More young women are getting breast cancer. They want answers.

Lifestyle

August 24, 2023

October Breast Cancer Awareness month, adult Woman hand holding — PHOTO: ENVATO

THE WASHINGTON POST – Kelsey Kaminky first noticed a small lump in her left breast in November. It felt like a misshapen marble. Given her young age, her doctor suspected it was a benign cyst and told her further testing wouldn’t be needed.

But Kaminky, 32, couldn’t shake a bad feeling. She insisted on getting a mammogram. “I advocated for myself because I knew, I just knew,” she said.

The lump was breast cancer.

It’s a rare diagnosis for women younger than 40, like Kaminky, who accounted for about four per cent of invasive breast cancer diagnoses in the United States last year.

Overall, the incidence of breast cancer in women younger than 40 is low – about 25 cases per 100,000 women in 2019. By comparison, there were about 229 cases per 100,000 women in the 40-to 64-year-old age group and 462 per 100,000 in women 65 to 74.

But experiences such as Kaminky’s are becoming more common.

A study published last week in JAMA Network Open showed cancers are on the rise for younger Americans under 50, particularly among women. Between 2010 and 2019, diagnoses among people age 30 to 39 increased 19.4 per cent. Among those age 20 to 29, the increase was 5.3 per cent. Breast cancer accounted for the highest number of cancer cases in younger people.

The rate of late-stage breast cancer diagnoses in young women also has been climbing. In women under age 40, the rate has increased by about three per cent each year from 2000 to 2019, according to data from the American Cancer Society.

And while breast cancer mortality rates for older women declined from 2010 to 2017, the rate among younger women did not decrease.

“We have to get out of the idea of, ‘Hell, you’re young, it can’t happen to you.’ It does happen to young women, and clearly, it’s affecting their survival,” said Debra Monticciolo, the Section Chief of Breast Imaging at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Centre.

Despite these trends, there’s little advice for younger women regarding early detection of breast cancer. Screening mammograms are recommended only for women between age 40 and 74; studies show they aren’t effective for younger women. Most medical organisations don’t recommend routine breast self-exams or clinical exams because studies show they don’t make a difference in mortality.

In interviews, young women with breast cancer said they felt dismissed by their doctors when they first raised concerns about their breast health. Now, a growing group of patients and experts are calling for further research and conversations about breast cancer among young women.

“Age 40 should not be the first time you’re discussing breast cancer with your physician,” said Tari King, Chief of the Division of Breast Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Kaminky, who lives in Thornton, Colorado, has no family history of breast cancer. She caught hers early – at stage 1B – but a biopsy showed it was an aggressive type that is more likely to come back. On the advice of her doctors, she underwent a double mastectomy and months of chemotherapy while caring for her sons, age three and six, as a single mother.

When she started losing her hair, she asked her young sons to help cut it off. On some days, she felt like she could barely get off the couch, yet she had to keep working her full-time human resources job at a tech company. She has emptied out her retirement savings and can’t afford to take more unpaid medical leave.

“It’s absolutely 1,000 per cent going to affect the trajectory of my life and the kids’ lives. It’s so hard financially, which is going to hinder me and my kids, but emotionally, from now on, my life is changed,” she said.

She finished chemotherapy in July and is waiting for an upcoming scan to see if it worked.

Experts say younger women with breast cancer often experience higher emotional distress than older women. Getting a diagnosis at such a young age can lead to feelings of isolation as it may not align with societal expectations of advancing at work, getting married or having children.

Compared with older women, young women are also more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage and aggressive breast cancers. They also face an increased risk of the cancer coming back.

“Obviously, it’s catastrophic for anyone to have breast cancer. But to have an aggressive cancer in someone who is young is particularly devastating,” said William Dahut, Chief Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society.

Kelsey Kaminky’s son Owen, 6, helps cut her hair. PHOTO: JOANNA KULESZA/THE WASHINGTON POST

Experts say there isn’t evidence of cost effectiveness or potential benefit to recommend universal breast cancer screenings for women younger than 40. Another concern is the potential harms of screening, which include the psychological toll of false positives and more lifetime exposure to small doses of radiation.

Monticciolo believes that at age 25, all women should get a risk assessment. Those who are found to be at higher risk should get screened regularly, and all women should be able to easily access mammography or other diagnostic tools if they have concerns about changes in their breasts, she said.

Experts say there are no clear explanations why more women are being diagnosed with breast cancer at younger ages, but there are several possible factors.

Genetics is a known risk factor for breast cancer, but that does not appear to be driving the trend, said Elizabeth Suh-Burgmann, Chair for Gynaecologic Oncology for Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California region. Most women who develop breast cancer at a young age don’t have a genetic risk, she said.

One possible contributing factor, Suh-Burgmann said, is that more women are delaying their first pregnancy. Getting pregnant for the first time at age 35 or later is a risk factor for breast cancer. One theory is that after the age of 35, breasts have had more time to accumulate abnormal cells. Changes in the breast that occur during pregnancy can accelerate the development of those abnormal cells into cancer, Suh-Burgmann said.

Having dense breasts is another risk factor. Early menstruation and late menopause are also factors, because breasts are exposed to oestrogen longer. Lifestyle, diet, weight, alcohol consumption and environmental exposures can also all influence breast cancer risk.

Race can also be a factor: Black women are more likely than White women to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age. They are also more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer called triple-negative breast cancer. Experts don’t know why this is happening, but say socioeconomic factors and exposure to pollution could be playing a role.

After she started experiencing sharp, recurring pain in her chest, it took Charisma McDuffie, who is Black, seven months and visits to four separate doctors to finally get a diagnosis. In January 2020, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer. She was 28.

