Latest news with #FUS
The Spinoff
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
What a strip club run by strippers looks like
At this strip club the dancers kept all their tips, there were no unfair overheads or fines and definitely no exploitative management. The lights are dim, the bar glows, and everywhere there are beautiful dancers in lingerie. They're unnaturally tall in their eight-inch heels, glamorous with their criss-cross ribboned legs, perfect make-up and hair. I, in my ordinary clothing, feel short and human next to them. That's part of the fantasy though – they're professionals, they're performing, and I'm there to spectate. It's the Fired Up Stilettos (FUS) strip club takeover event and this is my Saturday night. FUS is a collective movement of strippers fighting for labour rights and legal protection. It was formed in 2023 when 19 strippers were fired via Facebook post from Calendar Girls for attempting to collectively bargain for fair pay and contractual rights. Strippers and sex workers have long worked under subpar employment conditions – despite strippers generally only working for one club, they are classified as independent contractors and therefore don't have employee rights and protections. Strip clubs usually take huge cuts from their dancers' tips and impose unfair and illegal fines on them. It's also well known that sex workers face societal stigma and discrimination. Some sex workers struggle to find alternative employment if people know that they've done sex work. Agencies and forums have often failed to protect sex workers, even when sex workers have asked for help. As a result, sex workers have formed their own groups in order to help themselves. FUS received media attention in 2024 when it called on parliament to grant sex workers the same labour rights as other independent contractors. In 2025, they continue to support collectivist action within workplace, creating and sharing educational resources so sex workers can know their rights, and campaigning for legislative change. Their takeover events dually serve as fundraisers to keep the movement running and demonstrations of what strip clubs run by strippers could look like. FUS strip clubs could be the industry standard – dancers keep all their tips, there are no unfair overheads or fines, and there's definitely no exploitative management. When I arrive at the secret location (only revealed on Saturday morning) I feel like I've stepped back in time. There are men with suspenders and grey felt caps, women in flapper dresses with feathers in their hair. A performer in a beaded cape sings in a smooth alto while playing cello. The bar serves Negronis, French 75 cocktails and sparkling wine. I order my first drink and move into the main space, where a pole has been set up in one corner, and dancer after dancer performs to songs of their choice. After they dance, they walk around the floor. 'Are you tipping tonight?' a dancer asks me. I tuck $5 of strip club money into the waistband of her thong, determined to be a good strip club patron. There's something hypnotising about pole dancing. It's one of the reasons I watch dancers on Instagram reels, admiring the grace of making something difficult look effortless. I started pole dancing in February, and it's made me appreciate good pole dancers so much more. Pole dancing is hard. I often leave classes with new bruises on my feet or calves. There's a unique kind of pain that comes from trying to hold up your whole body weight by grasping a metal pole with your inner thighs. Sometimes, when learning a new move, I feel as cumbersome as a spinning chicken on a stick. These dancers are polished. They demonstrate clear control over their bodies. It's the way they climb the pole and shift from position to position, the dramatic thwack of their heels against the floor. I watch, entranced, while their bodies contort and extend, stretch and spin. They rotate slowly then fast, limbs arranged in graceful formations. The performances feel like a celebration, with both performers and patrons cheering each time someone does something impressive. I run into several people I know. Kiwiburn friends. Zouk dance friends. A guy I did English literature at university with. There are maybe 30-50 people at the event across the night, with a slightly different demographic to that of a commercial strip club. There are probably more women among the patrons. The crowd is also younger, as lots of dancers, friends and partners have come along to support. The real difference though is that everyone is there because they support sex worker rights, and this inherently means that they respect sex workers. Almost every stripper has a story of sexual harassment or abuse. The FUS takeover event is partially so fun because dancers feel safe to do their jobs. 'Does this feel different to a normal strip club?' I ask one patron, who tells me he drove from Palmerston North to be here. 'Definitely,' he says. 'There's no seedy atmosphere.' In the dressing room, office tables have been joined together and are covered in a chaotic mess of bags, takeaway containers, make-up and clothes. Dancers fix their make up, relax on the couch, take breaks from working. I ask if I can take some photos, and a few of the dancers say yes. I get one great shot of them, backs to me on the couch. I airdrop the photos and by the end of the night, it's already been posted on three different accounts. You have to admire the hustle. After all, it's not just the pole dancing they have to do. Everything they do out on the floor is a performance, from the walking around and tip collecting to the conversations and private dance. It's work, and some of the dancers do this physically and emotionally difficult work for several nights a week. A lot of the FUS dancers now work independently, unwilling to once again be subjected to the working conditions of strip clubs. Some of the dancers have OnlyFans. Some of them make most of their money from escorting. Some of them have 'ordinary' jobs in completely different industries. It doesn't matter. Sex workers and strippers deserve employment protection just like everyone else. As long as there is a market for sex, there will be people who do sex work: those people should be able to work safely. In a lot of ways, the evening feels just like being at a particularly elaborate party. The night passes quickly in the sparkly blur of conversations, glasses of French 75, the spinning pole. At one stage, I slip outside for a smoke break with three of the dancers and the MC. We shelter from the wind in front of a garage. As we move to leave, the garage door cracks open with a violent screech and we all jump. I leave around midnight, when the event ends. I have a heavy head, sore feet from dancing, and several promises to keep in touch. As I drift off to sleep, I keep seeing the dancers on the pole. In my head they're still going round and round.
