Infectious disease expert explains why she resigned from the CDC
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Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shares of Brazil's Fleury jump on reports of talks with Rede D'Or
SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Shares of Brazilian medical diagnostics company Fleury jumped on Monday after reports of a potential acquisition by hospital chain Rede D'Or, which analysts said could generate synergies. Fleury's shares rose more than 15% in trading in Sao Paulo, making it the biggest gainer on benchmark stock index Bovespa, which was up 0.6%. Rede D'Or, meanwhile, gained 1.2%. Multiple local media outlets said on Sunday that Rede D'Or was in talks with Fleury on a deal that could combine Brazil's largest integrated healthcare network with a leading medical lab chain. Brazil Journal reported, citing sources, that Rede D'Or was working on an offer that could include both a cash payment and share swap. Fleury counts lender Bradesco as one of its main shareholders. Rede D'Or said on Monday it continuously evaluates opportunities to expand, including potential acquisitions or business combinations, but that no decision or proposal had been made for a potential deal with Fleury. In a separate statement, Fleury said it regularly analyzes market conditions but also noted that no decision had been reached on a potential transaction with Rede D'Or. Goldman Sachs analysts said Fleury could benefit under Rede D'Or's management from better procurement terms, especially on materials, in which there would be some overlap, and a leaner general and administrative structure. Fleury has a market capitalization of 6.91 billion reais ($1.24 billion), while Rede D'Or's market cap stands at 75.29 billion reais, according to LSEG data. Rede D'Or in 2022 acquired insurer SulAmerica in a deal worth 13 billion reais, part of a trend for consolidation in Brazil's healthcare sector that saw the hospital chain as one of the most active companies in recent years. Analysts at Santander said a deal between Fleury and Rede D'Or would make sense from a strategic point of view. "Main synergies could be related to higher scale, and therefore more bargaining power to buy materials at Fleury and G&A savings," they said. ($1 = 5.5704 reais) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Gizmodo
6 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
New Study Bolsters Public Health Case for a Four-Day Work Week
For many of us, Monday is the start of yet another dreary and long work routine. But new trial research out today might highlight a healthier approach to performing our jobs: a permanent four-day workweek. Scientists at Boston College led the study, published Monday in Nature Human Behavior. For six months, the researchers tracked the outcomes of nearly 3,000 workers at 141 businesses after they switched to a four-day workweek with no pay reduction; they also compared them to similar workers at jobs that stuck to a typical schedule. Ultimately, they found that four-day workers reported greater job satisfaction and experienced less burnout than they did before the switch, as well as when compared to people working a five-day week. These improvements were especially apparent in people who reduced their work time by eight or more hours. Gizmodo reached out to study authors Wen Fan and Juliet Schor to discuss the findings in depth, along with the implications they may hold for the future of work. Fan is an associate professor of sociology at Boston College, while Schor is an economist and sociologist at Boston College. The following conversation was lightly edited for clarity and grammar. Ed Cara, Gizmodo: The concept of a four-day workweek has gotten a lot of attention lately, from both workers and scientists. What made your team interested in studying this topic? Schor: We have long histories studying worktime and worker well-being. I wrote a book called The Overworked American many years ago but didn't get the opportunity to study worktime reductions (without pay cuts). Wen has a long history of studying many dimensions of workers' health and well-being, including stress, mental health, etc. She has also studied the impact of disruptive events on health and labor market outcomes. The pandemic was one of those and has been key to creating momentum for the four-day workweek. Fen: I just wanted to add that Juliet was incredibly generous in inviting me to collaborate on this project. Her earlier research on work hours has consistently inspired countless scholars in the field. I think the paper nicely reflects both of our research interests. It has truly been a collaborative effort between the two of us and Orla Kelly, as well as our wonderful research assistant, Guolin Gu, who has run more analyses than we can count! Gizmodo: What were the major takeaways from this latest study? Fen: There are two main findings in this study. First, we find that the four-day workweek improves workers' well-being. This conclusion comes from comparing changes in four well-being indicators between trial companies and control companies. The control companies were those that initially expressed interest in participating but ultimately did not, for various reasons. We found that employees in the trial companies experienced significant reductions in burnout, along with notable improvements in job satisfaction, mental health, and physical health. In contrast, none of these changes were observed among workers in the control companies. The second major finding is about what explains these improvements. We examined various work experiences and health behaviors. We found that three factors played particularly significant roles: work ability (a proxy for workers' self-assessed productivity), sleep problems, and fatigue. In other words, after moving to a four-day workweek, workers saw themselves as more capable, and they experienced fewer sleep problems and lower levels of fatigue, all of which contributed to improved well-being. Gizmodo: What are some of the possible implications of