 | | | | | | | | | | | | | New rapid tests for drug-resistant TB for developing countries Geneva, Tue, 01 Jul 2008 NI Wire 
People in low-resource countries who are ill with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) will get a faster diagnosis -- in two days, not the standard two to three months -- and appropriate treatment thanks to two new initiatives unveiled on Monday (June 30) by WHO, the Stop TB Partnership, UNITAID and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND). MDR-TB is a form of TB that responds poorly to standard treatment because of resistance to the first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampicin. At present it is estimated that only 2% of MDR-TB cases worldwide are being diagnosed and treated appropriately, mainly because of inadequate laboratory services. The initiatives announced today should increase that proportion at least seven-fold over the next four years, to 15% or more. "I am delighted that this initiative will improve both the technology needed to diagnose TB quickly, and increase the availability of drugs to treat highly resistant TB," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who helped launch the Stop TB Partnership's Global Plan to Stop TB in 2006 and whose government is a founding member of UNITAID. "The UK is committed to stopping TB around the world, from our funding of TB prevention programmes in poor countries, to our support of cutting edge research to develop new drugs." In developing countries most TB patients are tested for MDR-TB only after they fail to respond to standard treatments. Even then, it takes two months or more to confirm the diagnosis. Patients have to wait for the test results before they can receive life-saving second-line drugs. During this period, they can spread the multidrug-resistant disease to others. Often the patients die before results are known, especially if they are HIV-infected in addition to having MDR-TB. The initiative comes just one week after WHO recommended "line probe assays" for rapid MDR-TB diagnosis worldwide. This policy change was driven by data from recent studies, including a large field trial -- conducted by FIND together with South Africa's Medical Research Council and National Health Laboratory Services -- which produced evidence for the reliability and feasibility of using line probe assays under routine conditions. "Five months ago, WHO renewed its call to make MDR-TB an urgent public health priority," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, "and today we have evidence to guide our response. Based on that evidence, we are launching these promising initiatives." Two projects The new initiative consists of two projects. The first, made possible through US$ 26.1 million in funding from UNITAID, will introduce a molecular method to diagnose MDR-TB that until now was used exclusively in research settings. These rapid, new molecular tests, known as line probe assays, produce an answer in less than two days. Over the next four years -- as lab staff are trained, lab facilities enhanced and new equipment delivered -- 16 countries will begin using rapid methods to diagnose MDR-TB, including the molecular tests. The countries will receive the tests through the Stop TB Partnership's Global Drug Facility, which provides countries with both drugs and diagnostic supplies. As part of the project, WHO's Global Laboratory Initiative and FIND will help countries prepare for installation and use of the new rapid diagnostic tests, ensuring necessary technical standards for biosafety and the capacity to accurately perform DNA-based tests. One country, Lesotho, is already equipped to start using these tests; Ethiopia is expected to be ready by the end of 2008. The tests will be phased in during 2009-2011 in the remaining 14 countries. Under a second, complementary agreement with UNITAID for US$ 33.7 million, the Global Drug Facility will boost the supply of drugs needed to treat MDR-TB in 54 countries, including those receiving the new diagnostic tests. This project is also expected to achieve price reductions of up to 20% for second-line anti-TB drugs by 2010. All the countries receiving this assistance have met WHO's technical standards for managing MDR-TB and already have treatment programmes in place. Some will use grants from the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to purchase the drugs. "Through the US$ 60-million support provided by UNITAID, these projects are expected to produce significant results in diagnosing and treating patients as well as reducing drug prices and the costs of diagnosis. These efforts illustrate the way in which innovative financing can be deployed for health and development," said Philippe Douste-Blazy, Chairman of UNITAID's Executive Board. Source: WHO Media centre |
