2023

Beetroot juice supplement lowers blood pressure and improves exercise capacity in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

A 12-week course of daily beetroot juice supplement for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) lowered blood pressure and improved how far patients could walk in six minutes in research published n the European Respiratory Journal [1]. COPD is a serious lung condition affecting around 400 million people worldwide [2]. COPD which includes chronic […]

Aid agencies are failing patients with breast cancer in war zones meaning more will develop advanced disease

Lisbon, Portugal: Patients with breast cancer in conflict zones around the world are being “massively under-served” by governments, UN aid agencies and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Professor Richard Sullivan told the Advanced Breast Cancer Seventh International Consensus Conference (ABC 7) in a video presentation from the Rafah crossing where he is working with the United […]

People with advanced breast cancer are forced out of work with a cost to themselves and the economy

Lisbon, Portugal: The majority of people living with advanced breast cancer give up working against their will, according to research presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Seventh International Consensus Conference (ABC 7). [1] As well as the personal costs of being out of work, the new study shows that there is a significant overall cost […]

Latest results from PHOEBE trial show patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer live longer on pyrotinib

Lisbon, Portugal: Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer that has started to spread to other parts of the body survive for longer if they are treated with a new drug called pyrotinib, according to results from the longest follow-up of the PHOEBE randomised clinical trial in China. Presenting the latest results at the Advanced Breast Cancer […]

Job loss is linked to increased risk of miscarriage and stillbirth

Researchers have found a link between a pregnant woman or her partner losing their job and an increased risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. The study, which is published in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, found a doubling in the chances of a pregnancy miscarrying or resulting in a stillbirth […]

Patients who quit smoking after percutaneous coronary intervention do as well as non-smokers – unless they had smoked heavily

Patients who quit smoking after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for narrowed arteries have similar outcomes as non-smokers during four years of follow-up after the procedure, according to a large study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. However, if they had been heavy, long-term smokers, no improvement was seen. The study of 74,471 patients […]

Identifying sepsis: only two out of four recommended screening tools are useful

Paramedics and emergency doctors almost never suspect sepsis Barcelona, Spain: Two out of the four internationally-recommended screening tools used by emergency medical services are inadequate for recognising sepsis, according to new research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress. Mrs Silke Piedmont, a health scientist at the Department of Emergency Medicine Campus Benjamin Franklin Charité […]

Patients visiting emergency departments because of alcohol abuse are more likely to make return visits and to die in the following decades

Barcelona, Spain: People who come to emergency departments with alcohol-related diseases or conditions are more likely to make return visits and to die in the following 20 years, than people who come to emergency departments for other reasons, according to new research. For many, this means they may die in their 40s or 50s. Professor […]

Ultrasound scans by doctors in emergency departments to diagnose deep vein thrombosis halve patients’ stay and may help to reduce over-crowding

Barcelona, Spain: If doctors in hospital emergency departments are trained to carry out ultrasound on patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT), they can nearly halve the time the patients spend in these departments. Dr Ossi Hannula, an emergency medicine specialist at the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland, who presented the findings […]

Women less likely to be given CPR than men in public places

– But in private spaces older people less likely to be given CPR –  Barcelona, Spain: Bystanders are less likely to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to women than men, particularly if the emergency takes place in a public area, according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1]. The study also shows that […]