Women's Health USA 2007

Women's Health USA 2007: "...HRSA is pleased to present Women’s Health USA 2007, the sixth edition of the Women’s Health USA data book. To reflect the everchanging, increasingly diverse population and its characteristics, Women’s Health USA selectively highlights emerging issues and trends in women’s health. Data and information on autoimmune diseases, gynecological and reproductive disorders, and digestive disorders are a few of the new topics included in this edition [...] "

ACE Study - Major Findings - Adverse Childhood Experiences

ACE Study - Major Findings - Adverse Childhood Experiences: "Childhood abuse, neglect, and exposure to other traumatic stressors which we term adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are common. Almost two-thirds of our study participants reported at least one ACE, and more than one in five reported three or more ACE. The short- and long-term outcomes of these childhood exposures include a multitude of health and social problems. The ACE Study uses the ACE Score, which is a count of the total number of ACE respondents reported. The ACE Score is used to assess the total amount of stress during childhood and has demonstrated that as the number of ACE increase, the risk for the following health problems increases in a strong and graded fashion:

alcoholism and alcohol abuse
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
depression
fetal death
health-related quality of life
illicit drug use
ischemic heart disease (IHD)
liver disease
risk for intimate partner violence
multiple sexual partners
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
smoking
suicide attempts
unintended pregnancies

In addition, the ACE Study has also demonstrated that the ACE Score has a strong and graded relationship to health-related behaviors and outcomes during childhood and adolescence including early initiation of smoking, sexual activity, and illicit drug use, adolescent pregnancies, and suicide attempts. Finally, as the number of ACE increases the number of co-occurring or “co-morbid” conditions increases."

My heart's in Accra - Stewart Brand and thinking about Megacities

My heart's in Accra - Stewart Brand and thinking about Megacities: "Brand argues that squatters care about:
- Security of tenure - they want assurances that they'll own their homes before they improve them
- Location - they want to be near jobs
- Water, sanitation, electricity
- Protection from crime, whether it comes from the police, or from gangs
- Education - it's one of the main reasons to move to cities

They don't care about:
- Housing - they build it themselves
- Phones - everyone's got a mobile phone
- Starvation - people don't starve in cities, while they still do in the countryside
- Medical care - it's available to a much greater extent than it is in rural areas
- Unemployment - Everyone works, though generally in the informal economy: food stalls, internet cafes, mobile phone booths, bars, hairdressers, churches, tailors, copy shops [...]"

Kiva vs. MicroPlace - What's the Difference? | NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise

Kiva vs. MicroPlace - What's the Difference? | NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise

Peanut Butter and Patents

When PlumpyNut came out, I was concerned about powdered milk as a main ingredient after Dr. Cunningham's discussion of the prevalence of lactose intolerance across Africa, and the way lactose intolerance mimics water-born intestinal diseases. Now, I'm concerned for entirely different reasons:

Peanut Butter and Patents : "Finally caught up to Anderson Cooper's report about PlumpyNut, which aired on Sixty Minutes a little over a week ago. Besides intimating that Doctors Without Borders had invented PlumpyNut (which it didn't), the 11-minute CBS report completely neglected to mention that PlumpyNut is patented. (Thanks to Josh for sending me the link.) Okay, you say, CBS has produced a feel-good story that doesn't have to be encyclopedic. But given the fact that Cooper says that there's not enough PlumpyNut to go around and ties the shortage to a lack of vision from food aid donors, you would think he might have at least mentioned other challenges, like negotiations over licensing and franchising rights stemming from the patent(s) [...]"

Kenya's Maternal Wards Deliver Abuse With Babies

Kenya's Maternal Wards Deliver Abuse With Babies: "...Based on their own experience and that of mothers they'd attended, midwives told Women's eNews of beatings, verbal abuse, filth and blood-soaked beds. They also recounted the infamous month two years ago when medical students performed Caesarian sections on most women who walked through the door, regardless of whether the operation was necessary [...]"

Sexual Violence in the Congo

10 new victims of rape show up everyday at Panzi Hospital in the DRC (Photo credit: Hazel Thompson of New York Times). In 2006, 27000 sexual assaults were reported in South Kivu province alone. This theme - violence against women and girls - will be addressed in the presentation on Mental Health and Violence, as well as War and Refugees.

Rape Epidemic Raises Trauma of Congo War - NYT

critical update to our discussion on rotavirus vaccine

G2P[4] and G12P[6] Rotavirus, Bangladesh | CDC EID: "...During the 2001-2005 rotavirus seasons, G1P[8] (36.4%) and G9P[8] (27.7%) were the dominant strains, but G2[4] and G12P[6] were present in 15.4% and 3.1% of the rotavirus-positive patients, respectively. During the 2005-06 rotavirus season, G2P[4] (43.2%) appeared as the most prevalent strain, and G12P[6] became a more prevalent strain (11.1%) during this season. Because recently licensed rotavirus vaccines include only the P[8] specificity, it is unknown how the vaccines will perform in settings where non-P[8] types are prevalent [...]"