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Post-stroke depression increases risk of suicide and mortality

Antidepressant medications known as SSRIs, such as fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and escitalopram (Lexapro), are effective when given to stroke patients as a preventive measure, the physicians write in the journal Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation.

26 Apr 2013

Mayo Clinic implements electronic warning system to identify patients at risk of QT-related deaths

Using a one-of-a-kind computer-aided program, Mayo Clinic has developed and implemented a Mayo-wide electronic warning system to identify patients at risk of QT-related deaths from an abnormality in the heart's electrical system.

26 Apr 2013

Study investigates trends of fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries among children and adolescents

"Given recent firearm-related fatalities combined with declining gun research funding, it is important to monitor firearm injuries in youths. Injury death rates are available but provide an incomplete picture of these potentially preventable injuries," writes Angela Sauaia, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Colorado School of Public Health, Denver and colleagues

25 Apr 2013

Study: Regional anesthesia associated with with fewer postoperative complications in orthopedic surgery patients

A study published in the May issue of Anesthesiology discovered that spinal or epidural anesthesia, types of regional anesthesia that numb patients from the abdomen to the toes, were associated with fewer postoperative complications and death than general anesthesia in patients undergoing primary hip or knee replacement.

25 Apr 2013

Cardiac risk patients treated with beta-blockers have lower rates of mortality

Patients at elevated cardiac risk who were treated with beta-blockers on the day of or following noncardiac, nonvascular surgery had significantly lower rates of 30-day mortality and cardiac illness, according to a study in the April 24 issue of JAMA.

25 Apr 2013

Transvaginal sonography: Best diagnostic method for evaluating suspected ectopic pregnancy

For women with abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding during early pregnancy, patient history and clinical examination alone are insufficient to indicate or eliminate the possibility of ectopic pregnancy, while transvaginal sonography appears to be the single best diagnostic method for evaluating suspected ectopic pregnancy, according to an analysis of previous studies reported in the April 24 issue of JAMA.

25 Apr 2013

Beta blockade aids select surgery patients

Research supports the use of perioperative beta blockade in patients with cardiovascular risk factors undergoing nonvascular procedures, finding this treatment to significantly improve short-term survival.

25 Apr 2013

Surgery extends life for metastatic colorectal cancer patients

Individuals with colorectal cancer that has metastasized to the liver or lung live longer after curative surgery plus chemotherapy than their counterparts who receive palliative chemotherapy alone, report researchers.

25 Apr 2013

Serum C-peptide levels predict cardiovascular death risk

Levels of C-peptide predict the risk for death from cardiovascular disease in nondiabetic adults, show data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

25 Apr 2013

Schizophrenia cardiovascular risk under-recognized in primary care

UK researchers have found that despite being a major contributor to premature deaths among patients with schizophrenia, cardiovascular disease is less likely to be recorded on their primary care records than people without schizophrenia.

25 Apr 2013

Cardiovascular disease grave in patients with bipolar disorder

Cardiovascular disease has a particularly large impact on life expectancy if patients also have bipolar disorder, say researchers.

25 Apr 2013

Epstein–Barr virus linked to improved gastric cancer survival

Research shows that Epstein–Barr virus positivity in gastric tumor cells is associated with improved prognosis.

25 Apr 2013

Living liver donors at risk from life-threatening “near-miss” events?

A study published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society, reports that donor mortality is about 1 in 500 donors with living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

25 Apr 2013

New risk classification system proposed for prostate cancer

US researchers have put forward a risk stratification system for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer undergoing dose-escalated external-beam radiation therapy.

25 Apr 2013

Warning over US neurologist shortage

Neurologists are urging the US Congress to undertake policy changes that will encourage more medical residents to specialize in neurology to ensure patient access to care.

25 Apr 2013

ORAEs increase costs of care, hospital stays and risks of readmission and mortality, research finds

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the publication of findings from a retrospective analysis of more than 37,000 patients who underwent common inpatient surgeries at a large, 26-hospital healthcare system and received opioids for postsurgical pain management.

25 Apr 2013

Study: Melatonin delays symptom onset, reduces mortality in mouse model of ALS

Melatonin injections delayed symptom onset and reduced mortality in a mouse model of the neurodegenerative condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

25 Apr 2013