Friday, April 25, 2008

VIRUSES: RISK OF LUNG CANCER

Ian Sample
guardian.co.uk,
Friday April 25 2008

Article recommended by Dr. Maria Inês Reinert Azambuja

Common viruses that cause measles and skin infections may also raise the risk of lung cancer, scientists warn today.

Tests on cancer patients revealed that many had tumours that were infected with measles or the human papilloma virus, which typically causes warts but in some cases can lead to life-threatening cervical cancer.

The research, by two teams working independently in the US and Israel, suggests that viruses play a greater role in cancer than previously thought.

The scientists behind the studies believe the viruses may make healthy cells more vulnerable to dangerous mutations, and so exacerbate the effects of smoking and other well-known causes of cancer.

Cigarette smoking

Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world, with 1.3 million new cases diagnosed each year. More than 90% of these are caused by cigarette smoking. Lung cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers, with one person in Britain dying of the disease every 15 minutes.

Arash Rezazadeh, a cancer specialist at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, tested 23 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for more than 85% of all lung cancers. Six patients had tumours that were infected with human papilloma virus (HPV), though one was later found to be a cervical cancer that had spread to the lungs.

The five remaining patients tested positive for different strains of HPV, with two patients infected with a type called HPV-16, which is responsible for half of all cervical cancers.

"The fact that five out of 22 non-small cell lung cancer samples were HPV positive supports the assumption that HPV contributes to the development of [the disease]," Dr Rezazadeh said. The work is to be announced at the European Lung Cancer conference in Geneva today.

Signs of infection

A second team of scientists at the conference, led by Samuel Ariad at Soroka Medical Centre in Beer Sheva, Israel, analysed tumour tissue from 65 patients with non-small cell lung cancer and found 54% showed signs of infection by the measles virus. "Measles virus is a ubiquitous human virus that may be involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer," said Prof Ariad. "Most likely, it acts in modifying the effect of other carcinogens and not as a causative factor by itself."

Ed Yong at Cancer Research UK said: "We know that infections are involved in the development of some cancers such as cervical cancer. It's not impossible that they are also involved in the development of lung cancer in smokers, but we can't say for sure based on these preliminary studies. Neither study examined how common the viruses are in lung tissue from healthy people. The vast majority of lung cancers are caused by smoking, so avoiding tobacco remains the best way to prevent this type of cancer."

Professor Hans Stauss, an expert on cancer and the immune system at the Royal Free Hospital in London said it was too early to say whether vaccines against HPV and measles might reduce a person's risk of developing lung cancer. "There are certainly cancers that are caused by viruses and for those there are already effective vaccines, but at the same time, we are continuing to look at whether there are additional viruses that might cause cancer, in which case they could also effectively be treated with a vaccine."

Ah, in the Case... Ah! neste Caso....

Claudio Schuftan

		pha-exchange@phm.kabissa.org

		PHA-Exch> For a bit of humor: "Ah, in that Case.."

"Ah, in that Case.."

Jack, a smart businessman, talks to his son..

Jack: I want you to marry a girl of my choice

Son : "I will choose my own bride".

Jack: "But the girl is Bill Gates's daughter."

Son : "Well, in that case..."

Next Jack approaches Bill Gates

Jack: "I have a husband for your daughter."

Bill Gates : "But my daughter is too young to marry."

Jack: "But this young man is a vice-president of the
World Bank."

Bill Gates : "Ah, in that case..."

Finally Jack goes to see the president of the World
Bank.

Jack: "I have a young man to be recommended as
a vice-president. "

President : "But I already have more vice-presidents
than I need."

Jack: "But this young man is Bill Gates's son-in-law."

President : "Ah, in that case....."

This is how business is done...

Wealth and Income Provide Buffer against Stroke

By Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: April 24, 2008
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, April 24 -- Money might not buy love, but it can protect some people against stroke, investigators found.

Action Points

Explain to patients that lower levels of wealth and income appear to be associated with an increased risk of stroke in people ages 50 to 64.
Point out that the findings came from an analysis of a database, not a randomized, controlled clinical trial.

In a study of more than 1,500 stroke patients, wealth and income independently predicted stroke risk in people ages 50 to 64 but not in older individuals, Mauricio Avendano, Ph.D., of Erasmus University Medical Center here, reported in the May issue of Stroke.

Dr. Avendano and co-author M. Maria Glymour, Ph.D., of Harvard, suggested that the association they found between affluence and stroke probably understate the impact of social disparities on stroke risk.

Several studies have suggested that lower socioeconomic status is associated with higher stroke risk in developing countries. In the United States, however, the association goes in the opposite direction, as stroke disparities across education and income appear to reverse at age 74, the authors said.

Almost 90% of strokes occur after 65, but the influence of socioeconomic status on stroke risk in that older age group had not been examined, they continued.

So Drs. Avendano and Glymour analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal survey of a national sample of U.S. adults 50 and older. They included 19,965 participants who were stroke-free at baseline.

Baseline assessments of wealth, income, and education were included in a Cox proportional hazards model to predict time to stroke.

Separate models were developed for the age groups 50 to 64, 65 to 74, and 75 and older, incorporating known stroke risk factors.

During a mean follow-up of 8.5 years, 1,542 participants had strokes.

Higher education predicted a reduced stroke risk in the age group of 50 to 64, but not after adjustment for wealth and income.

