- X is planning to hide headlines from news links for ‘improved aesthetics’ TechCrunch
- Elon Musk admitted X ‘might fail’—then the social network accidentally removed swaths of historic content, including Ellen’s Oscars selfie that broke Twitter Fortune
- Elon Musk wants to signal X is a place for free speech, says Axios’ Ryan Heath CNBC Television
- Daniella Theis: Hate must never be the price of freedom of speech HeraldScotland
- Elon Musk says blocking, a feature both Apple and Google require on social apps, ‘makes no sense’ PC Gamer
Tag Archives: Links
After Shocking Assassination, Ecuadorian VP Candidate Decries “Clear Links” Between Gov’t & Cartels – Democracy Now!
- After Shocking Assassination, Ecuadorian VP Candidate Decries “Clear Links” Between Gov’t & Cartels Democracy Now!
- Political leader in Ecuador is killed less than a week after presidential candidate’s assassination The Associated Press
- Political violence and insecurity loom large as Ecuadorians get ready to vote CNN
- Assassination days before presidential vote shakes Ecuador – and region The Christian Science Monitor
- Political leader slain in Ecuador days after presidential candidate’s assassination The Hill
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Elon Musk’s Twitter throttles links to Threads, Blue Sky and New York Times – The Washington Post – The Washington Post
- Elon Musk’s Twitter throttles links to Threads, Blue Sky and New York Times – The Washington Post The Washington Post
- X is slowing down links to websites Elon Musk has publicly feuded with Engadget
- Elon Musk’s X (Formerly Twitter) Is Imposing a 5-Second Delay on Links to Meta Apps, New York Times and Other Sites Variety
- Elon Musk Continues His Petty Tirade Against Opponents With Unthinkable Move BroBible
- ‘Free Speech Absolutist’ Elon Musk Accused of ‘Throttling Traffic’ to Media Outlets He ‘Dislikes’ Mediaite
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Study of 500,000 Medical Records Links Viruses to Alzheimer’s Again And Again : ScienceAlert
A study of around 500,000 medical records has suggested that severe viral infections like encephalitis and pneumonia increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Researchers found 22 connections between viral infections and neurodegenerative conditions in the study of around 450,000 people.
People treated for a type of inflammation of the brain called viral encephalitis were 31 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. (For every 406 viral encephalitis cases, 24 went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease – around 6 percent.)
Those who were hospitalized with pneumonia after catching the flu seemed to be more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Intestinal infections and meningitis (both often caused by a virus), as well as the varicella-zoster virus, which causes shingles, were also implicated in the development of several neurodegenerative diseases.
The impact of viral infections on the brain persisted for up to 15 years in some cases. And there were no instances where exposure to viruses was protective.
Around 80 percent of the viruses implicated in brain diseases were considered ‘neurotrophic’, which means they could cross the blood-brain barrier.
“Strikingly, vaccines are currently available for some of these viruses, including influenza, shingles (varicella-zoster), and pneumonia,” the researchers write.
“Although vaccines do not prevent all cases of illness, they are known to dramatically reduce hospitalization rates. This evidence suggests that vaccination may mitigate some risk of developing neurodegenerative disease.”
Last year, a study of more than 10 million people linked the Epstein-Barr virus with a 32-fold increased risk of multiple sclerosis.
“After reading [this] study, we realized that for years scientists had been searching – one-by-one – for links between an individual neurodegenerative disorder and a specific virus,” said senior author Michael Nalls, a neurogeneticist at the National Institute on Aging in the US.
“That’s when we decided to try a different, more data science-based approach,” he said. “By using medical records, we were able to systematically search for all possible links in one shot.”
First, the researchers analyzed the medical records of around 35,000 Finns with six different types of neurodegenerative diseases and compared this against a group of 310,000 controls who did not have a brain disease.
This analysis yielded 45 links between viral exposure and neurodegenerative diseases, and this was narrowed down to 22 links in a subsequent analysis of 100,000 medical records from the UK Biobank.
While this retrospective observational study cannot demonstrate a causal link, it adds to the pile of research hinting at the role of viruses in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
“Neurodegenerative disorders are a collection of diseases for which there are very few effective treatments and many risk factors,” said co-author Andrew Singleton, a neurogeneticist and Alzheimer’s researcher and the director of the Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias.
“Our results support the idea that viral infections and related inflammation in the nervous system may be common – and possibly avoidable – risk factors for these types of disorders.”
This study was published in Neuron.
New Research Links COVID-19 Infection – and Vaccination – to a Debilitating Heart Condition
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a disorder that affects the autonomic nervous system and is characterized by an abnormal increase in heart rate upon standing up. This can cause symptoms such as lightheadedness, fainting, fatigue, and headaches.
