Mortality News and Research

RSS

Study of Chicago neighborhoods tracks prevalence of five key public health issues

The south and southwest sides of Chicago suffer the most in terms of residents' health and access to basic health resources, according to a new study of 77 Chicago neighborhoods.

17 Aug 2011

Study finds large variation in reoperation rates after colorectal surgery in England

There is a large variation in unplanned reoperation rates after colorectal surgery in English NHS hospitals, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

17 Aug 2011

Researchers identify five SNPs linked with aggressive, lethal prostate cancer

An international team of researchers led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has identified five inherited genetic variants that are strongly associated with aggressive, lethal prostate cancer.

17 Aug 2011

Seattle Children's receives Gates Foundation grant to complete development of Sea-PAP

Seattle Children's Research Institute today announced the receipt of a two-year, $2.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to complete prototype development of its new respiratory support device, called Seattle Children's Positive Airway Pressure.

17 Aug 2011

Alcohol and impulsivity are a dangerous mix

Alcohol and impulsivity are a dangerous mix: People with current drinking problems and poor impulse control are more likely to die in the next 15 years, a new study suggests. However, they could get by with a little help from their friends: The study also found that a strong social support network buffers the toxic effects of impulsivity.

17 Aug 2011

People with higher BMI during young adulthood likely to die earlier than others

Those 25-year-olds who are overweight now but think they will be fine as long as they lose weight eventually might need to reconsider. A study appearing online in the Journal of Adolescent Health finds that people who are overweight during young adulthood are likely to die earlier than others.

17 Aug 2011

EOSS could help physicians predict risk of death in obese patients

New research hopes to simplify and clarify the risk someone runs from being obese.

16 Aug 2011

A call for safer birth practices in Timor-Leste

Cassandra Clifford, founder and executive director of Bridge to Freedom Foundation, calls for safer birth practices in Timor-Leste in this Aid Netherlands blog post.

16 Aug 2011

Pfizer, QIAGEN partner to develop diagnostic-therapeutic combination for NSCLC

QIAGEN today announced it has entered into a partnership with Pfizer Inc. for the development of a companion molecular diagnostic test for use with an investigational Pfizer compound in global clinical development for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 16 Aug 2011

Prolonged TV viewing linked with reduced life expectancy

Watching TV for an average of six hours a day could shorten the viewer's life expectancy by almost five years, indicates research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

16 Aug 2011

EOSS could predict risk of death in overweight, obese people

A new tool - the Edmonton obesity staging system (EOSS) - improves on current methods to predict the risk of death in overweight and obese people, according to a study in CMAJ.

16 Aug 2011

An hour of TV a day shortens lifespan by 22 minutes: Study

Researchers have found that watching too much TV is as dangerous as smoking or being overweight, and that the “ubiquitous sedentary behaviour” should be seen as a “public health problem”.

16 Aug 2011

Maternal mortality rate in South Sudan estimated to be highest worldwide

The maternal mortality rate in Africa's newest nation, South Sudan, is estimated to be more than 2,000 maternal deaths per 100,000 births, "the highest in the world," MediaGlobal reports. "'In South Sudan, a woman has a bigger chance of dying during childbirth than to go to high school,' Jane Coyne, program manager from Medicins Sans Frontieres, told MediaGlobal," the news service writes.

12 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Brownback's 'snub'; The 'risks' of Medicaid cuts; Congressional alums on debt talks

The governor's inability to stand up to pressure from his own party will slow progress. The rejected grant was also helping to fund information technology intended to make the state's Medicaid eligibility process more efficient and cost effective. Now that project also may be jeopardized (8/11).

12 Aug 2011

NPR examines how religious beliefs influence family planning in Pakistan

NPR's "All Things Considered" on Wednesday examined how Islam influences health and family planning decisions in Pakistan, one of Asia's fastest-growing populations.

12 Aug 2011

Elderly individuals with higher BMI have shorter life expectancy

While some past studies have shown that persons carrying a few extra pounds in their 70s live longer than their thinner counterparts, a new study that measured subjects' weight at multiple points over a longer period of time reveals the opposite.

12 Aug 2011

Women worst hit by smoking

A study published in the British medical journal `The Lancet' on Thursday revealed that the risk of developing coronary heart disease is 25% higher for women smokers compared with men.

12 Aug 2011

Radiofrequency ablation safe and effective for treatment of dysplastic Barrett's esophagus

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a safe and effective option for the treatment of dysplastic Barrett's esophagus that attains lasting response, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. Progression of disease, which can precede cancer, was rare in patients who underwent RFA treatment, and there was no procedure- or cancer-related mortality.

12 Aug 2011

Red meat consumption may increase risk of type 2 diabetes

A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers finds a strong association between the consumption of red meat-particularly when the meat is processed-and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

11 Aug 2011

Jill Biden leads U.S. delegation to Kenya to assess conditions in Horn of Africa

Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, USAID Administrator Raj Shah, Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz and Special Assistant to the President Gayle Smith arrived in Kenya on Monday to assess and raise awareness of the famine conditions in the Horn of Africa, Capital FM News reports.

9 Aug 2011