In contrast, wealth and income were independent predictors of stroke in that age group.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Fagerström Test x Smoking prevalence across countries

A comparison of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and smoking prevalence across countries

¹Smoker's Information Centre, Sweden and ²Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Karl Fagerström, Smoker's Information Centre, Berga Alle 1, Helsingborg 254 52, Sweden. E-mail: karl.fagerstrom@swipnet.se

ABSTRACT

Aims To examine the correlation between the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) score and smoking prevalence across countries.

Design Cross-sectional study.

Setting Fifteen studies from 13 countries with FTND score data.

Participants Samples of smokers were identified through systematic literature searches, web queries and colleagues. Smokers were considered representative of their country's smoking population if they were drawn from population-based sources, were not seeking smoking cessation treatment and did not have significant comorbidities. Smoking prevalence data were derived from the study itself or the country's population rate of daily smoking for the study year.

Measurements A Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the direction and magnitude of the correlation between FTND score and smoking prevalence across countries.

Findings FTND scores ranged from 2.8 to 4.6. Smokers in Germany and Norway had the lowest FTND scores, while smokers in Sweden and the United States had the highest FTND scores. The prevalence of daily smoking in these countries was very different: 37% and 30% in Germany and Norway, 19% and 16% in the United States and Sweden, respectively. An inverse correlation towards higher FTND scores in countries with lower smoking prevalence was found (r = −0.73, P = 0.001). Current smokers had higher FTND scores than former smokers.

Conclusions The significant inverse correlation between FTND score and smoking prevalence across countries and higher FTND score among current smokers supports the idea that remaining smokers may be hardening. Less dependent smokers may quit more easily and remaining dependent smokers may need more intensive treatment.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

MAPA DIGITAL MUNICÍPIOS DO BRASIL

Mapa digital reúne 800 dados municipais
Ferramenta do Ministério das Cidades traz desde resultado de eleições até indicadores sociais, econômicos, financeiros e administrativos

Conheça o projeto

Saiba mais sobre o apoio do PNUD à elaboração e à implantação do SNIC (Sistema Nacional de Informações das Cidades)

Monday, April 21, 2008

Water profile: Brazil

Content Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (other articles)

Article Topic: Water

This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Jim Kundell (other articles)

Last Updated: April 17, 2008

Geography and population

Brazil is politically divided into twenty-six states and one federal district, in five regions: north, northeast, southeast, south and center-west. The total area of the country is 854.7 million hectares (ha), out of which the extension of cultivated land area was 49.1 million ha in 1996. A large amount of land is still available for further agricultural production, especially in the center-west of the country in the so-called "cerrado" areas. The annual population growth in 1997/98 was close to 1.3%. The average population density varies according to region: the north has 3.3 inhabitants/km², the northeast 29.8, the southeast 73.8, the south 41.0 and the center-west 6.76 inhabitants/km².

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Equity oriented Tool Kit

Equity Oriented Tool Kit

Welcome to the Equity-Oriented Tool Kit for Health Technology Assessment!
A needs-based health technology assessment model is used to provide methods to match the identified health needs of a population, to the most appropriate interventions. The existing tool kit focused on averages, but this ignored distributional issues and equity gradients.

We are now expanding this toolkit. It is based on clinical and population health status and takes into account issues of gender equity, social justice and community participation.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Guest Authorship and Ghostwriting in Publications Related to Rofecoxib

Article recommended by Dr. Maria Inês Reinert Azambuja
Context Authorship in biomedical publication provides recognition and establishes accountability and responsibility. Recent litigation related to rofecoxib provided a unique opportunity to examine guest authorship and ghostwriting, practices that have been suspected in biomedical publication but for which there is little documentation.
Objective To characterize different types and the extent of guest authorship and ghostwriting in 1 case study.
Data Sources Court documents originally obtained during litigation related to rofecoxib against Merck & Co Inc. Documents were created predominantly between 1996 and 2004. In addition, publicly available articles related to rofecoxib identified via MEDLINE.
Data Extraction All documents were reviewed by one author, with selected review by coauthors, using an iterative process of review, discussion, and rereview of documents to identify information related to guest authorship or ghostwriting.
Data Synthesis Approximately 250 documents were relevant to our review. For the publication of clinical trials, documents were found describing Merck employees working either independently or in collaboration with medical publishing companies to prepare manuscripts and subsequently recruiting external, academically affiliated investigators to be authors. Recruited authors were frequently placed in the first and second positions of the authorship list. For the publication of scientific review papers, documents were found describing Merck marketing employees developing plans for manuscripts, contractingwith medical publishing companies to ghostwrite manuscripts, and recruiting external, academically affiliated investigators to be authors. Recruited authors were commonly the sole author on the manuscript and offered honoraria for their participation. Among 96 relevant published articles, we found that 92% (22 of 24) of clinical trial articles published a disclosure of Merck’s financial support, but only 50% (36 of 72) of review articles published either a disclosure of Merck sponsorship or a disclosure of whether the author had received any financial compensation from the company.
Conclusions This case-study review of industry documents demonstrates that clinical trial manuscripts related to rofecoxib were authored by sponsor employees but often attributed first authorship to academically affiliated investigators who did not always disclose industry financial support. Review manuscripts were often prepared by unacknowledged authors and subsequently attributed authorship to academically affiliated investigators who often did not disclose industry financial support.
JAMA. 2008;299(15):1800-1812 www.jama.com

The inflammation paradigm: Towards a consensus to explain coronary heart disease mortality in the 20th century

