Mortality News and Research

RSS

Link between SSRI use in pregnancy and stillbirth refuted

Study findings suggest that use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy does not pose any increased infant mortality risk.

3 Jan 2013

A little extra fat could be protective

A review of almost 100 studies found that people who were overweight or slightly obese had a lower risk of dying compared to those considered "normal" weight.

3 Jan 2013

Adrenomed creates Adrecizumab to decrease death rates from sepsis

The German corporation Adrenomed AG today announced its intentions to contribute to the reduction of mortality from sepsis and septic shock. Sepsis is an advanced systemic infection that travels via the blood stream to many of the body's vital organs, which can lead to death and disability.

3 Jan 2013

Mortality risk from long-term exposure to traffic pollution

Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with increased rates of all-cause, cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer mortality, a large German study indicates.

2 Jan 2013

Inpatient mortality increased by emergency department overcrowding

Periods of high crowding at emergency departments have a detrimental impact on outcomes, with increased patient mortality, length of hospital stay, and healthcare costs for admitted patients, US study findings indicate.

2 Jan 2013

Pediatric caustic ingestion injuries ‘much lower than believed’

The public health burden associated with children swallowing caustic chemicals is less than widely believed, US researchers report in the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

2 Jan 2013

Soligenix's OrbeShield granted FDA oral BDP orphan drug designation

Soligenix, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the Office of Orphan Products Development of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to OrbeShield (oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate or oral BDP) for the prevention of death following a potentially lethal dose of total body irradiation during or after a radiation disaster.

2 Jan 2013

First Edition: January 2, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a number of reports about congressional efforts to avert the "fiscal cliff."

2 Jan 2013

No significant link between SSRI use during pregnancy and risk of stillbirth, neonatal death

In a study that included nearly 30,000 women from Nordic countries who had filled a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescription during pregnancy, researchers found no significant association between use of these medications during pregnancy and risk of stillbirth, neonatal death, or postneonatal death, after accounting for factors including maternal psychiatric disease, according to a study in the January 2 issue of JAMA.

1 Jan 2013

Insufficient evidence for low oxygen in preterm resuscitation

Using low- rather than high-oxygen-concentration resuscitation gas for preterm infants cannot be recommended on the basis of available evidence, say researchers.

31 Dec 2012

Subclinical hypothyroidism not a risk factor for heart disease

Persistent subclinical hypothyroidism in older adults is not associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events, US research shows.

28 Dec 2012

Concern over transfusions in myocardial infarction patients

A meta-analysis highlights the consistent observational finding that patients with myocardial infarction who receive blood transfusions are at high risk for dying.

28 Dec 2012

SVR associated with prolonged overall survival in patients with chronic HCV infection

Among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and advanced hepatic fibrosis (development of excess fibrous connective tissue), sustained virological response (SVR) to interferon-based treatment was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with patients without SVR, according to a study in the December 26 issue of JAMA.

26 Dec 2012

Blood transfusion for patients with myocardial infarction associated with increased all-cause mortality

A meta-analysis of 10 studies suggests that receipt of a blood transfusion among patients with myocardial infarction (heart attack) was associated with increased all-cause mortality compared with not receiving a blood transfusion during heart attack, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

25 Dec 2012

Computed tomography-induced cancer risk may be overstated

Clinicians should be careful not to overemphasize the risk for radiation-induced cancer when counseling patients on undergoing surveillance computed tomography imaging, caution US scientists.

24 Dec 2012

Reducing fat intake leads to weight loss, smaller waists

Lower-fat diets lead to reduced body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference in adults over the long term even when weight loss is not the intended outcome, according to a meta-analysis published in BMJ.

22 Dec 2012

Narrow therapeutic window for Canavan disease

Gene therapy for Canavan disease slows brain atrophy and stabilizes patients’ clinical condition, show findings that highlight the need for very early diagnosis and intervention.

22 Dec 2012

High-dose rifampicin combination could improve meningitis survival

A treatment regimen including high-dose rifampicin administered intravenously in addition to standard or high-dose moxifloxacin has an acceptable safety profile and could improve survival for patients with tuberculous meningitis, indicate phase II trial results.

22 Dec 2012

Research Roundup: Health law's under-26 coverage 'significantly increased' access to care; Thousands of surgical 'never events' occur each year

The health law allows young adults to remain under their parents' health insurance plans until age 26, raising questions about the law's overall impact on access to care. Researchers used data from two nationally representative surveys to compare young adults who've gained access to dependent coverage to a control group of individuals (ages 26-34) unaffected by the new policy.

21 Dec 2012

Longer looks: Disparities in nursing home penalties; Understanding dying with dignity

My mortality wake-up call came in a hospital after knee surgery, when I flat-lined because of a heart arrhythmia and was resuscitated by a nurse. In response to columns about those events, stories have streamed in from people who are running out of time themselves, or enduring the pain of watching loved ones fade. The deaths they face are as different as the lives they've lived, but a steady refrain runs through their emails and letters.

21 Dec 2012