A decade after a landmark study proved that feeding peanut products to young babies could prevent development of life-threatening allergies, new research finds the change has made a big difference in the real world. About 60,000 children have avoided developing peanut allergies after guidance first issued in 2015 upended medical practice by recommending introducing the allergen to infants starting as early as 4 months. “That’s a remarkable thing, right?” said Dr. David Hill, an allergist and researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and author of a study published Monday in the medical journal Pediatrics. Hill and colleagues analyzed electronic health records from dozens of pediatric practices to track diagnoses of food allergies in young children before, during and after the guidelines were issued. “I can actually come to you today and say there are less kids with food allergy today than there would have been if we hadn’t implemented this public health effort,” he added. The researchers found that peanut allergies in children ages 0 to 3 declined by more than 27% after guidance for high-risk kids was first issued in 2015 and by more than 40% after the recommendations were expanded in 2017. The effort hasn’t yet reduced an overall increase in food allergies in the U.S. in recent years. About 8% of children are affected, including more than 2% with a peanut allergy. Peanut allergy is caused when the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies proteins in peanuts as harmful and releases chemicals that trigger allergic symptoms, including hives, respiratory symptoms and, sometimes, life-threatening anaphylaxis. For decades, doctors had recommended delaying feeding children peanuts and other foods likely to trigger allergies until age 3. But in 2015, Gideon Lack at King’s College London, published the groundbreaking Learning Early About Peanut Allergy, or LEAP, trial. Lack and colleagues showed that introducing peanut products in infancy reduced the future risk of developing food allergies by more than 80%. Later analysis showed that the protection persisted in about 70% of kids into adolescence. The study immediately sparked new guidelines urging early introduction of peanuts — but putting them into practice has been slow. Only about 29% of pediatricians and 65% of allergists reported following the expanded guidance issued in 2017, surveys found. Confusion and uncertainty about the best way to introduce peanuts early in life led to the lag, according to a commentary that accompanied the study. Early on, medical experts and parents alike questioned whether the practice could be adopted outside of tightly controlled clinical settings. The data for the analysis came from a subset of participating practice sites and may not represent the entire U.S. pediatric population, noted the commentary, led by Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a child allergy expert at Northwestern University. However, the new research offers “promising evidence that early allergen introduction is not only being adopted but may be making a measurable impact,” the authors concluded. Advocates for the 33 million people in the U.S. with food allergies welcomed signs that early introduction of peanut products is catching on. “This research reinforces what we already know and underscores a meaningful opportunity to reduce the incidence and prevalence of peanut allergy nationwide,” said Sung Poblete, chief executive of the nonprofit group Food Allergy Research & Education, or FARE. The new study emphasizes the current guidance, updated in 2021, which […]
A new Gotham Polling/AARP survey shows former Gov. Andrew Cuomo could be in a dead heat with Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani if Republican Curtis Sliwa drops out of the NYC mayoral race. With Sliwa out, Mamdani leads 44.6% to Cuomo’s 40.7% — within the margin of error. With all three candidates running, Mamdani still holds a strong lead: 43.2% to Cuomo’s 28.9% and Sliwa’s 19.4%.