The inflammation paradigm: Towards a consensus to explain coronary heart disease mortality in the 20th century
Maria Ines Azambuja a,*, Aloyzio Achutti b, Richard Levins c
a Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2600, 4/420, 90035-003 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
b Moinhos de Vento Hospital, Porto Alegre, Brazil
c Department of Population and International Health, Harvard School of Public Health, United States
Received 2 November 2007; accepted 8 February 2008
Available online 20 March 2008
KEYWORDS
Coronary disease; Inflammation; Influenza; Arachidonic acid; Lipid hypothesis; Vulnerability
Summary The etiology of coronary heart disease (CHD) has been debated over the last 60 years. There exists an alternative explanation to the rise in CHD mortality, consonant with knowledge about the role of inflammation. It is proposed that a cohort association existed between rates of vulnerability to influenza deaths in 1918 and CHD mortality among survivors from those vulnerable birth cohorts.
According to this hypothesis, hypercholesterolemia may have been a marker of the 1918 immune-priming, with CHD deaths resulting from bursts of endothelial inflammation and thrombosis associated with influenza re-infections during the following decades. We propose a reconsideration of the way we model atherogenesis, from ‘‘initiation’’ and ‘‘promotion’’ to ‘‘vulnerable substrate(s)’’ and ‘‘trigger(s)’’.
Also suggested, based on this hypothesis, is a possible shared condition between vulnerable substrates, which upon triggering, is associated with evolution to acute events, through an imbalance between COX and LOX products. This paradigm has implications for global prevention policies.
2008 World Heart Federation. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monday, April 14, 2008

2382 - AMICOR10 - 14/04/2008

Resistant Hypertension: Diagnosis, Evaluation, Treatment

New Guidelines Issued for Hypertension that Defies Treatment
Download Complimentary Source PDF

By Judith Groch, Contributing Writer, MedPage TodayPublished: April 11, 2008Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 11 -- The American Heart Association has issued consensus guidelines for treating resistant hypertension, a common, difficult-to-manage condition.
Resistance is also established if hypertension is controlled but it's taken four or more drugs to get there.
The exact prevalence of resistant hypertension is unknown, but clinical trials suggest that it is not rare, involving 20% to 30% of study participants, the guideline committee wrote.
Older age and obesity are two of the strongest risk factors associated with resistant hypertension, and the condition is likely to become more common as the population ages and becomes heavier, the committee authors said.
As a first step in management, they emphasized, it is important to determine that a person's condition is resistant, not merely uncontrolled.
The committee's diagnostic advice:
Confirm treatment resistance. In addition to use of medications as noted above, office blood pressure, taken with good technique, should be greater than 140/90 or over 130/80 in patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease;
Rule out the "white-coat effect" by use of ambulatory monitoring, if necessary;
Identify and reverse contributing lifestyle factors, such as obesity, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol ingestion, high salt and low-fiber diet;
Discontinue or minimize interfering substances, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, diet pills, decongestants, stimulants, oral contraceptives, licorice, and ephedra;
Screen for secondary causes of resistant hypertension, such as obstructive sleep apnea, renal artery stenosis, primary aldosteronism, Cushing's syndrome, aortic co-arctation, and pheochromocytoma. /.../

Friday, April 11, 2008

Inflammation May Be Link Between Heart Disease and Fetal Growth

Inflammation May Be Link Between Heart Disease and Fetal Growth
By Crystal Phend, Staff Writer, MedPage TodayPublished: April 10, 2008Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
LONDON, April 10 -- Low birth weight followed by excessive weight gain during adolescence may put the heart at risk by increasing low-grade inflammation, researchers said.
Explain to interested parents that the study suggested that growth in the womb and in adolescence can have an impact on inflammation, which has been linked to cardiovascular risk.
Note that the observational study did not include correlation with cardiovascular events because there were too few events in the young cohort.
Levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein were 16% higher at age 31 for every 1 kg lower weight at birth and for each unit increase in body mass index from age 14 on, reported Paul Elliott, Ph.D., of Imperial College London, and colleagues, online in the European Heart Journal

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Físico diz que "partícula de Deus" será encontrada em breve Terra - Pesquisas