Like many other young women, McDuffie, a Brooklyn native, decided to freeze her eggs before starting treatment because cancer treatments can affect fertility. She found herself at the doctor’s office constantly, juggling fertility treatments with cancer-related tests and appointments. After freezing her eggs, McDuffie underwent chemotherapy, radiation, a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

Now, at 32, she has been cancer-free for three years. The experience still takes a toll on her mentally and emotionally. Some days, she is fine; on others, she cries.

“I never had self-esteem issues. Now I have all these insecurities,” McDuffie said of her mastectomy scars.

Lindsey Madla, 33, of Minneapolis, feels like financial barriers limited her options for treatment. She was working two jobs – as a part-time behavioural assistant and a dance instructor – but took unpaid leave when she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in April. Her cancer was considered grade 3, which may be faster-growing and more likely to spread.

Madla decided to get a lumpectomy to only remove a small portion of her breast. After the surgery, she found out the cancer spread to her lymph nodes. She has now started chemotherapy and needs a mastectomy. To help cover her medical costs, Madla set up a GoFundMe account. Kaminky’s friend also organised a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help cover her medical costs.

Breast cancer often takes a greater financial toll on younger patients, who are more likely to have lower incomes, less savings, and high-deductible health insurance plans or no health insurance at all.

“There’s a whole other side of this where young survivors have higher rates of bankruptcy and financial toxicity and all of these things because of where they are in their lives,” said Mary L. Gemignani, Co-Director for the Young Women with Breast Cancer program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre.

Madla said she has been having nightmares since getting diagnosed.

“Being powerless is triggering. Anticipation and uncertainty is triggering. Not being in control of my body is triggering,” she said.

Lindsey Madla, in a bandage from her surgery, holds bras she said she no longer needs, in Minneapolis on May 28. PHOTO: JENN ACKERMAN/THE WASHINGTON POST

When she was 24 years old, Vanessa Chapoy spoke to a health-care provider about the lump she noticed in her breast. She was told breast cancer doesn’t happen to women her age and that it was benign. She wasn’t aware at the time that she had a family history of breast cancer.

“If I had listened to that doctor, I wouldn’t be here today,” she said.

Chapoy followed up with an OB/GYN and learned she had a golf ball-sized tumour in her breast; it was Stage 2 breast cancer. After a lumpectomy, 16 rounds of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, she is cancer-free.

She is now 27 and living in Reston, Virginia, but is still recuperating. She gets hormone therapy and sometimes experiences hot flashes or pain throughout her body. She also hasn’t felt as successful in her sales job as she once did.

“It did slow down my career. The part that I’m the most insecure about is my chemo brain and the fact that it is affecting my memory,” she said, referring to a phenomenon in which cancer treatment may cause brain fog or concentration and memory issues. “I have to work even harder.”

At first, she felt alone in these feelings, but soon found online communities for young women also affected by breast cancer. Chapoy is among a growing group of people advocating for clearer answers.

Vanessa Chapoy after her final round of chemotherapy. PHOTO: VANESSA CHAPOY/THE WASHINGTON POST

More breast cancer studies are including younger patients, but Leticia Varella, a breast oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said there’s still a need for more research on screenings for young women.

“Young women should never be told they are too young to get breast cancer,” she said.

Brain chip helps voiceless patient communicate at 62 words per minute

Technology

August 24, 2023

SPEECH-CHIP — Pat Bennett. PHOTO: WASHINGTON POST

THE WASHINGTON POST – A neurological disease had robbed Pat Bennett of her ability to speak, but her brain was still sending signals of her intent to talk – and scientists were reading them.

Researchers monitored her neural activity with tiny electrode-laden devices implanted in her brain. They trained an algorithm to recognise her attempts to speak.

Eventually, a team decoded her guttural utterances into text at the rate of 62 words per minute with better than 75 per cent accuracy, according to a study published Wednesday in Nature.

The result is a milestone in restoring the ability to communicate to people who have lost it, more than three times as fast as the previous record, according to the study, and beginning to approach the speed of natural conversation of about 160 words per minute.

The study also relied on technology that is rapidly being improved, as companies race to develop next-generation brain implants and generative artificial intelligence, fuelling optimism among the authors that even better outcomes are within reach.

“We had hoped for a result like this, and so being able to actually demonstrate it was extremely gratifying,” said Jaimie Henderson, a professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University and the paper’s senior author.

He compared the evolving technology for brain implants to television, where increasing the number of pixels led to a sharper image.

“The same is true of listening directly to neurons,” he said, predicting that devices with more electrodes will yield a higher resolution picture of brain activity.

The field of connecting brains to electronic devices has gained momentum in recent years, popularised by Elon Musk’s Neuralink, as several companies develop technology to read the brain’s instructions to the body and use computer programming to carry them out.

Already, companies and researchers are achieving feats like enabling a paralysed man to climb stairs.

Brain-computer interfaces, as they’re known, are probably years away from being commercially available, but they have been tested in clinical trials in more than 40 people.

The sole subject of the Nature study, Bennett, is now 68 years old and has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a degenerative disease that can eventually cause paralysis.

She was a human resources director and equestrian before her disease took hold.

Bennett can move on her own and type with difficulty, but the muscles in her mouth and throat that produce speech no longer work to form intelligible sounds.

“When you think of ALS, you think of arm and leg impact,” Bennett wrote in an email, according to a Stanford news release. “But in a group of ALS patients, it begins with speech difficulties. I am unable to speak.”

To translate Bennett’s attempts to speak into text, the research team relied on two tiny implants with about 120 electrodes that penetrate the brain and monitor her neural activity.

They trained an algorithm to recognise her intended words by having her attempt to speak sentences on a computer screen over four months, and then combined that with a language model that predicts words based on the context.

Using a vocabulary of 125,000 words, the team’s system decoded Bennett’s attempted speech at the rate of 62 words per minute, with a 24 percent word-error rate.

