I got an ambulance ride, CT scan and ER care in Brazil. My bill: $0.
PARATY, Brazil — My son had a high fever, so my wife and I decided to cut short our beach vacation and head home, worried about the quality of health care so far from Rio de Janeiro. I packed our bags, took one last look at the calm shoreline and headed out to load up the car.
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Medscape
21 minutes ago
- Medscape
JAK1 Inhibitor Shows Promise for Ankylosing Spondylitis
TOPLINE: Ivarmacitinib, a highly selective Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitor, tamed ankylosing spondylitis with sustained efficacy through 24 weeks in a phase 2/3 trial. METHODOLOGY: A phase 2/3 trial in China evaluated the efficacy and safety of ivarmacitinib in 504 adults with active ankylosing spondylitis who did not benefit from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In phase 2, patients were randomly assigned to receive ivarmacitinib (2 mg, 4 mg, or 8 mg) or placebo once daily for 12 weeks; 4 mg was selected as the recommended dose based on an interim analysis. In phase 3, 373 patients (mean age, 33.8 years; 79.6% men) were randomly assigned to receive 4 mg ivarmacitinib (n = 187) or placebo (n = 186) once daily for 12 weeks, after which all patients got ivarmacitinib for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint in both phases was the proportion of patients achieving an Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) 20 response at week 12. TAKEAWAY: At week 12, 48.7% of patients who received 4 mg ivarmacitinib achieved an ASAS20 response compared with 29% of those who received placebo (P = .0001). More patients on 4 mg ivarmacitinib vs placebo achieved an ASAS40 response (32.1% vs 18.3%; P = .0011) and an ASAS5/6 response (42.8% vs 15.6%; P < .0001) at week 12, with efficacy sustained at week 24. After 12 weeks of treatment, patients receiving 4 mg ivarmacitinib had greater improvements in disease symptoms, physical function, spinal mobility, and quality of life. During the first 12-week period, treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 79.7% of patients in the ivarmacitinib group and 65.6% in the placebo group but caused few treatment discontinuations. IN PRACTICE: 'Ivarmacitinib 4 mg once daily provided rapid, sustained, and clinically meaningful improvements in disease activity, signs and symptoms, function, and MRI-detected inflammation in patients with active AS [ankylosing spondylitis] who had an inadequate response to NSAIDs, with a manageable safety profile,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Xu Liu, MD, and Liling Xu, MD, of Peking University People's Hospital in Beijing, China. It was published online on June 12, 2025, in Arthritis & Rheumatology. LIMITATIONS: The 24-week efficacy of ivarmacitinib may not reflect long-term outcomes. The absence of an active comparator limited the comparison of ivarmacitinib with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs used for active ankylosing spondylitis. These findings in Chinese patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis may not be generalizable to other populations. DISCLOSURES: Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. sponsored and designed the trial. Two authors reported being employees of the sponsor company while the study was conducted. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Japan Offers Free Flights to American Tourists
Planning a trip to Japan? You might want to book that flight sooner rather than later because Japan Airlines is throwing in a domestic flight for free. It's pretty simple: if you're flying into Japan from countries like the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Singapore, or Thailand, you can tack on another JAL flight within Japan at no extra cost. Just make sure you add the domestic flight when you book the international one. Wait until later, and the deal's off. That means you could land in Tokyo and then hop over to Okinawa, Fukuoka, Sapporo, or Osaka without paying for the second leg. You can fly straight through or hang out in your arrival city first—just know that if you stay more than 24 hours before your connection, a small fee might apply. More countries are joining in on this offer later in the year, including Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, and India. But right now, if you're based in an eligible country and heading to Japan, this is a good time to lock in travel plans. It's not clear how long this promo will last, and JAL hasn't said when (or if) it's ending. But if Japan's been on your mind, this is a solid excuse to see more of it, without paying more to get there. Read the original article on GEEKSPIN. Affiliate links on GEEKSPIN may earn us and our partners a commission.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Greenland has a message for the rest of the world: Come visit
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Greenland has a message for the rest of the world: We're waiting for you. 'Come visit Greenland,' said Nukartaa Andreassen, who works for a water taxi company in the capital city, Nuuk. 'Learn about it, learn about us. We love to have you. We love to tell our stories and our culture.' The mineral-rich Arctic island is open for tourism. Whale-watching tours, excursions to the iconic puffin island and guided charters through remote settlements are just the beginning of what Greenland has to offer visitors. Locals want to show what makes the island unique beyond a recent diplomatic dustup with U.S. President Donald Trump. 'Our goal and mission is to present and be the ambassadors of Greenland,' said Casper Frank Møller, the chief executive of Nuuk-based tour guide company Raw Arctic, 'and to show what beauty you can experience while you're here.' The tourism industry is expected to see a boom this year following the launch of a new route between Nuuk and Newark, New Jersey. The inaugural flight June 14 was the first direct travel from the U.S. to Greenland by an American airline. Traveling to Greenland Before the direct flight, air passengers departing from the U.S. needed a layover in Iceland or Denmark to reach Greenland. The change benefited travelers like Doug Jenzen, an American tourist who was on the United Airlines plane from New Jersey. 'I came with the purpose of exploring some of the natural sites around the world's largest island, hoping to support things like ecotourism and sustainable travel while supporting the local economy,' Jenzen said. Cruise ships can already dock on the island but they bring less money to businesses catering to tourists because passengers sleep and usually eat on board. Some 150,000 tourists visited Greenland in 2024, according to Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland's business minister. 'We really want to grow the tourism sector. It's a very good fit for many in Greenland,' Nathanielsen added. 'Tourism is about good vibes. It's about sharing culture, sharing history. It's about storytelling. And as Inuit, that's very much part of our heritage.' The Trump effectGreenland gained worldwide attention when Trump earlier this year announced he wanted to take control of the semiautonomous Danish territory, through a purchase or possibly by force. Denmark, a NATO ally, and Greenland have said the island is not for sale and condemned reports of the U.S. gathering intelligence there. Despite the diplomatic tension, Frank Møller of Raw Arctic sees an upside. 'It has kind of put Greenland on the world map. And it's definitely a situation that Raw Arctic has used to our advantage,' he said. Still, beefing up the tourism industry should happen at a pace that prioritizes the voices and comfort levels of the roughly 56,000 people on the island, he added. Andreassen, of Nuuk Water Taxi, agreed. 'It's very important for me to tell my own story. Because I always feel like when I meet new people, I always introduce a whole Greenland,' she said. 'It's important for me to show our own culture, our own nature. Not by television, not by other people from other countries.' 'Unforgettable moment'In June, Pinar Saatci, a 59-year-old Turkish tourist, saw several whales breach the ocean surface during a boat tour. 'It's very exciting to be here, at the other part of the world, so far away from home,' she said. 'It's a very exciting and unforgettable moment.' Risskov Rejser has visited Greenland several times through her travel company for Danish travelers. But she is worried about the impact of a tourist invasion. 'For me, the worst thing would be if mass tourism starts and people come here, and sort of look upon the Greenland people as if they were a living museum,' she said. 'It has to be done in a respectful way and you have to consider what the consequences are.' ___ Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed to this report.
