It makes sense that a viral infection during a pregnancy might negatively affect the fetus — but scientists now know that some effects of an adverse event during pregnancy may not be revealed for decades. On a more empowering note, scientists have found that low stress in pregnancy, consistent parenting in a child’s early years and quality preschool experiences reduce the risk of heart disease and mental illness in adulthood.

Those particular insights on how early life impacts future health, and many more, were made possible because of the New England Family Study, a one-of-a-kind research project launched in 1959 and continuing today.

Wei Guo of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues from the Perelman School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, and School of Engineering and Applied Science have teamed up to uncover how solid tumors’ complicated microenvironments can manipulate cancer-fighting CAR T cells through extracellular vesicles, causing the engineered CAR T cells to commit fratricide—essentially turning against each other instead of attacking the cancer.

A Johns Hopkins Medicine-led analysis of medical information gathered on a diverse group of almost 250,000 people over four years has significantly clarified the link between the “exclusive” use of e-cigarettes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as high blood pressure in a sub-group of adults 30 to 70 years of age. 

A paper by psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center suggests that public perception of governmental support for comprehensive drug policies, including harm reduction, is a postive predictor of trust in local government.