Life Expectancy News and Research

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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.

Life expectancy at 65 is now 81.6 years for men and 84.5 for women

The nation’s medicine cabinets are more crowded than ever, with almost half of all people taking at least one prescription medicine and one in six taking three or more medications, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ annual check-up on Americans’ health.

4 Dec 2004

Research shows how diet can improve health in the elderly

Adapting diets to reduce the occurrence of Alzheimer’s or osteoporosis and more generally to improve health among the elderly are some of the possibilities revealed by EU research on nutrition and health.

29 Nov 2004

New possibilities for the use of VEGF in the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ALS is an incurable, paralyzing neurodegenerative disorder that strikes 5 persons in every 100,000. The disease commonly affects healthy people in the most active period of their lives − without warning or previous family history.

29 Nov 2004

Women now making up nearly half of the 37.2 million adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV worldwide

A new report released today shows that the number of women living with HIV has risen in each region of the world over the past two years, with the steepest increases in East Asia, followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In East Asia, there was a 56% increase over the past two years, followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 48%.

23 Nov 2004

36% of cancer patients ages 65 and older participate in clinical trials

A new study finds that only 36% of cancer patients ages 65 and older participate in clinical trials, despite making up 60% of the U.S. cancer population. The study will be published November 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

14 Nov 2004

Although age isn’t considered when matching kidney donors with their recipients, it should be

Although age isn’t considered when matching kidney donors with their recipients, it should be, according to a new study being presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s 37th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri.

1 Nov 2004

Alimta approved as first treatment for Mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by asbestos

Lilly UK announced today that Alimta( (pemetrexed) will be available shortly for the treatment of people diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs for which there is no known cure. Pemetrexed is the first licenced treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma, in combination with cisplatin.

1 Nov 2004

Study into ageing yields wealth of data

Any long-term study that follows people in their old age is bound to lose numbers because of deaths among its subjects, but the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA) and many of its participants are still going strong.

19 Oct 2004

QIMR researchers have received a 5 year grant to develop a vaccine against Group A streptococcus

QIMR researchers have received a 5 year grant from the National Institutes of Health in the USA to develop a vaccine against Group A streptococcus. This extremely prestigious grant makes QIMR one of the most successful recipients of NIH funding in Australia.

18 Oct 2004

Geriatricians call for creative and wide-reaching solutions to end-of-life care for patients with dementia

Three University of Chicago geriatricians are calling for creative and wide-reaching solutions to the problem of sub-optimal end-of-life care for patients with dementia.

14 Oct 2004

Surgical treatment for morbid obesity helps prevent hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea

A summary of data from numerous studies suggests that the majority of morbidly obese patients who underwent bariatric (obesity) surgery experienced effective weight loss and improvement in diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea, according to an article in the October 13 issue of JAMA.

12 Oct 2004

Groundbreaking research to investigate how work, relationships, family, school life, divorce and lifestyle affect the health and wellbeing of Australian men

A groundbreaking research project by the University of Western Sydney is set to investigate how issues such as work, relationships, family, school life, divorce and lifestyle affect the health and wellbeing of Australian men.

12 Oct 2004

Treatment of obesity reduces the onset of lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus, and even erectile dysfunction

And according to the University of Adelaide’s Associate Professor Gary Wittert, who is championing The Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study, there is a compelling argument for an aggressive intervention program given the high prevalence of obesity and the relationship to the aforementioned health problems.

11 Oct 2004

South African sales of MedMira rapid HIV tests begin

MedMira Inc., the international market leader in rapid flow- through diagnostic technology announced today that it has begun shipment of its MiraWell(TM) Rapid HIV Test to its distributor.

26 Sep 2004

Inflammation could have important implications for modern-day health care

Starting in the mid-1850s, humans began living longer due, researchers believe, to improvements in living conditions, nutrition, income levels and medicine.

18 Sep 2004

New biological principle and therapeutic goal for cancer treatment

Pioneering research on leukaemia cells can have identified their vulnerable spot. This new knowledge can now be used to produce more effective medicines.

14 Sep 2004

Growing up in polluted towns and cities increases risk of lung health issues

Children who grow up in towns and cities with high pollution levels are at increased risk of lung health issues or low functioning lungs. New research suggests that pollutants from vehicle emissions and fossil fuels have an adverse effect on a child's lung development and can also lower childrens lifetime breathing capacity.

8 Sep 2004

Are Latin America and the Caribbean ready to meet the health challenges of the coming senior boom?

Advances in medicine and public health have dramatically increased life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean.But is the region ready to meet the challenges of the coming "senior boom"?

31 Aug 2004

Rats as well as humans can become addicted to drugs

The voluntary consumption of drugs is a behavior found in a number of species of animal. But until now it was thought that drug-addiction was a specific behavior of humans.

13 Aug 2004

Link between short-term hormone therapy (HT) and improvements in life quality for women with menopausal symptoms

An article in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine explains how a computer based simulation model has found a link between short-term hormone therapy (HT) and improvements in life quality for women with menopausal symptoms. The article also points out that short-term hormone therapy may actually shorten life expectancy.

10 Aug 2004