Smidt Heart Institute researchers show the risk of developing postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is five times higher after
The study suggests that a small proportion of individuals who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 may develop POTS, which is a debilitating heart condition characterized by an abnormal increase in heart rate upon standing. Furthermore, their findings indicate that people diagnosed with COVID-19 are five times more likely to develop POTS after contracting the virus than after vaccination, emphasizing the importance of receiving the vaccine.
“The main message here is that while we see a potential link between COVID-19 vaccination and POTS, preventing COVID-19 through vaccination is still the best way to reduce your risk of developing POTS,” said Alan C. Kwan, MD, first and corresponding author of the study and a cardiovascular specialist at Cedars-Sinai.
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is a nervous system-related condition that most commonly affects young women of childbearing age. The most identifiable POTS symptom is a rapid increase in the heartbeat of more than 30 beats per minute or a heart rate that exceeds 120 beats per minute, within 10 minutes of standing.
Other symptoms include fainting, dizziness, and fatigue, although some patients with severe disease may also experience migraine, increased urination, sweaty extremities, anxiety, and tremor.
To validate their findings, the study authors used data from 284,592 vaccinated patients treated within the broader Cedars-Sinai Health System between the years 2020 and 2022, as well as 12,460 Cedars-Sinai patients with COVID-19.
“From this analysis, we found that the odds of developing POTS are higher 90 days after vaccine exposure than the 90 days prior to exposure,” said Kwan. “We also found that the relative odds of POTS were higher than would be explained by increases in visits to physicians after vaccination or infection.”
Kwan emphasizes that despite this finding, the rates of POTS after vaccination were much lower than rates of new POTS diagnosis after COVID-19.
“This knowledge identifies a possible—yet still relatively slim—association between COVID-19 vaccination and POTS,” said Kwan.
Many patients—especially those who developed POTS prior to the COVID-19 pandemic—spent years trying to get properly diagnosed. This is because many healthcare providers are unfamiliar with the disease and its symptoms, which often can be incorrectly attributed to chronic fatigue syndrome or other conditions. However, COVID-19 has expanded the medical field’s understanding of POTS.
“In an unexpected but important way, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a great deal of awareness to POTS—both to patients and providers,” said Peng-Sheng Chen, MD, an expert on the condition who leads one of only a few POTS specialty clinics in the nation. “Given a broader understanding of the disease, many patients can be diagnosed more quickly permitting earlier interventions that can greatly improve their symptoms.”
Many effective interventions involve lifestyle modifications, Chen says, including avoiding triggers such as prolonged standing, extreme heat, extreme cold, and alcoholic beverages. Additional recommended measures may include eating a high-sodium diet and wearing abdominal or lower-body compression garments. Certain medical therapies can also be considered.
Patients treated for POTS at the Smidt Heart Institute often are encouraged to join the cardiac rehabilitation program, which aims to strengthen the body and heart.
While the Nature Cardiovascular Research study sheds important light on vaccinations and POTS, researchers say it has its limitations. The hope, however, is this new knowledge will help improve conversations around COVID-19 and vaccines.
“We recognize as clinicians that side effects from vaccines can vary in type and severity, even if still uncommon overall. We hope that clearer data and improved understanding will eventually enhance medical trust and quality of care as well as communications around vaccines,” said Kwan. “Ultimately, our goal is to optimize vaccine uptake.”
Reference: “Apparent risks of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome diagnoses after COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-Cov-2 Infection” by Alan C. Kwan, Joseph E. Ebinger, Janet Wei, Catherine N. Le, Jillian R. Oft, Rachel Zabner, Debbie Teodorescu, Patrick G. Botting, Jesse Navarrette, David Ouyang, Matthew Driver, Brian Claggett, Brittany N. Weber, Peng-Sheng Chen and Susan Cheng, 12 December 2022, Nature Cardiovascular Research.
DOI: 10.1038/s44161-022-00177-8
Should nitrites in meat products be banned? Another study links the preservatives to bowel cancer
A leading scientist in the UK has called for the country to ban the use of nitrites in processed meat, after publishing a study that adds to the body of evidence showing the additives can increase the risk of cancer.
Professor Chris Elliott, who led the UK government’s food systems review following the 2013 horsemeat scandal, urged the government to enforce a ban on the chemicals, which are used as a preservative.
Earlier this year, France’s health agency ANSES confirmed a link between nitrites and nitrates in ham and charcuterie and the development of colorectal cancer – otherwise known as bowel cancer.
