Calculated risk: A new tool to predict mortality in patients with liver failure

For patients with chronic liver disease, the onset of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) instantly alters the transplant question from “if” to “when.” Between 60 and 70% of patients with ACLF die within 3 months due to poor liver function and multiple organ failure. A timely liver transplant is the only way to save their lives. […]

Inherited risk of early-onset cancer higher among BAME families

Increased risk of cancer due to a genetic predisposition in first- and second-degree relatives is long-established but has previously only been studied in white or European populations. Now, a new study published in eLife is the first to demonstrate that the inherited risk of early-onset cancer is significantly higher among Latino and African American families […]

New risk calculator to save many more lives from heart attack and stroke

A new risk calculator will better predict people at high risk of heart and circulatory diseases years before they strike, and is ready for use across the UK and Europe, according to research published today in the journal European Heart Journal. The risk calculator, SCORE2, will be adopted by the upcoming European Guidelines on Cardiovascular […]

Healthy living helps ward off deadly prostate cancers in men at high risk

A nutritious diet, regular exercise and other components of a healthy lifestyle may reduce the odds of lethal prostate cancer in men with a high genetic risk for it, researchers report. “The excess genetic risk of lethal prostate cancer could be offset by adhering to a healthy lifestyle,” concluded co-lead author Anna Plym. She’s a […]

Brazil at high risk of dengue outbreaks after droughts because of temporary water storage

Dengue risk is exacerbated in highly populated areas of Brazil after extreme drought because of improvised water containers housing mosquitoes, suggests a new study in Lancet Planetary Health. The research was led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s (LSHTM) Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health and Centre for the Mathematical Modelling […]

Inflammatory bowel disease may up risk for psychiatric disorders

(HealthDay)—Adult-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with an increased risk for psychiatric disorders and suicide attempts, according to a study published online Feb. 26 in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis. Jonas F. Ludvigsson, M.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Solna, Sweden, and colleagues assessed the risk for psychiatric morbidity and suicide in adult-onset […]

Method makes it easier to research risk factors during pregnancy

Imagine that you are going to conduct research on how different factors affect a child in the womb. Bad habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol or poor eating habits are factors that may affect the child. However, it would be completely out of the question for a researcher to ask a pregnant woman to expose […]

Heart-healthy lifestyles linked to lower risk of future cancers

In addition to lowering risk of heart disease, maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle may pay off in lower risk for developing cancer, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and other centers in the United States and the Netherlands have found. Looking at the potential link between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer among participants in two large […]