Corruption and Growth

Much has been published in the past 20 years on the use of measurements of arterial stiffness in animal and human research studies. This summary statement was commissioned by the American Heart Association to address issues concerning the nomenclature, methodologies, utility, limitations, and gaps in knowledge in this rapidly evolving field. The following represents an executive version of the larger online-only Data Supplement and is intended to give the reader a sense of why arterial stiffness is important, how it is measured, the situations in which it has been useful, its limitations, and questions that remain to be addressed in this field. Throughout the document, pulse-wave velocity (PWV; measured in meters per second) and variations such as carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV; measured in meters per second) are used. PWV without modification is used in the general sense of arterial stiffness. The addition of lowercase modifiers such as “cf” is used when speaking of specific segments of the arterial circulation.

The ability to measure arterial stiffness has been present for many years, but the measurement was invasive in the early times. The improvement in technologies to enable repeated, minimal-risk, reproducible measures of this aspect of circulatory physiology led to its incorporation into longitudinal cohort studies spanning a variety of clinical populations, including those at extreme cardiovascular risk (patients on dialysis), those with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension, healthy elders, and general populations.

In the ≈3 decades of clinical use of PWV measures in humans, we have learned much about the importance of this parameter. PWV has proven to have independent predictive utility when evaluated in conjunction with standard risk factors for death and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the field of arterial stiffness investigation, which has exploded over the past 20 years, has proliferated without logistical guidance for clinical and …

Recommendations for Improving and Standardizing Vascular Research on Arterial Stiffness: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Chairman's Report of Proceedings 1. Attached is the Chairman's Report of Proceedings of the Meeting of the Consultative Group for Haiti held in Paris, January 30-31, 1995. The following annexes are attached to this report (in order of appearance at the meeting): Annex I: List of Delegates Annex II: Agenda Annex III: Statement by Mr. Smarck Michel, Prime Minister of Haiti Annex IV: Statement by Mr. Enrique Iglesias, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Annex V: Report of Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General Annex VI: Statement by Ms. Marie-Michele Rey, Minister of Economy and Finance of Haiti Annex VII: Statement of Mr. Edilberto L. Segura, Director, International Development Association (IDA) Annex VIII: Statement by Mr. John Thornton, Deputy Division Chief, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annex IX: Statement by Mr. Philippe Lietard, Director, Corporate Finances Department, IFC Annex X: Statement by Mr. Jean-Marie Cherestal, Minister of Planning and External Cooperation Annex XI: Statement by Mr. Miguel E. Martinez, Manager Regional Operation Department II, IDB Annex XII: Statement by Mr. Fernando Zumbado, Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Annex XIII: Press Releases 2. Comments or corrections should be sent to the Vicc Presidcnt and Secrctary or Deputy Secrertary of the Bank by May 26, 1995.

https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/10945/12373/1/internationalban00cook.pdf

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Our school prides itself on providing the best opportunities for each child. The academic achievements have been and continue to be well above Western Australian and National averages, while the pastoral care programs that operate in the school teach children the specific social and emotional skills they need in order to develop and maintain friendships and a strong sense of selfworth. Students have a strong sense of pride in the school and display significant support for each other. Student success is valued, supported and celebrated by all.

Annual Report 2012 -個人別教育研究報告-

Dead aid: Why aid is not working and how there is a better way for Africa, by Dambisa Moyo, New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009, 188 pp., including notes, US$24.00 (hardcover), ISBN-13: 978-0...

Dead aid: Why aid is not working and how there is a better way for Africa

As study after study has pointed out, the health care systems in Africa pay little attention to the critical interface between education and good health, especially when it comes to the education of women and mothers, who are the primary line of defense against child diseases, and perform simultaneously most domestic chores and critical agricultural activities. While many medical educational institutions on the continent tend to perpetuate, at times, skewed and irrelevant Eurocentric health training, the national pyramidal health structure, weakened at the village level, and disproportionately favoring the provincial and national hospitals, gives the illusion that rural areas are well-served, when in actuality they are not. This chapter endorses the restrengthening of an uncompromised health care system to make it effective and efficient for both rural and urban areas; one that finds ways of trimming financial and human resource waste; revamps the institutions that train health care and service providers to make the system responsive to the real health needs of the people and not just the wealthy; one that compensates physicians just as civil servants; and aligns the educational system with targeted and expected measurable health outcomes.

/pdf/the-state-of-health-system-s-in-africa-challenges-and-4ii4ne7dfq.pdf

The State of Health System(s) in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

Background
Both low birth weight, an indicator of intrauterine growth restriction, and low grade systemic inflammation depicted by high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) have emerged as independent predictors of cardiovascular (CV) disease and type 2 diabetes. However, information linking low birth weight and hs-CRP in a biracial (black/white) population is scant. We assessed a cohort of 776 black and white subjects (28% black, 43% male) aged 24-43 years (mean 36.1 years) enrolled in the Bogalusa Heart Study with regard to birth weight and gestational age data were retrieved from Louisiana State Public Health Office.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186%2F1756-0500-4-71.pdf

Influence of low birth weight on C-reactive protein in asymptomatic younger adults: the bogalusa heart study

Relationship of Low Birth Weight to Pulsatile Arterial Function in Asymptomatic Younger Adults: The Bogalusa Heart Study

Background: In the United States, only about 15% of individuals meet daily fruit intake recommendations of 2 cups per day and only 10% meet the vegetable intake recommendations of3 cups per day. African American women are a high-risk group. In this study, a fourth-generation multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change was used to design and evaluate a SistersAdding Fruits and Vegetables for Optimal Results (SAVOR) intervention for AA women. Methods: The study utilized a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with measurements taken at pretest, posttest (after the three-week intervention) and follow-up (at the end of eight weeks).SAVOR (n=26) was compared to an equivalent knowledge-based intervention (n=28). Process evaluation was done for program fidelity and satisfaction. A validated 38-item self-reported questionnaire was used to measure changes in MTM constructs and past 24-hour consumption of fruits and vegetables. Results: The SAVOR intervention resulted in improvement of mean consumption of fruits and vegetables in the experimental group from pre-test (2.78) to posttest (4.77) to recommended levels at follow-up (5.04) while in the comparison group they remained at around 3 (P<0.0001)Statistically significant changes (P<0.05) were noted for all MTM constructs except for participatory dialogue. Conclusion: The SAVOR intervention was found to be efficacious and established the robustness of MTM. SAVOR can be replicated for future effectiveness trials.

https://hpp.tbzmed.ac.ir/PDF/hpp-10-270.pdf

Efficacy testing of the SAVOR (Sisters Adding Fruits and Vegetables for Optimal Results) intervention among African American women: A randomized controlled trial.

These are examined as parts of the health or medical systems from an historical perspective that enables the reader to link the present to the past and vice-versa.

Mario J Azevedo

Papers

The State of Health System(s) in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

Influence of low birth weight on C-reactive protein in asymptomatic younger adults: the bogalusa heart study

Relationship of Low Birth Weight to Pulsatile Arterial Function in Asymptomatic Younger Adults: The Bogalusa Heart Study

Efficacy testing of the SAVOR (Sisters Adding Fruits and Vegetables for Optimal Results) intervention among African American women: A randomized controlled trial.

Public Health in Africa: Theoretical Framework