There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a major public health problem. It is the fourth leading cause of chronic morbidity and mortality in the United States, and is projected to rank fifth in 2020 in burden of disease worldwide, according to a study published by the World Bank/World Health Organization. Yet, COPD remains relatively unknown or ignored by the public as well as public health and government officials. In 1998, in an effort to bring more attention to COPD, its management, and its prevention, a committed group of scientists encouraged the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the World Health Organization to form the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Among the important objectives of GOLD are to increase awareness of COPD and to help the millions of people who suffer from this disease and die prematurely of it or its complications. The first step in the GOLD program was to prepare a consensus report, Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD, published in 2001. The present, newly revised document follows the same format as the original consensus report, but has been updated to reflect the many publications on COPD that have appeared. GOLD national leaders, a network of international experts, have initiated investigations of the causes and prevalence of COPD in their countries, and developed innovative approaches for the dissemination and implementation of COPD management guidelines. We appreciate the enormous amount of work the GOLD national leaders have done on behalf of their patients with COPD. Despite the achievements in the 5 years since the GOLD report was originally published, considerable additional work is ahead of us if we are to control this major public health problem. The GOLD initiative will continue to bring COPD to the attention of governments, public health officials, health care workers, and the general public, but a concerted effort by all involved in health care will be necessary.

https://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/GOLD_WR_06.pdf

Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: GOLD executive summary.

Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(12)61728-0.pdf

Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(12)61766-8.pdf

A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

The 1980s and 1990s have witnessed a worldwide epidemic of heroin addiction, and countries around the world have moved to put in place opiate replacement therapy programs to deal with this problem. While most of these programs use methadone as a substitute drug of choice, most recently, buprenorphine, LAAM (levo acetyl methadol), and heroin have been employed for this purpose. A comprehensive guide to the use of drug substitution in the treatment of opiate dependence, this handbook provides an up-to-date account of treatment research and practice in this growing area. As well as answering questions about the status of this class of interventions in terms of their demonstrated effectiveness, it also includes detailed discussions of assessment issues, appropriate dosage regimes, the role of ancillary social and psychosocial services, the use of opiate replacement therapy in prisons, optimal treatment during pregnancy, and the cost-effectiveness of this form of treatment. This book will be of int

Psychiatric comorbidity among the opioid dependent

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/dar.13024

Miscommunication about the causes of the US outbreak of lung diseases in vapers by public health authorities and the media.

Over the past two decades, mental health reform in Australia has received unprecedented government attention. This study explored how five policy levers (organisation, regulation, community education, finance and payment) were used by the Australian Federal Government to implement mental health reforms.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186%2Fs12913-015-1142-3.pdf

An analysis of policy levers used to implement mental health reform in Australia 1992-2012

Early intervention for hazardous alcohol use has been shown repeatedly to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption, limiting alcohol-related problems and improving biochemical parameters. However, in most studies the follow-up period has been 2 years or less. The current paper presents progress on a 10-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial of early intervention. Methods used for tracing subjects and ensuring minimal refusals are detailed. The intensity of effort required to locate subjects is documented and recommendations for ensuring good follow-up rates are made. At completion of follow-up, 72.5% of the sample reviewed here and 78.2% of the total cohort had been traced. Our experiences demonstrate that long-term follow-up is feasible, given sufficient planning and persistence.

Longitudinal research: methods for maximizing subject follow-up

A number of biogerontologists have expressed an interest in intervening in the ageing process in order to extend the human life span. This study explored the attitudes of members of the Australian public towards the potential development and use of life-extension technologies and their attitudes towards the ethical, social and personal implications of life extension. Participants were presented with a vignette outlining the prospect of a “life-extension pharmaceutical” that could increase maximum life span by slowing the ageing process. While 65% supported such research, only 35% said that they would use a life-extension technology if one became available. Men were more supportive of research and more disposed to use life-extension technologies than women. Concerns about the potential ethical, social and personal implications predicted levels of overall support for, and intention to use, life-extension technologies. Our survey suggests that public attitudes towards life extension are neither overwhelmingly “pro” or “con” and in fact more nuanced than either proponents or opponents of life extension have often assumed.

Wayne Hall

Papers

Psychiatric comorbidity among the opioid dependent

Miscommunication about the causes of the US outbreak of lung diseases in vapers by public health authorities and the media.

An analysis of policy levers used to implement mental health reform in Australia 1992-2012

Longitudinal research: methods for maximizing subject follow-up

Public attitudes towards human life extension by intervening in ageing