AMNews: Jan. 7, 2008. CT scans implicated in 2% of cancers ... American Medical News: "CT scans implicated in 2% of cancers
Some experts question that estimate. Meanwhile, explaining the radiation risks of necessary imaging without unduly frightening patients remains daunting.
By Kevin B. O'Reilly, AMNews staff. Jan. 7, 2008.
A recent study estimates that between 1.5% and 2% of all cancers can be attributed to radiation from the 62 million computed tomography scans Americans get each year. The finding comes on the heels of earlier, similar risk estimates, and it has some experts saying physicians should think twice about ordering the test.
The review article in the Nov. 29, 2007, New England Journal of Medicine arrives at its estimate by examining the cancer effects on the 25,000 Japanese who survived the 1945 atomic bombs and received radiation doses equivalent to the x-rays emitted by several CT scans."
Monday, December 31, 2007
Health Promotion
What makes us healthy?
Good health includes our physical, mental and social well-being.
In this section, you can explore:
What determines health (such as health habits, income, environment)
Health promotion strategies and tools to help improve health.
By understanding what influences our health, we can take action for ourselves and for our communities.
Throughout CHN, you will find information on health promotion and the determinants of health for specific groups, topics or diseases.
Good health includes our physical, mental and social well-being.
In this section, you can explore:
What determines health (such as health habits, income, environment)
Health promotion strategies and tools to help improve health.
By understanding what influences our health, we can take action for ourselves and for our communities.
Throughout CHN, you will find information on health promotion and the determinants of health for specific groups, topics or diseases.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
2375 – AMICOR10 – 26/12/2007
"You are responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
(Antoine Marie Roger de Saint-Exupery
June 29, 1900 - July 31st, 1944.)
Monday, December 24, 2007
HEALTH PROMOTION
RELATED SITES
-
Health promotion
- Chronic diseases and health promotion
- Health promotion (African Region)
- Move for health
- Health promotion (Western Pacific Region)
- School health and youth health promotion
- Health promotion (European Region)
Promoting health
Health promotion strategies are not limited to a specific health problem, nor to a specific set of behaviours. WHO as a whole applies the principles of, and strategies for, health promotion to a variety of population groups, risk factors, diseases, and in various settings. Health promotion, and the associated efforts put into education, community development, policy, legislation and regulation, are equally valid for prevention of communicable diseases, injury and violence, and mental problems, as they are for prevention of noncommunicable diseases.
Highlights of our work
Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion
The 'Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a globalized world' has been agreed to by participants at the 6th Global Conference on Health Promotion held in Thailand from 7-11 August, 2005. It identifies major challenges, actions and commitments needed to address the determinants of health in a globalized world by reaching out to people, groups and organizations that are critical to the achievement of health.
Read the charter Press release About the conference
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Walk, don't run, to prevent or reverse metabolic syndrome
Johnson JL, Slentz CA, Houmard JA, et al. Exercise training amount and intensity on metabolic syndrome (from Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through Defined Exercise). Am J Cardiol 2007; 100:1759-1766.
Related links
Fitness linked to reduced mortality, even in obese subjects [HeartWire > Prevention; Dec 04, 2007]
"Fat and fit": Less abdominal obesity than unfit counterparts, better metabolic profiles [HeartWire > News; Aug 02, 2007]
Amount of exercise at least as important as intensity, new study shows [HeartWire > News; Oct 10, 2005]
Labels: exercise
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 7:57 AM
0 comments
ESC Congress 2008: 30 August 2008 - 03 September 2008
The highlight of the congress: cardiovascular imaging
Cardiovascular imaging has become a key component in clinical cardiology. Over recent years, cardiovascular imaging has become a key component in clinical cardiology. We have witnessed an ultra-fast technical revolution in the field of imaging, with current modalities providing three- and four-dimensional visualisation of the cardiovascular system. For the three existing modalities (echocardiography, nuclear imaging and cardiovascular magnetic resonance) automated, quantitative software packages have been introduced, making objective and reproducible data analysis reality. The newest technique, cardiac computed tomography, now permits for non-invasive angiography. All together these modalities can provide comprehensive information about the heart and the coronary arteries, from anatomy to function and perfusion. At the same time, cardiovascular imaging is nowadays fully integrated in the entire patient work-up from diagnosis to prognosis and forms a corner stone in the therapeutic decision making process. For these reasons, cardiovascular imaging has been chosen as the theme for the ESC Congress 2008. Read the full text...
Labels: cardiology congress
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 7:46 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Socioeconomic Gradients in Immune Response to Latent Infection
Labels: health equity; social determinants, inflammation
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 10:42 AM
0 comments
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 1:01 AM
0 comments
Monday, December 24, 2007
HEALTH PROMOTION
Health promotion
This page provides links to descriptions of activities, reports, news and events, as well as contacts and cooperating partners in the various WHO programmes and offices working on this topic. Also shown are links to related web sites and topics.
MeSH scope note: Encouraging consumer behaviors most likely to optimize health potentials (physical and psychosocial) through health information, preventive programs, and access to medical care.
RELATED SITES
- Health promotion
- Chronic diseases and health promotion
- Health promotion (African Region)
- Move for health
- Health promotion (Western Pacific Region)
- School health and youth health promotion
RELATED LINKS
- Health promotion (European Region)
Promoting health
Health promotion strategies are not limited to a specific health problem, nor to a specific set of behaviours. WHO as a whole applies the principles of, and strategies for, health promotion to a variety of population groups, risk factors, diseases, and in various settings. Health promotion, and the associated efforts put into education, community development, policy, legislation and regulation, are equally valid for prevention of communicable diseases, injury and violence, and mental problems, as they are for prevention of noncommunicable diseases.
Highlights of our work
Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion
The 'Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a globalized world' has been agreed to by participants at the 6th Global Conference on Health Promotion held in Thailand from 7-11 August, 2005. It identifies major challenges, actions and commitments needed to address the determinants of health in a globalized world by reaching out to people, groups and organizations that are critical to the achievement of health.
Read the charter | Press release | About the conference
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Walk, don't run, to prevent or reverse metabolic syndrome
Walk, don't run, to prevent or reverse metabolic syndrome
December 17, 2007
Michael O'Riordan
Topic: Cardiometabolic risk and prevention.
Durham, NC - For overweight or obese individuals who are physically inactive, brisk walking might be the best exercise prescription for shedding excess pounds and reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome. Data from a new analysis showed that in a middle-aged at-risk physically inactive population, moderate-intensity exercise in the absence of dietary changes significantly reduced the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.
"These results give a lot of credence to the fact that individuals don't necessarily have to go out and do a lot of intensive exercise to receive health benefits," senior investigator Dr William Kraus (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC) told heartwire.
The post hoc analysis of the National Institutes of Health-funded Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through Defined Exercise (STRRIDE) trial is now published in the December 15, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
Anything exercise better than none, but intense not necessarily better
Speaking with heartwire, Kraus said the purpose of the study was to identify the effects of different exercise programs on the metabolic syndrome. Previous exercise studies have looked at the effects of exercise on various components of the syndrome—increased waist circumference, low HDL cholesterol, increased triglyceride levels, hypertension, and impaired fasting glucose—but very few studies have examined how exercise affects the metabolic syndrome as a whole.
In this analysis, the investigators analyzed data from 171 men and women with complete pre- and posttraining data for all five metabolic syndrome criteria. All subjects were overweight to mildly obese sedentary adults—body mass index 25 to 35 kg/m2—with no known history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or hypertension.
Subjects were assigned to one of three exercise programs, each eight months in duration:
Low-amount/moderate-intensity exercise: approximately 12 miles/week at 40% to 55% peak oxygen consumption.
Low-amount/vigorous-intensity exercise: approximately 12 miles/week at 65% to 80% peak oxygen consumption.
High-amount/vigorous-intensity exercise: approximately 20 miles/week at 65% to 80% peak oxygen consumption.
Prior to beginning the exercise program, 40% of subjects met three of more of the criteria for metabolic syndrome. By the completion of the trial, 27% of the participants met the NCEP Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III criteria for the metabolic disorder.
