My Virtual Reading Room

Not surprised...
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Sepsis tied to more than half of all hospital deaths in the U.S., study finds
Researchers who analyzed 6.5 million hospitalization records in 2010 found that up to 52% of all patients who died in U.S. hospitals had sepsis. While hospitalization rates dropped between 2000 and 2010, sepsis mortality in hospitals increased during that time, and more than more than one-fifth of all hospital charges were associated with sepsis. Data "suggest that improved care for sepsis patients of all severity levels and in all hospital settings could result in many future lives saved," said lead study author Dr. Vincent Liu.

HealthDay News (5/18)

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Very interesting--learned about this phenomenon last year, but not from this cause:
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Binge drinking found to result in translocation of bacteria

Washington DC - infoZine - A single alcohol binge can cause bacteria to leak from the gut and increase levels of bacterial toxins in the blood, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Increased levels of these bacterial toxins, called endotoxins, were shown to affect the immune system, with the body producing more immune cells involved in fever, inflammation, and tissue destruction.

Read the rest of the article here
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Also very interesting, we shall see what the results of the randomized study are:

Aspirin as a possible treatment for breast cancer (NY Times)

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And another piece of promising research:

Star Trek's Tricorder Set To Be Reality -- Possibly Thanks To Canadians

(thanks to