That is accurate enough to generally get the gist of a sentence, Henderson said, but the authors concluded that the error rate is too high for everyday use and that the system as a whole isn’t yet viable for patients.

The authors found that the error rate decreased as more channels – or electrodes reading the brain’s signals – were added.

Companies including Neuralink, Paradromics, Precision Neuroscience and Blackrock Neurotech are all working on devices with more channels to get a higher resolution picture of the brain’s signals.

With those kinds of higher-bandwidth devices, the study concluded, implants in a small area of the brain could feasibly restore communication to people with paralysis at conversational speed.

US Open 2023: With Serena and Federer retired, Alcaraz-Djokovic symbolises a transition in tennis

Sports

August 24, 2023

US Open Preview Tennis — FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic, left, and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz pose for a photo ahead of the final of the men's singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 16, 2023. Tennis is in a state of transition as the U.S. Open is set to begin on Aug. 28. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

AP – Based on the reactions on social media, it seems everyone in the world of tennis was riveted by Novak Djokovic’s victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the last tournament for both ahead of the US Open.

It was a titanic, three-and-a-half-hour-plus showdown between the two titans of the men’s game at the moment — the third time they’ve played each other in Djokovic’s past three events, each on a different surface — and set the stage for what will be an expected meeting to determine the champion at Flushing Meadows, where play begins Monday and finishes on September 10.

Last weekend’s contest at the hard-court Cincinnati Masters, in which Djokovic, who is 36, saved a championship point in the second set and Alcaraz, who is 20, saved four in the third before succumbing 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4), also served to symbolize the state of change the sport currently finds itself in, a year removed from Serena Williams’ farewell match in New York and Roger Federer’s retirement announcement soon thereafter.

Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, returns a shot to Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, during the men’s singles final of the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament, Sunday, August 20. PHOTO: AP

Alcaraz is The Next Big Thing, the winner of the 2022 US Open who grabbed his second Grand Slam title last month at Wimbledon by beating — yes, that’s right — Djokovic. And Djokovic, the owner of 23 major trophies, is the only member of The Big Three competing nowadays, what with Federer (who has 20) done and Rafael Nadal (22) out since January with a hip problem but eyeing a return for one last hurrah in 2024.

“For so many years, the game has been dominated by legends of the sport, but Father Time is undefeated. Everyone has to kind of go on to their next stage and they have to put the rackets down. We’re seeing that unfortunately with Serena, with Roger, with Rafa.

A file photo of Serena Williams returning a shot to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Australia, during the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Friday, September 2, 2022, in New York. PHOTO: AP

There is going to be a bit of a transition period,” said Chris Eubanks, a 27-year-old from Atlanta who reached the Wimbledon men’s quarterfinals. “It leaves a lot of parity and it leaves a lot of opportunities for other players in the men’s and women’s games to kind of make a name for themselves.”

No 1-ranked Iga Swiatek, who is 22, No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, 25, and No. 4 Elena Rybakina, 24, appear poised to stay near the top of the women’s game — Swiatek already has won four Slam titles, including the 2022 US Open; the others have one apiece — and No 6 Coco Gauff, just 19, might be ready to etch her name on one of the four most prestigious trophies in tennis.

A file photo of Iga Swiatek, of Poland, poses with the championship trophy after defeating Ons Jabeur, of Tunisia, in the women’s singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, September 10, 2022, in New York. PHOTO: AP

Still, none has established herself as a definitive heir to Williams.

“There is a shift,” said France’s Caroline Garcia, who reached the semifinals in New York a year ago. “There are young players coming, like Alcaraz and Iga.”

The sport’s leaders hope someone will step forward.

“For those of you who have long wondered about the future of tennis as we transition out of a golden age where you have had some of the best men and women of all-time competing against each other simultaneously,” said Lew Sheer, the CEO and executive director of the US Tennis Association, the national federation that runs the U.S. Open, “we saw 2022 as a year of emerging stars.”

Perhaps. It’s true there were 10 first-time Masters 1000 champions on the men’s side over the past three seasons, a group that includes Alcaraz, of course, but also another 20-year-old, Holger Rune, and Jannik Sinner, 22.

“We’re starting to see new faces at the Grand Slams and Masters. It’s kind of the last step to dethrone players like Djokovic and Nadal — and it’s coming,” said Felix Auger-Aliassime, a 23-year-old Canadian who was a US Open semifinalist two years ago. “Carlos probably is beginning a bit of a switch of the guard. But Djokovic probably hasn’t said his last word.”

That certainly appeared to be Djokovic’s message in Cincinnati, where he ripped off his shirt and roared after finally dispatching Alcaraz.

FILE – Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, left, and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz pose for a photo ahead of the final of the men’s singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 16. PHOTO: AP

All in all, it was perfect preparation for Djokovic as he returns to the US Open after being unable to travel to the United States last year because he isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19.

Djokovic said facing Alcaraz reminded him of taking on Nadal in their primes — which was quite some time ago.

“Boy, you never give up, man. Jesus Christ,” Djokovic said, drawing a laugh from Alcaraz not long after the Spaniard was crying into a towel.

“I mean, I love that about you, but sometimes I wish that you’d maybe play a few points just like this, you know?” Djokovic continued, waving his right hand without purpose.

Alcaraz offered nice words, too.

“I learned a lot,” he told Djokovic, “from a champion like you.”

A file photo of an emotional Roger Federer, left, of Team Europe sits alongside his playing partner Rafael Nadal after their Laver Cup doubles match against Team World’s Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the O2 arena in London, Friday, September 23, 2022. PHOTO: AP

North Korea says its 2nd attempt to launch a spy satellite has failed, vows 3rd try

World

August 24, 2023

South Korea Koreas Tensions — A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news programme at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. PHOTO: AP

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (AP) – North Korea said Thursday that its second attempt to launch a spy satellite failed but vowed to make a third attempt in October.

