Hope for new diabetes treatment

BBC NEWS Health Hope for new diabetes treatment: "A Stanford University team found that calcineurin is key to the health of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells that are defective in diabetes.
A study on mice showed the protein regulates 10 genes that had already been associated with the condition.
The Nature study raises hope of new treatments for a condition which affects millions worldwide. "

Many would 'want to live to 100'

BBC NEWS Health Many would 'want to live to 100': "Some 40% said they would give up sex - half of women and a third of men - 39% food and drinks and 42% travel.
But the Bupa survey of 1,003 people found 94% would not give up the company of family and friends and three quarters would not sacrifice money.
People cited being there for family and seeing grandchildren grow up as the main reasons for wanting to reach 100. "

rosiglitazone x placebo

The Lancet: "At the end of study, 59 individuals had dropped out from the rosiglitazone group and 46 from the placebo group. 306 (11·6%) individuals given rosiglitazone and 686 (26·0%) given placebo developed the composite primary outcome (hazard ratio 0·40, 95% CI 0·35–0·46; p<0·0001); 1330 (50·5%) individuals in the rosiglitazone group and 798 (30·3%) in the placebo group became normoglycaemic (1·71, 1·57–1·87; p<0·0001). Cardiovascular event rates were much the same in both groups, although 14 (0·5%) participants in the rosiglitazone group and two (0·1%) in the placebo group developed heart failure (p=0·01).
Interpretation
Rosiglitazone at 8 mg daily for 3 years substantially reduces incident type 2 diabetes and increases the likelihood of regression to normoglycaemia in adults with impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance, or both."

Social Watch Report 2006

index: "
Finances are usually explained in water metaphors: money "flows", benefits from growth "trickle down" to the poor, capital "leaks" out of countries to tax havens…From a first glance at this construction, most people will see a waterfall, in the very same way that most of the public in rich countries thinks there is an enormous flow of their tax contributions to poor countries, in the form of aid, loans, trade benefits and frequently talked about debt cancellations. If poverty still persists it must somehow be the fault of the poor people themselves or their governments.Now look at the picture again. The water cascading down doesn't quite reach the poor… Instead it is diverted and –against all rules of logic– while always running down it still ends up at the top again in a futile cycle.

The illustration, inspired by the famous "Waterfall" etching by MC Escher, is a good metaphor for the current "global financial architecture", an architecture that prominently features the Bretton Woods institutions (the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund - IMF), even when they fail at the objectives they were created for: to ensure financial stability, full employment and development.Remittances from migrant workers to their families in poor countries actually surpass in volume all the aid their countries receive. And it is the revenue from local taxpayers (or what is left of it once the external debts are paid for) that provides for most of the basic social services like education and health. If only the leaks could be plugged, there would be enough resources to provide the conditions of a dignified life for all of the people on the planet.But that would require a substantial redefinition of the present "impossible architecture" of global finances. The Social Watch Report 2006 explains the problem as seen by citizens from around the world and provides new perspectives and ideas for a viable blueprint that makes finances actually work for poverty eradication and development. "

Royal Society - Publishing - Reader Gateway - Journals archive from 1665Over 340 years

Royal Society - Publishing - Reader Gateway - Journals archive from 1665Over 340 years of landmark science available for the first time – September 14, 2006

Website: http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/index.cfm?page=1373

News: http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/news.asp?id=5165

“……..Nearly three and a half centuries of scientific study and achievement is now available online in the Royal Society Journals Digital Archive following its official launch this week. Including all the back articles of both Philosophical Transactions and Proceedings.

For the first time the Archive provides online access to all journal content, from Volume One, Issue One in March 1665 until the latest modern research published today ahead of print. And until December 2006 the archive is freely available to anyone on the internet to explore. …..”


Royal Society Journals Digital Archive:
http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/(xgyaeb452vvw5p554352yz55)/app/home/main.asp?referrer=default archive back to 1665
The Royal Society publishes the world's oldest peer-reviewed scientific journal, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'.

The new open access' journal service, called EXiS Open Choice: http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/news.asp?id=4838

The Royal Society (21 June 2006) launched a trial of an open access' journal service, which will allow people to read new scientific papers free of charge immediately after they are published on the web. The new service offers authors the opportunity to pay a fee to have their paper made freely available on the web immediately if it is accepted for publication by any Royal Society journal.

