As lockdown continues, Owen Jones speaks to private renters about how the pandemic has affected them. From activists in tenants' unions and NHS workers struggling to find accommodation to students who’ve had their final terms disrupted and are left unsure about what to do with their accommodation, he asks them if they are worried about what comes next 

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Washington D.C: Do you find it difficult to resist food cravings? Researchers have found that stimulating the brain with magnetic energy can help reduce food cravings in obese people. The technique has yielded positive results after just a single treatment session, revealing its potential to become a safer alternative to treat obesity, avoiding invasive surgery and drug side effects.

It has been reported that, in some obesity cases, the reward system in the brain may be altered, causing a greater reward response to food than in normal weight individuals. This can make patients more vulnerable to craving, and can lead to weight gain. This dysfunction in the reward system can also be seen in cases of addiction to substances, e.g. drugs or alcohol, or behaviours, e.g. gambling.

Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS) is a medical treatment that uses magnetic energy to stimulate neurons in specific areas of the brain. It is used to treat depression and addictive behaviours, and previous studies have suggested that dTMS could be a good option to reduce drug and food cravings. However, the potential mechanism driving these changes had not been investigated until now.

In this study, Professor Livio Luzi and colleagues, from the Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Policlinico San Donato, Italy, investigated the effects of dTMS on appetite and satiety in obese people.

They studied the effects of a single 30-minute session of dTMS, at a high or low frequency, on blood markers potentially associated with food reward in a group of 40 obese patients. They found that high-frequency dTMS significantly increased blood levels of beta-endorphins - neurotransmitters involved in producing heightened feelings of reward after food ingestion - compared to low-frequency dTMS or controls.

"For the first time, this study is able to suggest an explanation of how dTMS could alter food cravings in obese subjects" said Luzi. "We also found that some blood markers potentially associated with food reward, for example glucose, vary according to gender, suggesting male/female differences in how vulnerable patients are to food cravings, and their ability to lose weight."

"Given the distressing effects of obesity in patients, and the socioeconomic burden of the condition, it is increasingly urgent to identify new strategies to counteract the current obesity trends. dTMS could present a much safer and cheaper alternative to treat obesity compared to drugs or surgery", Professor Luzi adds.

The results of the study were presented in Barcelona at the European Society of Endocrinology annual meeting, ECE 2018.

The Palghar pot is boiling with the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) saying they are going to file defamation cases against a couple of BJP leaders for defaming CPI-M, by making baseless claims against them for the lynching of the two priests and their driver in Gadchinchale village. Mumbai's Ashok Dhawale, Central Committee member, CPI-M said, "We will file the case shortly. When the CPI-M says something, it always goes ahead and never backwards."

The roots
Dhawale explained that the Communists have had their imprint in the whole of Dahanu and Talasari tehsil. "It has been our base since 1945 when Comrade Godavari Parulekar led the revolt of the tribals against landlordism and bonded labour. This is how deep our roots go into this land. We have the MLA seat in Dahanu, with the dashing Vinod Nikole defeating the BJP sitting MLA in 2019."

Work done
On accusations that it is the Communists and this party that foment violence, leading to mob frenzy and agitation, Dhawale shot back, "We have worked for drinking water and water for irrigation. We drive movements for uplifting the health infrastructure in the region, we have schools, colleges and hostels in Talasari district. We have worked for women's issues, rations..."

Long march
Dhawale added as a Mumbai example, "It was the CPI-M that was at the forefront of the long march of farmers from Nashik to Mumbai in 2018. One of the demands was better implementation of the Forest Rights Act. There was no violence on that march, not a single car window was smashed. It was during this time that a BJP leader spoke about Urban Naxals and that term has stuck."

Bullet train
Another name swirling in the Palghar blame game is that of the Kashtakari Sanghatana. Dhawale said, "The Kashtakari Sanghatana and the CPI-M have had a prickly relationship.

However about three years ago, we came together to galvanise people in the area against the Bullet Train project. We have buried the hatchet so to speak, since."

Parliamentary process
In the end, Dhawale said that the CPI- M was totally against the Maoist violence in fringe pockets, "We have always been part of the Parliamentary process, right from Independence. We have unequivocally condemned the Palghar lynching; for the right wing to link it to us, to defame us, is simply nonsensical."