The announcement followed a statement by South Korea’s military that North Korea had launched a long-range rocket.

The North’s space agency said it used the new-type carrier rocket Chollima-1 to put the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 into orbit. It said the flights of the first and second stages of the rocket were normal, but the launch eventually failed due to an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

The space agency said it would make a third launch attempt in October after studying what went wrong with Thursday’s launch. The agency added that “the cause of the relevant accident is not a big issue in terms of the reliability of cascade engines and the system.”

Earlier Thursday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected the rocket flying above international waters off the Korean Peninsula’s west coast after its liftoff at the North’s northwestern Tongchang-ri area at 3.50 am. The site is where North Korea’s main space launch centre is located. The North made a failed launch of a spy satellite there in late May.

South Korea’s military said it had bolstered its surveillance posture and was in close coordination with the United States.

On May 31, a North Korean rocket carrying a spy satellite plunged into the sea soon after liftoff, posing a setback to leader Kim Jong Un’s push to establish a space-based surveillance system to better monitor the US and South Korea. North Korea had since vowed to make a second attempt.

After the first launch attempt, North Korea made an unusually quick admission of failure, saying its newly developed Chollima-1 rocket lost thrust between launch stages and crashed into the sea. The North’s ruling party leadership described the failed launch as a serious setback in the country’s efforts to bolster its military capabilities amid tensions with rivals.

South Korea’s military recovered some of the debris after the failed launch and said in early July that the North Korean satellite wasn’t advanced enough to conduct military reconnaissance.

South Korea, the US and others have still condemned the May launch for raising tensions and violating UN Security Council resolutions that banned the country from using ballistic missile technology.

Thursday’s launch came three days after the US and South Korean militaries kicked off annual military drills that North Korea calls an invasion rehearsal.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the 11-day US-South Korean exercises are increasing the danger of a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula. It said the current situation is compelling North Korea to take “offensive, overwhelming” steps, but didn’t elaborate.

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers last week it spotted signs that North Korean is preparing for the test-flights of intercontinental ballistic missiles and other provocative weapons. On Monday, KCNA said Kim had observed the test firings of strategic cruise missiles.

Since the start of 2022, North Korea has test-fired around 100 missiles in a torrid run of military demonstrations. Along with the North’s testing activity, the combined military US-South Korea military exercises have intensified recently in a tit-for-tat cycle.

North Korea says its weapons testing is part of efforts to bolster its nuclear deterrent to counter increasing US-led military threats. But many experts say North Korea aims to modernise its weapons arsenal to boost its leverage to wrest greater concessions from the US.

A spy satellite is among an array of high-tech weapons systems Kim has publicly vowed to acquire.

After repeated failures, North Korea successfully put its first satellite into orbit in 2012, and the second one in 2016. North Korea said both are Earth observation satellites launched under its peaceful space development programme, but many foreign experts believed they were developed to spy on its rivals.

Observers say there has been no evidence that both satellites have ever transmitted imagery back to North Korea. But those satellite launches were still believed to have improved North Korea’s long-range missile technology.

Since 2017, North Korea has performed a slew of intercontinental ballistic missile tests, demonstrating its potential ability to send missiles anywhere in the continental US. But experts say North Korea still has some technological hurdles to clear before obtaining functioning nuclear missiles, such as manufacturing warheads small enough to be topped on missiles and ensuring those warheads would withstand the severe conditions of atmospheric reentry.

The UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions on North Korea over its satellite launches in previous years, seeing them as covers for long-range ballistic missile tests.

A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea’s missile launch during a news programme at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. PHOTO: AP

Judge clears the way for a civil case to proceed against Alec Baldwin and ‘Rust’ producers

Entertainment

August 24, 2023

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (AP) – A New Mexico judge on Wednesday rejected a request by Alec Baldwin ’s attorneys to dismiss a civil lawsuit by three “Rust” crew members who allege cost-cutting endangered the cast and crew as the actor-producer skipped his own safety training.

Chief District Judge Bryan Biedscheid also declined to delay proceedings despite arguments by Baldwin’s legal team that doing so would put their client at risk of self-incrimination since prosecutors have yet to decide whether to refile criminal charges against him over the fatal on-set shooting of a cinematographer.

Attorney Robert Schwartz told the judge there would be nothing to prevent prosecutors from using evidence gleaned from discovery in the civil case against Baldwin in the criminal case, if charges are refiled. As an example, he pointed to any interpretation of Baldwin’s production contract and what authority he had over decision making.

Schwartz said the court is putting Baldwin in an “unfortunate position.”

“No protective order can protect him against that. It just can’t happen,” Schwartz said. “So what’s going to happen is Mr Baldwin is going to assert his 5th Amendment rights and the plaintiffs are not going to get any discovery in the meantime.”

The judge disagreed, saying he would be mindful of Baldwin’s rights.

Prosecutors have been mum about when a decision will be announced, but in asking for the civil case to be delayed, Schwartz indicated Wednesday that it could some within the next few weeks.

Baldwin, a coproducer of the film, was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on the film’s set outside Santa Fe when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

The 2021 shooting resulted in a series of civil lawsuits centred on accusations that the defendants were lax with safety standards. The cases have included wrongful death claims filed by members of Hutchins’ family. Baldwin and other defendants have disputed accusations they were lax with safety standards.

The plaintiffs in the case heard Wednesday say Baldwin and the other producers cut corners, ignored reports of multiple unscripted firearm discharges and rushed to finish the film while being understaffed. They also say they suffered mental anguish and emotional distress by witnessing the shooting.