The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK and the Commonwealth dedicated to promoting excellence in science.

From: Tigre, Dr. Clovis Heitor (WDC) and
Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) [ruglucia@PAHO.ORG]

Link Proposed for Anemia and Impaired Thinking

Link Proposed for Anemia and Impaired Thinking - CME Teaching Brief® - MedPage Today: "BALTIMORE, Sept. 15 -- Mild anemia, long associated with to fatigue and weakness, may be an independent risk factor for loss of so-called executive function in older patients, researchers reported.
Community-dwelling women, ages 70 to 80, with anemia were four to five times more likely to perform poorly on executive function tests compared with those having normal hemoglobin levels, according to a study in the September issue of The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Impaired executive function (ability to solve problems, plan, assess danger, track important activities) often precedes memory loss and may affect the ability to carry out daily-living activities, such as shopping, cooking, taking medications, paying bills, and walking, said Paulo Chaves, M.D., Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins here, and colleagues.
A number of studies have investigated the relationship between mild anemia and physical functioning in community-dwelling older patients, but cognition has lagged behind, he said.
Dr. Chaves and his team studied 364 high-functioning older women (mean age 73.9), participating in the Women's Health and Aging Study II, in Baltimore, from 1994 to 1996.
More than 80% of the women had a Mini-Mental State Examination score of 27 or greater, and the hemoglobin for most was in the normal range, with only 8.6% (n=30) with anemia, defined as Hb less than 12.0 g/dL"

Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios 2005

Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios 2005:
"PNAD 2005: rendimento tem primeira alta em 10 anos.
Em 2005, cerca de 20% da população com 10 anos ou mais de idade no País navegou pela Internet e, pela primeira vez, o Brasil tinha mais domicílios com telefone celular do que com linha fixa.
O analfabetismo vem diminuindo, mas ainda atingia 10,2% das pessoas de 10 anos ou mais de idade e 11,1% das de 15 anos ou mais. Já o número de crianças de 5 a 14 anos de idade que trabalhavam cresceu 10,3% em relação a 2004. Na Região Nordeste, também pela primeira vez, o número de pessoas com 60 anos ou mais de idade excedeu o de crianças de menos de 5 anos de idade.
O rendimento médio real de trabalho cresceu 4,6% em relação a 2004. Considerando-se a série harmonizada(* ) (com os resultados de 2004 e 2005 adaptados à cobertura geográfica da PNAD até 2003) trata-se da primeira alta no rendimento desde 1996. Mas, na mesma série harmonizada, o rendimento médio real de trabalho de 2005 está 15,1% abaixo do de 1996.
O nível de ocupação (percentual de ocupados na população em idade ativa) foi de 57,0% em 2005. Considerando-se a série harmonizada, esse foi o nível de ocupação mais alto desde 1996. Já o nível de ocupação das mulheres (46,4%), na mesma série harmonizada, foi o maior desde 1992.
Em relação a 2004, o número de empregados com carteira assinada cresceu 5,3%. Também aumentou em 4,9% o número de trabalhadores que contribuíam para instituto de previdência. Na série harmonizada esse contingente atingiu seu maior percentual (48,0%) desde 1996.
Esses são alguns resultados da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD) do IBGE que, em 2005, entrevistou 408.148 pessoas em 142.471 domicílios em todas as Unidades da Federação. Somente a coleta dessas informações envolveu uma equipe com cerca de duas mil pessoas.
A PNAD 2005 traz dados sobre migração, educação, trabalho, família, domicílio, rendimento e ainda antecipa algumas informações da pesquisa suplementar sobre acesso à Internet e posse de telefone celular para uso pessoal, cujos resultados completos serão posteriormente divulgados."