Business Wire
09-07-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Feinstein Institutes Explores Noninvasive Bioelectronic Medicine to Manage Insulin, Blood Sugar After Surgery
MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scientists and engineers at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research conduct bioelectronic medicine research to treat disease and injury, and recently found that focused ultrasound (FUS) has potential to manage high blood sugar after surgery. Published recently in Bioelectronic Medicine, an open-access journal distributed by the Feinstein Institutes and BMC, part of Springer Nature, used FUS to target a bundle of nerves – including branches from the vagus nerve – that communicate with organs like the liver and pancreas, essential for regulating glucose levels. The high-frequency sound waves of FUS activate neurons in the abdomen and alter neuronal signals that regulate production of insulin and other hormones. 'Managing disorders associated with high blood sugar, including hyperglycemia after surgery, is a critical challenge and current methods often fall short,' said Stavros Zanos, MD, PhD, professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes and corresponding author of the paper. 'This research explores FUS, a new method for non-invasive neuromodulation, that may offer a potential pathway towards safer and more effective blood sugar control without the use of medications.' Using animal models, researchers targeted a nerve bundle called the superior mesenteric plexus (SMP) with FUS and measured its effects on insulin sensitivity, a key factor in how the body processes sugar. They found that FUS initially improved insulin sensitivity during surgery, however, when they checked the animals' blood sugar the day after, it was unexpectedly higher in the group that received FUS compared to the group that didn't. This suggests that while FUS can have immediate positive effects on insulin sensitivity, it might interfere with the body's natural ability to manage blood sugar in the hours following the stress of surgery. Next steps in this research will optimize the FUS treatment to attain long-lasting and beneficial effects on glucose metabolism after surgery and to better understand the biological mechanisms behind these effects. 'Dr. Zanos use of focused ultrasound is paving the way for new methods to stimulate the vagus nerve,' said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. 'Since vagus nerve reflexes control blood glucose and insulin levels, I expect these results will generate widespread interest from scientists, physicians, and future patients.' Built on years of research in molecular mechanisms of disease and the link between the nervous and immune systems, researchers at the Feinstein Institutes discovered neural targets that can be activated or inhibited with neuromodulation devices, like vagus nerve implants, to control the body's immune response and inflammation. If inflammation is successfully controlled, diseases – such as arthritis, pulmonary hypertension, Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases – can be treated more effectively. Beyond inflammation, using novel brain-computer interfaces, Feinstein Institutes researchers developed techniques to bypass injuries of the nervous system so that people living with paralysis can regain sensation and use their limbs. By producing bioelectronic medicine knowledge, disease and injury, could one day be treated with our own nerves without costly and potentially harmful pharmaceuticals. Dr. Zanos, along with Sangeeta S. Chavan, PhD, professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes, also led a successful first-in-human trial using FUS to reduce inflammation, targeting at the spleen in healthy participants and found it lowered levels of an inflammatory protein in the blood for over two hours About the Feinstein Institutes The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit and follow us on LinkedIn.
Ya Biladi
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Ya Biladi
FUS of Rabat wins Throne Cup in basketball defeating AS Salé in final
The FUS of Rabat clinched the Throne Cup in basketball (2024-2025) after defeating AS Salé in the final with a score of 73 to 66 on Saturday at the Ibn Yassine Hall in Rabat. FUS secured its spot in the final by overcoming Ittihad Tanger, while AS Salé qualified for the final at the expense of Maghreb Fès. Earlier in the day, Ittihad Tanger won the Women's Throne Cup (2024-2025) by beating Kawkab Marrakech with a score of 63 to 41.
