The effectiveness of chemotherapy for brain cancer, done with a technique that opens the blood-brain barrier, can be monitored by blood draw, researchers at Northwestern Medicine and the University of Michigan have shown.

The largest-ever study testing the effectiveness of an evidence-based approach to increasing physical activity using smartphone fitness trackers gamification to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease will launch at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Ascension, one of the nation’s leading non-profit health systems , thanks to a $25 million award. The six-year study, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), will build on the highly successful BE ACTIVE trial, published in 2024, which demonstrated sustained increases in daily step counts using a behavioral economics based approach to gamification to enhance ongoing engagement, where participants were awarded points for meeting daily step goals and progress through levels based on accumulated points.

About The Study: With the use of a mobile app, this study captured detailed time use data among individuals with advanced ovarian and metastatic breast cancer receiving treatment. Half of participants spent approximately 7 hours per week on cancer-related tasks, with most reporting cancer-related tasks daily.

Poor health is the primary reason why more than half of middle-aged workers in the United States retire earlier than planned, but state vocational rehabilitation agencies that provide career assistance to individuals with disabilities may be able to help potential retirees remain in the workforce longer, according to a study led by Allison Fleming, associate professor of education at Penn State.