Drug can help prevent diabetes, study says - The Boston Globe

Drug can help prevent diabetes, study says - The Boston Globe:
"Drug can help prevent diabetes, study says Found to diminish risk by 62 percent
By Alice Dembner, Globe Staff September 16, 2006
Millions of adults at high risk of diabetes could ward off the disease by taking a drug commonly used to treat it, according to the largest diabetes prevention study yet conducted.
The drug, rosiglitazone or Avandia, taken for three years, reduced the risk of getting diabetes by 62 percent, according to a report published yesterday. The results, which come as the rate of diabetes soars worldwide, match those achieved by a moderate program of exercise and diet that doctors have had trouble getting their patients to comply with.
``Regrettably, people aren't leaping off the couch" despite the evidence that exercise can prevent diabetes, said Dr. Larry C. Deeb, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association. ``Now we know that drug interventions work. We don't want to fix everything with a pill, but the ravages of this epidemic suggest that anything and everything is fair game."
In the United States, more than 21 million people have diabetes, a disease in which the body cannot process the sugar produced by digesting food. The government predicts that the number will grow to 48 million by 2050 unless there are extensive prevention efforts.
As many as 54 million Americans have a condition called prediabetes, with slightly elevated blood sugar levels, and about 10 percent of them are likely to develop diabetes each year. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to blindness, amputations, kidney failure, heart disease, and early death. The study looked at preventing the most common form of the disease, Type 2, which most often develops in adulthood.
The drug is the third found to help prevent diabetes, but by far the most effective. A major US study in 2002 found that metformin, the inexpensive, generic drug most widely prescribed to treat diabetes, reduced the risk of developing the disease by 31 percent and another study found that the little-used drug acarbose cut the risk by 32 percent. Because both drugs showed only about half the risk reduction of a moderate program of diet and exercise, most doctors have been reluctant to recommend that patients who aren't sick take a drug every day. In fact, the American Diabetes Association recommended earlier this year that doctors refrain from prescribing drugs to prevent diabetes.
Deeb, who was not involved with the new study, said the association is likely to rethink that recommendation because of the rosiglitazone results.
Use of the drug also could get a boost if its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline , decides to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market Avandia for diabetes prevention. Without FDA approval, doctors could prescribe the drug for prevention but the company could not advertise it for that purpose. The company helped pay for the study, but had no role in the collection or analysis of the data, according to the academic researchers at McMaster University in Ontario who led the study.
A Glaxo official said yesterday that the company will review the results and consider requesting FDA approval next year.
Rosiglitazone is not without risks. In the study, for every 1,000 people who took 8 milligrams of rosiglitazone daily, 144 cases of diabetes were averted, but four or five patients got congestive heart failure, even though patients with serious heart conditions were excluded from the study. None of the patients died of the heart failure, a chronic condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood, and fluid builds up in the lungs and other tissues. Congestive heart failure can be treated with medications.
Rosiglitazone can increase fluid retention, which probably contributed to the heart failure, and also can cause swelling in the legs. In the study, patients on rosiglitazone also gained about 5 more pounds over the study period than those taking a placebo.
Physicians will have to weigh the risks and benefits for each patient, said Dr. David Nathan, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital who oversees a national program to prevent diabetes, but was not involved in the new study. Nathan would prefer that patients use the proven exercise and diet program -- consisting of a brisk walk 30 minutes a day and losing 5 to 10 percent of one's weight -- which offers additional health benefits. He said the drug treatments probably have merit for some patients.
Yet, he pointed out that many patients won't take drugs reliably. In the study, about one-quarter of patients didn't take the pills daily.
``We can barely get people to take drugs for diseases they have," Nathan said.
Treating millions more people with blood sugar abnormalities also would be expensive, he noted. In addition to the cost of blood tests to screen those at risk, the drug would cost $1,000 to $2,000 per person a year at retail prices on the Internet. Patients might have to take the drugs indefinitely.
The company said about 7 million US patients with full-blown diabetes have been treated with rosiglitazone since the FDA approved it for that purpose in 1999. US sales last year were $1.6 billion. The drug treats diabetes by making cells more sensitive to insulin, which the body uses to process blood sugar to provide energy. For some diabetics, drugs are not enough and they must get insulin by injection. In the new study, rosiglitazone helped restore many patients' blood sugar levels to normal.
``We now have another drug that can clearly prevent diabetes," said Dr. Hertzel C. Gerstein, a professor of medicine at McMaster University and cochairman of the study. ``If we can prevent diabetes, we may also be able to prevent the serious cardiovascular, eye, kidney, and other health consequences." Gerstein has worked as a consultant and speaker for GlaxoSmithKline.
The study, published online yesterday by The Lancet medical journal, was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and three drug companies -- Glaxo, Sanofi-Aventis, and King Pharmaceuticals. The researchers tested rosiglitazone against a placebo in 5,269 adults in 21 countries who had blood sugar levels higher than normal, but not high enough to qualify as diabetic. All participants were regularly advised to exercise and eat healthy foods. Half were given 8 milligrams of rosiglitazone each day for at least three years.
At the end of the study, 25 percent of the people who had taken a placebo had developed diabetes, compared with 10.6 percent who took rosiglitazone. Half of those who took rosiglitazone saw their blood sugar return to normal levels, compared to 30 percent of the placebo group, while the other participants continued to show elevated sugar levels, but did not progress to diabetes.
Another part of the study that was released by the New England Journal of Medicine found that ramipril, a blood pressure drug, did not prevent diabetes. Previous studies suggested that ramipril might prevent diabetes. "

