1 piece fish fillet calories
Chinese film about Covid-19 wins Taiwan's top Golden Horse prizesEmpathy-focused phone calls made by trained, nonmedical community members led to significant improvements in blood sugar control for low-income adults with diabetes, according to a new study from Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with Lone Star Circle of Care. Published today in JAMA Network Open , the study suggests this approach could provide a simple, cost-effective model for managing chronic conditions , particularly for patients with limited access to traditional mental health and support services. During the six-month clinical trial, 260 patients with uncontrolled diabetes were randomly split into two groups: one receiving only standard care and the other receiving both standard care and regular calls focused on listening and empathy. These calls were made by community members trained to provide compassionate support, enabling participants to share their experiences and challenges in living with diabetes. "This approach begins by acknowledging the real and everyday challenges of living with diabetes," said Maninder "Mini" Kahlon, Ph.D., lead author of the study and associate professor in the Department of Population Health at Dell Med. "By offering genuine, empathetic support, we had an impact on health that's the clinical equivalent to taking medicine. That's because emotional well-being is the gateway to the lifestyle changes that improve management of the condition—an area where traditional health care often falls short." Key findings include: Participants—all Lone Star Circle of Care patients —were given flexibility in the frequency and duration of their calls, allowing them to choose one to five calls per week during the initial stages and tapering as they progressed. This patient-driven approach empowered individuals to receive support at a pace that suited their needs and schedules, fostering a strong connection with their callers and reinforcing self-care routines. "At a time when workforce shortages challenge health care delivery, this study underscores the profound clinical impact nonclinical staff can make," said Jon Calvin, CEO of Lone Star Circle of Care. "By leveraging trained laypeople, we're demonstrating that empathy, connection and intentional engagement can lead to measurable health improvements. "In a world where medicine is increasingly fast-paced and technology-driven, this work reminds us that human connection remains at the heart of effective care. Empathy not only enhances patient engagement but empowers individuals to take meaningful steps toward better health outcomes." This research builds on prior work showing the broader benefits of empathetic phone calls. In 2021, Kahlon and her team published a study that found "Sunshine Calls" —a series of consistent, authentic phone calls from people who were not health care professionals —showed promise in improving loneliness, depression, anxiety and overall mental health among mostly homebound, older adults. Looking ahead, researchers hope to explore the long-term effects of empathy-based support on both diabetes control and broader mental health. They also plan to scale this model, aiming to make holistic, empathetic support more widely available to those in need. More information: Maninder K. Kahlon et al, Glycemic Control With Layperson-Delivered Telephone Calls vs Usual Care for Patients With Diabetes, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.48809
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records amid a mixed Tuesday of trading, tacking a touch more onto what’s already been a stellar year so far. The S&P 500 edged up by 2 points, or less than 0.1%, to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. It’s climbed in 10 of the last 11 days and is on track for one of its best years since the turn of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 76 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record set a day earlier. AT&T rose 4.6% after it boosted its profit forecast for the year. It also announced a $10 billion plan to send cash to its investors by buying back its own stock, while saying it expects to authorize another $10 billion of repurchases in 2027. On the losing end of Wall Street was U.S. Steel, which fell 8%. President-elect Donald Trump reiterated on social media that he would not let Japan’s Nippon Steel take over the iconic Pennsylvania steelmaker. Nippon Steel announced plans last December to buy the Pittsburgh-based steel producer for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden also came out against the acquisition. Tesla sank 1.6% after a judge in Delaware reaffirmed a previous ruling that the electric car maker must revoke Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package. The judge denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. All told, the S&P 500 rose 2.73 points to 6,049.88. The Dow fell 76.47 to 44,705.53, and the Nasdaq composite gained 76.96 to 19,480.91. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. Continued strength there would raise optimism that the economy could remain out of a recession that many investors had earlier worried was inevitable. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.23% from 4.20% from late Monday. Yields have seesawed since Election Day amid worries that Trump’s preferences for lower tax rates and bigger tariffs could spur higher inflation along with economic growth. But traders are still confident the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in two weeks. They’re betting on a nearly three-in-four chance of that, according to data from CME Group. Lower rates can give the economy more juice, but they can also give inflation more fuel. The key report this week that could guide the Fed’s next move will arrive on Friday. It’s the monthly jobs report , which will show how many workers U.S. employers hired and fired during November. It could be difficult to parse given how much storms and strikes distorted figures in October. Based on trading in the options market, Friday’s jobs report appears to be the biggest potential market mover until the Fed announces its next decision on interest rates Dec. 18, according to strategists at Barclays Capital. In financial markets abroad, the value of South Korea’s currency fell 1.1% against the U.S. dollar following a frenetic night where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and then later said he’d lift it after lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Stocks of Korean companies that trade in the United States also fell, including a 1.6% drop for SK Telecom. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to help lead global markets. Some analysts think Japanese stocks could end up benefiting from Trump’s threats to raise tariffs , including for goods coming from China . Trade relations between the U.S. and China took another step backward after China said it is banning exports to the U.S. of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The counterpunch came swiftly after the U.S. Commerce Department expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The 140 companies newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. In China, stock indexes rose 1% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Shanghai amid unconfirmed reports that Chinese leaders would meet next week to discuss planning for the coming year. Investors are hoping it may bring fresh stimulus to help spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy. In France, the CAC 40 rose 0.3% amid continued worries about politics in Paris , where the government is battling over the budget. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.
Chinese film about Covid-19 wins Taiwan's top Golden Horse prizes
The Philadelphia Eagles ruled wide receiver DeVonta Smith out for Sunday night's game at the Los Angeles Rams due to a hamstring injury. Smith did not practice all week and will miss his second game of the season and just the third of his four-year NFL career. He was inactive in a Week 4 loss at Tampa Bay due to a concussion. Smith, 26, leads the Eagles with 41 receptions and four touchdown catches ands ranks second with 516 receiving yards in nine starts this season. The former Heisman Trophy winner has 281 catches for 3,694 yards and 23 scores in 59 games (58 starts) since the Eagles drafted him with the 10th overall pick in 2021. NFC East-leading Philadelphia (8-2) takes a six-game winning streak to Los Angeles (5-5), which has won four of its last five games. --Field Level Media
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he will lift his martial law decree, giving in to the parliament’s opposition, just hours after his dramatic move imposing it Tuesday. Yoon said in a televised address early Wednesday that he will “accept the National Assembly’s demand and lift the martial law through a cabinet meeting,” which he said he had called but its members hadn’t yet arrived. He will immediately lift the martial law when they convene, he said. Yoon, 63, stunned the nation, lawmakers and investors earlier by declaring martial law in a high-stakes move he claimed would prevent the opposition from trying to paralyze his administration amid a political rift that is set to deepen markedly. The South Korean leader’s political future will be put to test after his daring move, which caught even his fellow party members and foreign allies like the U.S. by surprise. “I request the National Assembly to immediately stop the reckless acts of paralyzing the functions of the state through repeated impeachments, legislative manipulation, and budget manipulation,” Yoon said in his earlier televised address. After Yoon announced he would lift the decree, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its troops that had been mobilized for the martial law declaration have returned to their original posts as of 4:22 a.m., Yonhap reported. No unusual activities have been spotted from North Korea, it added. The move was viewed by analysts as a risky political play that was likely to backfire rather than an attempt to return to military-led regimes of the past. With his own government and party kept in the dark alongside the U.S. and other friendly nations, Yoon created a chaotic moment that left him isolated and even further from controlling the political agenda going forward. Early Wednesday morning, 190 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament unanimously voted to demand the lifting of martial law. The president had said his move was intended to protect freedom and constitutional order, that it wouldn’t have an impact on South Korea’s foreign policy, and that it would help eradicate the influence of North Korean supporters. A proclamation released after the address banned all political activities and strikes and said media would be subject to control of the Martial Law Command. Korean assets were battered during New York trading. The