Over the last three decades, differences in unhealthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure between older adults with obesity and those with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) have narrowed or disappeared in several high-income countries, suggests a study published in The Lancet. The authors propose that this trend is due to the greater, and possibly more intensive, use of cholesterol-lowering medication (such as statins) and blood pressure medication in people aged over 40 living with obesity in high-income countries. 

The latest issues of four American Psychiatric Association journals (The American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, American Journal of Psychotherapy, and Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice) are now available online.

 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.

A new international expert consensus statement published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine(Opens in a new window) provides important guidance for doctors on how to identify, monitor and treat a serious lung complication that affects many people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

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.”