Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute report that combining CAR T cell immunotherapy with a targeted radiopharmaceutical significantly improved tumor regression in preclinical models of neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that usually forms in nerve tissue outside the brain that primarily affects children. The findings were published in Cell Reports Medicine.

Compulsive smartphone habits in older adults can be linked to a higher risk of depression, according to a study led by a Rutgers researcher. 

Researchers said their findings raised concerns that technology widely promoted to build connections can instead deepen late-life isolation: While mobile devices can be invaluable lifelines, their impact on mental health depends heavily on the way people use them. A critical distinction, the researchers said, is whether someone uses technology to actively engage with the world or to withdraw. 

“It comes down to purposeful interaction versus compulsive escapism,” said Chien-Chung Huang, a professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work and a senior author of the study. “The same device can bridge the gap to loved ones and community or serve as a wall to shut them out.”

A study examining air quality and respiratory health in communities surrounding the Salton Sea in Southern California shows how environmental conditions, poor housing quality, and structural inequities combine to place children at greater risk for respiratory illness.