New Alliance clinical trial studies impact of exercise on cancer patients
Business Announcement
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Dec-2025 01:11 ET (21-Dec-2025 06:11 GMT/UTC)
The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology has launched a new clinical trial seeking to evaluate the feasibility of delivering a structured exercise program entirely through telehealth for patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy with the ultimate goal of reducing fatigue and disability. The DEFEND (distance-based exercise to preserve function and prevent disability), trial (Alliance A222302) aims to enroll participants between the ages of 18 and 65 who are receiving chemotherapy with curative intent. The study will assess whether virtual exercise sessions, consisting of supervised resistance and aerobic exercise training, can successfully be delivered to patients during treatment. The study will also explore whether the exercise program can help patients maintain physical function, reduce fatigue and prevent disability during treatment, providing critical data to inform the design of a subsequent phase III trial powered to evaluate the impact of exercise on these outcomes.
A new study led by Swansea University has revealed a new way to potentially treat certain autoimmune diseases by targeting a protein that helps regulate energy production in immune cells.
CHICAGO, IL — Since the start of the 21st century, more than 800,000 people in the US have died from firearm-related injuries, and over two million have been injured. These harms stem from homicide, suicide, and unintentional shootings, reverberating through communities and resulting in psychological, social, and economic consequences that go far beyond physical injury.
Amid these persistent challenges, JAMA and JAMA Network convened a JAMA Summit in March 2025, bringing together 60 thought leaders from medicine, public health, law, industry, and community violence intervention, with a singular focus: how to substantially reduce firearm harms. Today, JAMA publishes the JAMA Summit Report on Reducing Firearm Violence and Harms, a blueprint for action featuring experts from across sectors committed to advancing evidence-based solutions to reduce firearm-related injury and death.
A new report proposes a range of initiatives to substantially reduce the harm caused by firearm violence in the United States over the next 15 years. The report, to be published Nov. 3 in the journal JAMA, proposes a range of initiatives. These include using artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to detect concealed weapons, and expanding programs that address poverty, social distrust and other factors behind violence in American communities. Since 2000, more than 800,000 Americans have been killed and more than 2 million injured by firearms. The report summarizes discussions of 60 experts in public health, criminology, sociology, social work, public policy and other fields. “We really tried to step back and think about what innovations are needed to address the firearm problem in a new way — realizing we live in a country with a Second Amendment and somewhere around 400 million firearms in private hands,” said Dr. Frederick P. Rivara, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He chaired the summit.
Since 2019, overall rates of nicotine vaping have declined among U.S. youth, but those who continue to vape are showing signs of worsening addiction, according to new USC research. Between 2020 and 2024, the share of current users who vaped every day increased from 15.4% to 28.8%. Over the same period, the share of daily users who tried to quit but were unable to rose from 28.2% to 53%. The researchers analyzed the past five years of data from Monitoring the Future, an annual in-school survey that asks 8th, 10th and 12th graders across the country about their substance use. Over the study period, the demographics of youth vapers also changed. By 2024, more vapers were female, non-Hispanic Black or from a rural area. More youth vapers also reported using other substances, including alcohol and cannabis. Among youth in rural communities, daily vaping jumped dramatically—from 16.4% in 2020 to 41.8% in 2024, a spike that has prompted the study team to examine further. Masonbrink is now planning a follow-up study with youth in urban, suburban and rural areas to explore their experiences with nicotine product marketing and product access, as well as prevention and public health messaging.