The Worldwide Class Struggle

Monthly Review September 2006 Vincent Navarro ¦ The Worldwide Class Struggle: "Neoliberalism as a Class Practice
A trademark of our times is the dominance of neoliberalism in the major economic, political, and social forums of the developed capitalist countries and in the international agencies they influence—including the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, and the technical agencies of the United Nations such as the World Health Organization, Food and Agricultural Organization, and UNICEF. Starting in the United States during the Carter administration, neoliberalism expanded its influence through the Reagan administration and, in the United Kingdom, the Thatcher administration, to become an international ideology. Neoliberalism holds to a theory (though not necessarily a practice) that posits the following: "

Law and the Public’s Health

Issues in S and T, Spring 2005, Law and the Public’s Health: "Public health law is experiencing a renaissance. Once fashionable during the Industrial and Progressive eras, the ideals of population health began to wither in the late 20th century. In their place came a sharpened focus on personal and economic freedom. Political attention shifted from population health to individual health and from public health programs to private medicine. Signs of revitalization of the field of public health law can be seen in diverse national and global contexts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created a center of excellence in public health law—the Center for Law & the Public’s Health (www.publichealthlaw.net)—and other nations have followed suit. In the aftermath of September 11 and the anthrax attacks, the CDC requested the drafting of the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, now adopted in whole or in part by 37 states. A consortium of state and federal partners then drafted the “Turning Point” Model Public Health Act, which outlines a modern mission, core functions, and essential services for public health agencies. At the global level, the World Health Organization (WHO) is revising the International Health Regulations and preparing a WHO Model Public Health Act to Advance the Millennium Development Goals."

Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries

N Engl J Med, Volume 355(10).September 7, 2006.1074-1075: "Improving global health is beneficial to both rich and poor countries. It is vital to economic development, global security against emerging infections, and political stability in countries ravaged by famine and disease. A new generation of economists tells us that investments in disease prevention and health care in the developing world can bring substantial returns in economic growth and poverty reduction to these countries. Although long underfunded, the health community's efforts to address health problems in the developing world are now reaching a level of support and interest never witnessed before - a level that is beginning to meet the challenge."

Healthy Populations Nurture Healthy People

Issues in S and T, Spring 2005, Healthy Populations Nurture Healthy People:
"Our difficulty in conceptualizing the achievements of avoided risks, as compared to the defeat of realized illnesses, is reflected in the pattern of expenditures devoted to health care in the United States. For example, it is estimated that roughly 95 percent of national health expenditures are devoted to direct care services and related research, leaving only 5 percent for population health activities. Although the magnitude of the direct care expenditures explains some of the remarkable successes of biomedical research and advances in clinical care, public health officials are quick to point out that roughly 70 percent of avoidable mortality in the United States results from behavioral, social, and environmental factors that are potentially modifiable through preventive health measures."

Investimentos: perfil...

Da revista Exame para testar seu perfil

Social Protection: Life Cycle

Social protection: a life cycle continuum investment for social justice, poverty reduction and development A. Bonilla García and J.V. Gruat Social Protection Sector, International Labour Office, ILO Available online as PDF file [64p.] at: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/download/lifecycl/lifecycle.pdf "…..The existence of social protection can be recognized as one of the most significant social achievements of the 20th century. Systems of social protection enable societies to advance the well-being and security of their citizens by protecting them from vulnerability and deprivation so that they can pursue a decent life. On the one hand, social protection can meet the essential needs of human survival by ensuring that all men and women have basic social and economic security Socio-economic security is key to the well-being of the individual and the family. By responding to people's needs, social protection fosters social inclusion and cohesion - secure families are the building blocks of secure communities and stable societies. When properly managed, it is an instrument of empowerment and social progress. It affects capacity to work and productivity at work. And social protection gives poor people a platform to step from fighting for survival to working for a better future and staying out of poverty…."