Investigators also found that the low-amount/moderate-intensity exercise program reduced the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome relative to inactive controls, but this same amount of exercise at vigorous intensity was not significantly better than the inactive control group. Those who participated in high-amount/vigorous-intensity exercise improved the metabolic syndrome relative to controls as well as to the low-amount participants, all suggesting an exercise dose effect, say investigators.
These findings show that "inactivity is bad for you, and that anything is better than doing nothing, but more is not necessarily better than less," said Kraus. The findings supporting moderate-intensity exercise such as walking 30 minutes per day six days per week, added Krauss, are consistent with the American College of Sports Medicine/Centers for Disease Control exercise recommendations for health effects.
Asked about the possible reason those who participated in the low-amount/high-intensity exercise program did not improve as much as those who performed less intensive exercise, Kraus suggests that rigorous exercise recruits more fast-twitch muscle fibers and utilizes glucose to a much greater extent than low-intensity exercise. Low-intensity exercise, on the other hand, tends to recruit slow-twitch fibers and uses free fatty acids as a substrate for energy. This, he said, is more beneficial for preventing or reversing the metabolic syndrome.
Source
Johnson JL, Slentz CA, Houmard JA, et al. Exercise training amount and intensity on metabolic syndrome (from Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through Defined Exercise). Am J Cardiol 2007; 100:1759-1766.
Related links
Fitness linked to reduced mortality, even in obese subjects [HeartWire > Prevention; Dec 04, 2007]
"Fat and fit": Less abdominal obesity than unfit counterparts, better metabolic profiles [HeartWire > News; Aug 02, 2007]
Amount of exercise at least as important as intensity, new study shows [HeartWire > News; Oct 10, 2005]
December 17, 2007
Michael O'Riordan
Topic: Cardiometabolic risk and prevention.
Durham, NC - For overweight or obese individuals who are physically inactive, brisk walking might be the best exercise prescription for shedding excess pounds and reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome. Data from a new analysis showed that in a middle-aged at-risk physically inactive population, moderate-intensity exercise in the absence of dietary changes significantly reduced the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.
"These results give a lot of credence to the fact that individuals don't necessarily have to go out and do a lot of intensive exercise to receive health benefits," senior investigator Dr William Kraus (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC) told heartwire.
The post hoc analysis of the National Institutes of Health-funded Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through Defined Exercise (STRRIDE) trial is now published in the December 15, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
Anything exercise better than none, but intense not necessarily better
Speaking with heartwire, Kraus said the purpose of the study was to identify the effects of different exercise programs on the metabolic syndrome. Previous exercise studies have looked at the effects of exercise on various components of the syndrome—increased waist circumference, low HDL cholesterol, increased triglyceride levels, hypertension, and impaired fasting glucose—but very few studies have examined how exercise affects the metabolic syndrome as a whole.
In this analysis, the investigators analyzed data from 171 men and women with complete pre- and posttraining data for all five metabolic syndrome criteria. All subjects were overweight to mildly obese sedentary adults—body mass index 25 to 35 kg/m2—with no known history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or hypertension.
Subjects were assigned to one of three exercise programs, each eight months in duration:
Low-amount/moderate-intensity exercise: approximately 12 miles/week at 40% to 55% peak oxygen consumption.
Low-amount/vigorous-intensity exercise: approximately 12 miles/week at 65% to 80% peak oxygen consumption.
High-amount/vigorous-intensity exercise: approximately 20 miles/week at 65% to 80% peak oxygen consumption.
Prior to beginning the exercise program, 40% of subjects met three of more of the criteria for metabolic syndrome. By the completion of the trial, 27% of the participants met the NCEP Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III criteria for the metabolic disorder.
Investigators also found that the low-amount/moderate-intensity exercise program reduced the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome relative to inactive controls, but this same amount of exercise at vigorous intensity was not significantly better than the inactive control group. Those who participated in high-amount/vigorous-intensity exercise improved the metabolic syndrome relative to controls as well as to the low-amount participants, all suggesting an exercise dose effect, say investigators.
These findings show that "inactivity is bad for you, and that anything is better than doing nothing, but more is not necessarily better than less," said Kraus. The findings supporting moderate-intensity exercise such as walking 30 minutes per day six days per week, added Krauss, are consistent with the American College of Sports Medicine/Centers for Disease Control exercise recommendations for health effects.
Asked about the possible reason those who participated in the low-amount/high-intensity exercise program did not improve as much as those who performed less intensive exercise, Kraus suggests that rigorous exercise recruits more fast-twitch muscle fibers and utilizes glucose to a much greater extent than low-intensity exercise. Low-intensity exercise, on the other hand, tends to recruit slow-twitch fibers and uses free fatty acids as a substrate for energy. This, he said, is more beneficial for preventing or reversing the metabolic syndrome.
Source
Johnson JL, Slentz CA, Houmard JA, et al. Exercise training amount and intensity on metabolic syndrome (from Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through Defined Exercise). Am J Cardiol 2007; 100:1759-1766.
Related links
Fitness linked to reduced mortality, even in obese subjects [HeartWire > Prevention; Dec 04, 2007]
"Fat and fit": Less abdominal obesity than unfit counterparts, better metabolic profiles [HeartWire > News; Aug 02, 2007]
Amount of exercise at least as important as intensity, new study shows [HeartWire > News; Oct 10, 2005]
ESC Congress 2008: 30 August 2008 - 03 September 2008
The highlight of the congress: cardiovascular imaging
Cardiovascular imaging has become a key component in clinical cardiology. Over recent years, cardiovascular imaging has become a key component in clinical cardiology. We have witnessed an ultra-fast technical revolution in the field of imaging, with current modalities providing three- and four-dimensional visualisation of the cardiovascular system. For the three existing modalities (echocardiography, nuclear imaging and cardiovascular magnetic resonance) automated, quantitative software packages have been introduced, making objective and reproducible data analysis reality. The newest technique, cardiac computed tomography, now permits for non-invasive angiography. All together these modalities can provide comprehensive information about the heart and the coronary arteries, from anatomy to function and perfusion. At the same time, cardiovascular imaging is nowadays fully integrated in the entire patient work-up from diagnosis to prognosis and forms a corner stone in the therapeutic decision making process. For these reasons, cardiovascular imaging has been chosen as the theme for the ESC Congress 2008. Read the full text...
Cardiovascular imaging has become a key component in clinical cardiology. Over recent years, cardiovascular imaging has become a key component in clinical cardiology. We have witnessed an ultra-fast technical revolution in the field of imaging, with current modalities providing three- and four-dimensional visualisation of the cardiovascular system. For the three existing modalities (echocardiography, nuclear imaging and cardiovascular magnetic resonance) automated, quantitative software packages have been introduced, making objective and reproducible data analysis reality. The newest technique, cardiac computed tomography, now permits for non-invasive angiography. All together these modalities can provide comprehensive information about the heart and the coronary arteries, from anatomy to function and perfusion. At the same time, cardiovascular imaging is nowadays fully integrated in the entire patient work-up from diagnosis to prognosis and forms a corner stone in the therapeutic decision making process. For these reasons, cardiovascular imaging has been chosen as the theme for the ESC Congress 2008. Read the full text...
