Oral sex deemed the main cause of throat cancer

Apr 28 2023

New research has suggested that oral sex is the main culprit behind a reported ‘epidemic’ of throat cancer in countries like the US.

According to Professor Hisham Mehanna from the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham, the human papillomavirus is to blame.

Writing for The Conversation, he explained how for oropharyngeal cancer, the main risk factor is the number of lifetime sexual partners, especially oral sex.

According to the American Cancer Society, cases of HPV-linked oropharyngeal cancer, a type of throat cancer, rose annually by 1.3% in women and 2.8% in men between 2015 and 2019.

On their part, the CDC estimate that around 70% of oropharyngeal cancer are caused by HPV infection – affecting the tonsils, base of the tongue and the back of the throat.

Further research in 2021, researchers discovered that people with 10 or more oral sex partners were more than four times more likely to develop HPV—related mouth and throat cancers.

This was more worrying considering that the CDC state that 41% of teens between ages 15 and 19 participate in oral sex. Those between 15 and 24 were found responsible for nearly half to the 26 million new STD infections in 2018.

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Pele enters dictionary to mean ‘unique’ or ‘incomparable’

Apr 28 2023

The nickname Pele, which was the nickname of the late football legend who died in December at the age of 82, has officially become synonymous with ‘unique, exceptional, incomparable.’

The Portuguese-language Michaelis dictionary has added the nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento as a new adjective to its online edition.

This comes after a campaign by the Pele Foundation to honour the football star managed to rack up over 125,000 signatures.

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With a career spanning two decades, Pele became the only player to have won the World Cup three times and is considered by many to be the best footballer in history.

With a total goal-score tally of 1,281 with Brazilian club Santos, Brazil’s National team and the New York Cosmos.

Pele sadly passed away late last year due to complications from colon cancer, and this followed various tributes for the player to surface by entities and individuals – one of them being this dictionary entry.

The entry reads: “pe.lé adj. That or someone who is out of the ordinary, who or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equalled to anything or anyone, just like Pelé, nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), who is considered the greatest athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique.”

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Texas unveils world’s first 3D printed hotel and housing

Apr 28 2023

We’ve been saying this for a while now but we’ll say it again – the future truly is now.

In something straight out of a sci-fi feature film, a West Texas town is now accepting applications off rate first 3D printed hotel and housing community.

Known as Sunday Homes, the multifaceted project is situated in the high desert community of Marfa and is marketed as ‘a new standard for housing solutions.’

Sunday Homes is expected to be a combination hotel and homeowners association with approximately 30 houses which share various amenities. All dwellings will be 3D printed, along with the relocated incarnation of the local El Cosmico hotel.

The residences will start selling at $900,000, as per The New York Post.

‘The homes will be printed on-site and laid out as 1,200- to 2,200-square-foot two-, three- and four-bedrooms designed to blend with the natural landscape — and feature plenty of soft shapes, curved surfaces and domes, according to press materials’ writes the NY Post.

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Turkish president awards Malta’s Civil Protection Unit for their service

Apr 28 2023

Malta’s Civil Protection Department has been awarded the Turkish Presidential Medal and Order of Distinguished Humanitarian Service during a ceremony yesterday.

Chief assistance rescue officer Kevin Pace, who was the team leader of MUSAR Team Malta for the department deployment in Malatya, Turkey due to the earthquakes, was present for the ceremony.

Along with deputy head of the Embassy of Malta Ms Vella Mamo, they received the award on behalf of the Maltese by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

This comes after Malta sent a team to Turkey following the earthquakes that hit the zones, with one of them being a magnitude Force 7.8. The officers had to struggle with collapsed buildings in freezing cold to rescue trapped civilians from under the rubble.

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