Baldwin’s attorneys argue that none of the plaintiffs were physically injured and should not be allowed to recover any damages. They contend that gun safety was the responsibility of others – not Baldwin – and that his authority as a producer was limited to making suggestions on the script and casting.

A separate settlement to resolve allegations of workplace safety violations was finalised in March by New Mexico workplace safety regulators and Rust Movie Productions. Following its review, the state issued a scathing narrative of safety failures in violation of standard industry protocols, including testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires on set before the fatal shooting.

Regulators also documented gun-safety complaints from crew members that went unheeded and said weapons specialists were not allowed to make decisions about additional safety training.

Actor Alec Baldwin attends the 2019 PEN America Literary Gala at the American Museum of Natural History, May 21, 2019, in New York. PHOTO: AP

Nvidia’s rising star gets even brighter with another stellar quarter propelled by sales of AI chips

Business

August 24, 2023

Nvidia Results — The Nvidia office building is shown in Santa Clara, California on May 31. PHOTO: AP

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Computer chip maker Nvidia has rocketed into the constellation of Big Tech’s brightest stars while riding the artificial intelligence craze that’s fueling red-hot demand for its technology.

The latest evidence of Nvidia’s ascendance emerged with Wednesday’s release of the company’s quarterly earnings report. The results covering the May-July period exceeded Nvidia’s projections for astronomical sales growth propelled by the company’s specialised chips – key components that help power different forms of artificial intelligence, such as Open AI’s popular ChatGPT and Google’s Bard chatbots.

“This is a new computing platform, if you will, a new computing transition that is happening,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Wednesday during a conference call with analysts.

Nvidia’s revenue for its fiscal second quarter doubled from the same time last year to USD13.51 billion, culminating in a profit of USD6.2 billion, or USD2.48 per share, more than nine times more than the company made a year ago. Both figures were well above the projections of analysts polled by FactSet Research.

And the momentum is still building. The Santa Clara, California, company predicted its revenue for its August-October quarter will total USD16 billion, nearly tripling its sales from the same time last year. Analysts had been anticipating USD12.6 billion in revenue for that period encompassing Nvidia’s fiscal third quarter, according to FactSet.

Nvidia’s stock price surged six per cent in extended trading after the numbers came out. The shares already have more than tripled so far this year, a run-up that has boosted Nvidia’s market value to USD1.2 trillion – a threshold that thrust the company into the tech industry’s elite. If stock rises similarly during Thursday’s regular trading session, it will mark yet another record high for Nvidia’s shares and boost the company’s market value by another USD75 billion or so.

Other stalwarts that are currently or have been recently valued at USD1 trillion or above are Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google’s corporate parent Alphabet.

Now all those tech giants as well as a long line of other firms are snapping up Nvidia chips as they wade deeper into AI – a movement that’s enabling cars to drive by themselves, and automating the creation of stories, art and music.

Nvidia has carved out an early lead in the hardware and software needed in the AI-focused shift, partly because Huang began to nudge the company into what was then seen as a still half-baked technology more than a decade ago. While others were still debating the merits of AI, Huang already was looking at ways that Nvidia chipsets known as graphics processing units might be tweaked for AI-related applications to expand beyond their early inroads in video gaming.

By 2018, Huang was convinced that AI would trigger a tectonic shift in technology similar to Apple’s 2007 introduction of the iPhone igniting a mobile computing revolution. That conclusion led Huang into what resulted in what he calls a “bet-the-company moment.” At the time Huang doubled down on AI, Nvidia’s market value stood at about USD120 billion.

“I think it’s safe to say it was worth it to bet the company” on AI, Huang, 60, said during a presentation earlier this month.

Huang’s foresight gave Nvidia a head start in designing software to complement its chips tailored for AI applications, creating “a moat” that other major chipmakers such as Intel and AMD are having trouble getting around during a period of intense demand that is expected to continue into next year, said Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon.

Nvidia is increasingly pitching a Lego-like combination of GPUs, memory chips and more conventional processing chips enclosed in a big package. In a demonstration earlier this month, Huang showed one such room-sized structure, joking about how it might look if delivered to a doorstep by Amazon.

“Everybody else is trying to catch them now that they see the opportunity is there.” Rasgon said.

Huang’s vision has prompted Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives to hail him as “the Godfather of AI,” and established him as one of the world’s wealthiest people with an estimated fortune of USD42 billion.

While Ives still sees plenty of upside in Nvidia’s future growth and stock price, other market observers believe investors are getting carried away.

“This level of hype is dangerous as it could lead investors to assume that these stocks are a silver bullet to build long-term wealth – and they are not, at least not on their own,” warned Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group.

The Nvidia office building is shown in Santa Clara, California on May 31. PHOTO: AP

Thailand’s Thaksin moved to hospital after exile return

Southeast Asia

August 24, 2023

The police general hospital building in Bangkok, Thailand. PHOTO: AP

BANGKOK (AFP) – Thailand’s former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was moved from prison to a police hospital yesterday, officials said, a day after he was jailed on his return from 15 years in exile.

The 74-year-old, twice Thai prime minister and ousted in a 2006 coup, is suffering from multiple health complaints, officials said, and was moved from prison quarantine to a police hospital shortly after midnight.

Thaksin’s homecoming on Tuesday came on the same day his Pheu Thai party returned to government in a power-sharing agreement with pro-military parties, prompting widespread speculation of a deal to cut his jail time.

Corrections Department spokesman Sitthi Sutivong said in a statement that prison medical officers reported late on Tuesday night that Thaksin was suffering from sleeplessness, high blood pressure and low blood oxygen.

“He has several diseases that need to be taken care of – in particular heart diseases, and the prison hospital does not have the right equipment,” Sitthi said.