Físico diz que "partícula de Deus" será encontrada em breve Terra - Pesquisas
Físico diz que "partícula de Deus" será encontrada em breve
Alexander G. Higgins
O pai de uma partícula subatômica teórica apelidada de "partícula de Deus" diz estar quase certo de que ela será confirmada no ano que vem, em uma corrida entre poderosos equipamentos de pesquisa instalados nos Estados Unidos e na Europa.
» Físicos tentam decifrar a "partícula de Deus"
O físico britânico Peter Higgs, que mais de 40 anos atrás postulou a existência dessa partícula como parte da composição do átomo, disse que sua visita a um novo acelerador de partículas em Genebra, no final de semana passada, o levou a acreditar que o bóson de Higgs deva em breve ser observado.
O Large Hadron Collider, um projeto de US$ 2 bilhões em construção desde 2003, deve começar suas operações em junho no Laboratório Europeu de Física de Partículas, conhecido como CERN.
É provável que sejam precisos alguns meses antes que centenas de cientistas de todo o mundo estejam prontos para começar a promover colisões entre prótons a fim de estudar sua composição.
Higgs disse na última segunda-feira que a partícula já pode ter sido criada no Laboratório Nacional Fermi dos Estados Unidos, perto de Chicago, que abriga o maior acelerador de partículas em operação no mundo, o Tevatron. "O Tevatron tem muita energia em fluxo", disse Higgs. "É só a dificuldade de análise dos dados que nos impede de saber rapidamente o que os dados estão ocultando".
Acelerador de partículasO novo acelerador de partículas do CERN, uma imensa construção instalada em um túnel circular de 27 quilômetros de comprimento sob a fronteira entre a França e a Suíça, será ainda mais poderoso, e terá mais capacidade de demonstrar que partículas foram criadas nas colisões entre feixes de prótons viajando à velocidade da luz.
O novo acelerador de Genebra recriará as condições rapidamente mutáveis que existiam no universo uma fração de segundo depois do Big Bang. Será o mais perto que os cientistas terão chegado do evento que a teoria designa como o começo do universo. Eles esperam que o novo equipamento permita que estudem partículas e forças até agora não observadas.
Mas o Fermilab ainda tem tempo de vencer a corrida caso possa demonstrar que descobriu o bóson de Higgs, disse Higgs. Leon Lederman, físico que conquistou um Nobel em sua disciplina, definiu o bóson teórico como "partícula de Deus", porque sua descoberta poderia unificar a compreensão da física de partículas e ajudar os seres humanos a "conhecer a mente de Deus".
Higgs disse a jornalistas que ele tem a esperança de receber a confirmação de sua teoria antes de seu 80° aniversário em maio de 2009. Caso isso não aconteça, ele brincou "terei de pedir ao meu médico que me mantenha vivo por um pouquinho mais de tempo". Higgs não usa o termo "partícula de Deus" para designar o bóson que leva seu nome, por medo de ofender algumas pessoas.
Ele previu a existência do bóson quando estava pesquisando na Universidade de Edimburgo com o objetivo de provar como os átomos ¿ e os objetos que eles compõem - têm peso. Sem a partícula, a teoria física básica ¿ o modelo padrão - carece de um elemento crucial, porque não explica como outras partículas subatômicas, a exemplo de quarks e elétrons, têm massa.
A teoria de Higgs é a de que os bósons criam um campo através do qual as demais partículas passam. As partículas que enfrentam dificuldade para atravessar o campo, como se estivessem presas em um pote de melaço, ganham mais inércia, e massa. As que passam com mais facilidade são mais leves.
Higgs disse que ficaria "muito, muito intrigado", caso a existência da partícula jamais venha a ser provada, porque ele não consegue imaginar o que mais explicaria a maneira pela qual partículas adquirem massa. O físico contou que a reação inicial às suas idéias, nos anos 60, foi bastante cética.
"Meus colegas achavam que eu fosse meio idiota", ele disse, lembrando que seu primeiro estudo explicativo do funcionamento de sua teoria havia sido rejeitado por um editor do CERN. Ele conta que um colega passou alguns meses trabalhando no CERN pouco depois que Higgs desenvolveu sua teoria.
"Ele me procurou na volta e disse que no CERN as pessoas não pensavam que aquilo que eu estava fazendo tivesse muito a ver com a física de partículas", conta. "Eu acrescentei alguns parágrafos ao estudo, depois disso, e o enviei à Physical Review Letters, do outro lado do Atlântico, que o aceitou para publicação", conta Higgs. "A menção àquilo que viria a se tornar conhecido como bóson de Higgs estava em um desses parágrafos adicionais".
AP
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. Todos os direitos reservados. Este material não pode ser publicado, transmitido, reescrito ou redistribuíd

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Trends and Challenges since the Public Health in the Americas Initiative, 2000-2007

De: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC)
The Essential Public Health Functions as a Strategy for Improving Overall Health Systems Performance: Trends and Challenges since the Public Health in the Americas Initiative, 2000-2007

Available online as PDF file [20p.] at: http://www.paho.org/english/DPM/SHD/HR/EPHF_2000-2007.pdf
“…..The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) defines the Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF) as the indispensable set of actions, under the primary responsibility of the state, that are fundamental for achieving the goal of public health which is to improve, promote, protect, and restore the health of the population through collective action.
Through the Public Health in the Americas Initiative, PAHO/WHO defined the 11 Essential Public Health Functions and developed a methodology that allows countries to evaluate in a comprehensive manner their public health systems. As part of the Initiative, 41 countries and territories of the Region of the Americas applied the assessment tool…”

"Mapa da Saúde do Brasileiro"

Governo divulga mapa da saúde do brasileiro
O Sistema de Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico (Vigitel) revela como está a saúde dos brasileiros maiores de 18 anos. O estudo foi realizado pelo Ministério da Saúde em parceria com o Núcleo de Pesquisas Epidemiológicas em Nutrição e Saúde da Universidade de São Paulo, nas capitais dos 26 estados do País e no Distrito Federal.As entrevistas, realizadas entre julho e dezembro de 2007, contaram com uma equipe de 60 entrevistadores, quatro supervisores e um coordenador. No questionário, perguntas sobre tabagismo, consumo de bebidas alcoólicas, obesidade, ingestão de frutas e hortaliças, atividade física, proteção contra raios ultravioletas, auto-avaliação do estado de saúde, diagnóstico autodeclarado de hipertensão e diabetes e, para as mulheres, exame de mamografia e preventivo de colo de útero (Papanicolau).A pesquisa consistiu em mais de 54 mil entrevistas telefônicas, com um mínimo de dois mil indivíduos adultos em cada uma das 26 capitais e no Distrito Federal. A amostragem foi realizada a partir de cadastros das linhas telefônicas residenciais de cada cidade, onde um morador foi selecionado para ser o entrevistado. O Vigitel foi divulgado na sexta-feira (4).