HDR Toolkit

Untitled Document: "This Toolkit is intended as a reference for all who are involved in the preparation of Human Development Reports (HDRs). It is a practical handbook, with clear suggestions for action and specific examples, along with tools for guidance and support.
Country Examples and Boxes
List of HDRs Included in the Toolkit "

gene that pro­tects against can­cer ~ ageing

Gene fights cancer by aging us, studies find:
"Gene fights cancer by aging us, studies find
Sept. 6, 2006Courtesy Natureand World Science staff
Bi­ol­o­gists say they’ve iden­ti­fied a gene that pro­tects against can­cer by sup­press­ing cells’ abil­i­ty to di­vide—making us age faster in the proc­ess.The find­ings sug­gest that a fun­da­men­tal trade­off be­tween long life and can­cer pro­tec­tion is built in­to our bod­ies, the sci­en­tists said. The work also in­di­cate ag­ing may in some sense be pro­grammed, they added, which some re­searchers have the­o­r­ized be­fore.
Lung can­cer cells in an image from a scan­ning elec­tron mi­cro­scope. (Cour­te­sy U.S. Centers for Disease Control)
The con­clu­sions emerge from three pa­pers pub­lished on­line in the re­search jour­nal Na­ture this week.The stud­ies were aimed at ex­plain­ing why stem cells, “mas­ter” cells that can de­vel­op in­to a va­ri­e­ty of dif­fer­ent cell types, lose the abil­i­ty to di­vide and gen­er­ate new cells with age. Ex­per­i­ments found that a mo­l­e­cule called p16­INK­4a, and a gene that pro­duces it, lim­its such cells’ re­gen­er­a­tive abil­i­ties, the re­search­ers said. The ap­par­ent ben­e­fit of this is to head off can­cer, which in­volves run­away cell mul­ti­pli­ca­tion. The mol­e­cule was al­read­y known to sup­press can­cer. The draw­back is that slowed cell di­vi­sion is linked with ag­ing, ac­cord­ing to the sci­en­tists.The au­thors of the stud­ies found that that the gene’s ac­tiv­i­ty in­creases as stem cells in three mouse tis­sues lose their abil­i­ty to self-re­new. The teams ge­net­i­cal­ly en­gi­neered mice that lacked p16INK4a and then ex­am­ined them when they got old. Pro­gen­i­tor cells in the ro­dents clung on­to their youth and did­n’t show the nor­mal de­cline in pro­lif­er­a­tion with age, they said. Sean Mor­ri­son of the Uni­ver­si­ty of Mich­i­gan in Ann Ar­bor, Mich. and col­leagues stud­ied pro­gen­i­tor brain cells in mice. Nor­man Sharp­less of the Uni­ver­si­ty of North Car­o­li­na School of Med­i­cine in Chap­el Hill, N.C. and his team stud­ied pro­gen­i­tors in the pan­cre­at­ic islets that make insulin-secreting beta-cells. Da­vid Scad­den of the Har­vard Stem Cell In­sti­tute in Bos­ton and his group ex­am­ined bone mar­row cells that make blood.The work al­so sug­gests type 2 di­a­be­tes might part­ly re­sult from a fail­ure of cells in the pan­cre­at­ic islets to re­new with age­ing, the re­searchers said. Thus, they added, block­ing this pro­tein in cer­tain tis­sues might com­bat cer­tain ef­fects of age­ing.

Migration & Women

UNFPA State of World Population 2006: "Today, women constitute almost half of all international migrants worldwide—95 million. Yet, despite contributions to poverty reduction and struggling economies, it is only recently that the international community has begun to grasp the significance of what migrant women have to offer. And it is only recently that policymakers are acknowledging the particular challenges and risks women confront when venturing into new lands.
Every year millions of women working millions of jobs overseas send hundreds of millions of dollars in remittance funds back to their homes and communities. These funds go to fill hungry bellies, clothe and educate children, provide health care and generally improve living standards for loved ones left behind. For host countries, the labour of migrant women is so embedded into the very fabric of society that it goes virtually unnoticed. Migrant women toil in the households of working families, soothe the sick and comfort the elderly. They contribute their technical and professional expertise, pay taxes and quietly support a quality of life that many take for granted."