Labor usually successful after c-section for twins By Will Boggs, MD Fri Oct 19, 6:13 PM ET Women who've undergone a c-section for a pregnancy with two or more infants can usually avoid this operation in future pregnancies with just one infant, according to a report in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. "Given the progressive increase in (twin and triplet births) and the increasing frequency with which (these births) are delivered by cesarean, it is likely that this clinical situation will be encountered more frequently in coming years," Dr. Michael W. Varner told Reuters Health. Varner from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and colleagues compared the outcome of single-infant pregnancies among 944 women who had one prior c-section for a multi-infant pregnancy with the pregnancy outcome of 28,329 women who'd had one prior c-section for a single-infant pregnancy. Labor was attempted by 59 percent of the women whose prior cesarean delivery was for a multiple pregnancy and by 47.5 percent of those whose previous cesarean delivery was for a single-infant pregnancy. Women with a prior cesarean delivery for a multiple-fetus pregnancy who chose labor were more likely to have had a prior vaginal delivery than were similar women who chose to have an elective c-section. The vaginal delivery rates in the two groups were 85.6 and 73.1 percent, respectively, the authors report. Newborns of mothers who had a multiple-pregnancy c-section were less likely to require neonatal intensive care unit admission than newborns of mothers who had a single-pregnancy c-section. "These data suggest that...labor remains a reasonable consideration for women pregnant with (a single infant) whose one previous cesarean delivery was for a (multi-infant) pregnancy," the authors conclude. SOURCE: Obstetrics and Gynecology, October 2007. |
Some breast cancers don't respond to chemotherapy Fri Oct 19, 6:20 PM ET An analysis of the results of several studies confirm previous reports suggesting that chemotherapy offers little or no survival benefits for young women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers and, if given, it should not be the sole second-phase, or "adjuvant" therapy. "Developing breast cancer at a young age is very worrying in terms of survival," lead researcher Dr. Jos J. A. van der Hage, from Leiden University in the Netherlands, said in a statement. "But some young women may be undergoing not only unpleasant but also unnecessary chemotherapy." In the current analysis, the researchers examined data from 480 women with early-stage breast cancer enrolled in one of four EORTC (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer) trials. All of the subjects were premenopausal -- younger than 40 years of age -- and the average follow-up period was 7.6 years. During follow-up, 155 patients died or experienced a distant recurrence, according to the report appearing in the current online issue of Breast Cancer Research. Patients with ER-positive cancers were significantly more likely to have a longer overall survival than those with ER-negative cancers, the team reports. Among the patients who received prolonged adjuvant chemotherapy, however, the difference in survival rates was minimal (70 percent versus 75 percent, favoring the ER-negative group, and rates of metastasis-free survival were 59 percent versus 70 percent, respectively. These results suggest that chemotherapy had a beneficial effect for women with ER-negative tumors, but had minimal or no effect on ER-positive cancers. Similar survival differences were noted for women with or without progesterone receptor-positive tumors, the report indicates. "Adjuvant chemotherapy is a well established, but ineffective treatment in ER-positive breast cancer patients aged 40 years or less," van der Hage emphasized. "Hormone responsiveness is the key to tailoring therapy in the future fight against this disease for young women." SOURCE: Breast Cancer Research, October 10, 2007. |
Asthma Meds – The Best Use Of Asthma Meds Ricky Lee
October 15, 2007 If you are amongst who suffers from asthma or has a friend or relative suffering form it, you would know the pain of having the disease and the problems it can lead to. Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. This condition means a periodical narrowing of the airways of the lungs, leading to symptoms such as difficulty in breathing and wheezing. The patient starts gasping for air because of the obstruction of the airflow. This condition may stop simultaneously or would have to be brought under control using asthma medications, also called asthma meds. A person suffering from severe asthma may even experience an asthma attack because of causes such as anxiety and stress though usual stimuli range from dust to pollutants to cold air and exercise. The treatment of asthma is difficult since the condition is seen to keep re-appearing among patients. There are two general types of asthma meds, which help to give either quick relief or long-term control over the condition. These are bronchodilators, which help in relieving the symptoms but relaxing the muscles around the airways, leading an opening up of the airways and a better flow of air to and from the lungs. These asthma meds also help in clearing the mucous out of the lungs by making it move freely. The other king of general asthma meds are anti-inflammatory drugs which reduce the mucous production as well as swelling in the lungs. This makes the airways less sensitive. There are many ways in which asthma meds can be administered in order to provide quick relief. For example, nebulizers, inhalers and pills can be administered in order to provide relief to the patient. Because of the side effects, which are ascribed to the effect of asthma medicines, alternative medicine and treatments like yoga and medicinal herbs are being explored as a viable option. Visit http://www.AsthmaHomeopathy.net today and find out more about the various asthma alternative treatments such as asthma nebulizers. |
