Articles: mortality.
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Editorial Comment
Particulate air pollution and mortality--clearing the air.
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Dec 2000
Changing mortality patterns in East and West Germany and Poland. II: short-term trends during transition and in the 1990s.
To examine trends in life expectancy at birth and age and cause specific patterns of mortality in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) and Poland during political transition and throughout the 1990s in both parts of Germany and in Poland. ⋯ This study provides further insights into the health effects of political transition. Post-transition improvements in life expectancy and mortality have been much steeper in East Germany compared with Poland. Changes in dietary pattern and, in Germany, medical care may have been important factors in shaping post-transition mortality trends.
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The overall improvement in the health of Americans over the 20th century is best exemplified by dramatic changes in 2 trends: 1) the age-adjusted death rate declined by about 74%, while 2) life expectancy increased 56%. Leading causes of death shifted from infectious to chronic diseases. In 1900, infectious respiratory diseases accounted for nearly a quarter of all deaths. ⋯ The child dependency ratio far exceeded the elderly dependency ratio during most of the 20th century, particularly during the first 70 years. The elderly ratio has gained incrementally since then and the large increase expected beginning in 2010 indicates that the difference in the 2 ratios will become considerably less by 2030. The challenge for the 21st century is how to balance the needs of children with the growing demands for a large aging population of elderly persons.
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To review recent studies in pathogenesis and management of ventilator-induced lung injury. ⋯ Ventilator-induced lung injury is an iatrogenic disturbance that increases morbidity and mortality associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Tidal volume reduction and increased levels of PEEP have reduced inflammatory mediators and the mortality associated with ARDS.