Smile Direct Club, the affordable and comfortable alternative to sitting in an orthodontist’s chair, has announced that it is winding down its operations effective immediately. It announced its bankruptcy in late September and said its restructuring plan would allow it to continue operating “for many years to come.” Customers who were in the middle of treatments won’t be getting new aligners while customers on payment plans are expected to keep paying. It’s safe to say — No one is smiling now.
The FDA has granted approval for a gene-editing treatment targeting sickle cell disease, a painful blood disorder predominantly affecting the Black community. Fifteen-year-old Johnny Lubin from Connecticut, is one of the first to undergo this innovative therapy utilizing CRISPR to enhance a protective variant of hemoglobin in stem cells sourced from his bone marrow. This spells promise for the technology but notably, the cost of gene editing is anticipated to be several million dollars per patient.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand feelings and emotions of oneself and others. People with high emotional intelligence tend to have stronger relationships, according to Harvard-trained psychologist Dr. Cortney Warren. She says if you say some of these 7 common phrases frequently, including “This is who I am, I’m not changing,” or “I don’t care how you feel,” or, “You’re just wrong,” you might have low emotional intelligence.