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Socioeconomic Gradients in Immune Response to Latent Infection
Socioeconomic Gradients in Immune Response to Latent InfectionJennifer Beam Dowd1, Mary N. Haan2, Lynn Blythe2, Kari Moore2 and Allison E. Aiello1,2
1 Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI2 Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
Correspondence to Dr. Allison E. Aiello, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1214 South University, 2nd Floor, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548 (e-mail: aielloa@umich.edu
American Journal of Epidemiology 2008 167(1):112-120; doi:10.1093/aje/kwm247
There is a strong relation between socioeconomic position and health outcomes, although the mechanisms are poorly understood. The authors used data from 1,503 California participants in the 1998–1999 Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging aged 60–100 years to ask whether socioeconomic position is related to immune function as measured by the body's ability to keep latent herpesvirus antibody levels in a quiescent state. Individuals with lower educational levels had significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin G antibodies to cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1. The odds ratio for being in a higher tertile of cytomegalovirus antibodies was 1.54 (95% confidence interval: 1.18, 2.01) for those in the lowest educational group, and the odds ratio for being in a higher tertile of herpes simplex virus type 1 was 1.63 (95% confidence interval: 1.25, 2.13). The relation between education and cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1 antibody levels remained strong after controlling for baseline health conditions, smoking status, and body mass index. This is the first study known to show a relation between socioeconomic position and immune response to latent infection. It provides suggestive evidence that modulation of the immune system via latent infections may play a role in the observed associations between socioeconomic position and disease.
aging; cytomegalovirus; herpesvirus 1, human; Hispanic Americans; immunity; social class; socioeconomic factors
1 Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI2 Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
Correspondence to Dr. Allison E. Aiello, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1214 South University, 2nd Floor, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548 (e-mail: aielloa@umich.edu
American Journal of Epidemiology 2008 167(1):112-120; doi:10.1093/aje/kwm247
There is a strong relation between socioeconomic position and health outcomes, although the mechanisms are poorly understood. The authors used data from 1,503 California participants in the 1998–1999 Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging aged 60–100 years to ask whether socioeconomic position is related to immune function as measured by the body's ability to keep latent herpesvirus antibody levels in a quiescent state. Individuals with lower educational levels had significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin G antibodies to cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1. The odds ratio for being in a higher tertile of cytomegalovirus antibodies was 1.54 (95% confidence interval: 1.18, 2.01) for those in the lowest educational group, and the odds ratio for being in a higher tertile of herpes simplex virus type 1 was 1.63 (95% confidence interval: 1.25, 2.13). The relation between education and cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1 antibody levels remained strong after controlling for baseline health conditions, smoking status, and body mass index. This is the first study known to show a relation between socioeconomic position and immune response to latent infection. It provides suggestive evidence that modulation of the immune system via latent infections may play a role in the observed associations between socioeconomic position and disease.
aging; cytomegalovirus; herpesvirus 1, human; Hispanic Americans; immunity; social class; socioeconomic factors
Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2008 Update. A Report From the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee -- Rosamond et al., 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.187998 -- Circulation
Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2008 Update. A Report From the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee -- Rosamond et al., 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.187998 -- Circulation
Each year the American Heart Association, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies, brings together the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, and their risk factors and presents them in its Heart
Disease and Stroke Statistical Update. The Statistical Update is a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, healthcare policy makers, media, the lay public, and many others who seek the best national data available on disease and risk factor prevalence, disease incidence, and mortality rates in a single
document. This year’s edition includes several areas not covered in previous editions. Below are a few highlights from this year’s Update in the areas of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, control of risk factors, kidney disease, and medical care./.../
Each year the American Heart Association, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies, brings together the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, and their risk factors and presents them in its Heart
Disease and Stroke Statistical Update. The Statistical Update is a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, healthcare policy makers, media, the lay public, and many others who seek the best national data available on disease and risk factor prevalence, disease incidence, and mortality rates in a single
document. This year’s edition includes several areas not covered in previous editions. Below are a few highlights from this year’s Update in the areas of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, control of risk factors, kidney disease, and medical care./.../
Saturday, December 15, 2007
2374 – AMICOR10 – 15-12-2007
- The Social Watch 2007
- Measuring ancient inequality, Vol. 1 of 1
- World Development Report 2009
- Internet Symposium Approaches Assessment/Management: Myocardial Infarction and Ischemia
- 2007 Focused Update of the ACC/AHA/SCAI 2005 Guideline Update for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
- 50 Top 10 Lists of 2007 - TIME
- Revista Brasileira de Cardiologia Invasiva
- More Recent Articles
- Search AMICOR
Towards a new Global Social Contract
The protection of the weak and the vulnerable, the old, the very young and pregnant women, has been an ethical (and frequently religious) mandate in all human societies
Measuring ancient inequality, Vol. 1 of 1
Measuring ancient inequality, Vol. 1 of 1: "Summary: Is inequality largely the result of the Industrial Revolution? Or, were pre-industrial incomes and life expectancies as unequal as they are today? For want of sufficient data, these questions have not yet been answered. This paper infers inequality for 14 ancient, pre-industrial societies using what are known as social tables, stretching from the Roman Empire 14 AD, to Byzantium in 1000, to England in 1688, to Nueva España around 1790, to China in 1880 and to British India in 1947. It applies two new concepts in making those assessments - what the authors call the inequality possibility frontier and the inequality extraction ratio. Rather than simply offering measures of actual inequality, the authors compare the latter with the maximum feasible inequality (or surplus) that could have been extracted by the elite. The results, especially when compared with modern poor countries, give new insights in to the connection between inequality and economic development in the very long run."
Geography matters for development. Yet economic geography - that is, consideration of the "spatial" aspects that determine economic growth and the welfare of people - is seldomly taken into account in crafting development policy. In low and middle-income countries, as in rich countries, economic activity is increasingly concentrating in certain locations. However, this concentration is accompanied by sizeable—and increasing— disparities in living standards across villages, towns, cities and regions. Paradoxically, in a world which is rapidly globalizing, one of the most important determinants of well-being is still where a person is born: in which country, in what province within the country, and whether in a city or the countryside.
The 2009 World Development Report "Seeing Development in 3D" will argue that the concentration of economic activity is inevitable and even desirable for economic growth and the reduction of poverty. However, the large disparities in welfare levels between locations that often accompany this concentration are neither desirable nor inevitable. Motivated by the small differences in welfare observed in high-income countries despite the greater concentration of economic activity in these countries, the report examines whether convergence in the welfare of people across locations is a natural outcome of development, or whether there are policies governments can put in place to accelerate welfare convergence as economic activity concentrates.
Internet Symposium Approaches Assessment/Management: Myocardial Infarction and Ischemia
De: Prof. Dr. Antoni Bayes de Luna [mailto:info@myocardial.ischemia-symposium.org]
Enviada em: quarta-feira, 12 de dezembro de 2007 21:36
Para: achutti@cardiol.br
Assunto: ISHNE/ISCP Internet Symposium on Current Approaches for the Assessment andManagement of Myocardial Infarction and Ischemia
We are pleased to welcome you to our exciting and unique international internet symposium entitled, "Current Approaches for the Assessment and Management of Myocardial Infarction and Ischemia 2008." On behalf of the International Society for Holter and Non-Invasive Electrocardiology (ISHNE) and the International Society of Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy (ISCP), and my fellow course directors, Drs. Peter Stone from the US, Richard Verrier from the US, and Juan-Carlos Kaski from the UK, we invite you to participate in the many types of educational activities that are offered during this symposium, which will be available from January 15-31, 2008.
The symposium will include focus on the diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management of patients with coronary artery disease, and will include presentations and discussions concerning the surface ECG, Holter monitoring, T-wave alternans, exercise treadmill testing, and pharmacologic management of acute coronary syndromes, stable coronary disease, and secondary prevention. Many distinguished faculty members from around the world will be providing a broad range of interesting presentations. There will also be interviews and discussions on the web, with the opportunity for you to ask questions via e-mail and have an interactive discussion.
We are confident this symposium will be of interest to cardiovascular clinicians around the world. We look forward to having you join us in this innovative 21st century approach to net-based cardiology education!
Thank you.
Prof. Dr. Antoni Bayes de Luna, Spain.
REGISTRATION
http://www.myocardial.ischemia-symposium.org/
2007 Focused Update of the ACC/AHA/SCAI 2005 Guideline Update for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines -- King et al., 10.1161/CIRCULATION
A primary challenge in the development of clinical practice guidelines is keeping pace with the stream of new data upon which recommendations are based. In an effort to respond more quickly to new evidence, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines has created a new "focused update" process to revise the existing guideline recommendations that are affected by evolving data or opinion. Before the initiation of this focused approach, periodic updates and revisions of existing guidelines required up to 3 years to complete. Now, however, new
evidence will be reviewed in an ongoing fashion to more efficiently respond to important science and treatment trends that could have a major impact on patient outcomes and quality of care. Evidence will be reviewed at least twice a year, and updates will be initiated on an as needed basis as quickly as possible while maintaining the rigorous methodology that the ACC and AHA have developed during their more than 20 years of partnership./.../
50 Top 10 Lists of 2007 - TIME
50 Top 10 Lists of 2007 - TIME: "50 Top 10 Lists of 2007"
Revista Brasileira de Cardiologia Invasiva
Revista Brasileira de Cardiologia Invasiva
A última edição de 2007 da Revista Brasileira de Cardiologia Invasiva (RCBI) já está disponível on-line, nas versões em português e inglês. Concomitantemente ao lançamento da referida edição, estamos inaugurando mais uma nova ferramenta eletrônica: a newsletter da RCBI. A proposta, além de fazer com que esse periódico fique mais acessível, aproximando-o cada vez mais das comunidades médica e científica, tanto brasileiras como internacionais, é torná-lo referência da especialidade e de áreas afins. Esses boletins, inicialmente, terão periodicidade mensal, sempre trazendo destaques do conteúdo da RBCI.