Japan Times
10-06-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Female Underweight/Undernutrition Syndrome to be classified disorder
The Japan Society for the Study of Obesity announced in April that it will recognize a new health disorder affecting women, to be classified as Female Underweight/Undernutrition Syndrome, or FUS, linked to being underweight and suffering undernutrition. According to the group, known as JASSO, 20% of women in their 20s in Japan are underweight, one of the highest rates among developed countries. It plans to establish diagnostic criteria for the syndrome as part of efforts to promote early detection and prevention. The trend toward thinness among young women in Japan has become increasingly pronounced in recent years. According to the health ministry's 2023 National Health and Nutrition Survey, 12.0% of women aged 20 and over were classified as underweight on the basis of their body mass index, or BMI, a standard measure used to assess weight status. By contrast, only 4.4% of men in the same age group were considered underweight. By age group, 24.4% of women in their 20s and 17.9% of women in their 30s were underweight. The calculation of BMI involves dividing people's weight in kilograms by the square of their height measured in meters. According to JASSO guidelines, a BMI of 22 is considered the standard, with a reading below 18.5 classified as "thin" or "underweight," between 18.5 and below 25 as "normal weight," and 25 and above as "obese." JASSO defines FUS as a condition in which extreme weight loss and undernutrition in women age from 18 up to menopause leads to a range of health issues. These include decreased bone density or osteoporosis, irregular menstrual cycles, muscle weakness, anemia, fatigue, depression and metabolic abnormalities. FUS can lower quality of life over the medium to long term and increase the risk of frailty, declines in mental and physical vitality and other aspects of life often associated with aging, according to the society. Explaining a major factor contributing to the rise of FUS, the society noted that "the value equating thinness with beauty has become widespread, leading many, especially young women, to engage in weight-loss behaviors such as restricting food intake." In 2023, My Well Body Kyogikai, a group dedicated to women's health issues, conducted an online survey of 1,000 women in Japan between the ages of 16 and 23. The results revealed that about 20% of underweight women, and more than half of women with a normal weight, considered themselves to be "fat." Additionally, 16% of underweight women and 48% of women with a normal weight said they wanted to lose more weight. The most common motivation cited was the desire to feel more confident about themselves. The survey results also suggest that social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok may be influencing a range of weight loss behaviors. In recent years, the use of medications originally developed for the treatment of obesity and diabetes has surged among individuals seeking to lose weight, a trend that has raised concerns among health experts. Such drugs typically work by suppressing appetite or increasing the excretion of sugar through urine, leading to weight loss as a secondary effect. There are worries about health risks, however, including acute pancreatitis and other serious side effects. Wataru Ogawa, executive director of JASSO, said, "Medical systems and public health measures (in Japan) have historically focused on combating obesity, while systematic approaches to address underweight and undernutrition have been insufficient." He emphasized that the organization plans to establish diagnostic criteria and promote educational initiatives, following the collection of relevant medical evidence.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This experimental drug could help young people with a rare and aggressive form of ALS
An experimental drug could help young people with a rare form of ALS, researchers at New York's Columbia University Irving Medical Center announced on Thursday. Known as 'ulefnersen,' the therapy showed promise in treating patients with FUS-ALS, which is caused by a genetic mutation in a gene called FUS. The gene provides instructions for making a protein and plays a crucial role in cellular processes. While the mutations are only responsible for between one and two percent of ALS cases, they cause some of the most aggressive forms of ALS that begin in adolescents and young adults. Fewer than 30,000 people in the U.S. are living with ALS, which is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease, while 5,000 people are diagnosed each year. The nervous system disease affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to a loss of muscle control that gets progressively worse. The exact cause of the disease remains unknown, but a small number of cases are genetic. There is no cure and it is, eventually, fatal. 'When testing new drugs for ALS, we do not expect to see clinical improvement,' neurologist and scientist Neil Shneider said in a statement. 'What we've seen in one patient is really unprecedented functional recovery. It's surprising and deeply motivating for us, the ALS research community, but also the community of ALS patients.' Shneider, who developed the drug in collaboration with the biotech company Ionis Pharmaceuticals, published his findings in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet. Starting as an effort to help a single patient, the case series was small, including just 12 patients who were treated with the drug. Two of the patients showed a remarkable response to the drug. A young woman who had received injections of ulefnersen since late 2020 regained the ability to walk unaided and to breathe without the use of a ventilator, both previously lost to ALS. The medical center said she has lived longer with this disease than any other known patient with this juvenile-onset form of FUS ALS. A man in his mid-thirties was asymptomatic when he began treatment, but tests of electrical activity in his muscles indicated that symptoms would likely emerge imminently. However, after three years of treatment, he has yet to develop FUS-ALS symptoms and the abnormal electrical activity in his muscles has improved. Lastly, the researchers found patients experienced an up to 83 percent decrease in a protein called neurofilament light — a biomarker of nerve damage — following six months on the drug. 'These responses show that if we intervene early enough and go after the right target at the right time in the course of disease, it's possible to not only slow disease progression, but actually reverse some of the functional losses,' said Shneider. 'It's also a wonderful example of precision medicine and therapeutic development based on science and an understanding of the biology of disease.' While most of the other symptomatic patients did not survive their disease, Shneider said that 'several apparently benefited from the treatment. The progression of their disease slowed, and they lived a longer life as a consequence.' There were no serious adverse events related to the drug and a global clinical trial is now in progress. At least 25 patients have been treated with the drug around the world, including the dozen in Shneider's case studies. It was first tested six years ago in an Iowa patient named Jaci Hermstad. The drug was originally named for her. 'Now we are eagerly awaiting those results, which we hope will lead to the approval of ulefnersen,' Shneider said.
