the potential of using artificial intelligence to efficiently identify radioactive decontamination materials from a vast pool of new material candidates,” said KAIST professor Ho Jin Ryu.

    “It is expected to accelerate research for developing new materials for nuclear environmental cleanup.”

    The research team has filed a domestic patent application for the developed powder technology and is currently proceeding with an international patent application. They are also working to improve the material’s stability under real-world conditions.

    The team is now looking for academic and industrial partnerships to develop iodine-absorbing powders and water filters that can be used in contaminated nuclear sites to trap radioactive iodine.

    The study was led by Professor Ho Jin Ryu from the Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering at KAIST, in collaboration with Dr. Juhwan Noh of the Digital Chemistry Research Center at KRICT.

    Dr. Sujeong Lee, a graduate of KAIST’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dr. Noh were listed as co-first authors on the paper.

    Continue Reading

  • PFL EUROPE BRUSSELS COMPLETE WEIGH-IN RESULTS & PHOTOS

    PFL EUROPE BRUSSELS COMPLETE WEIGH-IN RESULTS & PHOTOS

    PFL Europe Brussels is set to take place on Saturday 5 July at the ING Arena for the second PFL Europe event of 2025

    Patrick Habirora & Danny Roberts make the main event official by weighing in at 169.5 lbs and 171 lbs respectively, alongside the co-main event as Taylor Lapilus and Ali Taleb both make 135.2 lbs and 134.1 lbs respectively to confirm the bout

    Final remaining tickets for PFL Europe Brussels are available here, and will be available to watch in Belgium, France, UK & Ireland exclusively on DAZN

     

    BRUSSELS (4 July, 2025) – Following today’s official weigh-ins, the second PFL Europe event of 2025 takes place tomorrow night from 5pm CEST at the ING Arena in Brussels.

    The main event on Saturday 5th July is set, as both Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora (6-0) and Danny “Hot Chocolate” Roberts made the Welterweight limit at 169.5 lbs and 171 lbs respectively. The co-main event was also locked as Taylor “Double Impact” Lapilus (21-4) and Ali Taleb (12-1) hit the scales at 135.2 lbs and 134.1 lbs. 

    PFL Europe Brussels will air live in Belgium, France, UK & Ireland exclusively on DAZN from 5pm CEST.

    The full weigh-in results are as follows:

     

     

    PFL Europe Brussels Card:
    ING Arena, Brussels, Belgium
    DAZN (Belgium, France, UK & Ireland)  | PFL app (US)
    Saturday, 5 July 

    PFL Europe Welterweight Main Event Showcase Bout: Patrick Habirora (169.5 lbs) vs. Danny Roberts (171 lbs)
    PFL Europe Bantamweight Co-Main Event Showcase Bout: Taylor Lapilus (135.2 lbs) vs. Ali Taleb (134.1 lbs)
    PFL Europe Featherweight Showcase Bout: Gaetano Pirrello (145.8 lbs) vs. Salvatore Liga (144.9 lbs)
    PFL Europe Light Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Boris Mbarga Atangana (205.3 lbs) vs. Bruno Santos (204.8 lbs)
    PFL Europe Welterweight Showcase Bout: Khamzat Abaev (170.6 lbs) vs. Chequina Noso Pedro (169.4 lbs)
    PFL Europe Bantamweight Showcase Bout: Movsar Ibragimov (135.8 lbs) vs. Gerardo Fanny (134.9)
    PFL Europe Featherweight Showcase Bout: Ibragim Ibragimov (145.9 lbs) vs. Mathys Duragrin (145.8 lbs)
    PFL Europe Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Dean Garnett (135.7 lbs) vs. Toumas Grönvall (133.1 lbs)
    PFL Europe Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Mahio Campanella (135.6 lbs) vs. Matiss Zaharovs (135.6 lbs)
    PFL Europe Lightweight Showcase Bout: Nicolas Di Franco (155.8 lbs) vs. Catalin Safta (155.6 lbs)
    PFL Europe Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Anas Azizoun (136 lbs) vs. Gustavo Oliveira (135.4 lbs)
    PFL Europe Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Julien Lopez (136 lbs) vs. Jan Ciepłowski (135.4 lbs)
    PFL Europe Women’s Flyweight Showcase Bout: Paulina Wiśniewska (126 lbs) vs. Jessica Cunha (124.8. lbs)
    PFL Europe Featherweight Showcase Bout: Adam Meskini (145.7 lbs) vs. Tiziano Ferranti (145.7 lbs)
    PFL Europe Bantamweight Showcase Bout: Fahdi Khaled (135.7 lbs) vs. Levi Batchelor (135.8 lbs)