More Recent Articles
Friday, December 14, 2007
The Social Watch 2007
Towards a new Global Social Contract
The protection of the weak and the vulnerable, the old, the very young and pregnant women, has been an ethical (and frequently religious) mandate in all human societies throughout history, without which the species would not have survived./.../
The protection of the weak and the vulnerable, the old, the very young and pregnant women, has been an ethical (and frequently religious) mandate in all human societies throughout history, without which the species would not have survived./.../
Measuring ancient inequality, Vol. 1 of 1
Measuring ancient inequality, Vol. 1 of 1: "Summary: Is inequality largely the result of the Industrial Revolution? Or, were pre-industrial incomes and life expectancies as unequal as they are today? For want of sufficient data, these questions have not yet been answered. This paper infers inequality for 14 ancient, pre-industrial societies using what are known as social tables, stretching from the Roman Empire 14 AD, to Byzantium in 1000, to England in 1688, to Nueva España around 1790, to China in 1880 and to British India in 1947. It applies two new concepts in making those assessments - what the authors call the inequality possibility frontier and the inequality extraction ratio. Rather than simply offering measures of actual inequality, the authors compare the latter with the maximum feasible inequality (or surplus) that could have been extracted by the elite. The results, especially when compared with modern poor countries, give new insights in to the connection between inequality and economic development in the very long run."
World Development Report 2009
Geography matters for development. Yet economic geography - that is, consideration of the "spatial" aspects that determine economic growth and the welfare of people - is seldomly taken into account in crafting development policy. In low and middle-income countries, as in rich countries, economic activity is increasingly concentrating in certain locations. However, this concentration is accompanied by sizeable—and increasing— disparities in living standards across villages, towns, cities and regions. Paradoxically, in a world which is rapidly globalizing, one of the most important determinants of well-being is still where a person is born: in which country, in what province within the country, and whether in a city or the countryside.
The 2009 World Development Report "Seeing Development in 3D" will argue that the concentration of economic activity is inevitable and even desirable for economic growth and the reduction of poverty. However, the large disparities in welfare levels between locations that often accompany this concentration are neither desirable nor inevitable. Motivated by the small differences in welfare observed in high-income countries despite the greater concentration of economic activity in these countries, the report examines whether convergence in the welfare of people across locations is a natural outcome of development, or whether there are policies governments can put in place to accelerate welfare convergence as economic activity concentrates.
The 2009 World Development Report "Seeing Development in 3D" will argue that the concentration of economic activity is inevitable and even desirable for economic growth and the reduction of poverty. However, the large disparities in welfare levels between locations that often accompany this concentration are neither desirable nor inevitable. Motivated by the small differences in welfare observed in high-income countries despite the greater concentration of economic activity in these countries, the report examines whether convergence in the welfare of people across locations is a natural outcome of development, or whether there are policies governments can put in place to accelerate welfare convergence as economic activity concentrates.
Internet Symposium Approaches Assessment/Management: Myocardial Infarction and Ischemia
De: Prof. Dr. Antoni Bayes de Luna [mailto:info@myocardial.ischemia-symposium.org]
Enviada em: quarta-feira, 12 de dezembro de 2007 21:36
Para: achutti@cardiol.br
Assunto: ISHNE/ISCP Internet Symposium on Current Approaches for the Assessment andManagement of Myocardial Infarction and Ischemia
We are pleased to welcome you to our exciting and unique international internet symposium entitled, "Current Approaches for the Assessment and Management of Myocardial Infarction and Ischemia 2008." On behalf of the International Society for Holter and Non-Invasive Electrocardiology (ISHNE) and the International Society of Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy (ISCP), and my fellow course directors, Drs. Peter Stone from the US, Richard Verrier from the US, and Juan-Carlos Kaski from the UK, we invite you to participate in the many types of educational activities that are offered during this symposium, which will be available from January 15-31, 2008.
The symposium will include focus on the diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management of patients with coronary artery disease, and will include presentations and discussions concerning the surface ECG, Holter monitoring, T-wave alternans, exercise treadmill testing, and pharmacologic management of acute coronary syndromes, stable coronary disease, and secondary prevention. Many distinguished faculty members from around the world will be providing a broad range of interesting presentations. There will also be interviews and discussions on the web, with the opportunity for you to ask questions via e-mail and have an interactive discussion.
We are confident this symposium will be of interest to cardiovascular clinicians around the world. We look forward to having you join us in this innovative 21st century approach to net-based cardiology education!
Thank you.
Prof. Dr. Antoni Bayes de Luna, Spain.
REGISTRATION
http://www.myocardial.ischemia-symposium.org/
Enviada em: quarta-feira, 12 de dezembro de 2007 21:36
Para: achutti@cardiol.br
Assunto: ISHNE/ISCP Internet Symposium on Current Approaches for the Assessment andManagement of Myocardial Infarction and Ischemia
We are pleased to welcome you to our exciting and unique international internet symposium entitled, "Current Approaches for the Assessment and Management of Myocardial Infarction and Ischemia 2008." On behalf of the International Society for Holter and Non-Invasive Electrocardiology (ISHNE) and the International Society of Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy (ISCP), and my fellow course directors, Drs. Peter Stone from the US, Richard Verrier from the US, and Juan-Carlos Kaski from the UK, we invite you to participate in the many types of educational activities that are offered during this symposium, which will be available from January 15-31, 2008.
The symposium will include focus on the diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management of patients with coronary artery disease, and will include presentations and discussions concerning the surface ECG, Holter monitoring, T-wave alternans, exercise treadmill testing, and pharmacologic management of acute coronary syndromes, stable coronary disease, and secondary prevention. Many distinguished faculty members from around the world will be providing a broad range of interesting presentations. There will also be interviews and discussions on the web, with the opportunity for you to ask questions via e-mail and have an interactive discussion.
We are confident this symposium will be of interest to cardiovascular clinicians around the world. We look forward to having you join us in this innovative 21st century approach to net-based cardiology education!
Thank you.
Prof. Dr. Antoni Bayes de Luna, Spain.
REGISTRATION
http://www.myocardial.ischemia-symposium.org/
2007 Focused Update of the ACC/AHA/SCAI 2005 Guideline Update for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines -- King et al., 10.1161/CIRCULATION
2007 Focused Update of the ACC/AHA/SCAI 2005 Guideline Update for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines -- King et al., 10.1161/CIRCULATION
A primary challenge in the development of clinical practice guidelines is keeping pace with the stream of new data upon which recommendations are based. In an effort to respond more quickly to new evidence, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines has created a new “focused update” process to revise the existing guideline recommendations that are affected by evolving data or opinion. Before the initiation of this focused approach, periodic updates and revisions of existing guidelines required up to 3 years to complete. Now, however, new
evidence will be reviewed in an ongoing fashion to more efficiently respond to important science and treatment trends that could have a major impact on patient outcomes and quality of care. Evidence will be reviewed at least twice a year, and updates will be initiated on an as needed basis as quickly as possible while maintaining the rigorous methodology that the ACC and AHA have developed during their more than 20 years of partnership./.../
A primary challenge in the development of clinical practice guidelines is keeping pace with the stream of new data upon which recommendations are based. In an effort to respond more quickly to new evidence, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines has created a new “focused update” process to revise the existing guideline recommendations that are affected by evolving data or opinion. Before the initiation of this focused approach, periodic updates and revisions of existing guidelines required up to 3 years to complete. Now, however, new
evidence will be reviewed in an ongoing fashion to more efficiently respond to important science and treatment trends that could have a major impact on patient outcomes and quality of care. Evidence will be reviewed at least twice a year, and updates will be initiated on an as needed basis as quickly as possible while maintaining the rigorous methodology that the ACC and AHA have developed during their more than 20 years of partnership./.../
Revista Brasileira de Cardiologia Invasiva
Revista Brasileira de Cardiologia Invasiva
A última edição de 2007 da Revista Brasileira de Cardiologia Invasiva (RCBI) já está disponível on-line, nas versões em português e inglês. Concomitantemente ao lançamento da referida edição, estamos inaugurando mais uma nova ferramenta eletrônica: a newsletter da RCBI. A proposta, além de fazer com que esse periódico fique mais acessível, aproximando-o cada vez mais das comunidades médica e científica, tanto brasileiras como internacionais, é torná-lo referência da especialidade e de áreas afins. Esses boletins, inicialmente, terão periodicidade mensal, sempre trazendo destaques do conteúdo da RBCI.
