Mortality News and Research

RSS

Study to improve symptom awareness

Asthma sufferers who have difficulty recognising the early warning signs of an attack are being targeted by a new RMIT University study.

6 Jun 2005

Patients with advanced heart failure significantly improved after receiving stem cell therapy

The study showed, 30 days after receiving the stem cells by injection into their hearts, patients improved an average of 41 percent in their hearts' pumping efficiency and the distance they could walk nonstop increased by 72 percent in a standard test widely used to assess heart patients.

6 Jun 2005

One-time whooping cough vaccination at 11 years of age may potentially be cost-effective

Despite childhood vaccination rates at all-time highs, pertussis (whooping cough) has re-emerged over the past two decades, especially among adolescents, adults, and young infants. Because of this resurgence, federal health policymakers are considering a national booster vaccination program.

6 Jun 2005

Calorie restriction not the only way to increase longevity

New research carried out by University College London (UCL) scientists has found that it is possible to increase life expectancy by 50% without decreasing calorie intake - at least in fruitflies.

3 Jun 2005

Oral cancer screening saves lives

Oral cancer is the 8th most common cancer in men and ranks 14th among women worldwide. There were 274,300 new cases and 145,500 deaths worldwide in 2002. Two-thirds of this burden are borne by developing countries, and over 30% by India alone. A high rate of oral cancer has been recorded in the Indian subcontinent, central and eastern Europe, parts of France, southern Europe, South America, and Oceania.

3 Jun 2005

Diabetes knowledge has little effect on improving outcomes

A new study by Duke Clinical Research Institute researchers finds little relationship between what a diabetic patient knows about the disease and control of its associated cardiovascular risk factors or how well the patient ultimately fares.

3 Jun 2005

How consumer behavior is affected by ideas of mortality - called mortality salience

In our post 9/11 world, Americans demand more--more food, more drink, more time with friends and family, and more time for religion.

3 Jun 2005

Women living longer - infant mortality dropping

In 2003 Washington had a lower percent of low-weight births, a lower infant mortality rate, and a higher life expectancy rate than the nation as a whole.

2 Jun 2005

Metabolic syndrome prevalent in elementary school children

The metabolic syndrome, a dangerous cluster of risk factors previously seen in adults and adolescents, is now appearing in elementary school-aged children.

2 Jun 2005

HIV deaths drop 90 percent among African-American IDUs who are given access to combination drug therapy

Combination drug therapy effectively reduces 90 percent of HIV deaths in African-American injection drug users when they are given ample access to care, according to a new Academy study in the June issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

1 Jun 2005

Heart doctors say off-pump or on-pump, no difference in bypass surgery

As far as the American Heart Association (AHA) is concerned, the long running debate over whether patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery do better if their hearts keep beating or if a heart-lung machine takes over should end.

1 Jun 2005

Nearly half of non-ventilated patients in intensive care units experience delirium

A study published today in the open access journal Critical Care reveals for the first time that nearly half of non-ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICU) experience delirium, which is also an independent predictor of longer hospital stay. It was previously though that this was only an issue for mechanically-ventilated ICU patients.

31 May 2005

Bioniche Life Sciences granted European patent

Bioniche Life Sciences has announced that it has had another patent granted on its core technology: Mycobacterial Cell Wall-DNA Complex (MCC). The European Patent Organization (EPO) granted the patent: - "Composition and Method for Inducing Apoptosis in Prostate Cancer Cells" (EPO1165106)

30 May 2005

Fewer adults smoke in the U.S. and the number is dropping

Using data from the 2003 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the study found that approximately 21.6 percent of U.S. adults, over 45 million people, are current smokers.

29 May 2005

Disturbingly high rate of home care patients are being admitted to hospital suffering from pneumonia

A two-year study showed home-care patients suffering from Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP is acquired outside of hospitals) account for 25 of every 1,000 people who visited emergency rooms suffering pneumonia.

26 May 2005

Competition from specialty hospitals promotes high-quality patient care

Specialty hospitals provide quality care to patients by offering new choices, and this hospital competition should not be stifled, the American Medical Association (AMA) testified to a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs this week.

26 May 2005

A small kidney stone should not preclude people from being donors

Results from a Mayo Clinic study suggest that using kidneys which have kidney stones for living donor transplant has little impact on the organ's function one year later.

26 May 2005

Increase in heart surgery mortality from SSRIs or depression?

Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that patients who were using a class of anti-depression drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) prior to undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery have significantly higher death and rehospitalization rates up to five years after the procedure than patients who were not on SSRIs.

26 May 2005

Tobacco use persists after liver transplant for alcoholic liver disease

Alcohol and tobacco often go hand-in-hand. Studies have shown that approximately 90 percent of problem drinkers also smoke or chew tobacco. But tobacco use is not adequately addressed when patients undergo liver transplantation due to alcoholic liver disease, say authors of a new report.

26 May 2005

Most serious side effects in statins may be higher in one of the newest drugs, rosuvastatin (Crestor)

A post-market analysis of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins indicates that some of the most serious side effects may be higher in one of the newest drugs, rosuvastatin (Crestor). The drug is the strongest statin available because it has the greatest effect per milligram on low-density lipoprotein ("bad" cholesterol).

26 May 2005