“The doctor said that to avoid the risk that could endanger his life, he should be sent to the police hospital.”

Thai media reported that the billionaire ex-PM had been installed in a private VIP suite on the 14th floor of the Police General Hospital, which overlooks an exclusive private members’ golf course in downtown Bangkok.

Immediately after landing in Bangkok by private jet on Tuesday, Thaksin was taken to court and ordered to serve jail sentences passed during his absence from the country.

He had long argued the cases were politically motivated but said he was willing to face justice in order to return home and see his grandchildren in his old age.

Loved by millions of rural Thais for his populist policies in the early 2000s, Thaksin is reviled by the country’s royalist and pro-military establishment, which has spent much of the past two decades trying to keep him and his allies out of power.

Pheu Thai’s Srettha Thavisin was approved as prime minister on Tuesday – the party’s first premier since Thaksin’s sister Yingluck was thrown out in a coup in 2014.

Property mogul Srettha heads a controversial coalition that includes parties linked to the coup-maker generals who ousted Thaksin and Yingluck.

The new coalition shuts out the upstart progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), which rode a wave of youth and urban discontent at nearly a decade of military-backed rule to score a shock victory in the May election.

But MFP’s reformist push to amend royal defamation laws and tackle business monopolies spooked the kingdom’s powerful elite, and the party’s leader Pita Limjaroenrat was blocked from becoming prime minister.

A safe haven for tigers

August 24, 2023

ANN/THE STAR – The Malayan tiger, which has long been a symbol of strength and courage and even appears on the Malaysian coat of arms, is fighting for survival in the rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia.

Though it is at the top of the food chain, decades of hunting by poachers for their skin, teeth and other body parts have decimated its population.

There are now only an estimated 150 Malayan tigers (Panthera tigris jacksoni) in the wild, and they are classified as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Various bodies have made it their mission to save the tiger by carrying out anti-poaching ranger activities, promoting community involvement in conservation efforts and most importantly, highlighting the importance of these big cats.

These local efforts are also a reflection of international concerns over the declining tiger population worldwide.

To raise awareness, Global Tiger Day or International Tiger Day is held each year on July 29.

First started in 2010 during the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia, the now annual celebration plays an important role in recognising the dangers faced by the animal, said tiger protection society Rimau president Lara Ariffin.

Photos show people joining the Global Tiger Day event in Malaysia. PHOTO: THE STAR

“Global Tiger Day serves as a reminder of the urgency faced by tigers. Today, fewer than 150 Malayan tigers live in the Malaysian rainforest and we have only a small opportunity to save the species from extinction.

“This urgency drives Rimau to take action and inspire others to do the same.

“Through collaboration with other organisations, government agencies and foundations, we are able to pool resources and expertise for more effective conservation efforts.

“This year, we celebrated the day together with International Ranger Day.

“We wanted these two special days with the Orang Asli Jahai tribe in Royal Belum (Perak) to express gratitude for their commitment towards tiger conservation in the landscape,” she said.

The Jahai are part of the Menraq patrol team formed by Perak State Parks Corporation (PSPC) with Rimau to work within the Royal Belum State Park, one of the last bastions of the Malayan tiger.

Menraq consisting of 30 Jahai men became the first Malaysian team to win the IUCN WCPA International Ranger Awards 2023, which netted them USD10,000 (MYR45,495) for exemplary achievement in community-led conservation of tigers.

On July 31, StarMetro was invited to join Rimau in celebrating the day with the Jahai tribe at Kem Menraq in Royal Belum.

The event was attended by over 300 people from the Jahai tribe from five villages namely Kampung Kejar, Kampung Jerai, Kampung Tanhain, Kampung Terapung and Kampung Bongor.

Lara said this was the first time the celebration was held at Kem Menraq.

“Apart from our staff, we had volunteers from Jasmine Playschool, Nuvista Sdn Bhd, Teach for Malaysia, Universiti Malaya and the Singapore Wildcat Action Group (SWAG).

“I was told the volunteers had only a few hours to train the children in a dance performance which we presented for the Tok Batin and their parents,” she said.

For SWAG co-director Dr Vilma D’Rozario, celebrating International Tiger Day in Malaysia has been an honour.

“Celebrating Global Tiger Day creates awareness of the tiger’s plight, especially poaching.

“It wakes people up to realise that if we don’t do something now, we are going to lose the Malayan tiger. We must not let that happen,” she said.

“Having the Jahai tribe celebrating the day with us is a joyous recognition ceremony and we are thankful to Rimau for having us to be part of it.”

Ten-year-old Jayden Oey from the Netherlands, who participated in the celebration, was left in awe of the beauty of Royal Belum.

“This is my first time here and I’m glad that I get to celebrate International Tiger Day with the Jahai tribe in Royal Belum.

“Seeing the Orang Asli kids having fun in this beautiful place is something I will share with my schoolmates because we don’t have forests like this back home.

“Royal Belum certainly needs to be taken care of in order for us to protect the tiger,” said the youngster, whose grandmother is a Rimau committee member.

At the celebration, the Orang Asli children who participated in the performance were dressed in tiger-like onesies complete with tiger face painting.

Apart from the performance, there were also various games for the audience offering prizes such as cooking oil, sugar, rice and toys.

TIGER CONSERVATION

World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) Tiger Conservation Programme team leader Christopher Wong said global tiger days were meant to highlight big wins in tiger conservation. Such days also honour anti- poaching rangers and advocate wider government commitments to rescue the apex predator.

“It is exceptionally significant this year as we had WWF-Malaysia patron Sultan Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah gracing the celebration.

“Besides celebrating the day, we also honoured anti-poaching rangers in the front lines, which include our men from WWF-Malaysia’s Project Stampeder, PSPC’s Royal Belum State Park rangers and Menraq.