National Health Information System

Assessing the National Health Information System - An Assessment Tool
VERSION 4.0 – 2008

Health Metrics Network HMN- World Health Organization

Available online as PDF file [77p.] at: http://www.who.int/healthmetrics/tools/3_HMN_Assessment_Tool_Version_4_0_Eng.pdf

Health Metrics Network HMN is a global health partnership that focuses on two core requirements of health system strengthening in low and low-middle income countries:
- First, the need to enhance entire health information and statistical systems, rather than focus only upon specific diseases.
- Second, to concentrate efforts on strengthening country leadership for health information production and use.
In order to help meet these requirements and advance global health, it has become clear that there is an urgent need to coordinate and align partners around an agreed-upon “framework” for the development and strengthening of health information systems

Monday, April 07, 2008

Instituto Difusor da Língua Portuguesa

O RESENHAS é um método inovador para disseminar a Língua Portuguesa por via de endereço eletrônico.

A quem se destina:

O Instituto Difusor da Língua Portuguesa oferece-lhe oportunidade de receber, no endereço eletrônico que for indicado, coletâneas de regras gramaticais elaboradas por renomados mestres da nossa língua, instrumento de apoio fundamental para você reorganizar e esmerar a sua maneira de utilizar o seu idioma, resultando num ganho de conhecimentos diversos que, certamente, proporcionarão um meio mais completo de comunicar.

World Health Day 2008

World Health Organization – April 2008
Available online as PDF file [34p.] at:
http://www.who.int/world-health-day/toolkit/report_web.pdf
“………..There is now widespread agreement that the earth is warming, due to emissions of greenhouse gases caused by human activity. It is also clear that current trends in energy use development and population growth will lead to continuing – and more severe – climate change.

The changing climate will inevitably affect the basic requirements for maintaining health: clean air and water, sufficient food and adequate shelter. Each year, about 800 000 people die from causes attributable to urban air pollution, 1.8 million from diarrhoea largely resulting from lack of access to clean water supply and sanitation, and from poor hygiene, 3.5 million from malnutrition and approximately 60 000 in natural disasters.

A warmer and more variable climate threatens to lead to higher levels of some air pollutants, increase transmission of diseases through unclean water and through contaminated food, to compromise agricultural production in some of the least developed countries, and to increase the hazards of extreme weather.

Climate change also brings new challenges to the control of infectious diseases. Many of the major killers are highly climate sensitive as regards temperature and rainfall, including cholera and the diarrhoeal diseases, as well as diseases including malaria, dengue and other infections carried by vectors. In sum, climate change threatens to slow, halt or reverse the progress that the global public health community is now making against many of these diseases.

In the long run, however, the greatest health impacts may not be from acute shocks such as natural disasters or epidemics, but from the gradual build-up of pressure on the natural, economic and social systems that sustain health, and which are already under stress in much of the developing world. These gradual stresses include reductions and seasonal changes in the availability of fresh water, regional drops in food production, and rising sea levels. Each of these changes has the potential to force population displacement and increase the risks of civil conflict.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

UNNATURAL CAUSES....

DID YOU KNOW:
The U.S. loses over $1 trillion every year in work productivity due to chronic illness. (Milken Institute, 2007)

Personal message: Please forward this to all your netowrks and contacts. Explore case studies, interactivities, resources, video clips, and action tools. Learn about the documentary and search organizations working towards health equity. Visit the Unnatural Causes Web site: http://www.unnaturalcauses.org
Premiering nationally on PBS in spring 2008. Buy the DVD at
http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/buy_the_dvd.php
Documentary series - Why is the most powerful country in the world not one of the healthiest? Why do the rich, on average, live longer, healthier lives than the rest of us? Unlike films that examine how health care cures us, UNNATURAL CAUSES explores the unequal conditions that make us sick in the first place.
Public engagement campaign - Together with leading public health, policy and community-based groups, UNNATURAL CAUSES aims to reframe our national debate over health and stimulate dialogue about what we can -- and should -- do to tackle inequities in society.
UNNATURAL CAUSES is produced by California Newsreel with Vital Pictures, Inc. Presented by the National Minority Consortia of public television. Public Engagement Campaign in association with the Joint Center Health Policy Institute.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

World Health Day 2008: protecting health from climate change

World Health Day, on 7 April, marks the founding of the World Health Organization and is an opportunity to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each year. In 2008, World Health Day focuses on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change.
The theme “protecting health from climate change” puts health at the centre of the global dialogue about climate change. WHO selected this theme in recognition that climate change is posing ever growing threats to global public health security.
Through increased collaboration, the global community will be better prepared to cope with climate-related health challenges worldwide. Examples of such collaborative actions are: strengthening surveillance and control of infectious diseases, ensuring safer use of diminishing water supplies, and coordinating health action in emergencies./.../

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Mapa da Saúde do Brasileiro adulto 2006-2008

03/04/2008 - 12h43
Publicado na Folha de SP e recomendado por Mário Maranhão
Mapa da saúde do brasileiro mostra que 43,4% estão acima do peso