Erectile Disfunction

Cardiosource: "Most clinicians are aware of erectile dysfunction (ED) as a clinical entity, but few grasp the enormity of the problem. To varying degrees, it affects about half of all men over the age of 50 and 70% of men over the age of 70.

ED and coronary artery disease (CAD) overlap in risk factors, etiology, and clinical outcomes, with strong evidence that ED is an important marker of vascular disease throughout the arterial tree. Moreover, ED appears to be a marker of silent CAD, perhaps even a sentinal event that precedes frank CAD by several years.

Risk factors present in middle-aged men may portend future development of ED. Whether loss of future sexual function will grab men’s attention in their 30s and 40s, inspiring greater adherence to risk reduction, is unknown. However, for the time being, efforts at prevention may take a back seat to more immediate concerns: a worldwide increase in ED prevalence (associated with rapidly aging populations) combined with new, highly publicized medical treatments is raising challenging issues for clinicians treating these patients.

The Data:
ED affects an estimated 36 million men in the United States, with their ranks growing by more than 600,000 every year.1,2 Worldwide, 152 million men were estimated to be affected in 1995 with that number projected to more than double to 322 million men by 2025.1

The Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS) provided the first relatively unbiased study of the epidemiology of ED and demonstrated that risk increases markedly with age (Slide 1).2,3 This population-based prospective cohort continues to provide normative data on the prevalence of impotence and its physiological and psychosocial correlates in a general population of noninstitutionalized men 40 to 70 years old/.../"

Símbolos Nacionais

LEI N. 5.700 - DE 1o DE SETEMBRO DE 1971(Apresentação modificada para melhor visualização)
Dispõe sobre a forma e a apresentação dos Símbolos Nacionais, e dá outras providênciasO Presidente da República,Faço saber que o Congresso Nacional decreta e eu sanciono a seguinte Lei:
CAPÍTULO IDisposição Preliminar Art. 1o São Símbolos Nacionais, e inalteráveis:
I - a Bandeira Nacional;
II - o Hino Nacional;
III - as Armas Nacionais;
IV - o Selo Nacional.
Modificações feitas pela lei N. 8.421 de 11 de Maio de 1992)

Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Time for Action:

Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Time for Action: "The great burden that noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries have on low-income and middle-income countries is well recognized [1,2]. Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries as a group of middle-income countries are no exception to this neglected epidemic. In this Essay, we review the impact on public health of NCDs and injuries in LAC countries, as well as describe the regional particularities behind this epidemic. We discuss the reasons why LAC countries are in a privileged position to quickly translate investment in health research into practice. Finally, we describe possible research needs and the implications of this research for clinical practice and health policy in the region.
Epidemiological Profile of LAC Countries
LAC countries, with a combined population of about 533 million people, have been experiencing in the last decades a rapid, complex epidemiological transition. By 1990, NCDs and injuries had already accounted for 69% of deaths and 65% of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), a pattern still evident in 2000 (73% of deaths and 76% of DALYs). The largest impact on mortality was a result of cardiovascular disease, while for DALYs the greatest proportion was due to two neglected health problems: mental illness and injuries (Figures 1 and 2) [3]. This dominance of NCDs and injuries over infectious disease is expected to rise significantly by 2020, when the ratio of deaths from NCDs and injuries to deaths from infectious disease might increase from 2.2 to 8.1; likewise, a similar increase is expected to occur with the ratio of DALYs, increasing from 1.8 to 6.9 [3]." /.../

Public Health - UK

-----Original Message-----From:
David McDaid LSE Health and Social CareDear All

As you may know UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has embarked upon a series of lectures setting out his thoughts on vital issues to the nation. The first of these took place at the end of July in Bristol and concentrated on public health issues - and in particular how to encourage individuals to lead healthier lifestyles.

A series of expert background papers on public health issues were prepared for this - and are available on-line. The titles and contributors below.