“This year, Royal Belum State Park has been accorded the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS), the first Malayan tiger habitat conservation accreditation not only in Malaysia but the Southeast Asian region,” he said when contacted.

Wong added that WWF-Malaysia had put much effort and action into protecting tigers.

“We have a 110-men anti- poaching patrol ranger team. They come from the Orang Asli community and are trained to work independently, removing snares and collecting data on poaching.

“We have increased the number of rangers from 12 men in 2016 to 110 in 2022, resulting in zero active snares in 2022.

“The men spend a substantial amount of time patrolling, finding and removing snares and other poaching threats.

“All the information gathered is also channelled to enforcement agencies for further action.”

PSPC director Mohamed Shah Redza Hussein said patrolling had proved effective in helping the tigers.

“Over the past 15 years, we can see that the number of tigers has declined, and if we don’t address this soon, the tiger is facing an unliveable population.

“That means tigers exist but there is no place to breed.

“So what can we do? We need to stabilise the condition, stop the blood from flowing.”

Mohamed Shah said this could be done through patrolling.

“Only when we stop the killing can we move to the next phase, which is rehabilitation and rejuvenation.

“Then we can start with other programmes and introduce more food and help create a safe habitat for the tiger to breed,” he said.

Wong said besides patrolling, anti-poaching rangers carried out research and kept an eye on ecological linkages or inter-ecosystem exchanges.

“It is estimated that the tiger population is less than 150, but throughout the years, we have seen some positive developments such as formalisation of the National Tiger Task Force in 2022, the amendment to the Wildlife Conservation Act and of course, the CATS accreditation.

“The monitoring of the tiger population is carried out using camera-traps. As each tiger has unique stripes, they can be identified through photographs of their flanks.

“This method has helped us effectively count the number of tigers as well as estimate their population, monitor them and measure our conservation success,” Wong said.

EYE ON HABITAT

For these solitary animals to thrive, tigers need a lot of uninterrupted forest areas to roam. But development and human encroachment into tiger territory have made this difficult.

On May 23, Perak science, environment and green technology committee chairman Teh Kok Lim said the state was working closely with the Federal Government to protect the endangered species by setting aside an additional 340,000 hectares as accreditation land for tiger conservation involving five permanent forest reserves.

Wong also said WWF-Malaysia monitored land use changes within Belum-Temengor to keep an eye on development projects that could negatively impact the integrity of the habitat.

These efforts also extend to engaging with the community.

“We have a strong relationship with the Orang Asli which includes addressing the threats they face, as well as helping them build resilience to future threats and their capacity to recognise the urgency for wildlife protection.

“From outreach programmes, consultation, workshops and guiding them on Free, Prior and Informed Consent, our goal is to empower the Orang Asli to be an active participant in making an informed decision not only on their livelihood but also issues relevant to tiger conservation,” he said.

Free, Prior and Informed Consent is a specific right recognised in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which aligns with their universal right to self-determination.

Wong added that tiger conservation required a strong collaboration from various stakeholders including the Perak government, PSPC, Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitian), Maybank, the Malaysian police and armed forces, non-governmental organisations and the Orang Asli of Belum and Temenggor.

“The future of the Malayan tiger is in our hands. What we do now or not do will determine if our tigers go extinct,” he said. – Ili Aqilah

Behind the surgical mask

Features

August 24, 2023

Dr Sharon Low in one of her surgeries. PHOTO: CNA

CNA – Several interviews with Dr Sharon Low were originally scheduled on Monday morning.

But the meetings were postponed at the last minute as the paediatric neurosurgeon at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), had to perform emergency brain surgery on a child.

When I finally caught up with Dr Low in her office the next day, it was naturally the first thing I asked about.

“A toddler had been referred here because her mum noticed that she kept falling to one side.

After an MRI, they found a brain tumour with hydrocephalus, a condition where there is excess fluid accumulated in the brain,” she said.

The significant fluid accumulation had caused high pressure in the toddler’s brain and timely surgery was necessary to save the patient’s life.

Dr Low arranged for the surgery within 24 hours.

A small hole was made in the toddler’s skull, and another small opening was made in another part of the brain to allow the excess fluid to flow through and alleviate the high pressure in the brain.

At the same time, tissue was extracted from the tumour for testing.

Dr Low is the second female neurosurgeon in Singapore. PHOTO: CNA

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A NEUROSURGEON

Such time-sensitive, high-stakes surgeries are fairly common for the 46-year-old neurosurgeon.

As Head of Neurosurgical Service at KKH she performs between one and five such surgeries weekly.

In fact, the surgery she just shared with CNA Women is considered a fairly straightforward procedure in the world of neurosurgery, explained Dr Low. It was completed in about an hour.

The field of neurosurgery is known to be more complicated because it involves the brain and spinal cord, she pointed out.

A complex brain tumour surgery may take four to six hours. However, Dr Low once did a surgery that lasted for 20 hours.

“The patient was a very young child with a large and malignant tumour that went from the brain through the skull base and into the nose. It was a joint effort between myself, the ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeons and the plastic surgeons to clear the tumour and reconstruct the face,” she said.

Dr Low said she is one of only three dedicated paediatric neurosurgeons in Singapore, all of whom are based at KKH – of the three, she is the only woman.

Other neurosurgeons who primarily treat adults may offer paediatric neurosurgery as a sub-specialty.

Her patients range from a day old to 19 years old. She treats brain and spine tumours, hydrocephalus, head injuries, and other conditions involving the brain and spinal cord, such as brain cysts, brain infections and certain birth defects.

There is no margin for error in neurosurgery.

“If you cause injury to any of the brain or spine structures, the patient might end up being paralysed, in a vegetative state or dead,” Dr Low said, noting that this has not happened at KKH.

