Login
Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers Increase Risk of Developing Future Cancers
People who survived cancer as teens and young adults are at increased risk of developing cancer later in their lives, according to research from the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Approximately 16% of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors who stayed cancer-free for at least five years are at high risk, compared to about 12% of people in the same age group without cancer.
New cancers that develop after earlier cancers are known as subsequent primary neoplasms. Important risk factors for developing an additional cancer later on in life include the cancer treatment the person received (chemotherapy, radiology, and/or hormone therapy) and age of initial cancer diagnosis.
Declining Vaccination Rates in Allegheny County, PA. — 1 in 3 Kindergarten Classrooms Lack Herd Immunity for Measles
As the risk of measles remains an ongoing concern, herd immunity in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is already slipping. According to data obtained via The Washington Post in January 2026, 1 in 3 Allegheny County kindergartners were in a classroom too far below adequate vaccination coverage to stop a measles outbreak during the 2023–24 school year.
A professor from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health, Kar-Hai Chu, and a research program supervisor, Maggie Slavin, answered our questions about declining measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates and what it means for the future of public health.
Private and parochial/religious schools in Allegheny County fall below the herd immunity threshold, while public schools tend not to. What explains that gap, and should it concern us?
Study Shows Traumatic Brain Injury Effects Go Beyond Initial Injury in Children
Researchers have discovered that children and adolescents with medically diagnosed traumatic brain injury face lasting effects beyond the initial injury, such as higher rates of anxiety and depression. Through a new study, published in JAMA Network Open, there have also been discoveries on how to ease some effects.
Researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, and University of Washington analyzed ties between medically diagnosed TBI and mental (anxiety and depression) and physical (frequent headaches and chronic pain) health outcomes of youths between 6-17 years old.
Researchers discovered that those with TBI had a higher prevalence of poor health than those without TBI and higher chances of anxiety, frequent headaches and chronic pain.
“Our study shows that the impact of traumatic brain injury in children often extends well beyond the initial injury,” said Dr. Henry Xiang, principal investigator in the Center for Injury Research and Policy and senior author of the study. “Children who experience TBI face increased risks of mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression, highlighting the importance of routine mental health screening and long-term follow-up care.”
Pregnancy-Related Deaths Rose During Pandemic, Remain Elevated for Black Women, Study Finds
Pregnancy-related deaths in the United States increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the greatest impact seen among Black women, a new study suggests.
While rates have since returned to pre-pandemic levels for most groups, they remain significantly higher for Black mothers, according to the Michigan Medicine research in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
“We saw a dramatic increase in pregnancy-related deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the recovery has not been equal across all groups,” said senior author Lindsay Admon, M.D., M.Sc., an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan Medical School and obstetrician-gynecologist at U-M Health Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital.
“We need to better understand what’s driving these differences so we can develop solutions that reduce maternal deaths and improve outcomes for everyone.” The U.S. has long had the highest maternal mortality rate among peer nations, and the COVID-19 pandemic made the crisis worse.
Teens Are Becoming Concerned About Their Attachment to AI Chatbots
It’s estimated that more than half of all of U.S. teens are regularly using companion chatbots powered by large language models and generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The programs, such as Character.AI, Replika and Kindroid, are intended to provide companionship, according to the companies that make them. But a recent study from Drexel University suggests that teens are concerned that these attachments are becoming unhealthy and affecting their lives offline.
The study, which will be presented at the Association of Computing Machinery’s conference on Human Factors in Computing in April, looked at a sample of more than 300 Reddit posts from users, identifying themselves as 13 to 17 years old, who had specifically posted about their dependency and overreliance on Character.AI.
It found that in many cases, teens began using the technology for emotional and psychological support or entertainment, but their use evolved into dependency and even patterns associated with addiction. Some reported their overuse disrupted sleep, caused academic struggles and strained relationships.
Roblox to Introduce Age-Based Accounts in Latest Effort to Shore up Safety Measures
Roblox Corporation said Monday it will introduce new age-based accounts for young users as the company seeks to step up safety measures on its online gaming platform.
Roblox said the accounts, which will roll out in early June, will tailor content, communication and parental controls more closely to users’ ages. The California-based company said it will automatically assign users ages 5 to 8 to a Roblox Kids account and users ages 9 to 15 to a separate account called Roblox Select.
Users under age 9 will be prevented from using the chat function, while users 9 to 15 will be able to use it to a limited degree. At age 16, users will have full access to the online gaming platform and all of its features, except restricted content, which is limited to users age 18 and older, according to Roblox.
The company said it will also give parents more control to block specific games and manage direct chat features for their children. Earlier this year, Roblox rolled out an age verification system in an effort to limit communication between adults and children under 16.