Poll Finds Cuomo Gains Ground on Mamdani if Sliwa Exits NYC Mayoral Race Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo could be within striking distance of Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race if Republican Curtis Sliwa were to drop out, according to a new Gotham Polling and AARP survey released this week. The poll found that 44.6% of likely voters would back Mamdani if Sliwa exited the race, while 40.7% would support Cuomo — a margin of less than four points, within the poll’s margin of error. With all three candidates in the race, Mamdani maintains a commanding lead at 43.2%, followed by Cuomo at 28.9% and Sliwa at 19.4%. “The decisive factor in this race may be the older voters who haven’t yet made up their minds,” said Stephen Graves, president of Gotham Polling & Analytics. “If the contest narrows to two leading candidates, the 50-plus electorate — by far the most reliable voting bloc — will likely determine who becomes the next mayor of New York City.” The survey of 1,040 likely voters — conducted over two days last week — found that 78% of undecided voters are 50 or older, suggesting a key advantage for Cuomo among an age group that has historically shown higher turnout rates. The poll’s demographic model, based on 2021 general election data, assumed that just under 40% of voters would be under 50. Mamdani’s campaign, however, has registered tens of thousands of new young voters, which could make the electorate more evenly split between younger and older voters this November. Both Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, and Sliwa have said they will remain in the race. The poll also found that cost of living remains the most pressing concern for city voters, with 63.6% citing it as their top issue. Public safety ranked second at 48.6%, followed by housing affordability at 38.9%. Nearly 43% of respondents identified as very or somewhat liberal, compared to just over 23% identifying as somewhat or very conservative. Mamdani, 33, a state assemblyman from Queens and a self-described socialist, shocked the city’s political establishment by defeating Cuomo and outgoing Mayor Eric Adams in June’s Democratic primary. Born in Uganda and now representing Astoria, Mamdani has faced criticism for his past comments on Israel and his refusal to condemn Hamas. Cuomo, 67, a former governor and U.S. Housing and Urban Development secretary, has sought to portray Mamdani as inexperienced, warning that his policies are “untested and extreme.” During a Sunday appearance on WABC 770 AM’s “The Cats Roundtable,” Cuomo called Sliwa a “spoiler” in the race. “The problem is Curtis Sliwa is a spoiler in the race,” Cuomo said. “A vote for Curtis Sliwa is really a vote for Mamdani.” Sliwa, 71, founder of the Guardian Angels and a former talk radio host, pushed back during last week’s debate, suggesting that Cuomo should be the one to exit the race. “Once again, New York’s older voters are poised to decide this election,” said Beth Finkel, AARP New York State Director. “These are issues that matter not only to older adults and to New Yorkers of every generation.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Britain’s King Charles visited the Heaton Park shul in Manchester today, paying his respects at the site where a deadly Islamic terrorist attack took place on Yom Kippur.
Vice President Vance said that Hamas has fragmented into several splintered factions rather than functioning as a unified organization, making disarmament nearly impossible. “We don’t even know what the reality on the ground is,” he added.
Palestinian news outlets are reporting that IDF airstrikes yesterday killed Taj al-Din al-Wahidi, the deputy commander of Hamas’s Imad Aqel Battalion in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza.
Early this morning, Israeli forces detained more than 120 Palestinians who illegally crossed the border fence near Moshav Amatzia in the Lachish region.
HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau shlit”a arrived in America this morning, marking his first visit in over a year, beginning in Cleveland, Ohio, on behalf of Keren Olam HaTorah.
Authorities are seeking to formally arrest most of the 64 South Koreans repatriated from Cambodia for allegedly working for online scam organizations in Cambodia, police said Monday. The 64 South Koreans were detained in Cambodia over the past several months and were flown to Korea on a charter flight Saturday. Upon arrival in South Korea, they were detained while police investigated whether they voluntarily joined scam organizations in Cambodia or were forced to work there. Online scams, many based in Southeast Asian nations, have risen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic and produced two sets of victims: the tens of thousands of people who have been forced to work as scammers under the threat of violence, and the targets of their fraud. Monitoring groups say online scams earn international criminal gangs billions of dollars annually. State prosecutors have asked local courts to issue arrest warrants for 58 of the 64 returnees at the request of police, the Korean National Police Agency said in a statement. Police said the people they are seeking to place under arrest are accused of engaging in online fraud activities like romantic scams, bogus investment pitches or voice phishing, apparently targeting fellow South Koreans at home. The courts are expected to determine whether to approve their arrests in coming days. The police agency said that five people have been set free, but it refused to disclose the reasons for their releases, saying investigations are still under way. South Korean police said that four of the 64 returnees told investigators that they were beaten while being held in scam centers in Cambodia against their will. South Korea faces public calls to take stronger action to protect its nationals from being forced into overseas online scam centers, after one of its nationals was found dead in Cambodia in August. He was reportedly lured by a friend to travel to Cambodia to provide his bank account to be used by a scam organization. Authorities in Cambodia said the 22-year-old university student was tortured. Estimates from the U.N. and other international agencies say that at least 100,000 people have been trafficked to scam centers in Cambodia, with a similar number in Myanmar and tens of thousands more in other countries. Officials in Seoul estimate that some 1,000 South Koreans are in scam centers in Cambodia, and last week, South Korean authorities imposed a travel ban on parts of Cambodia and sent a government delegation to Cambodia to discuss joint steps. Online scam centers were previously concentrated in Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia and Myanmar, with most of the trafficked and other workers coming from Asia. But an Interpol report in June said the past three years have seen victims trafficked to Southeast Asia from distant regions including South America, Western Europe and Eastern Africa and that new centers have been reported in the Middle East, West Africa and Central America. (AP)
Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered a speech Monday on the opening day of a major meeting of the ruling Communist Party to approve a draft plan laying out its goals for the country over the next five years. A short dispatch from the official Xinhua News Agency said Xi “expounded on the Party leadership’s draft proposals” for the next five-year plan for national economic and social development, which will cover 2026-2030. It did not provide any details. The latest plan comes at a time of growing challenges and uncertainty for China, including a persistently sluggish economy, foreign restrictions on its access to the latest technologies and high tariffs imposed on its exports to the United States. A Xinhua editorial said that the plan should focus on “high-quality” development and technological innovation, while also ensuring national security is protected and the benefits of economic growth are spread fairly and more widely. “There will be hardships and obstacles on our way forward, and we may encounter major tests,” the editorial said in discussing economic and national security goals. “We must be prepared to deal with a series of new risks and challenges.” Analysts and investors are watching the meeting to look for clues about how the plan will balance economic and security interests, and to what extent the plan will call for structural changes to boost consumer spending and manage an aging society. This week’s four-day meeting brings together about 200 voting members and 170 alternate members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The body will approve the draft five-year plan, though full details likely won’t be released until it is formally approved at the legislature’s next annual meeting, expected in March. (AP)
Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, will be Bolivia’s next president, preliminary results showed on Monday, paving the way for a major political transformation after almost 20 years of rule by the Movement Toward Socialism party and during the nation’s worst economic crisis in decades. “The trend is irreversible,” Óscar Hassenteufel, the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, said of Paz’s lead over his rival, former right-wing President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga. Paz won 54.5% of the votes, early results showed, versus Quiroga’s 45.5%. Paz and his popular running mate, ex-police Capt. Edman Lara, galvanized working-class and rural voters outraged over record inflation and an acute dollar shortage that has sapped food and fuel supplies. But for all their disillusionment with the Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, Bolivian voters seemed skeptical of Quiroga’s radical 180-degree turn away from the MAS-style social protections and toward an International Monetary Fund bailout. “A lot of people are wary of (Quiroga’s) shock measures. Paz’s appeal is strong in rural areas and among some older voters — the kinds of people who might have supported MAS if it had fielded a real candidate,” said Gustavo Flores-Macías, dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. Riven by internal divisions and battered by public anger over the economic crisis, MAS suffered a historic defeat in the Aug. 17 elections that propelled Quiroga and Paz to the runoff. Paz’s victory sets this South American nation of 12 million on a sharply uncertain path as he seeks to enact major change for the first time since the 2005 election of Evo Morales, the founder of MAS and Bolivia’s first Indigenous president. Although Paz’s Christian Democratic Party has the cushion of a slight majority in Congress, he’ll still need to compromise to push through an ambitious overhaul. Paz plans to end Bolivia’s fixed exchange rate, phase out generous fuel subsidies and reduce hefty public investment, redrawing much of the MAS economic model that has dominated Bolivia for two decades. But he says he’ll take a gradual approach to free-market reforms, in hopes of avoiding a sharp recession or jump in inflation that would enrage the masses — as has happened before in Bolivia. Morales’ effort to lift fuel subsidies in 2011 lasted less than a week as protests engulfed the country. Paz basks in victory, for a moment Paz’s supporters erupted into raucous cheers and ran into the streets of La Paz, Bolivia’s capital, setting off fireworks and honking car horns. Crowds descended around the downtown hotel where Paz declared victory. Some shouted, “The people, united, will never be defeated!” “Today, Bolivia can be certain that this will be a government that will bring solutions,” Paz said, flanked by his wife and four adult children. “Bolivia breathes winds of change and renewal to move forward.” Shortly after the results came in, Quiroga conceded to Paz. “I’ve called Rodrigo Paz and wished him congratulations,” he said in a somber speech, prompting jeers and cries of fraud from the audience. But Quiroga urged calm, saying that a refusal to recognize the results would “leave the country hanging.” “We’d just exacerbate the problems of people suffering from the crisis,” he said. “We need a mature attitude right now.” For the first time in years, the U.S. State Department congratulated the Bolivian president-elect and said it was looking forward to working with […]
The IDF is preparing for the possibility that Hamas may hand over the body of a fallen hostage later tonight. On Sunday, Hamas announced that it had located the body of one of the hostages and would transfer it to Israel “if the field conditions are suitable.” Sixteen bodies of Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza by Hamas.
