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A new test could save arthritis patients time, money and pain. But will it be used?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

Arthur Allen | KFF Health News (TNS)SAN DIEGO — Erinn Maury knew Remicade wasn’t the right drug for Patti Schulte, a rheumatoid arthritis patient the physician saw at her Millersville, Maryland, practice. Schulte’s swollen, painful joints hadn’t responded to Enbrel or Humira, two drugs in the same class.But the insurer insisted, so Schulte went on Remicade. It didn’t work either.What’s more, Schulte suffered a severe allergic reaction to the infusion therapy, requiring a heavy dose of prednisone, a steroid with grave side effects if used at high doses for too long.After 18 months, her insurer finally approved Maury’s drug of choice, Orencia. By then, Schulte’s vertebrae, weakened by prednisone, had started cracking. She was only 60.Schulte’s story of pain, drug-hopping, and insurance meddling is all too common among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, who often cycle agonizingly through half a dozen drugs in search of one that provides a measure of relief. It’s also a story of how d...

10 best money-making apps in 2024

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

René Bennett | Bankrate (TNS)Technology is making it easier than ever to make a little extra cash, whether it’s taking on side gigs or getting rewarded for certain purchases. With a money-making app, you can look for gigs, deals and other ways to earn money simply by browsing on your mobile phone.There’s a slew of money-making apps available on the market tailored to a variety of skills and needs. These apps are some of the best to help you make a bit of extra money.Best apps to make moneyApp | Best forRakutenCash back onlineIbottaCash back in-storeUpsideCash back on gasDepopSelling clothesSwagbucksApp-based tasksTaskRabbitLocal tasksFiverrFreelancingSurvey JunkieTaking surveysUrbanSitterBabysittingRocket MoneySaving on bills and subscriptions1. Rakuten: Best for cash back on online purchasesRakuten is an app that earns you cash back for shopping at over 3,500 stores online. It works by partnering with different stores and getting paid a commission for sales, which is then shared wi...

Red Sox announce pitchers and catchers report date

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

The 2024 Red Sox season will unofficially kick off on Wednesday, Feb. 14, when pitchers and catchers hold their first formal workout of the spring. The first full-squad workout will be held five days later on Feb. 19.The Red Sox confirmed their first slate of workouts as part of a larger announcement that spring training tickets will go on sale Friday, Jan. 5, starting at 10 a.m.The Red Sox also announced “Truck Day,” when the club’s equipment truck leaves Fenway Park for Fort Myers, will take place on Feb. 5, and there will be an Open House held at JetBlue Park on Saturday, Feb. 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The street festival will be free and open to the public and feature concessions and entertainment across Fenway South Drive.The club will play a total of 17 games at JetBlue Park, including 15 Grapefruit League games, the annual exhibition against Northeastern University and a “Spring Breakout” game featuring the club’s top prospects. The Northe...

Democrat Dylan Fernandes raises $80K in bid for Plymouth and Barnstable Senate seat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

Falmouth Democrat Rep. Dylan Fernandes said Tuesday he raised a whopping $83,664 in December, the first month of his campaign for a South Shore and Cape Cod Senate seat where the incumbent is not running for reelection.Fernandes said he received the cash from 350 donors in four weeks after he announced his bid for the Plymouth and Barnstable District, which Sen. Susan Moran, a Democrat, said she will not seek reelection to as she pursues an elected county post.Fernandes said he is “deeply humbled” by the support he received.“It shows early support for our campaign to bring new energy and experienced leadership to make our communities a more affordable and vibrant place to live,” he said in a statement.Details of Fernandes’ December fundraising haul were not immediately available on the state’s campaign finance website.The fourth-term state representative drew the endorsement of Gov. Maura Healey last month, who touted Fernandes as a politician focused on affordable...

More retailers are charging return fees. Here’s how to pay less

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

By Kimberly Palmer | NerdWalletIf you’re someone who likes to return and exchange gifts after the holidays, prepare yourself: Making returns could feel a little different this year.“It’s going to be hard for consumers to navigate,” says shopping expert Trae Bodge. “The return policies are all over the place.” The biggest change, she adds, is that more retailers are charging fees for returned merchandise.About 40% of online and brick-and-mortar retailers are charging fees for returns this year compared with 31% last year, according to David Morin, vice president of customer strategy at Narvar, which handles shipping, tracking and returns information post-purchase for online retailers. Those return shipping or restocking fees are generally $3.99 to $9.99, he says.The good news is there are ways to minimize return fees and in some cases avoid them altogether. Here’s what experts recommend.Review return policies in advanceBecause retailer return policies vary so much and many have recen...