A última edição de 2007 da Revista Brasileira de Cardiologia Invasiva (RCBI) já está disponível on-line, nas versões em português e inglês. Concomitantemente ao lançamento da referida edição, estamos inaugurando mais uma nova ferramenta eletrônica: a newsletter da RCBI. A proposta, além de fazer com que esse periódico fique mais acessível, aproximando-o cada vez mais das comunidades médica e científica, tanto brasileiras como internacionais, é torná-lo referência da especialidade e de áreas afins. Esses boletins, inicialmente, terão periodicidade mensal, sempre trazendo destaques do conteúdo da RBCI.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The 53 Places to Go in 2008 - New York Times
The 53 Places to Go in 2008 - New York Times
Where to Go in 2008
The travel choices for global nomads have never been more varied.
Compiled by DENNY LEE
Published: December 9, 2007 NY Times
Where to Go in 2008
The travel choices for global nomads have never been more varied.
Compiled by DENNY LEE
Published: December 9, 2007 NY Times
RECIIS
RECIIS
A RECIIS é uma revista pluralista, bilíngüe, não-doutrinária, voltada para a compreensão da dinâmica do presente da arena da saúde, aberta a contribuições que entendam a ciência, a tecnologia e a inovação como expressões, geograficamente situadas, de processos culturais, políticos, econômicos, sociais e históricos, e passíveis de questionamentos e transformações. A revista publica, semestralmente, após avaliação pelos pares, conteúdos críticos sobre informação, comunicação e inovação em saúde. Os manuscritos poderão ser enviados em português ou inglês. Todos os textos aprovados serão traduzidos pela RECIIS e publicados em ambos os idiomas. ___________________________________________________ RECIIS is a pluralistic, bilingual, non-sectarian electronic journal, oriented towards better understanding present health arena dynamics. RECIIS is open to contributions that understand science, technology and innovation as geographically determined aspects of cultural, historical, political, economic and social processes, open to transformation and queries. The Journal publishes, every six months, peer reviewed materials addressing information, communication and innovation in health. The manuscripts can be written in Portuguese or English. All manuscripts approved will be translated by RECIIS and published in both languages.
Vol. 1, No 1 (2007)
A RECIIS é uma revista pluralista, bilíngüe, não-doutrinária, voltada para a compreensão da dinâmica do presente da arena da saúde, aberta a contribuições que entendam a ciência, a tecnologia e a inovação como expressões, geograficamente situadas, de processos culturais, políticos, econômicos, sociais e históricos, e passíveis de questionamentos e transformações. A revista publica, semestralmente, após avaliação pelos pares, conteúdos críticos sobre informação, comunicação e inovação em saúde. Os manuscritos poderão ser enviados em português ou inglês. Todos os textos aprovados serão traduzidos pela RECIIS e publicados em ambos os idiomas. ___________________________________________________ RECIIS is a pluralistic, bilingual, non-sectarian electronic journal, oriented towards better understanding present health arena dynamics. RECIIS is open to contributions that understand science, technology and innovation as geographically determined aspects of cultural, historical, political, economic and social processes, open to transformation and queries. The Journal publishes, every six months, peer reviewed materials addressing information, communication and innovation in health. The manuscripts can be written in Portuguese or English. All manuscripts approved will be translated by RECIIS and published in both languages.
Vol. 1, No 1 (2007)
2373 – AMICOR10 – 12/12/2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
BUBL LINK: Health promotion
Catálogo de Recursos na Internet sobre Educação para a Saúde e Promoção da Saúde
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 9:53 AM
0 comments
BUBL Catálogo de Recursos Acadêmicos da Internet
BUBL home page: "BUBL LINK Catalogue of Internet Resources Dewey Search Subject Menus Countries Types BUBL UK BUBL Archive Selected Internet resources covering all academic subject areas"
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 9:51 AM
0 comments
Practice, Principles and Philosophy
Practice, Principles and Philosophy: "Health Promotion is a term that has been applied to a wide range of approaches to improving health of people, communities and populations. In this paper, SHEPS is providing a clear vision of contemporary health promotion. The 'umbrella' picture identifies a range of elements of health promotion. Members of SHEPS fulfil a wide range of health promoting roles. But whatever the particular focus of our health promotion work, we believe that health promotion needs to be grounded in firm principles and philosophy. Built on these, the foundations of health promotion are its evidence and theory and these support a range of competencies and capacities. These in turn support a range of health promotion practices and processes. "/.../
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 9:33 AM
0 comments
Monday, December 10, 2007
Safety of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Cardiovascular Devices
Advances in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging over the past 2 decades have led to MR becoming an increasingly attractive imaging modality. With the growing number of patients treated with permanent implanted or temporary cardiovascular devices, it is becoming ever more important to clarify safety issues in regard to the performance of MR examinations in patients with these devices. Extensive, although not complete, ex vivo, animal, and clinical data are available from which to generate recommendations regarding the safe performance of MR examination in patients with cardiovascular devices, as well as to ascertain caveats and contraindications regarding MR examination for such patients. Safe MR imaging involves a careful initial patient screening, accurate determination of the permanent implanted or temporary cardiovascular device and its properties, a thoughtful analysis of the risks and benefits of performing the examination at that time, and, when indicated, appropriate physician management and supervision. This scientific statement is intended to summarize and clarify issues regarding the safety of MR imaging in patients with cardiovascular devices.
Labels: Magnetic Ressonance Imaging
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 9:07 PM
0 comments
Conferência Mundial sobre Desenvolvimento de Cidades
Está disponível no site do Observatório o banner da Conferência Mundial sobre Desenvolvimento das Cidades. Convidamos a todos a participarem do evento que se realizará em Porto Alegre entre os dias 13 a 16 de fevereiro de 2008.
Maiores informações podem ser obtidas diretamente no site da Conferência: http://www.cmdc2008.com.br ou pelo link do Observatório:
http://www2.portoalegre.rs.gov.br/observatorio/#
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 9:03 PM
0 comments
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Professionalism in Medicine: Results of a National Survey of Physicians
Annals of Internal Medicine: Volume 147(11), 4 December 2007, pp 795-802
Conclusion: Physicians agreed with standards of professional behavior promulgated by professional societies. Reported behavior, however, did not always conform to those norms.
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 9:12 PM
0 comments
Patients' charters and health responsibilities
Harald Schmidt, assistant director
1 Nuffield Council on Bioethics, London WC1B 3JS
We all have responsibility for our health, the health of others, and to the organisations that provide health care. But, as Harald Schmidt describes, specifying and formalising these duties can create ethical problems
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 7:55 PM
0 comments
De: Equity, Health & Human Development [mailto:EQUIDAD@LISTSERV.PAHO.ORG]
Em nome de Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC)
The Lancet Series, Chronic Diseases
The Lancet, Volume 370, Number 9603, 8 December 2007
Available online at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607616961/fulltext
Scaling up interventions for chronic disease prevention: the evidence
Thomas A Gaziano, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USAGauden Galea , WHO, Geneva, SwitzerlandK Srinath Reddy, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India The Lancet, Volume 370, Number 9603, 8 December 2007
Available online at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607616973/fulltext
[Free subscription required]
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 7:43 PM
0 comments
De: Salvador Serra [mailto:revistadoderc@yahoo.com.br]
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 5:24 PM
0 comments
Tobacco control: effective and affordable to reduce chronic diseases mortality
New Lancet Study: Tobacco Control Measures Are Effective and Affordable Strategies to Reduce Chronic Disease Deaths Globally (apud Gobalink)
December 7, 2007
Labels: chronic diseases, smoking
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 4:15 PM
0 comments
Friday, December 07, 2007
"Família AMICOR" "AMICOR Family"
Caríssimos AMICOR,
Aproveitando mensagem recebida do Mário Becker,estendo a todos os membros da Lista os votos enviDOSa, esperando que se tornem realidade num próximo ciclo temporal (2008).