Prof David Taylor - Better Public Health
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/files/pdf/WEBaction-public%20health41.pdf
Peter Gibson - Who's Got Control of the Bottle?
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9908.asp
Gerald Wistow - Connected Care
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9907.asp
Christine Hancock - Scale of the Problem
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9907.asp
Ed Mayo - Social Marketing/Changing Behaviour
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9910.asp
Erica Zimmer - The Corporate Responsibility
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9911.asp
Deidre Hutton - Case for Early Intervention
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9915.asp
Gabriel Scally - Public Health for 21st Century
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9914.asp
Dr Fiona Adshead - Social Marketing Principles
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9913.asp
For more information and to access papers go to http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9700.asp

* * * * This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics; Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ IKM Area]
“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is".Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org/
EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html

eliminating world poverty: making governance work for the poor

DFID News New White Paper: out now: "On Thursday 13 July DFID launched its new White Paper on International Development, 'eliminating world poverty: making governance work for the poor'. It sets out what the UK Government will do to reduce world poverty over the next five years.
The White Paper sets out DFID’s priorities and explains how we will work with the rest of UK Government, partner governments, international organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academics and the private sector to fulfil the promises made in 2005 to significantly reduce world poverty. "
White Paper: Foreword, preface, Section 1: delivering our promises(1 Mb)
Section 2: building states that work for poor people(1 Mb)
Section 3: helping people get security, incomes, and public services(1.7 Mb)
Section 4: working internationally to tackle climate change(1.4 Mb)
Section 5: creating an international system fit for the 21st century; what can you do;
endnotes(1 Mb)
Printer-friendly version (1 Mb)
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A corrupção ameaça a Democracia

PNUD Brasil: "As denúncias de corrupção no Brasil — mensalão, sanguessugas, bingos, negociatas em Rondônia... —, muitas vezes originadas de investigações da Polícia Federal, preencheram boa parte das manchetes da imprensa nos últimos meses. Em tempos de campanha eleitoral, o tema ganha visibilidade ainda maior. Além de gerarem perdas financeiras num país de recursos não exatamente abundantes, esses ilícitos têm outro aspecto grave: colocam em risco a própria democracia, alerta o filósofo Newton Bignotto, da UFMG (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais).
"Na medida em que agentes privados fazem uso de recursos públicos e se beneficiam de suas relações privilegiadas com membros dos três poderes, para alcançar seus objetivos e escapar da punição, o regime democrático está ameaçado", afirma ele em entrevista à PrimaPagina. "Não podemos conviver com relações assimétricas com relação à lei se quisermos preservar nossas conquistas democráticas", acrescenta.
Bignotto, pós-doutor pela École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, é autor do artigo “Corrupção e Estado de Direito”, publicado no livro Reforma política no Brasil, editado pelo PNUD e pela UFMG. Nesta semana, ele está debatendo o tema com os internautas, no Fórum de Debates Interativo sobre a Reforma Política.
Na entrevista, ele voltou a tocar num ponto que considera fundamental nesse tema: a fronteira imprecisa entre o público e o privado, que torna a corrupção algo não restrito aos agentes públicos. “A cultura política brasileira (...) não separa com clareza a esfera dos interesses privados daqueles públicos. Essa é uma brecha pela qual a corrupção se infiltra na sociedade”, comenta. “Os laços entre agentes do Estado, interesses privados e mesmo o interesse de grupos criminosos constituem um solo bem mais complexo e amplo para o desenvolvimento da corrupção do que o âmbito das forças governamentais”, afirma.
Leia abaixo a íntegra da entrevista, concedida por e-mail. "

The State of Working Amarica 2006-2007

On Labor Day 2006, the Economic Policy Institute releases its advance edition of The State of Working America 2006/2007.
Prepared biennially since 1988, EPI's flagship publication sums up the problems and challenges facing American working families, presenting a wide variety of data on family incomes, taxes, wages, unemployment, wealth, and poverty — data that enables the book's authors to closely examine the impact of the economy on the living standards of the American people. The State of Working America 2006/2007 is an exhaustive reference work that will be welcomed by anyone eager for a comprehensive portrait of the economic well-being of the nation.
What's new...· Read the introduction and several chapters from The State of Working America 2006/2007· SWA now available for purchase — order today!
What's next...· More downloadable tables and figures from The State of Working America 2006/2007
The State of Working America remains unrivaled as the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today's economy.—Robert B. Reich

