Mortality News and Research

RSS

Hypertension in the very elderly trial stopped

An international trial looking at the benefits of giving blood-pressure lowering medication to elderly patients has stopped early, after researchers observed significant reductions in overall mortality in those receiving treatment.

7 Aug 2007

Short heart health programs improve life expectancy and reduce hospitalizations

Secondary prevention programs for coronary heart disease that contain less than 10 hours contact with health professionals and those provided by family doctors are just as effective in saving lives as more expensive, longer and more specialized hospital-based alternatives, according to cardiovascular researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

6 Aug 2007

Predicting outcomes before and after liver transplants

The most appropriate system for organ allocation for liver transplants is a subject of continuing debate.

3 Aug 2007

Headaches of computerized medicine

Clinical information technology systems especially those known in the health care industry as computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems promise to improve health outcomes, reduce medical errors and increase cost efficiency, but hospitals adopting them must plan for immense workflow issues and a host of other unanticipated consequences that come with them or face potentially crippling problems.

3 Aug 2007

Integrated system, rapid transfer offers lifeline for heart attack victims

Heart attack patients received lifesaving treatment quickly when hospitals and communities used an integrated, rapid transfer system to get patients to a facility equipped to perform artery-opening procedures, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

3 Aug 2007

Potential biomarker to predict acute kidney injury earlier than current tests

Clinicians currently lack advance warning of acute kidney injury (AKI) for patients where kidney injury timing is unknown.

3 Aug 2007

Possible anthrax drug targets

In the American government's biodefense efforts, the potential for terrorists to cause a deadly anthrax outbreak remains a significant concern, six years after the letter attacks that shook the nation shortly after 9/11.

3 Aug 2007

Erroneous messages on diet and breast cancer with potentially life threatening consequences

Recent media reports are suggesting that a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat has no notable impact on breast cancer recurrence or death.

2 Aug 2007

Incidence of melanoma has steadily increased in the United States

From 1995 to 2004, melanoma has increased by more than 1 percent per year in this country – in sharp contrast to overall cancer rates that have steadily decreased by 0.6 percent per year during this time.

2 Aug 2007

Mortality rates from pulmonary fibrosis will continue to rise

Mortality rates from pulmonary fibrosis (PF) have increased significantly in recent years, and are predicted to continue to rise, according to researchers from the University of Colorado.

2 Aug 2007

Seven out of ten women with anorexia recover

Anorexia nervosa is a disorder with a grim reputation. Even experts say that anorexia is often devastatingly chronic and carries high mortality rates.

2 Aug 2007

Breastfeeding from day one could save 1.3 million lives a year

A newly released study has shown that breastfeeding babies from day one reduces the risk of neonatal deaths.

1 Aug 2007

TB back in the news again in the U.S.

After years of hearing very little news on tuberculosis (TB), these days it seems to appear in the news on an almost weekly basis.

1 Aug 2007

Drugs designed to disable enzyme TOPK could have anti-cancer benefits

Working with human colorectal cancer cells, a University of Minnesota team, led by cancer biologists Zigang Dong and Ann Bode, has found the potential culprit among a network of enzymes that relay signals inside cells to regulate such functions as cell growth, cancer development and programmed cell death.

1 Aug 2007

Imaging technique accurate in aneurysm detection and therapy planning

Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography is highly accurate in depicting intracranial aneurysms, according to a study published in the August issue of Radiology.

1 Aug 2007

Shutting off a critical cancer gene causes cancers in mice to self-destruct

Killing cancerous tumors isn't easy, as anyone who has suffered through chemotherapy can attest.

1 Aug 2007

Disparities in infant mortality more to do with racism than with race

The cause of low birth weights among African-American women has more to do with racism than with race, according to a report by an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

1 Aug 2007

Takeda responds to FDA recommendation on Actos

Following a joint meeting today of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, Takeda Global Research & Development (TGRD) underscores its position that ACTOS(R) (pioglitazone HCl) offers a proven safety profile regarding the risk of cardiovascular disease.

30 Jul 2007

PA catheterization uses decreases substantially in U.S.

Use of the pulmonary artery catheter decreased by 65 percent in the U.S. between 1993 and 2004, possibly due to growing evidence that this invasive procedure does not reduce the risk of death for hospitalized patients, according to a study in the July 25 issue of JAMA .

25 Jul 2007

Studies assess blood clot prevalence outside hospital prevention in hospital

More cases of venous thromboembolism are diagnosed in the three months following hospitalization than during hospitalization, but less than half of inpatients receive medications to prevent blood clots from occurring, according to a report in the July 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

24 Jul 2007