Um grande abraço
Dear AMICOR,
I am forwarding the message from Dr. Mário Becker, sending us vows of health, personal enhancement, familial and professional in 2008!
De: Mario Becker [mailto:mariobeckermd@yahoo.com]
Enviada em: quarta-feira, 5 de dezembro de 2007 17:45
Para: ALOYZIO CECHELLA ACHUTTI
Assunto: Re: 2372 - AMICOR10 - 05/12/2007
Para ti, Achutti, e toda "família Amicor", saúde e muito crescimento pessoal, familiar e profissional em 2008!
Mario
Labels: 2008 greetings, AMICOR10
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 10:09 AM
0 comments
Investimentos: Clima x gastos militares
PNUD Brasil: "Para evitar que o aquecimento global ganhe proporções irreversíveis, o mundo precisa investir menos de dois terços do que gasta com armamentos militares, afirma o Relatório de Desenvolvimento Humano 2007/2008, do PNUD. As estimativas apresentadas no estudo apontam que seria necessário despender até 2030 o equivalente a 1,6% do PIB (Produto Interno Bruto) mundial, anualmente, para impedir que a temperatura do planeta suba mais que 2º C — depois desse patamar, "os riscos de futuras alterações climáticas catastróficas aumentam significativamente". Em armamentos, o mundo desembolsa 2,53% do PIB."
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 9:57 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Adolescent Overweight and Future Adult Coronary Heart Disease
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Ph.D., M.D., Pamela Coxson, Ph.D., Mark J. Pletcher, M.D., M.P.H., James Lightwood, Ph.D., and Lee Goldman, M.D., M.P.H.
Background The effect of adolescent overweight on future adult coronary heart disease (CHD) is not known.
Conclusions Although projections 25 or more years into the future are subject to innumerable uncertainties, extrapolation from current data suggests that adolescent overweight will increase rates of CHD among future young and middle-aged adults, resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
BUBL LINK: Health promotion
BUBL LINK: Health promotion
Catálogo de Recursos na Internet sobre Educação para a Saúde e Promoção da Saúde
Catálogo de Recursos na Internet sobre Educação para a Saúde e Promoção da Saúde
BUBL Catálogo de Recursos Acadêmicos da Internet
BUBL home page: "BUBL LINK Catalogue of Internet Resources Dewey Search Subject Menus Countries Types BUBL UK BUBL Archive Selected Internet resources covering all academic subject areas"
Practice, Principles and Philosophy
Practice, Principles and Philosophy: "Health Promotion is a term that has been applied to a wide range of approaches to improving health of people, communities and populations. In this paper, SHEPS is providing a clear vision of contemporary health promotion. The ‘umbrella’ picture identifies a range of elements of health promotion. Members of SHEPS fulfil a wide range of health promoting roles. But whatever the particular focus of our health promotion work, we believe that health promotion needs to be grounded in firm principles and philosophy. Built on these, the foundations of health promotion are its evidence and theory and these support a range of competencies and capacities. These in turn support a range of health promotion practices and processes. "/.../
Monday, December 10, 2007
Safety of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Cardiovascular Devices
Safety of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Cardiovascular Devices
An American Heart Association Scientific Statement From the Committee on Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiac Catheterization, Council on Clinical Cardiology, and the Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention: Endorsed by the American College of Cardiology Foundation, the North American Society for Cardiac Imaging, and the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Glenn N. Levine, MD, FAHA; Antoinette S. Gomes, MD, FAHA; Andrew E. Arai, MD, FAHA; David A. Bluemke, MD, FAHA; Scott D. Flamm, MD; Emanuel Kanal, MD; Warren J. Manning, MD, FAHA; Edward T. Martin, MD, FAHA; J. Michael Smith, MD; Norbert Wilke, MD; Frank S. Shellock, PhD
Advances in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging over the past 2 decades have led to MR becoming an increasingly attractive imaging modality. With the growing number of patients treated with permanent implanted or temporary cardiovascular devices, it is becoming ever more important to clarify safety issues in regard to the performance of MR examinations in patients with these devices. Extensive, although not complete, ex vivo, animal, and clinical data are available from which to generate recommendations regarding the safe performance of MR examination in patients with cardiovascular devices, as well as to ascertain caveats and contraindications regarding MR examination for such patients. Safe MR imaging involves a careful initial patient screening, accurate determination of the permanent implanted or temporary cardiovascular device and its properties, a thoughtful analysis of the risks and benefits of performing the examination at that time, and, when indicated, appropriate physician management and supervision. This scientific statement is intended to summarize and clarify issues regarding the safety of MR imaging in patients with cardiovascular devices.
An American Heart Association Scientific Statement From the Committee on Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiac Catheterization, Council on Clinical Cardiology, and the Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention: Endorsed by the American College of Cardiology Foundation, the North American Society for Cardiac Imaging, and the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Glenn N. Levine, MD, FAHA; Antoinette S. Gomes, MD, FAHA; Andrew E. Arai, MD, FAHA; David A. Bluemke, MD, FAHA; Scott D. Flamm, MD; Emanuel Kanal, MD; Warren J. Manning, MD, FAHA; Edward T. Martin, MD, FAHA; J. Michael Smith, MD; Norbert Wilke, MD; Frank S. Shellock, PhD
Advances in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging over the past 2 decades have led to MR becoming an increasingly attractive imaging modality. With the growing number of patients treated with permanent implanted or temporary cardiovascular devices, it is becoming ever more important to clarify safety issues in regard to the performance of MR examinations in patients with these devices. Extensive, although not complete, ex vivo, animal, and clinical data are available from which to generate recommendations regarding the safe performance of MR examination in patients with cardiovascular devices, as well as to ascertain caveats and contraindications regarding MR examination for such patients. Safe MR imaging involves a careful initial patient screening, accurate determination of the permanent implanted or temporary cardiovascular device and its properties, a thoughtful analysis of the risks and benefits of performing the examination at that time, and, when indicated, appropriate physician management and supervision. This scientific statement is intended to summarize and clarify issues regarding the safety of MR imaging in patients with cardiovascular devices.
Conferência Mundial sobre Desenvolvimento de Cidades
Está disponível no site do Observatório o banner da Conferência Mundial sobre Desenvolvimento das Cidades. Convidamos a todos a participarem do evento que se realizará em Porto Alegre entre os dias 13 a 16 de fevereiro de 2008.
Maiores informações podem ser obtidas diretamente no site da Conferência: http://www.cmdc2008.com.br ou pelo link do Observatório:
http://www2.portoalegre.rs.gov.br/observatorio/#
Maiores informações podem ser obtidas diretamente no site da Conferência: http://www.cmdc2008.com.br ou pelo link do Observatório:
http://www2.portoalegre.rs.gov.br/observatorio/#
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Professionalism in Medicine: Results of a National Survey of Physicians
Annals of Internal Medicine: Volume 147(11), 4 December 2007, pp 795-802
Background: The prospect of improving care through increasing professionalism has been gaining momentum among physician organizations. Although there have been efforts to define and promote professionalism, few data are available on physician attitudes toward and conformance with professional norms.
Objective: To ascertain the extent to which practicing physicians agree with and act consistently with norms of professionalism.
Design: National survey using a stratified random sample.
Setting: Medical care in the United States.
Participants: 3504 practicing physicians in internal medicine, family practice, pediatrics, surgery, anesthesiology, and cardiology.
Measurements: Attitudes and behaviors were assessed by using indicators for each domain of professionalism developed by the American College of Physicians and the American Board of Internal Medicine. Of the eligible sampled physicians, 1662 responded, yielding a 58% weighted response rate (adjusting for noneligible physicians).