EarthTrends Update August 2006:

By Thomas Damassa
Less than one percent of the water on Earth is in lakes, rivers, wetlands, and shallow aquifers that are available for human use. The annual replenishment of these systems constitutes the renewable water supply; humans consume approximately 10 percent of this supply annually. Yet only 15 percent of people worldwide live in relative water abundance./.../

The Nation's Photo Album

Science/AAAS NetWatch : 01 September 2006; 313 (5791):
" EXHIBIT: The Nation's Photo Album
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., has been amassing photographs such as the 1890 shot of a snowflake almost since the medium was invented. Now you can check out highlights from the museum's more than 13 million images at the new Smithsonian Photography Initiative Web site. Visitors can flip through about 1800 photos, some of which date back to the 1840s. The subjects of the nearly 600 entries on science and nature range from a water-scarred martian crater to native seal hunters in Glacier Bay, Alaska. Some of the images are historically important. The snowflake shot, for instance, is part of a collection from Wilson Bentley (1865-1931), a Vermont farmer and self-tutored scientist who was the first to photograph an individual snowflake.
www.spi.si.edu"

Free Health Encyclopedia

Free Health Encyclopedia: "This health encyclopedia that has been specifically written for students who are beginning to visualize that there exists a relationship between exercise, diet, and physical well being. The encyclopedia answers and explains the consequences of both unhealthy and healthy life styles and habits and teaches the causes, symptoms, and treatments of various health conditions."

Anger Tough on the Lungs

Anger Tough on the Lungs - Forbes.com
THURSDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- If anger is a problem, a new study advises that you calm down and literally save your breath.
That's because long-term hostility could damage lung function and speed up the natural decline in lung power that comes with age, investigators say.
"The findings are not unexpected," said Dr. Norman Edelman, chief medical officer at the American Lung Association. "There's lots of biological plausibility, lots of mechanisms by which this could take place."
The study was published in the Aug. 31 online edition of Thorax.
Hostility and anger have been strongly linked with many other health problems in older adults, including heart disease and asthma. These emotions also appear to have an impact on chronic airway obstruction, suggesting that they could also affect the lungs.
But there's been little specific research into how these types of psychological factors affect lung function decline.
"Our psychological colleagues have worked out quite well in the lab that psychological stress and distress and negative emotional states like hostility can disrupt immune function and trigger inflammatory processes, much like allergens in the environment," noted senior study author Dr. Rosalind Wright, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
"Psychological stress seems to trigger similar types of biological disruptions," she said. "When you have something throwing the system out of balance, that might put you in a state of chronic inflammation."
To see if there was any link between anger and hostility and the way the lungs work, Wright and her colleagues examined at 670 men aged 45 to 86.
Levels of hostility, measured at the beginning of the study in 1986, averaged 18.5 points on a standard scale, with values ranging from seven to 37 points. Lung function appeared to decline as anger numbers rose, and vice-versa.
Over the next eight years, the researchers re-calculated the men's lung function three different times. Men who scored poorly in lung function at the beginning of the study were worse at each subsequent measurement, they said.
The association held steady even after adjusting for smoking, educational attainment and other factors.
How might anger be linked to lung function? That's not clear, but smoking's role was quickly discounted, Wright said.
"A person who tends to be more hostile might be more likely to adopt negative coping strategies, such as smoking," she said. "But that didn't seem to be the case. We controlled for smoking."
Men with higher levels of hostility also had a faster rate of natural decline in lung function, the researchers said.
Because all of the participants were older, white men, the results cannot be extrapolated to other groups. The results also can't be taken to mean that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between hostility and anger and declining lung function, simply an association, the researchers said.
The effect on the lungs was less than that attributable to smoking but was strong enough to approach that level of damage, Wright said. The exact magnitude of the effect needs to be studied further, she said.
The paper has a practical implication, Wright added. By spotting factors that predict a rapid decline in lung function, doctors and patients might be able to intervene to change things.
"If you raise someone's awareness about their emotional state or personality disposition or level of stress, they can modify their lifestyle or use interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy," Wright said.
More information
For more on your lungs, visit the American Lung Association