Apenas 17,7% dos brasileiros cumpre recomendação da OMS de comer cinco porções diárias de vegetais
Estudo encomendado pelo Ministério da Saúde revela que 43,4% da população adulta está com excesso de peso, ou seja, apresenta Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) igual ou superior a 25. O resultado pode ter uma explicação: a pesquisa mostra que apenas 17,7% dos brasileiros cumpre as recomendações da OMS de comer cinco porções diárias de frutas, hortaliças e verduras. O uso de carne com gorduras aparentes está no cotidiano de 32,8% da população e 29% dos adultos são sedentários. De uma forma geral, as brasileiras têm cuidado mais da saúde: alimentam-se melhor, fumam menos, são menos sedentárias, bebem menos e têm menos excesso de peso. EntrevistasOs números fazem parte da pesquisa realizada pelo Sistema de Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico - Vigitel, em parceria com o Núcleo de Pesquisas Epidemiológicas em Nutrição e Saúde da Universidade de São Paulo.O levantamento é feito anualmente desde 2006 com pessoas a partir dos 18 anos, em todas as capitais e no Distrito Federal. Foram entrevistadas pelo telefone 54 mil pessoas, com um mínimo de 2.000 indivíduos em cada capital, além do Distrito Federal. Confira os principais resultados:TABAGISMOA freqüência de fumantes no país todo é de 16,4%. A capital onde o hábito de fumar está mais disseminado é Porto Alegre (21.7% da amostra) e o local onde se dão menos baforadas é em Salvador, com 11,5%.Os homens (20,9%) fumam mais que as mulheres (12,6%). Em ambos os sexos, a freqüência de fumantes cai após 54 anos de idade, alcançando menor regularidade entre os indivíduos com 65 anos ou mais. EXCESSO DE PESO E OBESIDADEA maior parcela de adultos com excesso de peso foi encontrada em Cuiabá (49,7%) e a menor, em Palmas (33,4%). Em geral, a ocorrência do excesso de peso é mais freqüente em homens do que em mulheres. Entre homens, o maior número de indivíduos acima do peso está entre os de maior escolaridade. Já entre mulheres o aumento do peso ocorre quanto menor a escolaridade. A pesquisa mostrou que o país contra com 13% de obesos (IMC igual ou maior que 30), sendo que a maior parcela foi encontrada no Macapá (16%) e a menor, em Palmas (8,8%). CONSUMO DE FRUTAS, LEGUMES E VERDURASA maior regularidade no consumo de vegetais foi encontrada em São Paulo (23% da amostra). O menor índice foi observado em Porto Velho (10%). CARNES COM GORDURAQuem se alimenta mais de carnes com a gordura aparente são os moradores de Campo Grande, com uma freqüência de 45%. A capital baiana é o local onde os entrevistados se alimentam menos de carne gorda (23%). Em todo o país, homens tendem a consumir mais (42,7%) que mulheres (24,3%). LEITE INTEGRALA freqüência no consumo de leite integral, mais rico em gordura, foi de 53% em todo o país. A menor taxa foi encontrada em Vitória (42%) e a maior, em Belém (64%). REFRIGERANTESA freqüência de adultos que consomem refrigerantes em cinco ou mais dias da semana variou de 21%, em Aracaju, a 38%, no Macapá. No país todo, 26,7% dos entrevistados afirmaram consumir a bebida com essa freqüência. Os homens bebem com mais regularidade (31,7%) que as mulheres (22,4%). ATIVIDADE FÍSICA NO LAZERSão poucos os adultos que praticam atividade física suficiente, ou seja, 30 minutos diários de intensidade leve ou moderada em cinco ou mais dias da semana. O índice variou entre 11,3%, em São Paulo, e 20,5%, em Vitória. No país inteiro, a prática regular foi observada em 15,5% da amostragem. Entre os homens, o hábito de se exercitar durante o tempo livre foi encontrado em 19,3%. Entre mulheres, o índice foi de apenas 12,3%. A prática regular de exercício mais freqüente entre homens acontece em Belém (25%). A menos freqüente, em São Paulo (16%). Os sedentários, ou seja, que não praticam nenhuma atividade física, estão mais concentrados em Recife (34%). O menor índice foi encontrado em Porto Velho (25%). Quanto maior é a faixa etária, menor é a quantidade de exercícios que se faz, tanto em homens, quanto em mulheres.BEBIDAS ALCOÓLICASO consumo abusivo de bebidas alcoólicas (considerando-se cinco doses para homens e quatro para mulheres em uma mesma ocasião, nos últimos 30 dias) variou entre 13,4%, em São Paulo; e 23%, em São Luís (ingestão com mais regularidade). A freqüência nacional foi de 17,5%. Na maioria das cidades, a ingestão abusiva foi três vezes maior entre os homens (27,2%) que entre as mulheres (9,3%). BEBIDA E DIREÇÃOPela pesquisa, 2% dos brasileiros dirigem após consumir bebidas alcoólicas. O hábito é mais freqüente em Palmas (4,5% da amostra) e menos, no Rio de Janeiro (1%). Os homens (4%) cometem mais esse tipo de infração que as mulheres (0,3%). AUTO-AVALIAÇÃOCerca de 5% dos brasileiros avaliaram seu estado de saúde como ruim. A freqüência variou entre 3,3% em Belo Horizonte e 7,9% em Manaus. Entre homens, o maior percentual foi em Salvador, com 7%, e entre mulheres, em Manaus, com 10%. De uma maneira geral, as mulheres tendem a achar seu estado de saúde pior que os homens.PREVENÇÃO DE CÂNCER DE COLO DE ÚTEROO Ministério da Saúde recomenda o exame de colo de útero (papanicolau) a cada três anos para todas as mulheres entre 25 e 59 anos que apresentaram resultado normal no exame anterior. O maior percentual de mulheres que fizeram o procedimento nos últimos três anos foi observado em São Paulo e Porto Alegre (90%). Os menores foram registrados em Teresina (68%) e Fortaleza (69%). MAMOGRAFIAA maior freqüência de mulheres entre 50 e 69 anos que realizaram mamografia nos dois últimos anos foi observada em Florianópolis (85%), seguido de Vitória (84%) e Porto Alegre (81%). As capitais Boa Vista (52%) e Macapá (54%) são os locais onde uma parcela menor de mulheres fizeram o exame nesse período. PROTEÇÃO CONTRA O SOLFlorianópolis é a capital onde os indivíduos mais se protegem contra a radiação ultravioleta (70%). É considerada proteção usar filtro solar e/ou chapéu e não se expor por mais de 30 minutos por dia ao sol. No outro extremo, onde menos pessoas se protegem, está Cuiabá, com 46,9%. As mulheres (62%) previnem-se mais que os homens (43%). HIPERTENSÃOA maior quantidade de indivíduos que se autodeclararam hipertensos foram os entrevistados do Rio de Janeiro (27%). O menor foi encontrado em Palmas (13,8%). DIABETESNatal é a capital onde há maior quantidade de diabéticos autodeclarados - eles somam 7,5% da amostra. A capital com menor parcela é Boa Vista, com 1,8% da população. Considerando toda a população adulta das capitais estudadas, 5,7% das mulheres referem ter diabetes, contra 4,8% dos homens. O diagnóstico da doença torna-se mais comum com o aumento da idade.