The French government has since begun planning the reduction or phasing out of nitrites from processed meats in the country.
Elliott, along with colleagues from Queen’s University Belfast, conducted a pork meat consumption study on mice over eight weeks.
The mice were given a diet consisting of 15 per cent of either nitrite-free pork, nitrate-free sausage, or nitrite-containing sausage in the form of a frankfurter.
The mice were compared against a control group, which was fed a diet consisting entirely of chow – a balanced diet consisting mainly of cereals.
Mice eating the nitrite-containing frankfurters were found to have 53 per cent more gastrointestinal tumours than the control group.
The study authors noted that while 15 per cent nitrate-pork in the diet was “a relatively high intake of processed meat,” all previous preclinical trials had used a minimum of 50 per cent processed meat in the diet.
“It clearly demonstrates that lower dietary quantities can exacerbate the disease,” they wrote.
‘Very real risk to public health’
Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers across Europe, and one of the leading causes of death.
Many health bodies already advise lowering the risk of developing this cancer by eating a healthy diet, and avoiding processed meat and red meat.
The UK’s NHS recommends that anyone who eats more than 90g of red or processed meat a day should cut down to 70g, which could help to reduce the risk of bowel cancer.
Professor Chris Elliott called on the UK government to ban the use of nitrites “as they have done already in France”.
“The results of this new study make the cancer risk associated with nitrite-cured meat even clearer. The everyday consumption of nitrite-containing bacon and ham poses a very real risk to public health,” he said.
Dr Brian Green, another of the report authors, said: “The results from our study clearly show that not all processed meats carry the same risk of cancer and that the consumption of nitrite-containing processed meat exacerbates the development of cancerous tumours”.
Tesla, GM Among Car Makers Facing Senate Inquiry Into Possible Links to Uyghur Forced Labor
WASHINGTON—The Senate Finance Committee has opened an inquiry into whether auto makers including
Tesla Inc.
and
General Motors Co.
are using parts and materials made with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region.
In a letter sent Thursday, the committee asked the chief executives of eight car manufacturers to provide detailed information on their supply chains to help determine any links to Xinjiang, where the U.S. government has alleged the use of forced labor involving the Uyghur ethnic minority and others.
The U.S. bans most imports from the region under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The letter to car companies cited a recent report from the U.K.’s Sheffield Hallam University that found evidence that global auto makers were using metals, batteries, wiring and wheels made in Xinjiang, or sourcing from companies that used Uyghur workers elsewhere in China.
According to that report, some car manufacturers “are unwittingly sourcing metals from the Uyghur region.” It said some of the greatest exposure comes from steel and aluminum parts as metals producers shift work to Xinjiang to take advantage of Chinese government subsidies and other incentives.
The U.S. ban on products linked to Xinjiang has already caused disruptions in the import of solar panels made there.
China has called Washington’s claim baseless. It disputes claims by human-rights groups that it mistreats Uyghurs by confining them in internment camps, with Beijing saying its efforts are aimed at fighting terrorism and providing vocational education.
Besides
Tesla
and GM, the letter signed by Finance Committee Chairman
Ron Wyden
(D., Ore.), was sent to
Ford Motor Co.
,
Mercedes-Benz Group AG
,
Honda Motor Co.
,
Toyota Motor Corp.
,
Volkswagen AG
and
Stellantis
NV, whose brands include Chrysler and Jeep.
GM said its policy prohibits any form of forced or involuntary labor, abusive treatment of employees or corrupt business practices in its supply chain.
“We actively monitor our global supply chain and conduct extensive due diligence, particularly where we identify or are made aware of potential violations of the law, our agreements, or our policies,“ the company said.
A Volkswagen spokesman said the company investigates any alleged violation of its policy, saying “serious violations such as forced labor could result in termination of the contract with the supplier.” A Stellantis spokesperson said the company is reviewing the letter and the claims made in the Sheffield Hallam study.
Other companies didn’t immediately provide comments.
“I recognize automobiles contain numerous parts sourced across the world and are subject to complex supply chains. However, this recognition cannot cause the United States to compromise its fundamental commitment to upholding human rights and U.S. law,” Mr. Wyden wrote.
The information requested includes supply-chain mapping and analysis of raw materials, mining, processing and parts manufacturing to determine links to Xinjiang, including manufacturing conducted in third countries such as Mexico and Canada.
General Motors says its policy prohibits forced or involuntary labor, abusive treatment of employees or corrupt business practices in its supply chain.
Photo:
mandel ngan/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
The lawmakers are also asking the auto makers if they had ever terminated, or threatened to terminate, relations with suppliers over possible links to Xinjiang, and if so, provide details of the cases.