Natural Cure for Gout Treatments - Gout Remedies Ricky Hussey
October 11, 2007 One of the most common forms of arthritis is gout. Gout is characterized by joint inflammation accompanied by terrible pain and sometimes red, shiny skin covering the joint. An attack of gout appears suddenly, often overnight and most often affects the feet and ankles, with the most common area being the ball of the large toe. Gout can be cured by using natural products such as cherries, charcoal, diet, avoidance of alcohol and natural supplements like Arthritin. People whose body's produce too much uric acid or are not able to effectively eliminate uric acid from the body are at very high risk of contracting gout. The most common site for uric acid accumulation is in the big toe, although other joints may also be affected by crystalline buildup of uric acid. While sometimes consistent, pain caused by gout can come and go and arise suddenly without warning. Joints affected with gout are usually red, swollen, and especially tender. Gout can also be accompanied by mild fever. Curing Gout and Decreasing Your Chance of Heart Disease My career is centered around health! Therefore, my favorite part of the newspaper is the 'Health' Section. And while reading the daily paper, I noticed an article about gout! "Gout Increases Risk of Coronary Heart Disease". I instantly flipped the page and thought 'duh'. But, after thinking about my friend Greg, his family, our friendship, his life… I immediately flipped back and read the interesting article! A European study reported a 16 year follow-up of over 9,000 men between 41 and 63 who entered the study with no evidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). After the study follow-up, most men continued to suffer with gout attacks but also were considered high risk for coronary heart disease. And as you might know, 1 out of every 5 deaths is associated with heart disease. And the kicker! Men with gout were about 50% more likely to die from an acute heart attack than those men without gout! With millions of gout hospital visits each year, and over 500,000 coronary deaths per year… Can you understand the seriousness of gout? Gout can be a life and death ailment if left untreated! I immediately made a phone call to Greg to check up! Greg followed our simple Natural Gout Cure and cured his gout, lost over 20 pounds and his blood pressure was over 15 points lower! I jokingly told him that he will be our 'cure gout poster child'. How did he do it? He was pro-active about curing gout and began living a healthy lifestyle! And you can too! A Natural Gout Cure- No mediations needed and NO side-effects Here is a list of some basic tips if you or a loved one is suffering from gout! 1.) Maintain Your Healthy Weight! 2.) Avoid Eating Meats (Purines)! 3.) Drink half your weight in water! In ounces that is! I weight 180 pounds so I would drink 90 ounces of water per day! Roughly, 11 cups of water per day! 4.) Avoid or limit Alcohol Consumption. 5.) Exercise on a daily basis! Try to get at least 15 minutes of activity per day. Herbal Formula for Gout & Joint Stiffness The Gout Relief formula has herbs that help relieve joint pain and other herbs that help alkalize the body from excessive uric acid. # Uric acid can accumulate in the blood and the tissues, ultimately crystallizing causing pain and joint stiffness. # Devil’s Claw : Relieves pain and reduces inflammation. Acts as a diuretic, sedative, and digestive stimulant. # Good for gout cure, back pain, rheumatism, arterioscleroses, lumbago and gout symptoms. Read out Natural cures. Also check out for homeopathic remedies and online doctor Read out Natural cures. Also check out for homeopathic remedies and online doctor
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Language policy and health promotion in Oromia. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare By Dugassa, Begna Fufa
Description
In the time of HIV/AIDS, epidemics for which we have no vaccination or cure, public health is bound entirely to depend on the traditional health education strategies to stop or contain this disease. This reality demands that we travel extra miles and thoroughly employ every health promotion tool at our disposal. The Ottawa Charter for health promotion stressed the need for public policy to create supportive social conditions for health. This necessitates a commitment to enduring social conditions for health and raises topics that have been neglected by the traditional public health scholars. A close examination of the colonial language policy of Ethiopia reveals that language is not value free and is intermingled with power and has significant public health impacts. In this paper, I critically examine Ethiopian language policy within the framework of health promotion and demonstrate the ways in which such policy creates a barrier for the Oromo people in making life choices. Additionally it hinders them from ensuring the conditions in which