The "shared universe" in popular entertainment is nothing new. It goes back decades in comic

The two friends stood side by side at a picturesque spot overlooking the beach in the distance, with their arms wrapped around each other

On Tuesday, Meta announced Llama 2, a new version of its large language model. Lots

Fall is just around the corner, and you know what that means: Time for more

PepsiCo Inc. is on course to take over as the biggest US beverage company by market value, supplanting

Welcome to Sun Blocked, Refinery29’s global call to action to wake up to the serious dangers of tanning. No lectures or shaming, we promise. Instead, our goal is to arm you with the facts you need to protect your skin to the best of your ability, because there’s no such thing as safe sun.

Take out your sunnies, folks, and prepare to be blinded by Coach’s new electrifying metallic and patent leather bags. The beloved pillowy Coach Tabby Bag has undergone a sleek, edgy transformation and is ready to party. While the first edition of the Coach Tabby Bag came in whimsical, pastel-candy hues, the second highlights the bag in mirror metallics and pigmented patent leather. Just think of the new silhouettes as the original’s fashion-forward twin sister.

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Almost 300 babies are born in the UK with sickle cells every year, according to the Sickle Cell Society, and the effects of sickle cell disease are believed to impact thousands. Yet, many people may not even know what sickle cells are or what living with the condition means. What is sickle cell disease? In most people, red blood cells are disc shaped and move easily through the blood vessels. But if you have sickle cell disease, your red blood cells are shaped like a sickle (similar to a crescent moon). This stops them moving with ease through the body and blood flow becomes restricted. Sickle cell disease isn’t actually one specific disease – it refers to a group of conditions affecting people with sickle cells, which range in severity.The conditions are inherited and predominantly affect people from African and Caribbean family backgrounds. What are the symptoms of sickle cell disease? Symptoms begin early in childhood and can sometimes be debilitating. How each individual is affected may vary, but the main symptoms are anaemia, an increased risk of infections, and pain. This includes extremely painful episodes called ‘sickle cell crisis’, which happens when blood flow to certain parts of the body become blocked. According to the NHS, these episodes can last for days and require hospitalisation. Other issues are associated with the condition too, including problems with the lungs, delayed growth in childhood, higher risk of stroke, leg ulcers and sight/vision problems.How is it diagnosed? Sickle cell disease is usually picked up during pregnancy or shortly after birth, although a blood test can be given at any time to see if someone has the condition or carries sickle cell genes. In parts of the country, pregnant people will be offered a test to see what the chances are of their child having sickle cells. Infants can be checked for the cells through a heel prick test.How do you treat it? Treating sickle cell disease is usually a lifelong process to help people with pain and to stay as healthy as possible. Treatment takes place in specific sickle cell centres and those living with it are encouraged to take care of their health, no matter the severity of their symptoms. Managing pain is a huge part of treating sickle cell disease. Staying hydrated can be helpful, as well as avoiding sudden temperature changes, like getting into a cold shower or diving into water. According to the NHS, Hydroxycarbamide (hydroxyurea) may be recommended, which is taken as a pill once a day. This can lower the quantity of other blood cells and requires careful monitoring, however. Some people may also be able to have a medicine called crizanlizumab, either on its own or alongside hydroxycarbamide, usually injected into a vein every four weeks. To prevent infections, many people with sickle cell disease will take daily antibiotics. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live TikTok has gone wild for adult gymnastics – here’s what you should know Man explains why he swapped veganism for raw meat diet: ‘I feel great’ Rugby star Ugo Monye: Boarding school shaped my career and my personality

Neiman Marcus’s third-quarter earnings declined as the retailer was forced to offer more promotions to contend with weaker

It's time to tuck that rogue strand of hair behind your ear for garrulous talk

As CeeCee Smith came up in gaming — both as a gamer and industry professional — she found a community in the women-centric PMS Clan that helped her realize two things: that there were career paths in the industry for people like her (avid fans with no art or coding skills), and that there was space for women to love and excel at first-person shooter games like Halo and Call of Duty, which were rising in popularity at the time. “[Video games] are all about that challenge to complete objectives,” she said during Thursday’s Refinery29 Twitch stream. “It was about being transported to different worlds, and from that, you constantly want to be doing better than last time … That’s kind of where [my passion] started in my soul.”