Results: Ninety percent or more of the respondents agreed with specific statements about principles of fair distribution of finite resources, improving access to and quality of care, managing conflicts of interest, and professional self-regulation. Twenty-four percent disagreed that periodic recertification was desirable. Physician behavior did not always reflect the standards they endorsed. For example, although 96% of respondents agreed that physicians should report impaired or incompetent colleagues to relevant authorities, 45% of respondents who encountered such colleagues had not reported them.
Limitations: Our measures of behavior did not capture all activities that may reflect on the norms in question. Furthermore, behaviors were self-reported, and the results may not be generalizable to physicians in specialties not included in the study.
Conclusion: Physicians agreed with standards of professional behavior promulgated by professional societies. Reported behavior, however, did not always conform to those norms.
Background: The prospect of improving care through increasing professionalism has been gaining momentum among physician organizations. Although there have been efforts to define and promote professionalism, few data are available on physician attitudes toward and conformance with professional norms.
Objective: To ascertain the extent to which practicing physicians agree with and act consistently with norms of professionalism.
Design: National survey using a stratified random sample.
Setting: Medical care in the United States.
Participants: 3504 practicing physicians in internal medicine, family practice, pediatrics, surgery, anesthesiology, and cardiology.
Measurements: Attitudes and behaviors were assessed by using indicators for each domain of professionalism developed by the American College of Physicians and the American Board of Internal Medicine. Of the eligible sampled physicians, 1662 responded, yielding a 58% weighted response rate (adjusting for noneligible physicians).
Results: Ninety percent or more of the respondents agreed with specific statements about principles of fair distribution of finite resources, improving access to and quality of care, managing conflicts of interest, and professional self-regulation. Twenty-four percent disagreed that periodic recertification was desirable. Physician behavior did not always reflect the standards they endorsed. For example, although 96% of respondents agreed that physicians should report impaired or incompetent colleagues to relevant authorities, 45% of respondents who encountered such colleagues had not reported them.
Limitations: Our measures of behavior did not capture all activities that may reflect on the norms in question. Furthermore, behaviors were self-reported, and the results may not be generalizable to physicians in specialties not included in the study.
Conclusion: Physicians agreed with standards of professional behavior promulgated by professional societies. Reported behavior, however, did not always conform to those norms.
Patients' charters and health responsibilities
Patients’ charters and health responsibilities
Harald Schmidt, assistant director
1 Nuffield Council on Bioethics, London WC1B 3JS
hschmidt@nuffieldbioethics.org
We all have responsibility for our health, the health of others, and to the organisations that provide health care. But, as Harald Schmidt describes, specifying and formalising these duties can create ethical problems
The BMA recently called for a charter setting out the responsibilities patients have within the National Health Service and what patients can expect from the NHS.1 The proposal raises questions about the scope, specificity, and status of such a charter. Should it be legally binding or simply set out aspirations? How many and what kind of responsibilities should be included? I examine how initiatives in Scotland, Germany, and the United States have dealt with these questions and look at the ethical tensions raised.
In sickness and health
The BMA’s discussion paper refers to patient responsibilities and a patient charter. But at its annual representative meeting 2007 delegates also resolved with an overwhelming majority the need for a charter that "focuses on the individual’s responsibility both in health and illness" (motion 25). The focus on patient responsibilities is too narrow, and in the following I will therefore use the term health responsibilitiesto cover the obligation of healthy and sick people to maintain, improve, or restore their health; to respect the health of others; and to contribute to the efficient operation of healthcare services.
Harald Schmidt, assistant director
1 Nuffield Council on Bioethics, London WC1B 3JS
hschmidt@nuffieldbioethics.org
We all have responsibility for our health, the health of others, and to the organisations that provide health care. But, as Harald Schmidt describes, specifying and formalising these duties can create ethical problems
The BMA recently called for a charter setting out the responsibilities patients have within the National Health Service and what patients can expect from the NHS.1 The proposal raises questions about the scope, specificity, and status of such a charter. Should it be legally binding or simply set out aspirations? How many and what kind of responsibilities should be included? I examine how initiatives in Scotland, Germany, and the United States have dealt with these questions and look at the ethical tensions raised.
In sickness and health
The BMA’s discussion paper refers to patient responsibilities and a patient charter. But at its annual representative meeting 2007 delegates also resolved with an overwhelming majority the need for a charter that "focuses on the individual’s responsibility both in health and illness" (motion 25). The focus on patient responsibilities is too narrow, and in the following I will therefore use the term health responsibilitiesto cover the obligation of healthy and sick people to maintain, improve, or restore their health; to respect the health of others; and to contribute to the efficient operation of healthcare services.
Chronic Diseases
De: Equity, Health & Human Development [mailto:EQUIDAD@LISTSERV.PAHO.ORG]
Em nome de Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC)
Enviada em: sexta-feira, 7 de dezembro de 2007 14:20
Para: EQUIDAD@LISTSERV.PAHO.ORG
Assunto: [EQ] The burden and costs of chronic diseases in low-income andmiddle-income countries
The Lancet Series, Chronic Diseases
The burden and costs of chronic diseases in low-income and middle-income countries
Dele O Abegunde, Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, WHOColin D Mathers, Department of Measurement and Health Information Systems, WHOTaghreed Adam, Monica Ortegon, Department of Health Systems Financing, WHO
Kathleen Strong, Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
The Lancet, Volume 370, Number 9603, 8 December 2007
Available online at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607616961/fulltext
[Free subscription required]
“…..This paper estimates the disease burden and loss of economic output associated with chronic diseases—mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes—in 23 selected countries which account for around 80% of the total burden of chronic disease mortality in developing countries.
In these 23 selected low-income and middle-income countries, chronic diseases were responsible for 50% of the total disease burden in 2005. For 15 of the selected countries where death registration data are available, the estimated age-standardised death rates for chronic diseases in 2005 were 54% higher for men and 86% higher for women than those for men and women in high-income countries.
If nothing is done to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, an estimated US$84 billion of economic production will be lost from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes alone in these 23 countries between 2006 and 2015. Achievement of a global goal for chronic disease prevention and control—an additional 2% yearly reduction in chronic disease death rates over the next 10 years—would avert 24 million deaths in these countries, and would save an estimated $8 billion, which is almost 10% of the projected loss in national income over the next 10 years…..”
Scaling up interventions for chronic disease prevention: the evidence
Thomas A Gaziano, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USAGauden Galea , WHO, Geneva, SwitzerlandK Srinath Reddy, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India The Lancet, Volume 370, Number 9603, 8 December 2007
Available online at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607616973/fulltext
[Free subscription required]
“…….Interventions to prevent morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases need to be cost effective and financially feasible in countries of low or middle income before recommendations for their scale-up can be made. We review the cost-effectiveness estimates on policy interventions (both population-based and personal) that are likely to lead to substantial reductions in chronic diseases—in particular, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease. We reviewed data from regions of low, middle, and high income, where available, as well as the evidence for making policy interventions where available effectiveness or cost-effectiveness data are lacking.
The results confirm that the cost-effectiveness evidence for tobacco control measures, salt reduction, and the use of multidrug regimens for patients with high-risk cardiovascular disease strongly supports the feasibility of the scale-up of these interventions. Further assessment to determine the best national policies to achieve reductions in consumption of saturated and trans fat—chemically hydrogenated plant oils—could eventually lead to substantial reductions in cardiovascular disease.
Finally, we review evidence for policy implementation in areas of strong causality or highly probable benefit—eg, changes in personal interventions for diabetes reduction, restructuring of health systems, and wider policy decisions…..”
Em nome de Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC)
Enviada em: sexta-feira, 7 de dezembro de 2007 14:20
Para: EQUIDAD@LISTSERV.PAHO.ORG
Assunto: [EQ] The burden and costs of chronic diseases in low-income andmiddle-income countries
The Lancet Series, Chronic Diseases
The burden and costs of chronic diseases in low-income and middle-income countries
Dele O Abegunde, Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, WHOColin D Mathers, Department of Measurement and Health Information Systems, WHOTaghreed Adam, Monica Ortegon, Department of Health Systems Financing, WHO
Kathleen Strong, Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
The Lancet, Volume 370, Number 9603, 8 December 2007
Available online at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607616961/fulltext
[Free subscription required]
“…..This paper estimates the disease burden and loss of economic output associated with chronic diseases—mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes—in 23 selected countries which account for around 80% of the total burden of chronic disease mortality in developing countries.
