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Ethiopia reduced child mortality rate by more than half over past 20 years

Ethiopia has reduced its child mortality rates by more than half since 1990, from about 20 percent to 8.8 percent, "through campaigns to increase the number of health workers and clinics throughout the country, government and aid officials said on Friday," Reuters reports.

14 Nov 2011

New-onset AF, severe sepsis may increase risk of stroke and mortality in hospital settings

A recent study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shows an increased risk of stroke and mortality among patients diagnosed with severe sepsis and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) during hospitalization.

14 Nov 2011

Exelixis reports cabozantinib phase 2 trial data on bone metastases

Exelixis, Inc. today reported interim data on pain relief and related reduction in narcotic analgesic use with cabozantinib in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients with bone metastases.

14 Nov 2011

UCLA School of Nursing faculty members to present at AHA 2011

A failing heart's effect on the short-term memory. The impact of telephone interventions on behaviors in Latinos. Depression and heart disease. Risk factors contributing to premature coronary atherosclerosis in premenopausal women. These are just a few of the research findings that will be presented by faculty members of the UCLA School of Nursing at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, being held November 12 - 16 in Orlando, FL.

14 Nov 2011

Depression linked to heart disease mortality among young people

The negative effects of depression in young people on the health of their hearts may be stronger than previously recognized. Depression or a history of suicide attempts in people younger than 40, especially young women, markedly increases their risk for dying from heart disease, results from a nationwide study have revealed.

14 Nov 2011

Religion promotes optimism, support systems, and reduced mortality risk in older women: Study

A new study released last Thursday showed that those who attend religious services regularly are more optimistic and have a lesser tendency to be depressed, compared to those who do not attend services at all.

13 Nov 2011

Multimodal interdisciplinary strategy needed to treat resistant arterial hypertension

Five to 15 percent of all patients with hypertension fail to respond to drug treatment. However, a range of treatment options are now available in these cases.

11 Nov 2011

Delirium may increase risk of death in elderly hospital patients

Hospital patients over 65 who are referred for a psychiatric consultation and found to have delirium are more likely than those without delirium to die within one year following diagnosis, according to a new study published in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.

11 Nov 2011

Action on climate change required to prevent harm to health, development, reports say

"A lack of action on climate change and habitat destruction will threaten the progress of developing countries," because environmental sustainability affects "a wide range of social issues," including "health, education, income, gender disparities and energy production, combined with protection of the ecosystem," according to the U.N. Development Program (UNDP)'s Human Development Report 2011, titled, "Sustainability and Equity: a Better Future for All," VOA News reports.

11 Nov 2011

Wood stoves with chimneys linked to reduced childhood pneumonia

Cooking stoves with chimneys can lower exposure to indoor wood smoke and reduce the rate of severe pneumonia by 30 percent in children less than 18 months of age, according to a new air pollution study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health.

11 Nov 2011

Stroke warning signs need more urgent attention

Patients who suffer stroke-like attacks can have mortality rates 20 per cent higher than the general population, new research finds, leading to calls for better stroke prevention strategies for those who experience a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

10 Nov 2011

Experimental drug selectively destroys blood supply of fat tissue and decreases body fat

Obese rhesus monkeys lost on average 11 percent of their body weight after four weeks of treatment with an experimental drug that selectively destroys the blood supply of fat tissue, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in Science Translational Medicine.

10 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Romney's critical missing information on Medicare; anti-smoking messages too graphic

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney conveniently left out key facts when he ripped a new health care cost-control measure - the Independent Payment Advisory Board. . The Affordable Care Act also specifically limits the board's powers. It cannot ration care, reduce benefits, raise premiums or other cost-sharing such as copays. As part of that, it cannot raise Medicare's eligibility age, as Romney himself has proposed.

10 Nov 2011

Adult living donor liver transplantations safe for donors

Desperately needed adult living donor liver transplantation is a safe surgery for the donor, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

9 Nov 2011

Three common scales are not accurate predictors of severe dehydration in children

A physician team from Rhode Island Hospital led a study to evaluate the accuracy of the commonly used dehydration scales as they apply to children in a low-income country. Based on their experience in Rwanda, the researchers determined that none of the three scales were accurate predictors of severe dehydration in children with diarrhea and/or vomiting.

9 Nov 2011

Assisted reproduction rates rise and multiple births decline: Australian report

Latest reports from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that the number of Australian and New Zealand women giving birth to twins after becoming pregnant with the help of assisted reproductive technology has reduced and may continue its declining trend.

8 Nov 2011

GAPPS research into causes of preterm births and development of solutions

Thirteen million babies are born prematurely every year, but new funding announced today will allow for pioneering research into the causes of preterm births and the development of solutions so they can be prevented.

8 Nov 2011

Referral to stroke prevention clinic reduces mortality by 26%

Research led by Dr. Vladimir Hachinski of The University of Western Ontario reveals just how important it is for patients to be referred to a stroke prevention clinic following either a mild stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). The study, published in the journal Stroke in November, showed a 26% reduction in one-year mortality rates among those referred to a stroke prevention clinic.

8 Nov 2011

Study finds spinal bleeding in young children with abusive head trauma

A new study found that spinal bleeding is found often in young children who are victims of abusive trauma. The findings support performing complete spine imaging for children undergoing brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for moderate or severe traumatic brain injury and suggest a pathway for distinguishing between abusive and accidental injury.

8 Nov 2011

MRSA co-infection increases risk of flu-related mortality among children

During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, many previously healthy children became critically ill, developing severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, sometimes fatal. The largest nationwide investigation to date of influenza in critically ill children, led by Children's Hospital Boston, found one key risk factor: Simultaneous infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increased the risk for flu-related mortality 8-fold among previously healthy children.

7 Nov 2011