    PFL Europe Welterweight Showcase Bout: Salvo Giudice (162.9 lbs) vs. Brice Belghazi (163 lbs)

     

     

    The historic evening of European mixed martial arts will be headlined by Belgium’s own Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora (6-0), who will make his first walk to the SmartCage as the main event in a Welterweight Showcase bout when he goes up against England’s highly skilled veteran Danny “Hot Chocolate” Roberts (18-8) in his PFL debut. 

    Habirora boasts a flawless record, with five of his six victories coming by way of KO/TKO, thanks to a devastating striking skillset which has fueled the Belgian’s rapid rise and made him a fan favourite. The shining star hailing from Team Sendo in Brussels will meet the 14-UFC fight seasoned star Danny Roberts, whose decorated career with a total of 13 career finishes will make him Habirora’s most experienced and dangerous opponent to date, and looks to take the Belgian to places he’s never been inside the SmartCage.

    In the co-main event will be the new PFL signing Taylor “Double Impact” Lapilus (21-4), whose recent run of dominance with eight wins in his last nine fights has made him a true phenom in the Bantamweight division. He will go up against the 2024 PFL MENA Bantamweight Champion Ali Taleb (12-1), a fighter with ferocious knockout power and only one loss in his professional career, which will prove to be a true clash of the world’s best at 135 lbs. 

    Also on the card will be the first round of the PFL Europe Bantamweight Tournament, featuring athletes from six different countries looking to start their path towards the Championship and $100,000. 

    PFL Europe Brussels will be exclusively broadcast on DAZN in Belgium, France, the UK & Ireland, the home of MMA, boxing, European football, women’s football, and the NFL (excl. USA). DAZN is building the ultimate sports entertainment platform, based on premium sports rights, world-leading technology, and multi-platform distribution. 

     

     

     

     

    BACK TO NEWS

    Continue Reading

  • ‘Very Healthy and Fit’ Mom, 39, Ignored Multiple Bowel Cancer Symptoms For Months

    ‘Very Healthy and Fit’ Mom, 39, Ignored Multiple Bowel Cancer Symptoms For Months

    NEED TO KNOW

    • Krystal Maeyke has been documenting her battle with bowel cancer on TikTok

    • In May 2023, Maeyke was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer

    • She shared that she ignored her symptoms of night sweats and abdominal pain for months

    Krystal Maeyke believed the sharp stabbing pains in her stomach were a food allergy.

    Maeyke, 39, tried to ignore the uncomfortable sensations in her lower abdomen for three months until the pain became unbearable.

    The mom of one has been documenting her battle with cancer on her TikTok account. In a video, she describes her diagnosis and shares that “three months” before she got the news, “I was having sharp stabbing pains, very tired, unexplained night sweats, loss of appetite, irregular bowel movements, and feeling like s—.”

    She thought she was just “overworked, and being a busy mum.” She said that she was “very healthy and fit.”

    After her symptoms became unbearable, she was airlifted by the Royal Flying Doctors Service to the nearest hospital, which was 280 miles away.

    At Alice Springs Hospital, she was given a series of tests. On May 30, 2023, Krystal Maeyke was diagnosed with metastatic bowel cancer.

    gofundme Krystal Maeyke

    In the same video, Maeyke shared, “I underwent a series of tests. That’s when I knew it was something serious. I was woken up later that night by a doctor whose words I will never forget.”

    ” ‘Krystal, I’ve got bad news…. You have cancer,’ ” she recalled the doctor telling her. “The weight of those words, accompanied by my question of ‘How do you know?’ and the doctor’s response, ‘It’s everywhere,’ shook me to my core.”