US women are stocking up on abortion pills, especially when there is news about restrictions

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

By LAURA UNGAR (AP Science Writer)Thousands of women stocked up on abortion pills just in case they needed them, new research shows, with demand peaking in the past couple years at times when it looked like the medications might become harder to get. Medication abortion accounts for more than half of all abortions in the U.S., and typically involves two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. A research letter published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at requests for these pills from people who weren’t pregnant and sought them through Aid Access, a European online telemedicine service that prescribes them for future and immediate use.Aid Access received about 48,400 requests from across the U.S. for so-called “advance provision” from September 2021 through April 2023. Requests were highest right after news leaked in May 2022 that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade — but before the formal announcement that June, researchers found. Nationally, t...

Series of small explosions, no injuries reported after 1.7-magnitude quake in New York

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A 1.7 magnitude earthquake that hit New York City early Tuesday may have caused a series of small explosions on an island between Manhattan and Queens, officials said.The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the quake occurred at 5:45 a.m. near the Astoria section of Queens. There were no reports of injuries or structural damage and no impacts to transit, traffic or utility services, New York City Office of Emergency Management spokesperson Aries Dela Cruz said.Some residents of Manhattan and Queens reported what sounded like small explosions shortly before 6 a.m. coming from Roosevelt Island, a 2-mile (3.2-kilometer)-long strip of land in the East River between the two boroughs.Allan Drury, a spokesperson for Consolidated Edison, said officials at the utility suspect that the quake caused the explosions, since they happened around the same time. Drury said there were no power outages.The New York City earthquake happened a few hours after a 2.3 magnitude quake was r...

Frank Ryan, the last quarterback to lead the Cleveland Browns to an NFL title, has died at 87

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — Frank Ryan, the quarterback who led the Cleveland Browns to their last NFL title in 1964, has died. He was 87.The team said Ryan died Monday at a nursing home in Connecticut. There was no immediate cause of death given, but Ryan’s son, Frank Ryan Jr., told Cleveland.com that his father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.Ryan threw three touchdown passes to Gary Collins as the Browns shocked Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas and the favored Baltimore Colts 27-0 on Dec. 27, 1964. Cleveland hasn’t won a football championship since and remains one of four teams never to make the Super Bowl.However, with Ryan and Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly, the Browns were a perennial power in the early to mid-1960s.Following his playing career, Ryan, who earned a doctorate in mathematics at Rice, worked for the U.S. House of Representatives.A three-time Pro Bowler with the Browns, Ryan spent seven seasons with Cleveland, compiling a 52-22-2 recor...

Indiana woman is rescued after passerby directs police to car crash site along little-used road

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

GARY, Ind. (AP) — A woman who was trapped in a car that crashed early on New Years Day was rescued after a passerby directed officers to the crash scene along a little-used northwest Indiana road, police said.Police and emergency responders spent two hours searching unsuccessfully for the car after a woman called 911 about 3:40 a.m. Monday and said she and another woman were trapped in a car that had flipped over in Gary, police said.One of the women eventually got out of the wrecked car, which was upside down, and flagged down a passerby who directed officers to the crash, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department said.Greg Zellers, who’s a mechanic, said he was on his way to work about 6:30 a.m. when the woman flagged him down and walked him to where the car had crashed about 50 yards (46 meters) from the roadway.He told WLS-TV the car’s headlights and tail lights weren’t visible and there is little traffic on the road in Gary’s Buffington Harbor area.“It’...

Man found dead at Salt Lake City airport after climbing inside jet engine

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:22:34 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A man was found dead inside an airplane engine Monday night at Salt Lake City International Airport after police say he breached an emergency exit door, walked onto the tarmac and climbed inside the jet’s engine.Officers found the 30-year-old man unconscious inside an engine mounted to the wing of a commercial aircraft loaded with passengers, the Salt Lake City Police Department announced Tuesday. The plane had been sitting on a de-icing pad, and the engine was not running, according to a preliminary investigation.Police did not release the man’s name or cause of death.The manager of a store inside the airport reported a disturbance just before 10 p.m., telling dispatchers with the Airport Control Center that he saw a man pass through the emergency exit. After finding him, first responders pulled the man out of the engine intake cowling, which directs air flow to the engine fan section, and attempted life-saving measures. He was pronounced dead at the sce...