Life Expectancy News and Research

RSS

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.

Actelion Pharmaceuticals announces availability of PAH Mobile Reference Guide

Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. is announcing the availability of the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Mobile Reference Guide, the first multimedia smart phone application that provides information on PAH disease, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment guidelines to healthcare professionals.

10 Jun 2010

Researchers look at exercise as new way to slow degenerative processes of ALS

University of Alberta researchers are looking at exercise as a new way to slow the degenerative processes of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Dr. Kelvin Jones, a recipient of this year's ALS Canada Discovery Grant, has been pioneering research in this field for four years, using mice genetically altered to present familial ALS. He's found that exercise has a positive impact on the mice, slowing the disease significantly.

9 Jun 2010

Finished school – better health for Indigenous Australians

A new report prepared by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found that indigenous Australians who go on to complete their school education fare much better health wise than those who do not.

8 Jun 2010

Updated HIV treatment guidelines may benefit individuals infected with HIV: Researchers

Researchers from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and the University of British Columbia today released a comprehensive study revealing that the 2008 IAS-USA therapy guidelines for commencing HIV treatment would create significant benefits for individuals infected with HIV and society as a whole.

8 Jun 2010

Low LDL cholesterol levels increase life expectancy

A University of Minnesota study definitively shows that those with decreased LDL cholesterol levels can count on an increased life expectancy. The research is published in the May 24 edition of the Annals of Surgery.

8 Jun 2010

Chemotherapy delivered directly into liver blood vessels increases progression-free survival in melanoma patients

Patients undergoing treatment for melanoma that has spread to the liver may respond well to chemotherapy delivered directly into the liver's blood vessels, according to a study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and Delcath Systems Inc., and led by James F. Pingpank, M.D., associate professor of surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and surgical oncologist with UPMC Cancer Centers. The results will be disclosed in an oral presentation on June 5 in Chicago at the 46th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

7 Jun 2010

6th Research Congress of the EAPC reflects research in palliative care

The global interest for research in palliative care is increasing rapidly and The 6th Research Congress of the EAPC reflects this with a record number of abstracts and attendees -- more than 660 abstracts from 39 different countries will be presented to over 1200 international researchers and clinicians.

4 Jun 2010

Roche's new dual-PCR target HIV-1 viral load test receives FDA approval

Roche Molecular Diagnostics announced today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its new dual-PCR target HIV-1 viral load test to quantify the amount of virus in a patient's blood. The COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® TaqMan® HIV-1 Test, v2.0 is the first quantitative viral load test to amplify and detect two separate regions of a target genome and offers a fully automated and reliable solution for physicians to make informed treatment decisions for HIV-1 patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

4 Jun 2010

A sense of humor keeps people healthy

A sense of humor helps to keep people healthy and increases their chances of reaching retirement age. But after the age of 70, the health benefits of humor decrease, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have found.

4 Jun 2010

American Cancer Society and NPCRC award $1.8M for palliative care research

The American Cancer Society and the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) are awarding $1.8 million in research grants to researchers at 12 institutions for studies aimed at reducing suffering for seriously ill patients and their family caregivers. The studies will be conducted over the next two years. Since 2007, a collaborative effort by the organizations has awarded 51 grants totaling almost $7 million.

4 Jun 2010

New approach to treat RA can change lives of millions of patients: Research

Portuguese scientists have just published a revolutionary new approach to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) which, if translated to humans, can change the way we treat autoimmunity (and so diseases like RA but also diabetes and MS) and, with it, the lives of millions of patients.

3 Jun 2010

New book proposes engineering approach to US health care reform

The current problems of access, affordability and quality in the US healthcare system won't be solved by providing health insurance to all. The editors of the new book Engineering the System of Healthcare Delivery (ISBN: 978-1-60750-532-7) propose an engineering approach to healthcare. In this publication by IOS Press, editors William B. Rouse and Denis A. Cortese and a team of highly regarded thought leaders in the field explain their vision.

3 Jun 2010

Tomorrow's elderly will need to pay for care

As their autonomy fades, tomorrow's elderly will need to create non-traditional support networks or pay for the care they receive.

2 Jun 2010

Research roundup: Reform's impact on health spending; Cultural/Racial differences in medicine; Swine flu lessons

The Impact Of Health Reform On Health Spending - This issue brief "projects the effect of national reform on total national health expenditures and the insurance premiums that American families would likely pay. We estimate that, on net, the combination of provisions in the new law will reduce health care spending by $590 billion over 2010-2019 and lower premiums by nearly $2,000 per family.

29 May 2010

NICE denies availability of Sorafenib liver cancer drug on NHS

Sorafenib (brand name Nexavar) will not be made available on the NHS for people with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of primary liver cancer.

28 May 2010

Lymphoma Foundation Canada applauds Ontario government's decision to publicly fund Rituxan for CLL

Lymphoma Foundation Canada (LFC) applauds Ontario's recent decision to publicly fund Rituxan (rituximab) in combination with Fludarabine-based chemotherapy for patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

26 May 2010

Reducing consumption of sugary drinks can lower blood pressure: Research

Research led by Liwei Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has found that there is an association between sugary drinks and blood pressure and that by cutting daily consumption of sugary drinks by just one serving a day, people can lower their blood pressure.

25 May 2010

Stem cell research could lead to new treatment strategies for motor neuron disease

The Motor Neurone Disease Association is funding its first ever stem cell research programme to help unlock the secrets of this fatal, neurological condition.

24 May 2010

Scientists identify new gene candidates that regulate aggregate formations in Huntington's disease

They might not be known for their big brains, but fruit flies are helping to make scientists and doctors smarter about what causes Huntington's disease and how to treat it. New research, published in the journal GENETICS (http://www.genetics.org) describes a laboratory test that allows scientists to evaluate large numbers of fruit fly genes for a possible role in the formation of plaque-like protein aggregates within cells.

24 May 2010

Experts to discuss impacts of air pollution on life expectancy, cardiovascular disease

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sponsoring a seminar called "Breathe Cleaner, Live Longer: Understanding Air Pollution after 40 Years." The event is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology.

21 May 2010