The committee’s action comes as the Biden administration and bipartisan lawmakers increase their focus on alleged forced-labor practices in China as a key component of their confrontation with Beijing over its economic policy. The United Auto Workers has called on the auto industry to “shift its entire supply chain out of the region.”
The State Department has said more than one million Uyghurs and other minorities are held in as many as 1,200 state-run internment camps in Xinjiang. Chinese authorities “use threats of physical violence” and other methods to force detainees to work in adjacent or off-site factories, according to the department.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated 2,398 entries with a total value of $466 million during the fiscal year ended September, up from 1,469 entries in the previous year and 314 cases in fiscal 2000.
Analysts expect the CBP’s enforcement activity to further increase this year, with a strong bipartisan push for a tougher stance on the forced-labor issue.
The researchers at Sheffield Hallam University found that more than 96 mining, processing, or manufacturing companies relevant to the auto sector are operating in Xinjiang. The researchers used publicly available sources, including corporate annual reports, websites, government directives, state media and customs records.
Write to Yuka Hayashi at Yuka.Hayashi@wsj.com
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Twitter briefly banned links and username mentions relating to Facebook, Instagram and other rivals
While many people were turning to Twitter on Sunday to watch the World Cup finals unfold, the company introduced a new policy banning “free promotion” of competing social media websites. Twitter said it would remove links to Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Tribel, Post, Nostr and Donald Trump’s Truth Social from accounts whose “main purpose” is to promote content on those platforms.
Users were told they could no longer use their Twitter bio to link to their other social media profiles, nor post tweets that invite their followers to follow them elsewhere. Additionally, the company restricted the use of third-party aggregators like Linktree and Link.bio. Twitter warned that users who attempt to bypass the new policy using technical means like URL cloaking or less advanced methods will be found in violation of the policy.
However, as the Twitter community came to terms with the rule change, its CEO had another change of heart. Within hours, tweets announcing the new policy, plus the support page outlining the specifics of its enforcement, were deleted and replaced with a poll asking: “should we have a policy preventing the creation of or use of existing accounts for the main purpose of advertising other social media platforms?” At the time of writing, the “No” option had a commanding 86.9 percent share of the vote.
Should we have a policy preventing the creation of or use of existing accounts for the main purpose of advertising other social media platforms?
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) December 19, 2022
Before the deletion, the support page outlined two exceptions to its new rule. “We recognize that certain social media platforms provide alternative experiences to Twitter, and allow users to post content to Twitter from these platforms,” the company said. “In general, any type of cross-posting to our platform is not in violation of this policy, even from the prohibited sites listed above.” Additionally, Twitter said it would continue to allow paid promotion for any of the platforms on its new prohibited list.
According to Twitter, accounts that violated the new policy would be temporarily locked if it was their first offense or “an isolated incident.” The company may have also deleted the offending tweets. “Any subsequent offenses will result in permanent suspension,” Twitter added. The company indicated it would temporarily lock accounts that add the offending links in their bios. Multiple violations “may result in permanent suspension,” it added.
Wild. @PaulG got suspended (for *sending folks to his website for a link to his mastadon). This is gonna get really, really interesting. PG is SV royalty. pic.twitter.com/kXTy4V2wIz
— AlexisOhanian7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) December 18, 2022
Twitter quickly began enforcing the policy shortly after it was announced. At 2:17PM ET, Paul Graham, the founder of startup accelerator Y Combinator and someone who came out in support of Musk’s takeover, said he was done with Twitter following the rule change and told his more than 1.5 million followers to find him on Mastodon. Twitter then suspended Graham’s account, only to bring it back not long after.
The policy comes following another messy week at Twitter. On December 15th, a handful of notable journalists, including NBC’s Ben Collins and CNN’s Donnie O’Sullivan, found they could not access their Twitter accounts. Most of the accounts had either talked about Jack Sweeney or his ElonJet account, which was banned for breaking the company’s recently announced policy against public location sharing. While Twitter later reinstated the accounts of those reporters, on Saturday it abruptly suspended the account of Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz. At the time of her suspension, Lorenz only had three posts to her name, one of which was a tweet to Musk asking him to comment on an upcoming story. Another one of her posts linked to her YouTube channel, but at that point Twitter’s policy against linking to competing platforms didn’t exist and nowhere in its new rule does it mention Google’s video service.
Update: 12/19 at 4:02am ET: Article updated to include the reversal of the policy change.