Lung Cancer Investigator 'Discloses' Funding of Tobacco Money

BOSTON, April 2 -- Claudia I. Henschke, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator of the controversial 2006 I-ELCAP (International Early Lung Cancer Action Program) study, has formally disclosed to the medical community that tobacco-industry money funded the study.

In a letter published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Henschke said "$3.6 million . . . was contributed in 2000 through 2003 as an unrestricted gift by the Vector Group, the parent company of Liggett Tobacco, which manufactures cigarettes."

The New England Journal of Medicine has also issued an online correction and a clarification regarding the once-again controversial study of spiral CT detection of lung cancer.

Last week, the New York Times reported that funding for the study by Dr. Henschke and colleagues at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York had been channeled through a foundation set up by Dr. Henschke and officials at Weill Cornell (See: Early Lung Cancer Study Found Funded by Tobacco Money). /.../

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

2381 – AMICOR10 – 02/04/2008

RHEUMATIC FEVER/RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE IN SOUTH AMERICA

Estimados amigos do coração (AMICOR)

Durante o próximo Congresso Mundial de Cardiologia que se realizará em Buenos Aires de 18 a 21 do mês de maio próximo, terei como um dos meus compromissos falar sobre Febre Reumática e Cardiopatia Reumática na América do Sul, durante a sessão intitulada Desafios Regionais para as Doenças Cardiovasculares ao redor do mundo, no dia 19 às 16 horas.

Embora as estatísticas tenham magnitude bem menor e decrescente quando comparadas com outros subgrupos Cardiovasculares, a doença persiste e merece nossa atenção por afetar predominantemente escolares e adultos jovens, por se dispor de recursos preventivos efetivos e por não contar com o interesse da indústria nem estar no foco da pesquisa acadêmica.

Os investimentos na doença, além de custo-efetivos, podem ser – como foi no caso do Brasil em 1972 – uma boa estratégia para sensibilizar a saúde pública a abordar com sucesso outras doenças cardiovasculares e doenças crônicas.

Estou interessado em receber informações sobre o problema e sua abordagem na América do Sul, e/ou nomes de pessoas que possam contribuir para uma apresentação atualizada, na qual os respectivos créditos serão obviamente assegurados.

Dear friends of the heart (AMICOR)

During the next World Congress of Cardiology to be held in Buenos Aires (18-21 of May) I am committed to talk on Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in South America, in the Session "Regional challenges for CVD around the world".

Although the statistics show downtrend magnitude comparatively with other CVD subgroups, the disease follows present and deserves our attention because affects predominantly school-children and young adults, and there are effective prevention methods of control, even not being in the focus of the industry and academic research interest.

Investments in the disease, parallel to be cost-effective, may be – as was the case of Brazil in 1972 – a good strategy to sensitize public health to approach successfully other CVD and Chronic Diseases.

I am interested in to receive information on the problem and related activities in South America, and/or name of people that may contribute to an updated presentation (with the correspondent credits respected, obviously).

Labels: Rheumatic Fever, Rheumatic Heart Disease

U.N. Seeks to Curb World's Traffic Deaths - washingtonpost.com

Tai Chi May Help Improve Markers of Pre-Diabetes

Monday, March 31, 2008

Sweetener scrutiny: Are sugar substitutes a helpful tool or an ineffective crutch?

Labels: obesity

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Cholesterol Lowering and Ezetimibe

Labels: cholesterol, exetimibe

Saturday, March 29, 2008

13.73 Billion Years - The Most Precise Measurement of the Age of the Universe Yet

Friday, March 28, 2008

Heart Beat February/March 2008

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ACTIVITIES
http://www.world-heart-federation.org/

Labels: Heart Beat

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Virtual Library museums pages and more...

