Life Expectancy News and Research

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Life expectancy is the expected (in the statistical sense) number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by e''x'', which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged ''x'', according to a particular mortality experience.

Health expenditures show stronger link with gains in life expectancy for males than for females

Health care spending is a large - and ever increasing - portion of government budgets. Improving its efficiency has therefore become critically important. In the first-ever study to estimate health spending efficiency by gender across 27 industrialized nations, researchers discovered significant disparities within countries, with stronger gains in life expectancy for men than for women in nearly every nation.

13 Dec 2013

Study: Immune cells outside the brain may regulate propensity to develop depression

A new study shows that immune cells outside the brain may regulate propensity to develop depression. The data were presented today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting.

13 Dec 2013

New research report provides insights on retirement risks

Around 70 percent of pre-retirees plan to work longer in retirement, while only 37 percent of retirees took this approach to address retirement risks. These findings are one of several retirement planning issues covered in the Society of Actuaries new research report, "2013 Risks and Process of Retirement Survey." The report provides insights on how Americans decide to retire and how they manage resources in retirement.

9 Dec 2013

Study explains important link between ED and development of coronary artery disease

Erectile dysfunction is caused by the inability of the artery that supplies blood to the penis to expand and contract properly. The study of this mechanism has led to a new understanding of the important link between ED and the development of coronary artery disease, and to new strategies for prevention and treatment, as described in Journal of Men's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

7 Dec 2013

Aortic valve implantation does not impair mental capacity of patients

Aortic valve stenosis is the most frequent heart valve defect of older people in Europe - the cause is usually increasing calcification of this important valve. In patients at high and excessive risk, conventional cardiac surgery is often no therapeutic option.

6 Dec 2013

Study validates prognostic tool that determines risk of death within 1 year of hospital admission

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine validates a prognostic tool that determines risk of death within a year of hospital admission, helping doctors match treatments to patients' values and goals of care.

6 Dec 2013

Study identifies high burden of pain in older adults

More than half of older adults in the United States - an estimated 18.7 million people - have experienced bothersome pain in the previous month, impairing their physical function and underscoring the need for public health action on pain. Many of those interviewed by investigators for a study published in the current issue of PAIN- reported pain in multiple areas.

3 Dec 2013

$Study reveals non-hip, non-vertebral fractures may also increase risk of death$

Study reveals non-hip, non-vertebral fractures may also increase risk of death

It is well known that hip and vertebral fractures increase the risk of premature death. Until now, little has been known about the clinical impact of non-hip, non-vertebral fractures - so new Australian research showing that they may also increase the risk of death will better inform treatment.

28 Nov 2013

Research: Human neural stem cells could improve blood flow in critical limb ischemia

New research has shown human neural stem cells could improve blood flow in critical limb ischemia through the growth of new vessels. Critical limb ischemia is a disease that severely obstructs arteries and reduces the blood flow to legs and feet. CLI remains an unmet clinical problem and with an ageing population and the rise in type II diabetes, the incidence of CLI is expected to increase.

27 Nov 2013

Researchers identify new form of treatment for brain tumor

Glioblastoma is one of the most ominous brain tumors. Despite aggressive surgery, radiation and chemotherapy the outcome of this disease is almost always fatal.

26 Nov 2013

Bangladesh outperforms Asian neighbours despite low spending on health care

Exceptional improvements in the survival of infants and children under 5 years of age, life expectancy, immunisation coverage, and tuberculosis control in Bangladesh are part of a remarkable success story for health in the South Asian country, according to a major new Series published in The Lancet. This is despite low spending on health care, a weak health system, and widespread poverty.

21 Nov 2013

Obese children could suffer step back in life expectancy by up to 10 years

In Mexico, overweight or obese children could suffer a step back in life expectancy by up to 10 years. According to the National Institute of Geography and Statistics (INEGI), the life expectancy in Mexico is of 73 years for women and 76 years for men.

21 Nov 2013

Study finds high rate of anisometropia in older adults

Follow-up in older adults shows a high rate of anisometropia, or differing levels of visual abnormalities between eyes, reports a study in Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

21 Nov 2013

Simple blood test may predict people at highest risk for developing heart problems

For years, doctors have been divided on how effective annual testing and screenings are for apparently healthy individuals. New research, however, shows that a simple blood test may predict who is at highest risk to develop heart problems - and how long these people may have to live.

20 Nov 2013

New hope for patients whose melanoma has metastasised to the brain

New data show that in patients whose melanoma (BRAF V600 mutation-positive) has spread (metastasised) to the brain, Zelboraf (vemurafenib) extends life expectancy by over six months compared to chemotherapy.1 These results are welcome news for patients suffering from metastatic melanoma, as up to half of these patients are diagnosed with brain metastases with many given less than six months to live.1

18 Nov 2013

Scientists join patients to address Friedreich's Ataxia

The Spanish Federation of Ataxia (FEDAES)—in representation of the GENEFA Platform for a Friedreich's Ataxia cure—, the Babel Family association for biomedical research into Friedreich's Ataxia, the "Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa" (CMBSO), and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have signed an agreement through which these patients' associations will fund, by means of donations, a 3-year research project addressing Friedreich's Ataxia.

16 Nov 2013

Study: Surgical weight loss may be able to reverse the effects of aging

Stanford University researchers say surgical weight loss may turn back the effects of aging at a genetic level, in the first study* of its kind presented here during ObesityWeek 2013, the largest international event focused on the basic science, clinical application and prevention and treatment of obesity.

16 Nov 2013

Study outlines “sobering reality” of the U.S. health care system

Over the last decade, the biggest driver of the high health care costs in the United States has been neither the aging of the population nor the large numbers of tests and treatments being prescribed.

13 Nov 2013

Hebrew University to participate in new European research project on chronic pain

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is one of 11 universities, medical centers and research institutes in seven countries participating in ncRNAPain, a new European research project that aims at further exploring the biological mechanisms underlying chronic pain.

12 Nov 2013

Bruker to hold NMR webinar in late November

One of the world's leading analytical instrumentation companies is presenting an educational webinar on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) later this month.

From Bruker BioSpin Group 5 Nov 2013