Go and file
Mumbai's Shriraj Nair, national spokesperson Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), slammed the CPI- M saying, "If any villager is innocent we support him. We are for tracking down the culprits of this crime. For years though, the CPI-M has been brainwashing villagers and conducting anti-Hindu activities. They are also anti-development."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

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The Mumbai Police’s social media pages are gaining popularly among netizens for their epic memes during the lockdown imposed due to Coronavirus outbreak. After taking inspiration from Bollywood and popular series streaming online for some of their recent memes, the police department has now turned to Potterverse for some meme-spiration to explain their followers why it is important to stay at home.

In the Mumbai Police’s recent post on their Instagram account, they have shared what Hermoine Granger would say in her sassy way to explain the necessity to stay at home. The caption for the post read, “You already know Hermione's reaction if you step out unnecessarily during the lockdown,” while asking the ‘magical folks of Mumbai’ to stay at home. The message displayed in the clip will make you think twice step out of the house

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

You already know Hermione's reaction if you step out unnecessarily during the lockdown. Just #StayHome magical folks of Mumbai to win 'The Battle' against corona #BattleOfMumbaikars

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onMay 1, 2020 at 10:26pm PDT

The clip shared on Saturday managed to garner 61,407  likes with many Potterheads relating to the post and calling the Mumbai police’s social media page the ‘coolest’. A user said, “Mumbai's Auror Department got no muggles.” Another user said, “Wish we could just expeliamus the virus. One more user said, “Harry Potter post on the day of Battle of Hogwarts?! You guys won my heart!”

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Children born to single women without a partner appeared to enjoy a similar parent-child relationship as those in heterosexual two-parent families, researchers say.

Fertility treatment for single women -- who wish to become pregnant without a partner (i.e., single mothers by choice) -- is an increasingly popular procedure in most European countries.

The study showed that there were no significant differences in emotional involvement or parental stress between family types.

Single-mothers-by-choice, however, showed significantly higher scores on the social support -- such as parents, other family, friends, neighbours -- they received, but also on wanting more social support.

There were no significant differences in the children's internal and external problem behaviour (well-being) between both family types, the researchers said.

"Single-mothers-by-choice and their children benefit from a good social support network, and this should be emphasised in the counselling of women who want to have and raise a child without a partner," said Mathilde Brewaeys from the VU University Medical Centre, in the Netherlands.

The results were presented at the annual meeting of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Geneva.

Experts had raised concerns about the well-being and development of children born to single-mothers-by-choice.

However, it seems likely that any negative influence on child development depends more on a troubled parent-child relationship and not on the absence of a father, the researchers said.

"The assumption that growing up in a family without a father is not good for the child is based mainly on research into children whose parents are divorced and who thus have experienced parental conflict," Brewaeys explained.

For the study, the team compared 69 single-mothers-by-choice (who had knowingly chosen to raise their child alone) and 59 mothers from heterosexual two-parent families with a child between 1.5 and 6 years.

Implementation of existing interventions targeting modifiable risk factors can help narrow the mortality gap between the general and the severe mental illness populations, reports a new study.

Indian farmers take aim at climate disasters through bundling high-tech solutions.

Ontario has launched OHP+ on Jan 1 which offers the province's 4 million children and youth free access to more than 4,400 approved medications. Children

People who received treatment in low-income areas were half as likely to have their blood pressure controlled in a six-year clinical trial, according

Even big names make poor decisions but we can draw lessons on how to approach change

Like many other websites at the moment, the career-oriented networking platform LinkedIn has seen a big boost in traffic as a result of people being asked to work from home and stay indoors overall to slow the spread of the coronavirus, with a bump of 55% more conversational activity between existing connections in recent weeks. […]

Radu Banciu, 49, sparked outrage with the comment while hosting the late evening show on B1 TV. He said: 'Serena Williams looks exactly like one of those monkeys at the zoo with the red a****.'

SARAH VINE: Scenes of the healthy and ablebodied riding roughshod over the old and frail make me question whether we have what it takes to face this crisis.

A follower replied, explaining that she had to go to a pub to work and earn money for her family, prompting James to tell her to 'worry about finances after it's all over.' 