In these 23 selected low-income and middle-income countries, chronic diseases were responsible for 50% of the total disease burden in 2005. For 15 of the selected countries where death registration data are available, the estimated age-standardised death rates for chronic diseases in 2005 were 54% higher for men and 86% higher for women than those for men and women in high-income countries.
If nothing is done to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, an estimated US$84 billion of economic production will be lost from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes alone in these 23 countries between 2006 and 2015. Achievement of a global goal for chronic disease prevention and control—an additional 2% yearly reduction in chronic disease death rates over the next 10 years—would avert 24 million deaths in these countries, and would save an estimated $8 billion, which is almost 10% of the projected loss in national income over the next 10 years…..”
Scaling up interventions for chronic disease prevention: the evidence
Thomas A Gaziano, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USAGauden Galea , WHO, Geneva, SwitzerlandK Srinath Reddy, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India The Lancet, Volume 370, Number 9603, 8 December 2007
Available online at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607616973/fulltext
[Free subscription required]
“…….Interventions to prevent morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases need to be cost effective and financially feasible in countries of low or middle income before recommendations for their scale-up can be made. We review the cost-effectiveness estimates on policy interventions (both population-based and personal) that are likely to lead to substantial reductions in chronic diseases—in particular, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease. We reviewed data from regions of low, middle, and high income, where available, as well as the evidence for making policy interventions where available effectiveness or cost-effectiveness data are lacking.
The results confirm that the cost-effectiveness evidence for tobacco control measures, salt reduction, and the use of multidrug regimens for patients with high-risk cardiovascular disease strongly supports the feasibility of the scale-up of these interventions. Further assessment to determine the best national policies to achieve reductions in consumption of saturated and trans fat—chemically hydrogenated plant oils—could eventually lead to substantial reductions in cardiovascular disease.
Finally, we review evidence for policy implementation in areas of strong causality or highly probable benefit—eg, changes in personal interventions for diabetes reduction, restructuring of health systems, and wider policy decisions…..”
Revista do DERC
De: Salvador Serra [mailto:revistadoderc@yahoo.com.br]
Enviada em: sábado, 8 de dezembro de 2007 16:56
Para: revistadoderc@yahoo.com.br
Assunto: Revista do DERC - 2008.Meus prezados colegas do DERC:
Embora sabendo da impossibilidade de manter a qualidade da nossa Revista do DERC em razão da grande competência dos que nos antecederam, iremos começar a nossa honrosa missão a partir de janeiro de 2008.
Essa possível precipitação de contatá-los agora deve-se, exclusivamente, a intensão de se evitar uma solução de continuidade no momento da troca de Diretoria do DERC.
Em anexo estou encaminhando a provável nova capa da nossa revista.
Solicito de todos, imediatamente:
1. Artigos científicos.
2. Informações sobre eventos científicos em suas cidades.
3. Tudo o que for relacionado a ERGOMETRIA, ERGOESPIROMETRIA, CARDIOLOGIA NUCLEAR, CARDIOLOGIA DO ESPORTE E DO EXERCÍCIO, ALÉM DE TEMAS CLÍNICOS RELACIONADOS COM ESSAS NOSSAS ÁREAS.
4. Preferentemente, os artigos deverão inserir tabelas, figuras, quadros ou algo semelhante que quebre a monotonia de um texto contínuo, embora reconheça que um artigo escrito por um membro do DERC jamais seria monótono.
Os artigos deverão sempre ter o título somente em português.
Os autores, além do nome, deverão fornecer o respectivo endereço eletrônico.
Os créditos (títulos pessoais e/ou instituição onde trabalha) deverão ser no máximo dois. Não serão publicados mais do que dois títulos ou instituições, assim como fotos dos autores.
Artigos científicos previamente publicados poderão ser resumidos, desde que eles sejam recentes e, preferentemente, o autor do resumo dê a sua opinião pessoal sobre os resultados e as implicações na prática clínica ou 'ergométrica" dos mesmos.
A revista deverá ser aberta a absolutamente para todos os sócios da SBC, inclusive aos colegas de outras áreas, principalmente procurando-se uma integração técnico-científica entre os cardiologistas.
As idéias existem, mas, certamente, a opinião de todos acrescentará em muito no aspecto qualidade.
Lembro que o Brasil é enorme e universalmente competente, portanto a nossa Revista do DERC não cumprirá a sua função se ela refletir somente um pedaço dele.
Todos, absolutamente todos, podem, ou melhor, devem encaminhar artigos, opiniões, e tudo o que for pertinente, para esse endereço eletrônico que acaba de ser criado: revistadoderc@yahoo.com.br.
Aguardo, ansiosamente, artigos e tudo o mais de todos.
Na condição de editor, tomarei a liberdade de, juntamente com componentes de um conselho, avaliar a publicação imediata ou a necessidade de alguma eventual revisão para publicação posterior.
Os membros do DERC são, sabidamente, extremamente competentes e criativos. Não permitamos atrasos, ou pior, a não publicação de um ou mais números da nossa Revista por falta de artigos.
Forte abraço em todos, Boas Festas e Magníficos 2008, 09, 10, 11...
Salvador Serra
Enviada em: sábado, 8 de dezembro de 2007 16:56
Para: revistadoderc@yahoo.com.br
Assunto: Revista do DERC - 2008.Meus prezados colegas do DERC:
Embora sabendo da impossibilidade de manter a qualidade da nossa Revista do DERC em razão da grande competência dos que nos antecederam, iremos começar a nossa honrosa missão a partir de janeiro de 2008.
Essa possível precipitação de contatá-los agora deve-se, exclusivamente, a intensão de se evitar uma solução de continuidade no momento da troca de Diretoria do DERC.
Em anexo estou encaminhando a provável nova capa da nossa revista.
Solicito de todos, imediatamente:
1. Artigos científicos.
2. Informações sobre eventos científicos em suas cidades.
3. Tudo o que for relacionado a ERGOMETRIA, ERGOESPIROMETRIA, CARDIOLOGIA NUCLEAR, CARDIOLOGIA DO ESPORTE E DO EXERCÍCIO, ALÉM DE TEMAS CLÍNICOS RELACIONADOS COM ESSAS NOSSAS ÁREAS.
4. Preferentemente, os artigos deverão inserir tabelas, figuras, quadros ou algo semelhante que quebre a monotonia de um texto contínuo, embora reconheça que um artigo escrito por um membro do DERC jamais seria monótono.
Os artigos deverão sempre ter o título somente em português.
Os autores, além do nome, deverão fornecer o respectivo endereço eletrônico.
Os créditos (títulos pessoais e/ou instituição onde trabalha) deverão ser no máximo dois. Não serão publicados mais do que dois títulos ou instituições, assim como fotos dos autores.
Artigos científicos previamente publicados poderão ser resumidos, desde que eles sejam recentes e, preferentemente, o autor do resumo dê a sua opinião pessoal sobre os resultados e as implicações na prática clínica ou 'ergométrica" dos mesmos.
A revista deverá ser aberta a absolutamente para todos os sócios da SBC, inclusive aos colegas de outras áreas, principalmente procurando-se uma integração técnico-científica entre os cardiologistas.
As idéias existem, mas, certamente, a opinião de todos acrescentará em muito no aspecto qualidade.
Lembro que o Brasil é enorme e universalmente competente, portanto a nossa Revista do DERC não cumprirá a sua função se ela refletir somente um pedaço dele.
Todos, absolutamente todos, podem, ou melhor, devem encaminhar artigos, opiniões, e tudo o que for pertinente, para esse endereço eletrônico que acaba de ser criado: revistadoderc@yahoo.com.br.
Aguardo, ansiosamente, artigos e tudo o mais de todos.
Na condição de editor, tomarei a liberdade de, juntamente com componentes de um conselho, avaliar a publicação imediata ou a necessidade de alguma eventual revisão para publicação posterior.
Os membros do DERC são, sabidamente, extremamente competentes e criativos. Não permitamos atrasos, ou pior, a não publicação de um ou mais números da nossa Revista por falta de artigos.
Forte abraço em todos, Boas Festas e Magníficos 2008, 09, 10, 11...
Salvador Serra