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Twitter bans posting of handles and links to Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon and more (Updated) • TechCrunch
(Update December 19, 2022, 8:40 AM IST): Twitter has deleted the tweets announcing the policy that prohibited people from posting handles and links to other social networks. The company has also silently removed the policy page that detailed these rules. Meanwhile, the Twitter Safety account started a poll asking users if the company should form a policy on accounts used just to promote other social networks.
After Twitter made the policy change, it received a lot of criticism. In a reply to a user, Musk specified that the policy will be adjusted to suspend accounts whose only purpose is to promote other social networks. However, Twitter hasn’t made any official announcements related to this.
The original story follows
While people around the globe were watching a thrilling FIFA World Cup final, Twitter decided to drop a bombshell and banned links promoting other social networks. The list currently includes Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr, and Post. Plus, link-in-bio tools like Linktree and Lnk.Bio are also banned — these services are commonly used by both creators and businesses. Essentially, you can’t post links to your other social profiles or even type out your handle in a tweet.
The Elon Musk-owned company “no longer allows free promotion of certain social media platforms” on Twitter. The company said that it is removing all accounts “created solely for the purpose of promoting other social networks.” It also plans to remove links to content from above mentioned social platforms.
“We know that many of our users may be active on other social media platforms; however, going forward, Twitter will no longer allow free promotion of specific social media platforms on Twitter,” the social platform said on its policy page.
Twitter will ask you to delete tweets if you link out your handles and multiple violations of this policy will result in a temporary account lock. The company said if you have links to any of these platforms in your bio, it will temporarily suspend your account and ask you to change your bio.
What’s interesting here is that the Musk-led company will let you post your handle if you pay for the tweet’s promotion.
On Saturday night, Twitter suspended the account of Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz. Lorenz had recently deleted all of her tweets and only had three posts on her account: two promoting her other social media accounts, and one asking Musk for comment on a story she is working on with Drew Harwell, a fellow Post writer. Harwell, along with reporters like the New York Times’ Ryan Mac and CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, was temporarily suspended after posting about how Mastodon’s Twitter was banned for linking to the Elon Jet Mastodon account. He and other journalists were reinstated after Musk posted a poll for users to vote on the journalists’ fate.
When Lorenz posted her other social media handles and was suspended, this policy did not yet exist. At the time of publication, her account appears to have been reinstated.
Study Links No COVID-19 Vaccination to Increased Car Crash Risk
Science has a way of presenting actual facts and connecting dots you likely didn’t see ever connecting. For instance, who would have thought to find a link between the people who decided to pass on getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and traffic accidents? A recent study published in The American Journal of Medicine shares the science behind such a link that actually exists.
In the study, Canadian researchers examined over 11 million COVID-19 vaccination records, of individuals over the age of 18, who would be licensed, from different social, economic and health backgrounds. Of those 11 million, 16 percent (1,760,000) were not vaccinated. Researchers then looked into records and identified unvaccinated individuals who might have diseases linked to traffic risks like dementia, diabetes, sleep apnea and alcohol abuse — and then looked into the traffic accident side of things. Those situations included incidents that sent patients to the emergency room, time and day, ambulance involvement and a “triage severity score.”
With all those parameters considered, researchers were able to identify that individuals who hadn’t gotten a COVID-19 vaccine were at a greater risk of traffic accidents. But it wasn’t because of the vaccine. The link actually comes down to risks associated with decision making—in relation to decisions concerning getting vaccinated, and also to obey (or not obey) traffic laws.
Of course, this isn’t saying that if you didn’t get a shot you’re going to get into or cause a traffic incident. The correlation doesn’t work that way. However, researchers concluded if an individual was hesitant or unwilling to “protect themselves” with the vaccine, these same people would be more likely to have no regard for traffic laws. And the data is there to back it up.
Of the unvaccinated, 72 percent were more likely to be involved in a severe car accident. These numbers look worse when the study pointed out that the percentage was “ similar to the relative risk associated with sleep apnea” but still not as bad as those who abused alcohol. But the risk is still there, so much so that the study said that the risk “exceeds the safety gains from modern automobile engineering advances and also imposes risks on other road users.”
One thing the study did admit was that “correlation does not mean causality.” The study didn’t try to touch on whether or not there was a link between not getting the vaccine and driving recklessly. But the authors of the study did speculate.
One possibility relates to a distrust of government or belief in freedom that contributes to both vaccination preferences and increased traffic risks. A different explanation might be misconceptions of everyday risks, faith in natural protection, antipathy toward regulation, chronic poverty, exposure to misinformation, insufficient resources, or other personal beliefs. Alternative factors could include political identity, negative past experiences, limited health literacy, or social networks that lead to misgivings around public health guidelines. These subjective unknowns remain topics for more research.”
If you want to know more you can read more about the study and its results here.