Mortality News and Research

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Higher rate of cancer in meat industry

A study of over 6600 meat industry workers around New Zealand has found a significantly high rate of cancers, particularly lung cancer, which may be caused by exposure to cancer causing agents carried by animals.

31 May 2004

Vermont announces free or discounted nicotine patches and gum

Free or discounted nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) - nicotine patches and gum - will be provided for a limited time to all adult Vermonters who want to quit smoking cigarettes, thanks to a significant expansion of the Vermont Department of Health's NRT program announced.

31 May 2004

Breast reduction instead of removal a viable breast cancer alternative

Women at high risk of developing breast cancer may have an additional preventative alternative to having their breasts removed – breast reduction surgery, according to a study published in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

31 May 2004

Tobacco-related illnesses costs Ilinois $6.7 billion annually

Tobacco-related illnesses take the lives of more than 16,500 Illinois residents each year and cost the state $6.7 billion annually in medical care and lost productivity, according to Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director.

27 May 2004

Weight loss medication Xenical® more effective than lifestyle changes alone in managing weight

The weight loss medication Xenical® (orlistat) has been shown to be significantly more effective than lifestyle changes alone in managing weight in overweight adolescents, according to new study results presented today at ECO2004, Prague, Czech Republic.

27 May 2004

ACE inhibitors for diabetics cut in half the risk of death

ACE inhibitors, a type of medication often used to treat high blood pressure or heart disease, can lower mortality rates for people who have diabetes -- whether they have cardiovascular disease or not, according to a study published in the June issue of Diabetes Care.

26 May 2004

In the years between adolescence and adulthood, about three men die for every woman

In the years at the dangerous border between adolescence and adulthood, about three men die for every woman, according to a new University of Michigan study of the ratio of male to female mortality rates in 20 nations, including the United States.

25 May 2004

New findings suggest mammograms may help predict cardiovascular disease

The presence of breast vascular calcifications found through common mammograms is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in women, according to an article in the May Journal of Women's Health.

25 May 2004

CRT devices used in combination with optimized pharmacologic therapy (OPT) significantly impact patient's quality and length of life

UI Heart Care researchers are among the first in the nation to evaluate the effectiveness of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices to reduce the risk of mortality and hospitalization in advanced heart failure patients.

25 May 2004

Heart failure is a leading cause of death and nearly 5 million people in the United States suffer from it

“Heart failure is a leading cause of death and nearly 5 million people in the United States suffer from it,” says Mariell Jessup, MD, Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of the Heart Failure and Transplantation Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP).

24 May 2004

Among older people, diabetes substantially increases premature deaths

A new study involving tens of thousands of people 65 and older suggests that even among older people, diabetes substantially increases premature deaths, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

24 May 2004

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics awards $21 million to Vertex

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has announced that it has expanded its drug discovery and development collaboration with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT), the nonprofit drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

24 May 2004

KETEK® (telithromycin) is highly active in vitro against Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) isolates

Results from an ongoing surveillance study, PROTEKT US (Prospective Resistant Organism Tracking and Epidemiology of the Ketolide Telithromycin – United States) Year 2 (2001-2002), suggest that KETEK® (telithromycin) is highly active in vitro against Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) isolates, including those resistant to other antimicrobial agents.

24 May 2004

African-Americans more likely to die of colon cancer

African-Americans with colon cancer are more than 50 percent more likely to die of their cancer within five and ten years after surgery than Caucasians. According to a new study published May 24, 2004 in the online edition of CANCER.

24 May 2004

WHO to tackle heart disease, diabetes, cancers, road safety as well as diseases

The World Health Assembly, the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization, has raised global public health to a new level, by resolving to take more action to prevent death and illness resulting from heart disease, diabetes, cancers, road safety, and lack of access to health services as well as from diseases spread by viruses, bacteria and other dangerous microbes.

22 May 2004

WHO reports likely Ebola case in Sudan

As of 10 May, WHO reported cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever syndrome in Hai-Cuba, Yambio, Western Equatoria Region, south Sudan. A rapid assessment team is in the field to investigate the situation. Clinical samples have been collected and preliminary results are expected soon.

21 May 2004

Zinc may help to accelerate recovery from pneumonia

The addition of zinc to standard antimicrobial treatment may accelerate recovery from pneumonia, say researchers in this week's issue of The Lancet.

20 May 2004

No justification for claims that cleaning and hygiene contribute to an increase in allergies

A landmark report by the London-based International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) on the so-called hygiene hypothesis finds "no justification" for claims that cleaning and hygiene contribute to an increase in allergies.

20 May 2004

Studies identify risk factors for colon cancer in women

In new studies presented today at Digestive Disease Week in New Orleans, scientists report that women’s preferences for a female physician may delay or prevent proper colorectal screenings due to a lack of females in the field and diabetes may be a significant risk factor for development of colon cancer.

19 May 2004

CRT implantable defibrillators significantly reduce hospitalization rates and extend lives

Researchers at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center have announced the findings of a large-scale clinical trial for patients with late-stage heart failure. Results showed that cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) from implantable pacemaker-like devices or CRT combined with an implantable defibrillator (CRT-D), when used in addition to optimal drug therapy, reduced significantly the mortality and first hospitalization rate when compared to drug therapy alone. CRT-D also substantially lowered mortality.

19 May 2004