they can be healthy. This paper addresses a gap in the research literature on the impacts of colonial language policies on health promotion. Key words: public health, Ethiopia, health policy, health education, Oromia, colonial language policies Introduction The impact of the Ethiopian language policy on health promotion in Oromia can best be examined if we define the terms "health promotion" and "health." According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Promotion Glossary (1998), health promotion is the process of enabling people to take greater control of their health and improve it. Health promotion is intended to strengthen the skills and capabilities of individuals to take action and build the capacity of groups or communities to act collectively to exert control over the determinants of health and achieve positive change (Ottawa Charter, 1986). This means health promotion is not something that is done to people; it is done by, with and for people either as individuals or as groups. Indeed, health promotion represents a comprehensive social and political process, and knowledge of community members is essential to achieve the desired health goals. According to the WHO "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (Bull World Health Organ, 2002). The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (see Ottawa Charter, 1986) declared: "The fundamental conditions for health are peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable ecosystem, sustainable resources, social justice and equity" (Terris, 1994). It is also known that health determinant conditions include socio-economic status, income, education level, environmental conditions and biological factors (Ballantyne, 1999). In fact contemporary health promotion is working with a concept that portrays health as a part of everyday living and one of the essential dimensions adding to the quality of our lives. Health is thus envisaged as a resource, which gives people the ability to manage and even to change their surroundings. This view of health recognizes freedom of choice and emphasizes the role of individuals and communities in defining what health means to them. No matter how health is defined or measured, the Ethiopian language policy has significant effects on the freedom of choice in life. Language makes events and ideas meaningful and often defines our reality. According to Dei and Asghazadeh (2003) language plays a crucial role in the maintenance of individual and collective ways of living as well as in the development and maintenance of individual's and group's identity and their aspirations. Languages provide meanings, relations and interrelations and it also foster self-reflection of the past and critical thought into the learning process. Language plays a guiding role in the maintenance or alteration of the community's social fabric. Language is potentially converging with the intellectual resources of centuries human endeavor and thus, it plays significant role in community stability and social transformation. When it comes to information human beings never depended on his/her own experience alone. Due to the limitations of his/her own experiences and knowledge, instead of having to discover what others have already discovered, instead of spending time and resources to make trials they can go on from where their ancestors left. The primary objective of this paper is to raise awareness about the impact of Ethiopian language policy on health promotion in Oromia and explain the mechanism by which it affects the health determinant factors. This paper explores a range of topics that are linked to the Ethiopian language policy: (a) the exclusion of Oromos from formal schooling; (b) deaths resulting from the misdiagnoses of diseases; (c) Oromo avoidance of modern health care; and (d) the wider consequences of the language policy such as the loss of property, shelter and social status. Social Construction of the Ethiopian Empire Ethiopia is a multi-national empire formed at the beginning of the last century when Abyssinia clustered big and small nations in the North Eastern Africa (Holcomb & Ibsa, 1990). The formation of the empire, the maintenance of the border, and power relations were not achieved by peaceful means (Holcomb & Ibsa, 1990; and Bulcha, 2002; Jalata, 2005). Since its formation, Abyssinia dominates the political life in Ethiopia. The impact of Ethiopian language policy on health promotion cannot be analyzed without reference to power relations and the social construction of the Ethiopian Empire. In the Ethiopian case, it is important to critically look at the social structure of the Empire in terms of language and education policy, because these socially constructed conditions limit the capacity of individuals and groups to make choices in life. Oromos are indigenous African people who constitute a significant portion of the population in the Horn of Africa. Oromo constitute about 39 million of the 73 million inhabitants in Ethiopia and they are also found in neighboring countries such as Kenya, Somalia and Uganda. The Oromo language (Afaan Oromo) is categorized as a Cushatic language, similar to that of the ancient Nubians, and it shares a...
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