this work? Should more companies offer this option to their employees, for instance? Are there still important questions left to resolve about its benefits and risks, including how widely scalable it can be? Schor: There are many implications of this work—some for workers, others for the organizations and society. This is a rare kind of intervention that can make employees much better off without undermining the viability of the organizations they work for. Our research shows that both the companies and the employees benefit. (This paper is just about the employees, but we also have work showing success for employers.) So yes, we believe many more companies can offer this benefit, and they will do well with it. Their employees will be happier, more loyal, more productive, and less likely to quit. At the same time, the intervention itself is a 'forcing function' that induces improvements for the companies. There are important questions to resolve. One is how it will work at very large companies. We have organizations of up to 5,000 people that are adopting it, but we don't have a very big company in our research. We think it is scalable in that direction, however. We also would like more robust productivity and performance data from the companies. We have some metrics, but they are not complete. We don't think every company can do this right now, but many can. The more challenging ones will be places that have optimized their processes already without resulting in burned-out workers. And we think that some manufacturing companies that are highly exposed to international competition may find it challenging. However, the large majority of workers in our economy are in services/white collar, etc., which are the kinds of companies in our sample. We also think there is great scope for this in healthcare, where burnout is a serious problem. Gizmodo: Do you plan to follow up on the findings? If so, how? And what are some interesting directions that you might want other researchers to explore? Fen: Yes, we have already conducted a follow-up. While the main results in the paper are based on data collected at the six-month mark, we also continued tracking participants six months after the trial ended. We found that all major effects persisted, with well-being indicators remaining significantly higher than their baseline levels. This suggests that the benefits are not just the result of initial enthusiasm or a novelty effect but rather reflect genuine and sustainable change. There are many promising directions for future research. These include testing additional mechanisms that might underlie the well-being benefits, such as workers' perceptions of changes in organizational culture, and exploring how these interventions reshape daily work life. We also encourage researchers to take advantage of similar opportunities to conduct in-depth ethnographic research, which would allow for direct observation of organizational change as it unfolds. This line of work could inform new theories and policy interventions aimed at reimagining the structure of work, with the ultimate goal of enhancing workers' well-being while maintaining organizational performance.
Newsweek
7 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Heartbreak as Mom Describes Giving Birth to Her Stillborn Daughter
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A grieving mom from New York has opened up about the heartbreaking experience of delivering a stillborn baby. Tiffany Paltauf (@thatvegancowgirl) posted a reel about the physical, emotional and psychological toll of losing a child at birth. "I wish that I had more time with Bella," the 28-year-old told Newsweek. "I had almost 40 weeks with her and I had an amazing pregnancy." Tiffany Paltauf, in a cherry-print headband and pink shirt, speaks to camera for her Instagram reel. Tiffany Paltauf, in a cherry-print headband and pink shirt, speaks to camera for her Instagram reel. @thatvegancowgirl Living on their animal sanctuary in Granville, Paltauf and husband, Joe Bonitatebus, 32, had already built memories with Bella before her birth. "Her and I had amazing memories of walking around the farm, eating good food and listening to music," Paltauf said. Bella passed away during a planned home birth but was delivered at the hospital at almost 40 weeks, weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces. Stillbirth remains a largely unspoken grief, affecting around 1 in 175 pregnancies in the United States each year, according to the CDC. But the physical aftermath is often overlooked. Paltauf explained how her body responded as if Bella had lived—her breast milk came in days later. "I seriously did not expect my milk to come in for some reason," Paltauf said. "I just assumed I would be cut some slack. I remember stuffing cold cabbage leaves in my bra and avoiding any and all stimulation to avoid my milk coming in any further." Tiffany also shared that there is "nothing more painful" than giving birth to a baby that comes out silent. "I wish I was prepared more for what it would be like to give birth to Bella sound asleep, but truly nobody can prepare a mom for that," Paltauf said. "When I was pushing, my husband and I were holding each other's hands so tight and praying she would come out screaming, and she didn't." Support from medical professionals was mixed. While Tiffany praised the kindness of her midwifes and hospital staff, she recounted a painful encounter with a bereavement specialist. Paltauf said: "She and I got into an argument because I wanted to leave the hospital because I was in complete shock; she told me I wasn't a good mom. It was awful." To help someone support grieving parents, Paltauf added: "I wish more people knew how important and powerful it is to simply say, 'I am so sorry, I am thinking of you and Bella,' instead of, 'Everything happens for a reason.'" If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via life@ We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work and your story could be featured on Newsweek's "What Should I Do? section.