    According to the Cleveland Clinic, stage 4 is characterized by the cancer having spread to other “distant” parts of the body than where it originated. In this stage, it is considered metastatic or advanced cancer.

    Maeyke also said that before her diagnosis, she had months of night sweats, which she “ignored.”

    “I was experiencing persistent night sweats a few months before I was diagnosed. I would wake up during the night drenched in sweat, enough so I had to change clothes and sheets.” She described that “some nights it would happen a few times.”

    “It was summertime, and I slept with the air [conditioner] on and a fan, so I just thought it was my air [conditioner] not keeping up with the summer heat. So I ignored this sign,” the mom shared.

    Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.  

    Maeyke continues to share her ongoing battle against cancer on her TikTok account, sharing with almost 50,000 people the key signs of bowel cancer and the treatment that she is undergoing, including multiple rounds of chemotherapy.

    Maeyke has been transparent in her struggle with cancer and candidly shared that one of the most complex parts is planning for the future of her son, Maison.

    Maeyke set up a GoFundMe to develop a financial cushion for her family during her illness. In the post, she wrote, “The true weight of my struggle lies not in my own pain, but the potential loss for my 12-year-old son, Maison.”

    According to Cancer Research UK, some symptoms of bowel cancer can be bleeding from the rectum or blood in your poop, a change in bowel habits, a lump in your abdomen, tiredness and breathlessness. It can also feel like cramping pains in the abdomen, feeling bloated, constipation and being sick.

    Read the original article on People


    Continue Reading

  • Sydney Sweeney’s beauty triggered Kim Kardashian’s insecurities: Source

    Sydney Sweeney’s beauty triggered Kim Kardashian’s insecurities: Source

    Photo: Kim Kardashian got triggered by Sydney Sweeney at Jeff Bezos wedding: Report

    Kim Kardashian reportedly got triggered at the high-profile wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.

    As per the latest findings of Closer Magazine, the former wife of Kanye West had a meltdown at the wedding event in Italy.

    This meltdown was reportedly sparked by the all the attention that Sydney Sweeney garnered from the eligible bachelors.

    “Kim won’t say it outright, but seeing Sydney get all the attention in Venice was a huge blow to her ego,” claimed a source.

    “She went into the trip with very high hopes, She’s been single for so long, it’s really starting to mess with her confidence,” the insider noted of the single mom, who is reportedly seeking new paramours.

    In conclusion, “She still looks incredible, but she’s in her 40s, has four kids, and she worries it’s too much baggage to get the kind of man she wants.”

    “She’s not holding it against Sydney, she actually thinks she’s gorgeous and talented, but it’s more that Kim’s realising she’s not the ‘it’ girl anymore, and that’s triggered all her worst insecurities.”


    Continue Reading

  • Our favorite male movie stars of the moment are flirty, fun and a much-needed breath of fresh air

    Our favorite male movie stars of the moment are flirty, fun and a much-needed breath of fresh air



    CNN
     — 

    The summer celebrity forecast predicts clear skies, and an unproblematic leading man heatwave in the form of Jonathan Bailey and Pedro Pascal.

    In a time marked by division – over politics and pretty much everything else – Pascal and Bailey have seemingly united the internet by abiding by a fairly simple principle: It’s ok to have fun being a celebrity.

    Case in point: Bailey matched wits – and clutched pearls – with one of the web’s most gifted in the art of the flirt, Amelia Dimoldenberg, who on Friday welcomed the fellow Brit on her popular YouTube series “Chicken Shop Date.” Their blush-inducing conversation ranged from Dimoldenberg calling their relationship “tantric” (Bailey qualified that description with, “From afar”) to her asking him about the chaps he was planning to wear to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour show that evening.

    “Are they going to be with the bum, or without the bum?” she asked, to which Bailey responded, “We’ll see, maybe they’ll evolve as the night goes on.”

    For those who don’t know him, Bailey was first introduced to most after an enchanting run on three seasons of “Bridgerton.” He then caught our attention when he starred in “Wicked” part one last year as the dashing Prince Fiyero.

    Next up, Bailey is starring in “Jurassic Park: Rebirth” alongside Scarlett Johansson, out this week, before he reprises his role as Fiyero in “Wicked: For Good” in November.

