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.

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease highlights latest scientific studies of AD

A supplement to the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease on "Anesthetics and Alzheimer's Disease" provides the platform to bring the latest scientific studies to the AD research and clinical communities.

15 Nov 2010

Heart break fatal: Study

In the latest research scientists have found that it is really possible to die of a broken heart. The study shows that the immense grief of losing a loved one means that many people die within three years of their husband or wife.

14 Nov 2010

ESC emphasizes simple measures for diabetic patients to slow-down CVD progression

Diabetics can face a five times increase in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) than non-diabetics. This leads to a seven to ten year reduction in life expectancy and a higher probability of suffering a fatal heart attack. These sad statistics have prompted the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) to mark World Diabetes Day on 14 November 2010 by emphasising the simple measures that diabetes patients should adopt to slow-down the progression of CVD and greatly improve their quality of life.

11 Nov 2010

Adolescent obesity associated with risk of severe obesity in adulthood

Obese adolescents are 16 times more likely to become severely obese by age 30 than their healthy weight or even overweight peers, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

10 Nov 2010

Smoking increases risk of breast cancer progression in multiethnic women with breast cancer

Being a current smoker or having a history of smoking significantly increased the risk of breast cancer progression and overall death among a group of multiethnic women with breast cancer, according to the results of a large prospective cohort study.

9 Nov 2010

Pres. Obama, Indian PM Singh announce partnership to improve global food security

During a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, President Barack Obama announced a new partnership between U.S. and Indian agriculture sectors to help improve food security globally, Press Trust International/Livemint.com reports.

8 Nov 2010

U.N. Human Development Report finds significant quality of life gains among many developing countries over last 40 years, but gaps persist

"People around the globe are healthier, richer and better educated than ever before, with most developing countries registering huge gains over the last 40 years, a U.N. report [.pdf] released Thursday shows," the Canadian Press reports.

8 Nov 2010

Officials discuss HIV/AIDS in Caribbean during PANCAP meeting

"Despite the gains associated with antiretroviral treatments (ART) over the last decade, HIV/AIDS remains the leading cause of death among young and middle-aged adults in the Caribbean, warns a new U.N. report" that was released during the 10th Annual General Meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) that concluded on Tuesday, Inter Press Service reports (Richards, 11/3).

8 Nov 2010

Dementia patients should receive high-quality palliative care

The system for hospice admissions for patients with advanced dementia, which is a terminal illness, should be guided by patient and family preference for comfort, not estimated life expectancy, says a new study published in the Nov. 3 Journal of the American Medical Association by the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

3 Nov 2010

PAC points finger at British Labour party for health inequalities

The cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has criticised the British Labor party for allowing inequalities during its 13 years of power. The MPs said on the acute shortage of General Practitioners, “The Department of Health (DoH) should identify, as a matter of urgency, what measures it can take to drive up the numbers of GPs in deprived areas, including using direct financial incentives to encourage GPs into areas of greatest health need.” Tony Blair pledged to put reducing life expectancy differences at the heart of his policy after winning the general election in 1997.

2 Nov 2010

Eli Lilly's new research center to focus on diabetes in China

Eli Lilly and Company announced today plans to open a research center focused on diabetes in China, where the incidence of the disease has reached epidemic proportions.

2 Nov 2010

ISHIB releases new recommendations to manage hypertension in African Americans

Through the publication of its Consensus Statement on the Management of High Blood Pressure in Blacks in this week's issue of Hypertension, ISHIB today released new recommendations recognizing that high blood pressure among African Americans is a severe health problem. The consensus statement suggests that treatment should start sooner and be more aggressive among African Americans.

2 Nov 2010

Gore announces new Early TIPS for Ascites Study

W.L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today announced a new prospective, randomized, multi-center study at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The hypothesis of the study is that early intervention with the GORE® VIATORR® TIPS Endoprosthesis improves transplant-free survival when compared to large volume paracentesis in patients with cirrhosis and difficult to treat ascites.

1 Nov 2010

Value of medical innovation far outstrips its cost, says Lilly CEO

In a speech to the Dallas Friday Group today, John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., chairman, president and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, said that the value of medical innovation – particularly innovative medicines – far outstrips its cost. Lechleiter marshaled data showing that medical innovation over the past century dramatically extended life spans, improved quality of life, and boosted productivity.

30 Oct 2010

VIVUS receives FDA CRL for QNEXA NDA

VIVUS, Inc. announced today that it received a Complete Response Letter (CRL) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its New Drug Application (NDA) for the investigational new drug QNEXA® (phentermine/topiramate) Controlled-Release Capsules. The FDA issued the CRL to communicate its decision that the NDA cannot be approved in its present form.

29 Oct 2010

Higher heart rate linked to shorter life expectancy

If you are a person who already has stable heart disease, how fast your heart beats at rest can predict your risk of dying, not only from heart disease but all other causes, Dr. Eva Lonn told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

27 Oct 2010

CHORI hosts 2nd annual international Advanced Workshop on Sickle Cell Disease

Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland is hosting the 2nd annual international Advanced Workshop on Sickle Cell Disease October 28 and 29. This impressive conference will bring together hematologists from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, and beyond, and the premier sickle cell experts from the United States for a dialogue on research, comprehensive care, and new treatments and therapies.

27 Oct 2010

Pre-retirees concerned over rising healthcare costs

Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of pre-retirees ages 50-64 are not at all confident that they are saving enough to handle healthcare costs in retirement, according to a new survey from the Society of Actuaries (SOA). Additionally, only seven percent of participants said they are very confident about having enough savings.

26 Oct 2010

Research Roundup: U.S. life expectancy ratings; Medicare Advantage outlook; Should advanced cancer patients have routine screening tests?

Health Affairs: What Changes In Survival Rates Tell Us About US Health Care -- Proponents of changes in the U.S. health system have often pointed to studies that find health outcomes in this country are worse than other developed nations, even though the United States "spends well over twice the median expenditure of industrialized nations on health care, and far more than any other country as a percentage of its gross domestic product." Others point to high rates of smoking, obesity and traffic fatalities.

25 Oct 2010

Diabetes on the rise in Scotland

New reports show that one person is diagnosed with diabetes every 40 minutes in Scotland. This marks the rapid rise in the condition - a trend that is faster that experts had imagined. In the last 1 year another 14,000 Scots were added to those registered with GPs as diabetic.

24 Oct 2010