A widespread internet disruption on Monday morning affected several major online services, including Amazon’s AWS cloud platform, Robinhood, Snapchat, and the AI search platform Perplexity, according to the monitoring site Downdetector. Perplexity’s CEO said the outage stemmed from an issue with Amazon Web Services (AWS), which also impacted Amazon.com, Prime Video, and Alexa. In addition, users reported problems accessing PayPal’s Venmo service during the incident.
Israeli diplomats have been targeted in a new security incident, after being added to WhatsApp groups operated from Iran and other hostile countries, according to a report by Ynet. An internal security notice distributed to Foreign Ministry staff warned: “Recently, there have been reports of [diplomats] being added to WhatsApp groups, not through their contacts. These are groups that are opened and run by our adversaries from phone numbers from Iran, Pakistan, and more.” The message urged employees to tighten their privacy settings: “Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant about the groups you join and are added to, and even change the settings so that you can only be added to the groups by contacts who are registered with you.” Officials say the ministry is investigating whether the incidents were part of a broader cyber-espionage effort targeting Israeli diplomats abroad.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in an interview with Bloomberg that he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to enter Canada. When asked whether he would uphold former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s stated commitment to detain Netanyahu on alleged war crimes charges, Carney responded, “yes.” The comment comes just days after the International Criminal Court rejected Israel’s appeal against arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over their handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza. The ICC previously ruled that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel has firmly denied all such accusations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his reportedly tense meeting with U.S President Donald Trump last week was “positive” — even though he did not secure the Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine — and emphasized what he said is continued American interest in economic deals with Kyiv. Zelenskyy said Trump reneged on the possibility of sending the long-range missiles to Ukraine, which would have been a major boost for Kyiv, following his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin hours before the Ukrainian leader and American president were to meet on Friday. “In my opinion, he does not want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them,” Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday. His comments were embargoed until Monday morning. Ukraine is hoping to purchase 25 Patriot air defense systems from American firms using frozen Russian assets and assistance from partners, but Zelenskyy said procuring all of these would require time because of long production queues. He said he spoke to Trump about help procuring these quicker, potentially from European partners. According to Zelenskyy, Trump said during their meeting that Putin’s maximalist demand — that Ukraine cede the entirety of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — was unchanged. Zelenskyy was diplomatic about his meeting with Trump despite reports that he faced pressure to accept Putin’s demands — a tactic he has kept up since the disastrous Oval Office spat on Feb. 28 when the Ukrainian president was scolded on live television for not being grateful for continued American support. Zelenskyy said that because Trump ultimately supported a freeze along the current front line his overall message “is positive” for Ukraine. He said Trump was looking to end the war and hopes his meeting in the coming weeks with Putin in Hungary — which does not support Ukraine — will pave the way for a peace deal after their first summit in Alaska in August failed to reach such an outcome. So far, Zelenskyy said he has not been invited to attend but would consider it if the format for talks were fair to Kyiv. “We share President Trump’s positive outlook if it leads to the end of the war. After many rounds of discussion over more than two hours with him and his team, his message, in my view, is positive — that we stand where we stand on the line of contact, provided all sides understand what is meant,” Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy expressed doubts about Hungary’s capital of Budapest being a suitable location for the next Trump-Putin meeting. “I do not consider Budapest to be the best venue for such a meeting. Obviously, if it can bring peace, it will not matter which country hosts the meeting,” he added. Zelenskyy took a stab at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, saying he doe not believe that a prime minister “who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution.” Zelenskyy also expressed skepticism about Putin’s proposal to swap some territory it holds in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions if Ukraine surrenders all of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. “We wanted to understand exactly what the Russians meant. So far, there is no clear position,” he said. Zelenskyy said he thinks that all parties have “moved closer” to a possible end to the war. “That doesn’t mean […]