The dancer, 38,has hit back at the hundreds of Ofcom complaints the Pussycat Dolls have sparked over their raunchy performances during ITV family shows.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard revealed that 42 per cent of all cases within the state are now under the age of 40, with those aged 20 to 29 making up the majority.

Lindsay Lohan may be back to her old ways, as a source told PEOPLE that the Mean Girls actress, 'hasn't changed whatsoever,'adding, she is 'still partying very hard and drinking a lot.'

Two men detained in the immigration detention unit in Gadsden, Alabama, threatened to jump from a ledge with bed sheets tied around their necks on March 20 because of coronavirus fears.

Supplements have had a hip makeover - they come in pretty jars and rainbow colours, promising everything from shiny hair to eternal youth - with a price tag to match. So, are they worth it?

The Hollywood star was presented with the award at a dinner attended by celebrities including Lou Reed, Justin Timberlake and Sir Bobby Charlton.

From Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding to President Barack Obama watching the death of Osama bin Laden in the situation room, the Reuters pictures capture moments which still move us today.

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Lissom film star Keira Knightley has mixed feelings about growing old. She says: 'I find grey hairs and I think, "Oh my god I'm going to dye it!"'

The 45-year-old Fox News star wore a black, spaghetti strap Ralph Lauren halter dress while covering the Republican National Convention in July.

The Bad Romance hitmaker, 33, revealed that she and the American Sniper star, 44, wanted fans to believe that they 'were in love' and to feel their 'orchestrated' chemistry.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY MARTIN SAMUEL IN JOHANNESBURG: Jofra Archer is staring wistfully out at the Wanderers wicket, the fastest track in the world to many, all thin air and bounce.

Senator Marco Rubio, who has been a critic of China's human rights record, took to Twitter on Sunday to accuse the mainstream media of blindly trusting data reported by the country.

Commemorations moved online this year after restrictions around social gatherings forced the cancellation of traditional ceremonies and dawn services in Australia and New Zealand.

Trump said Saturday at the Israeli American Council's National Summit in Florida: 'You have to vote for me... You're not going to vote for the wealth tax... you'll be out of business in 15 minutes.'

From their Gold Coast homes, national co-founders of the group, Julian Corvin and Tara O'Kane, are connecting people in need with those offering to do grocery shopping.

The monarchy's official Twitter account paid tribute to the military who have been on 15-hour shifts as they transform the ExCel convention centre into a 4,000 bed hospital for coronavirus patients.

AMANDA PLATELL: Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge was told when she graduated from Rada to capitalise on her winsome aristocratic looks.

Harry Styles has addressed those Adele collaboration rumours and discussed the pressures of dating while in the public eye during a candid interview.

Gunman Gabriel Wortman, 51, was shot dead by police after a 12-hour slaughter across the eastern province of Nova Scotia where he killed 16 people.

Manchester United and Liverpool are among clubs to insist they will continue to pay staff who would miss out financially. Here, Sportsmail has identified what each club is doing to help protect their incomes.

Norwich City players, manager Daniel Farke, owners and directors will donate a percentage of their salaries - amounting to over £200,000 - to help those negatively impacted by coronavirus.

It's time for another Hot or Not as Sportsmail's Riath Al-Samarrai reveals what's been making him feel warm and what's left him with a chill this week.

LAWRENCE BOOTH AT THE OVAL: There was a moment when a few critics were lured into the view that Jofra Archer was not, after all, the best thing that has happened to English cricket.

JOFRA ARCHER: Much was made about the two full tosses I bowled in consecutive balls at Anrich Nortje on the second evening, and they certainly weren't beamers.

The 75-year-old Machete actor served his award-winning tacos, from his restaurant Trejo's Tacos, in a grey t-shirt and matching basketball short in Koreatown on Wednesday.

PETER HITCHENS: As I cross the bridge to my platform a treacly, ingratiating male voice intones: 'When on the stairs, please use the handrail - and take care!'

Shoppers now pay an average of 25.1 per cent on credit card purchase. It means that a customer who borrowed £3,000 and paid off £100 a month would pay £1,463 in interest overall.

Chelsea's players want any money they sacrifice to add to the club's efforts to support the NHS and those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

NASA says the lettuce was served by astronauts with oil and vinegar dressing and the space leaves were a wild success, described as 'awesome' by the crew who ate them.