Month: August 2012
Religion and Dying: How to Plan
Guest Column by the Rev. Tarris Rosell, Ph.D., D.Min., Rosemary Flanigan Chair, Center for Practical Bioethics A recent news story quoted a father who said that his faith would not allow for his dying daughter to be moved to hospice. On religious grounds, he had…
Advance Care Planning: Take Charge of HOW You Die
U.S. West Nile cases, deaths jump in latest week
DALLAS (Reuters) – The number of U.S. West Nile virus infections has jumped more than 60 percent in the past week, putting this year's outbreak on track to be the worst on record, and federal health officials are stumped by its severity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Wednesday said 1,118 cases and 41 deaths have been reported so far this year, up from fewer than 700 cases and 26 deaths just one week ago. That is the highest number of West Nile virus infections reported through the third week of August since the virus was first detected in the United States in 1999, the CDC said. …
More strokes after bypass than stent procedures
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People undergoing bypass surgery to improve blood flow to the heart are more likely to suffer a stroke afterward than those who have a stent inserted instead, according to a new look at past evidence. Researchers collected data from 19 studies that included almost 11,000 patients with blocked arteries who were randomly chosen to have bypass surgery or to get a stent, used to prop open unhealthy blood vessels. Taken together, that data showed patients in the bypass group were three times more likely to have a stroke while recovering from their heart procedure. …
The Defining Issue of Our Generation
West Nile Virus on Track for Worst Year Ever
Older Dads May Pass on More Genetic Mutations to Their Kids
Medicare spending forecast reduced in new CBO analysis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Medicare, the popular healthcare program for the elderly that both political parties vow to rescue from financial ruin, will spend less money over the coming decade than previously expected, U.S. analysts said on Wednesday. In a report on the U.S. economy and budget, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reduced its spending forecasts for Medicare by $19 billion for 2012 and by $169 billion over the coming decade from earlier this year. Total Medicare spending is projected at $7.7 trillion for the 10 years ending in 2022. …
US sees record spike in West Nile virus cases
The United States is experiencing the worst outbreak of West Nile virus since the mosquito-borne disease was first detected in 1999, health officials said Wednesday.