Musei del Mondo... Una buona giornata MUSEUS NO MUNDO
Recomendado por Anne Schneider
Alemanha http://www.smb.spk-berlin.de/
Canadá http://www.national.gallery.ca/ ; http://www.mmfa.qc.ca/
China http://www.chinapage.com/
Espanha http://www.museoprado.mcu.es/
Estados Unidos http://www.amnh.org/ ; http://www.metalab.unc.edu/ ; http://www.metmuseum.org/ ; http://www.tamu.edu/ ; http://www.artic.edu/
Finlandia http://www.nba.fi/
França http://www.louvre.fr/ ; http://www.lyon.cci.fr/ ; http://www.museedelapub.org/
Israel http://www.imj.org.il/
Japão http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/
México http://www.arts-history.mx/
Reino Unido http://www.nms.ac.uk/ ; http://www.tate.org.uk/
Rússia http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/
Suécia http://www.nationalmuseum.se/
Vaticano http://www.christusrex.org/
http://www.vanmuseum.bc.ca/
MUSEUS NO BRASIL
www.visualnet.com.br/cmaya/
Rio Vale a visita em dois museus: Castro Maia - Açude e Chácara do Céu - são dois primores. O do Açude tem uma localização bucólica, porcelanas da Cia das Ìndias, Debrets... www.mamrio.com.br/ Museu de Arte Moderna - Rio de Janeiro De linhas retas, jardins de Burle Marx, temAnita Malfatti, Di Cavalcanti, Portinari... www.mnba.gov.br/ Museu Nacional de Belas Artes - Rio de Janeiro. Prédio em estilo renascentista. Tem Victor Meireles, Rodolfo Amoedo, Almeida Jr. Eliseu Visconti. Coleção de barrocos italianos e 8 obras de Franz Post. www.tempero.com.br/dicas/museus.htm Essesite dá boas indicações de museus. www.museuimperial.gov.br/Petrópolis-RJ - Imperdível. Tem até espetáculo de son et lumière duas vezes por semana.
São Paulo http://www.masp.art.br/ Museu de Arte de São Paulo - São Paulo - Velasquez, Rembrandt, Rafael, Cézanne, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso... http://www.mam.org.br/ MAM - Museu de Arte Moderna - São Paulo Veja obras de Tarsila do Amaral, Anita Malfatti, Tomie Otake...

Labels: World Museums

Sunday, March 23, 2008

ECG standards in elderly 'should be revised'

Transcendental meditation may give 'clinically meaningful' BP reductions

Genetics and Smoking addiction

New studies show ‘double whammy' link to addiction and cancer

WASHINGTON - Scientists say they have pinpointed a genetic link that makes people more likely to get hooked on tobacco, causing them to smoke more cigarettes, making it harder to quit, and leading more often to deadly lung cancer.
The discovery by three separate teams of scientists makes the strongest case so far for the biological underpinnings of the addiction of smoking and sheds light on how genetics and cigarettes join forces to cause cancer, experts said. The findings also lay the groundwork for more tailored quit-smoking treatments.
"This is kind of a double whammy gene,'' said Christopher Amos, a professor of epidemiology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and author of one of the studies. "It also makes you more likely to be dependent on smoking and less likely to quit smoking.''/.../

RHEUMATIC FEVER/RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE IN SOUTH AMERICA

Estimados amigos do coração (AMICOR)

Dear friends of the heart (AMICOR)

U.N. Seeks to Curb World's Traffic Deaths - washingtonpost.com

U.N. Seeks to Curb World's Traffic Deaths - washingtonpost.com: "U.N. Seeks to Curb World's Traffic Deaths

Who's Blogging» Links to this article
By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter
Tuesday, April 1, 2008; 12:00 AM
TUESDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- Over 1.2 million people die each year on the world's roadways -- more than are killed by major scourges such as malaria or diabetes.
In response to this growing epidemic, the United Nations' General Assembly on Monday approved the first ever conference on road safety, to be held next year in Russia.
It's high time the issue of traffic fatalities got the attention it deserves, advocates said, especially since experts expect vehicle ownership in populous nations such as China and India to double in the next 20 years."/.../

Tai Chi May Help Improve Markers of Pre-Diabetes

Tai Chi May Help Improve Markers of Pre-Diabetes
By Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage TodayPublished: April 01, 2008Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

BRISBANE, Australia, April 1 -- For patients at risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, the Chinese exercises Tai Chi and Qigong may improve clinical parameters associated with the conditions, two small studies suggested.
Action Points --->
Explain to patients that ancient exercises may help improve metabolic markers of pre-diabetes and may be more acceptable to patients compared with other forms of physical activity.
Note that the findings came from studies involving small numbers of patients.
After 12 weeks of regular Tai Chi and Qigong exercises, 11 patients with hyperglycemia had significant improvement in body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure, Xin Liu, Ph.D., of the University of Queensland, and colleagues, reported online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Additionally, glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance all decreased.

Translate AMICOR contents if you like

Friday, April 25, 2008

Cigarette smoking

Signs of infection

Thursday, April 24, 2008

A comparison of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and smoking prevalence across countries

ABSTRACT

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Monday, April 21, 2008

Geography and population

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Equity Oriented Tool Kit

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Monday, April 14, 2008

Friday, April 11, 2008

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Monday, April 07, 2008

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Wednesday, April 02, 2008