It’s also why medical insurance premiums for neurosurgeons are one of the highest amongst all specialties, she added.

Hours also run long. “When I started training, they told me that is one of those specialties where you don’t get to go home,” she laughed.

This is one reason neurosurgery is not a popular choice among medical students.

In Singapore, there are only 50-plus neurosurgeons. Of these, roughly 10 per cent are women.

In fact, Dr Low said she is the second female neurosurgeon in Singapore – the first is from the United Kingdom. She started practising in 2016 and three other female neurosurgeons joined the speciality after. So today, there are five female neurosurgeons practising locally, she said.

Dr Low continues to push herself in the field, waking up each day at 4.30am and ending her day around 10pm or 11pm.

She divides her time between surgery, seeing patients in the clinic, research work, manpower planning, education and training, as well as other administrative duties as head of neurosurgical service at KKH.

Once a month, she sees patients at an adult clinic in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and she treats adult brain tumour patients referred to her at the Singapore General Hospital on an ad hoc basis.

KEEPING HOPE AGAINST ALL ODDS

When it comes to brain tumours, sometimes the outlook can be bleak. One of the most difficult parts of Dr Low’s job is sharing bad news with parents and discussing medical treatment options.

“If you are 60 years old, for example, have led a pretty full life and are diagnosed with a terminal disease, the acceptance may not be easy, but it would not be too bad because you have led a big part of your life.

“But if you’re six years old, you’re barely starting, and I have to tell you that it’s terminal or a very poor prognosis, you can imagine how difficult this would be for parents to accept,” she said.

Even doctors feel the sense of loss acutely. “When I was doing more adult neurosurgery, I already thought life was short. But doing paediatric neurosurgery makes me realise that life can be even shorter than you think,” she reflected.

That said, even in the case of a bad prognosis, Dr Low fights against the odds.

“I treated a child with a very difficult brain cancer where the life expectancy was about two years, so everybody expected him to pass on. He is a great kid and it was particularly sad because the mum told us that they tried very hard to conceive before they had him,” she recalled.

“What made me really happy was that he is still alive today, six years after surgery, and has transitioned into adulthood thanks to the advancement in drugs,” added Dr Low, who keeps track of many of her brain tumour patients even when they are no longer under her care.

“Doing paediatric neurosurgery makes me realise that life can be even shorter than you think.” It is in the hopes of beating seemingly impossible odds that Dr Low actively contributes to research on paediatric brain tumours.

“We collect leftover tumours that the pathologist doesn’t need and try to understand their biology in the laboratory to figure out what drives them, what makes them grow more, what kills them,” she said.

She believes that such research can make a difference in the way brain tumours will be treated in future.

“In the past, neurosurgeons were very heavily relied on to take out tumours in their entirety as much as possible because there was no medicine to ‘melt’ the tumours.

“But nowadays, there are more options for some brain tumours. And with more research, aggressive surgery may not be the main option when treating brain tumours in time to come,” she reflected.

Dr Low, who is married but has no children, said it is her young patients and their parents who inspire and motivate her.

“I see how strong parents are for their kids, giving up whatever they have to give up just to be with their child day in, day out as they go through treatment.

“Some of them quit their jobs, some of them take time off work, some of them move their whole office into the hospital room, and do work while the child is sleeping.

“They just don’t give up no matter what. I’m not strong compared to them,” she reflected. Ward rounds are also very fulfilling.

“Children in general don’t know what’s going on and will never cease being happy even when they are really sick. They would still be as cute as ever,” she said.

“A lot of the kids I work with are very resilient, physically and mentally,” she added thoughtfully.

“Somehow, they get through the pain and kind of move on without the emotional complexity that adults may experience. Working with children makes me realise that they can defy the odds,” she said. – Annie Tan

Kissing Rocks in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay at risk of collapse

August 24, 2023

The Kissing Rocks have multiple fractures due to geological and tectonic movements, along with the influence of seawater levels. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES

ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – The iconic Kissing Rocks, emblematic of Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh’s northern province, face threats due to geological processes and rising seawater levels, as highlighted by a study from the Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources.

Covering an area of about 1,553 square kilometres, the bay boasts significant geological and geomorphological value, making it a distinct tourist attraction not just for Quang Ninh but also for the northern region.

Ha Long Bay is dotted with thousands of islets, each unique in shape and size. Among these, the standout islets are the two chicken-shaped rocks – a rooster and a hen, known as Hon Trong Mai, that face each other.

Standing roughly 13.9 metres tall, the base of Hon Trong Mai is more slender than its upper structure. Due to geological and tectonic movements, along with the influence of seawater levels, the rocks present a single tilted structure with multiple fractures.

“There are many factors affecting Hon Trong Mai such as waves, wind, water, tides, currents, plants and people,” said the head of the Tectonic and Geomorphology Department of the institute.

“Tourists can see the rocks that are precarious at the time of low tide. The water level is low, exposing the supporting foot of the rocks which are gradually being eroded causing the risk of collapse if no measures are taken to protect and reinforce them soon.”

Human activities, including illegal fishing and unregulated tourism, further hasten the erosion and landslide processes in the Hon Trong Mai zone, as noted by the department head.

Although tourists are not permitted to approach the rocks, the movements of boats continue to detrimentally affect them.

In 2016, the “head” of the renowned Thien Nga (Swan) islet in Ha Long Bay detached and plummeted into the sea.

To counteract the corrosion at the base of the rocks, the institute’s experts suggest implementing technical solutions.

They recommend that the Ha Long Bay management board introduce measures to regulate the tourism activities. This would involve controlling the speed of boats in the vicinity of the rocks and educating local fishermen to refrain from operating around Hon Trong Mai.

Borneo Bulletin OnlineThe Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak

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