Kim’s remarks were seen as keeping the pressure on the United States to be more flexible in accepting Pyongyang`s demands to ease sanctions, compared to the US stance during his unsuccessful second summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi in February. The North Korean leader said at the time he would wait until the end of the year for the United States to become more flexible. “The situation on the Korean peninsula and the region is now at a standstill and has reached a critical point where it may return to its original state as the US took a unilateral attitude in bad faith at the recent second DPRK-US summit talks,” KCNA reported Kim as saying, using North Korea`s official name, the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea. “The DPRK will gird itself for every possible situation,” Kim said. Kim invited Putin to North Korea at a convenient time and Putin accepted, KCNA said. There was no immediate comment on the summit from the US State Department but William Hagerty, the US ambassador to Japan, told a Washington thinktank Kim’s contact with Russia and China was part of an effort to seek relief from international sanctions. “The fact you see Kim Jong Un meeting with Vladimir Putin underscores the fact that the sanctions are working and the sanctions are putting extreme economic pressure on the North Korean regime,” Hagerty said. “What we see is an outreach to try to find a way to deal with it. There is a much simpler way to deal with it and that is to denuclearise,” he said. He said it was important the international community enforced U.N. sanctions against North Korea that were imposed because of Pyongyang`s nuclear and missile programmes. The first face-to-face talks between Putin and Kim, held on an island off the Russian Pacific city of Vladivostok on Thursday, did not appear to yield any major breakthrough. The two leaders had an in-depth discussion on ways for their countries to promote strategic communication and tactical collaboration in the course of ensuring peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the region, KCNA said. Putin said he thought a deal on Pyongyang`s nuclear programme was possible and that the way to get there was to move forward step by step in order to build trust. But any US guarantees might need to be supported by the other nations involved in previous six-way talks on the nuclear issue, Putin said, which was seen as a way to use the summit to strengthen Russia`s diplomatic clout as a global player. Russia and North Korea agreed to take measures to further cooperate in trade, economy, science and technology, KCNA said.

Getting rest may be as effective as taking medication to treat common musculoskeletal disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome and low back pain, which caused by repeated moderate-strain activity. In a study conducted in rats, researchers showed that a four-week period of rest was nearly as effective as an experimental drug at reducing discomfort and regaining function. Rest appears to be a good first treatment choice. Other treatments following rest should include exercises to improve tissues, and pain reducers, if needed. If symptoms do not subside and strength does not return following this approach, then medicines may be needed to aid recovery. Researchers trained rats to repeatedly pull a lever in order to model the types of repetitive-strain injuries humans experience. After 12 weeks, the rats showed a weaker grip strength, discomfort and increased collagen production in the forearm — evidence of strain-induced tissue damage.They then allowed the rats  four weeks’ rest. During this rest period one group of rats received an experimental drug that blocks a neurotransmitter, Substance P, associated with the sensation of pain, while the other group did not. They found that the four-week rest reduced collagen production, improved strength and decreased discomfort. The drug also had similar effects, and was somewhat better at improving grip strength, but at the same time made the animals less sensitive to very hot temperatures.

Chronic stress may promote breast cancer growth

Researchers have revealed the mechanism of how chronic stress promotes breast cancer development, shedding light on future treatment for cancer. Cancer patients often suffer from anxiety, despair and fear, which are risk factors facilitating tumour growth as well as promoting cancer progression. However, the specific mechanism of how chronic stress affects cancer development remains unknown yet. Researchers found that chronic stress might increase epinephrine levels, which enhances lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) and promotes breast cancer stem-like cells. Using a drug screen that targeted LDHA, they found that vitamin C reversed the chronic stress-induced cancer stem-like phenotype. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, demonstrates the critical importance of psychological factors in promoting stem-like properties in breast cancer cells and provides a promising therapeutic approach for breast cancer. It noted that patients with breast, ovarian and stomach cancer often have negative emotions, which in turn accelerates the development of their own tumours. Hence, it is vital to monitor their chronic stress by taking psychological assessments as well as conducting blood tests which include epinephrine levels.