    What has made audiences fall in love with Bailey offscreen though, is that he can be devilishly flirty and disarmingly wholesome all in the same breath.

    Further proof: The viral craze that was Bailey’s so-called “slutty little glasses,” a moniker for the eyewear that he sports in “Jurassic Park: Rebirth” coined by internet personality Blakely Thornton. The moniker stuck after audiences saw Bailey’s eyeglasses in the first trailer for the film.

    Fully embracing the moment, Bailey told Entertainment Tonight at the London premiere of “Jurassic World: Rebirth” earlier this month that he’s “thrilled that people are having a hormonal explosion linked to optical supports.”

    He also saw his viral moment as an opportunity for good. Bailey and spectacle maker Cubitts recently partnered to launch a limited-edition pair of sunglasses, inspired by his eyewear worn in the film, according to WWD. A portion of the sales will benefit Bailey’s charity The Shameless Fund, which he established last year in support of the LGBTQ+ community to “live authentically.”

    Bailey is also busy living out his dream of playing in the “Jurassic” orchestra when they recorded the score for the new film at Abbey Road Studios. Bailey was able to perform the clarinet solo that played over a scene where his character interacted with a dinosaur for the first time.

    “I’m sort of shaking,” Bailey said in a featurette for the film after recording his solo. “It’s a total dream come true.”

    And then, of course, there’s bee-swatter and Internet “daddy” Pascal, who is literally everywhere lately.

    He not only recently appeared (and absolutely broke our hearts) in the second season of HBO’s “The Last of Us,” but he also showed up in Celine Song’s anti-rom-com “The Materialists,” out now. If that weren’t enough, he will also be appearing in the Ari Aster-directed drama “Eddington” and Marvel’s “Fantastic Four,” both out later this month.

    He’ll also be reprising his role as the titular helmeted hero in the “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” film next year.

    Outside of being one of the most sought-after movie and TV stars of the time, Pascal, like Bailey, is an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ causes.

    In April, Pascal set the internet abuzz when he attended Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” premiere in London wearing a white t-shirt that read “protect the dolls” to show support for the transgender community, including his sister, Lux Pascal, who came out as a transgender woman in 2021.

    Pedro Pascal at the London premier of 'Thunderbolts*' in April.

    The t-shirt was designed by London-based designer Conner Ives. All profits from the shirt benefit Trans Lifeline, a charity that offers emotional and financial support to transgender people.

    The Pascal craze came to a boiling point last month when a lookalike contest was held in New York City, as part of a growing trend that brings out doppelgängers of our most sought out celebs.

    “It’s the Pedro takeover,” Emma Stone, who stars alongside him in “Eddington,” gushed about Pascal during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week. “He’s so wonderful. He’s talented, he’s gorgeous, he’s nice, he’s funny.”

    We can see it, too, Emma.

    Even Robert Downey Jr., who will appear alongside Pascal in Marvel’s upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday,” can’t get enough of Pascal.

    “Pascal’s slow trajectory to becoming a household name who is on a wildly hot streak kind of reaffirms my faith in our industry,” Downey said in a Vanity Fair interview published last week.

    Pascal celebrated his milestone 50th birthday in April and spoke playfully and modestly about the renaissance he’s currently having at this age.

    “Stepping into my 40s felt adult and empowered,” Pascal told the publication. “Fifty felt more vulnerable—much more vulnerable… What a silly thing for a 50-year-old man—to have all this attention!”

    “Silly”? Not quite. More like superb.

    Continue Reading

  • OPEC+ may further accelerate oil output hikes on Saturday, sources say – Reuters

    1. OPEC+ may further accelerate oil output hikes on Saturday, sources say  Reuters
    2. Oil falls slightly ahead of expected OPEC+ output increase  Reuters
    3. Oil dips ahead of expected OPEC+ output increase  Business Recorder
    4. OPEC+ may approve larger oil output hike for August at key policy meeting  Profit by Pakistan Today
    5. Crude Oil Price Outlook – Crude Oil Slips in Holiday Trading  FXEmpire

    Continue Reading