Mortality News and Research

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An inverse relationship between smoking and COVID-19

Researchers at the University of Washington and Stanford University School of Medicine have reported a significant inverse relationship between current smoking and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rates across forty countries.

15 Jun 2020

Molecular approach can improve diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a serious problem associated with a wide variety of lung diseases, which can lead to right ventricular dysfunction and death.

15 Jun 2020

BCG vaccination strengthens the immune system

A tuberculosis vaccine developed 100 years ago also makes vaccinated persons less susceptible to other infections. While this effect has been recognized for a long time, it is not known what causes it.

15 Jun 2020

Experts outline best way to predict common heart rhythm disorders

Use the right tool for the job. Today experts outline the best way to identify people most likely to develop common and devastating heart rhythm disorders.

15 Jun 2020

Vitamin K may offer protective health benefits as we age, study suggests

A new, multi-ethnic study found older adults with low vitamin K levels were more likely to die within 13 years compared to those whose vitamin K levels were adequate.

15 Jun 2020

Tuberculosis and polio vaccines may offer temporary protection against SARS-CoV-2

As the world grapples with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, scientists race to develop an effective vaccine to protect against the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus. While potential vaccines are still being developed and tested, researchers propose that existing vaccines could give the immune system a temporary boost to ward off infection.

14 Jun 2020

Hydroxychloroquine ineffective in animal SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study by scientists from the U.S and U.K. and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports that there is no evidence of efficacy for the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) against infection with SARS-CoV-2 in hamsters or macaque models. This finding does not support the current widespread prophylactic and therapeutic use of HCQ in COVID-19.

14 Jun 2020

Factors that determine COVID-19 mortality

A potentially important new study by MIT researchers and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in June 2020 shows that COVID-19 death rates in U.S. states correlate with several factors like commuting to work, temperatures, and geographical location, but not with ICU beds, obesity or poverty. This work, if validated, could help identify the actual contributing factors that shape mortality rates across the USA.

14 Jun 2020

Study finds link between high levels of dietary AGEs and breast cancer risk

Hollings Cancer Center researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina and colleagues assessed the connection between dietary advanced glycation end products and breast cancer risk in a study first published online March 2020 in Cancer Prevention Research.

12 Jun 2020

COVID-19 may trigger the onset of diabetes in healthy people

Emerging evidence suggests that COVID-19 may actually trigger the onset of diabetes in healthy people and also cause severe complications of pre-existing diabetes.

12 Jun 2020

COVID-19 batters a beloved Bay Area community health care center

A small band of volunteers started the Marin City Health and Wellness Center nearly two decades ago with a doctor and a retired social worker making house calls in public housing high-rises.

12 Jun 2020

COVID-19 outbreak likely to worsen in Brazil, says GlobalData

Recently, Brazil has steadily climbed the chart of the top 10 countries with the highest total of COVID19 cases, now ranking number two just behind the US.

12 Jun 2020

Drug-like molecules offer a promising treatment for COVID-19

A team of researchers at the University of Georgia has successfully demonstrated that a set of drug-like small molecules can block the activity of a key SARS-CoV-2 protein-;providing a promising path for new COVID-19 therapeutics.

12 Jun 2020

Fentanyl tops the list of drugs detected in overdose patients at Baltimore hospitals

A new University of Maryland study found fentanyl tops the list of drugs detected in overdose patients at two Baltimore hospital emergency departments.

12 Jun 2020

Type III interferons can increase risk of bacterial "superinfections" in the lung, research shows

Interferons and other cytokines produced by the immune system are important defenses against viral infections, but as we have seen in COVID-19, they can also contribute to damaging, potentially life-threatening lung inflammation.

12 Jun 2020

Study identifies gaps in surgical care

A Rutgers-led study in Colombia can help health care providers across the globe develop plans to improve surgical care access in their regions.

11 Jun 2020

Strength training increases muscle strength and size in patients with cirrhosis

Three hours of weekly strength training combined with protein supplements leads to both bigger and stronger muscles in patients with cirrhosis. This is shown by a new study from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital.

11 Jun 2020

Race-related differences in genetic determinants of COVID-19 severity

Researchers at the University of Iowa have identified differences in gene expression levels between African Americans and European Americans that may explain the disproportionately higher rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and related deaths among African Americans.

11 Jun 2020

Study provides evidence to support survival benefit of open surgery for early-stage cervical cancer

A study led by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center confirms that minimally invasive surgery for early-stage cervical cancer is linked to higher rates of recurrence and death compared with open surgery.

11 Jun 2020

Artificial intelligence, probabilistic modeling can improve prediction of survival in cancer patients

Improving the prediction of survival indicators in patients with breast cancer using tools from artificial intelligence and probabilistic modeling is the aim of ModGraProDep, an innovative system presented in a study led by Ramon Clèries, lecturer at the Department of Clinical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona and member of the Oncology Master Plan/ICO-IDIBELL.

11 Jun 2020