won suffered its sharpest drop since the global financial crisis to hit 1444.65 its lowest in over two years, before paring losses. Samsung Electronics’ London-listed shares fell as much as 7.2% then regained some ground. The finance minister and central bank chief met and promised to provide unlimited liquidity to markets if needed. The Bank of Korea will meet early Wednesday, just a week after a surprise rate cut partly triggered by heightened uncertainty generated by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory. Adding to the sense of chaos, the nation’s largest union federation called a general strike in defiance of Yoon’s order. The shock announcement to impose martial law for the first time since the democratization of South Korea in 1987 caught even Yoon’s own party off guard. Han Dong-hoon, leader of Yoon’s People Power Party, condemned the move and vowed to stop it, in a sign of the president’s increasing isolation and his lack of consultation. The move also surprised the White House, prompting Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell to say that the Biden administration was watching the developments with “grave concern.” Yoon’s abrupt decision came after months of wrangling and deadlock in parliament between the president’s minority government and the main opposition Democratic Party, but with little expectation that the president would take such a drastic step. The opposition has been trying to force its budget proposal through parliament and has submitted an impeachment motion against the chief prosecutor after months of also trying to get Yoon’s wife prosecuted. Adding to the fractious political rift, the DP’s leader has faced multiple court cases and was convicted last month of election-law violations, barring him from running for president if it is finalized. Amid the political standoff, Yoon had vetoed a string of bills passed by parliament and at times angering his own party. His latest act ramped up tensions considerably domestically, while also creating high uncertainty abroad for the outlook of one of the world’s key suppliers of semiconductors and a stalwart U.S. ally in an increasingly complex security environment in Asia. Even though the martial law order lasted less than a day, the political instability it will generate is set to last two or three years, according to Lee Won-Jae, a sociology professor at at Kaist Graduate School of Culture Technology in Daejeon. “Martial law has lost its effect, so from this moment on, all state institutions exercising physical force, including the military and police of the Republic of Korea, are obligated not to follow unlawful or unfair instructions,” Han, the leader of Yoon’s party, said in a Facebook post. Yoon’s moves came at a time of high uncertainty for the nation as its trade-dependent economy faces potential tariffs from Trump’s incoming U.S. administration. Bloomberg Economics estimates that full imposition of tariffs on China, South Korea and other U.S. trading partners could reduce Seoul’s exports to the U.S. by as much as 55%. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to present a security concern as it deepens its ties with Russia, having sent thousands of troops there to help in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s defense minister visited Pyongyang last week in the latest sign of talks between the two countries. Russia may help provide North Korea key technology for its weapons programs including its intercontinental ballistic missiles. “We shouldn’t be fooled — this has nothing at all to do with North Korea and all to do with domestic politics,” said Defense Priorities Fellow Daniel DePetris. China suggested its citizens residing in South Korea keep calm and try to avoid going outdoors for anything non-essential, the country’s embassy said in a post on social media Tuesday night. The embassy also asked Chinese citizens to comply with official orders from the Korean government and “use caution” over sharing political opinions. “The domestic uncertainty adds to the external pressures in recent weeks as the market is starting to price in the rise of higher U.S. tariffs under the new Trump administration,” said Aroop Chatterjee, a strategist at Wells Fargo. “Korea is an open economy sensitive to shifts in global export demand and spillovers from a weaker China.” While it remains to be seen if the short-lived declaration of martial law will have a lasting impact on markets and the economy, Yoon’s high-stakes move is certain to knock confidence in his leadership and his reliability as a bullwark of democracy in a nation with many authoritarian neighbors. “U.S. officials look to South Korea now as a beacon of democracy so for a president to pull a fast one like this is certainly shocking and unprecedented,” said DePetris. Bank of Korea’s monetary board, which unexpectedly cut the key rate last week, will also hold an extraordinary meeting Wednesday morning to discuss steps to shield the economy and markets. “From a near-term policy standpoint, apart from the market disruptions, uncertainty could also arise in the event of cabinet changes,” Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts Goohoon Kwon and Kamakshya Trivedi wrote in a note Tuesday. (With assistance from Maria Elena Vizcaino.) ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Donald Trump’s first election eight years ago unleashed a wave of shock that inspired spirited organizing online and in the streets. The “resistance” was born. Its grassroots work bore fruit two years later, when Democrats seized control of the House. This time around, resistance talk has become unfashionable, and by winning both the popular vote and the electoral college, Trump seems to have knocked the stuffing out of his opposition. Yes, 2024 is different, but short-term exhaustion should not be interpreted as long-term passivity. The hoary phrase “loyal opposition” still means something, and that loyalty is to the country and its Constitution, not to one person. This is where thinking about how to contain Trump should start. Resisting his most egregious policies will remain appropriate, but defending, rebuilding and renewing should be the keynotes this time. The first priority must be to minimize damage to the nation, protect constitutional rights whenever they’re threatened and safeguard the institutions of democratic government. Next, his administration should be exposed whenever it uses lovely words such as “reform” and “efficiency” to disguise the wholesale dismantling of popular and necessary programs. And Trump must be held accountable to the working-class voters who helped him win. Notice I have not begun with pious words about how all Americans should wish the new president well and be ready to work with him. Nothing would make me happier than if Trump surprised the nation with serious initiatives on behalf of low-income and middle-class families. But his choices for so many key jobs already signal that Trump 2.0 is on track to be far more extreme than the original. That should call forth more activism, not less. One of the most fruitful handiworks of the old resistance politics was the organizing Trump’s election sparked at a local level. Across the nation, in red as well as blue communities, people who had not prioritized politics came together to exchange ideas and strategize for coming elections – in many cases, this meant city, town and school board elections. They also organized to respond to immediate threats. A singular triumph: the major role doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and the newly insured played in blocking the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. “Word spread through churches, unions, PTAs, and local good government groups, and dozens of friends, neighbors, and co-workers assembled for founding meetings in living rooms, in libraries or church basements, or at local restaurants,” wrote scholars Lara Putnam of the University of Pittsburgh and Theda Skocpol of Harvard University, who closely studied these efforts. The newly mobilized engaged with many specific issues, but “the common refrain everywhere (was) about protecting American democracy and reclaiming citizen ownership of public life.” The national Democratic Party should play its part by backing the state parties already doing effective organizing down to the precinct level – the Wisconsin and North Carolina parties are among the standouts – and embedding such efforts elsewhere, especially in places where the party is in tatters. Writing off nearly half the states is no way to win the Senate. To create models for rejuvenation, the party should start with Iowa, Montana, Nebraska and Kansas, all of which have Senate races in 2026. And a heretical thought: As they rebuild, Democrats should acknowledge that in places where their brand is badly broken, independent candidates, particularly for the Senate, might have a better chance of building an alternative coalition to Trumpism. Senate candidate Dan Osborn lost in Nebraska this year running as a pro-worker independent, but his nearly 47 percent of the vote should be seen as a prologue, not a failure. Two of the most effective members of the Senate Democratic caucus, independents Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Angus King (Maine), were reelected this year. They could use company. Defending the constitutional order should not be just a Democratic project. Republican senators Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) and Sen.-elect John Curtis (R-Utah) helped prevent former congressman Matt Gaetz from becoming attorney general. This group certainly knows how unacceptable so many of Trump’s other choices are, and it was heartening that Republicans in significant numbers recoiled from Pete Hegseth’s nomination as defense secretary. Senators willing to act as guardrails need to meet regularly, expand their ranks and act in concert. In unity, there is strength against Trump’s inevitable retaliation. Economic discontent fueled Trump’s victory, and working-class voters are linchpins of his coalition. Advocacy groups, unions and Democrats in Congress need to form what might be called a Working Families Accountability Project. Trump should be challenged for running with the workers and hunting with the billionaires. He and his allies need to be called out for every budget and tax proposal, every regulatory decision and every appointment that breaks faith with his working-class supporters. The project could also be a source of alternative policies on the basics that matter to working class voters: health care, child care, housing, prices and taxes. There will be no shortage of postmortems offering policy and messaging advice to the Democratic Party. Rethinking after defeat is always wise, but the obligations of politics are not suspended until the next election. The seeds of progress will be planted by those who respond forcefully, creatively and fearlessly to Trump’s second act.