New Test Could Predict Chance of Dying Within 30 Days
Photo Credit: Telegraph [Editor’s note: This new “test” is probably anything but scientific and will likely be used to justify terminating life-extending treatments. Just one more step in the brave new world of health care rationing?] By Sarah Knapton. A test to determine if elderly patients will die within 30 days of being admitted to hospital has been developed by doctors to give them the chance to go home or say goodbye to loved ones.
Health experts say the checklist will prevent futile and expensive medical treatments which merely prolong suffering.
The screening test looks at 29 indicators of health, including age, frailty, illness, mental impairment, previous emergency admissions and heart rate and produces a percentage chance of death within one month and 12 weeks.
Researchers say the aim of Critera for Screening and Triaging to Appropriate aLternative care, or CriSTAL for short, is to kick-start frank discussions about end of life care, and minimise the risk of invasive ineffective treatment.
“Delaying unavoidable death contributes to unsustainable and escalating healthcare costs, despite aggressive and expensive interventions,” said lead author Dr Magnolia Cardona-Morrel, a researcher at the University of New South Wales. (Read more about the test that could predict chance of dying HERE)
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Switching Off Single Gene Could Extend Your Life by 12 Years
By Sarah Knapton. Switching off a single gene could extend life by 12 years and make elderly people fitter, scientists have suggested.
The gene called Myc is important in cell division, growth and death and when it is overactive it can lead to cancer.
Now scientists have discovered that limiting the gene in mice helped the animals live for 15 per cent longer without suffering any ill effects, the first time it has been shown in mammals.
Not only did the mice live longer but they were fitter and did not develop age-related conditions such as osteoporosis, cognitive impairment or decreased metabolism. And they had a healthier immune system. The only noticeable difference was that the mice were smaller than usual.
Researchers at Brown University in the US believe the same mechanism could improve the health and lifespan of humans. A 15 per cent increase in longevity for the average Briton would add 12 years to their lives. (Read more from this story HERE)
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