Center for Global Development

About: Center for Global Development is a nonprofit organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Poverty & Population. The organization has 1472 authors who have published 3891 publications receiving 162325 citations.

Ibandronate: A Comparison of Oral Daily Dosing Versus Intermittent Dosing in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Abstract: The objective of this study was to compare efficacy and safety of continuous versus intermittent oral dosing of ibandronate. Two hundred forty women aged 55–75 years with postmenopausal osteoporosis were randomized to active treatment or placebo. Similar total doses of ibandronate were provided by treatment regimens with either continuous 2.5 mg of ibandronate daily (n = 81) or intermittent 20 mg of ibandronate every other day for the first 24 days, followed by 9 weeks without active drug (n = 78). The placebo group (total, n = 81) was crossed over after 12 months to receive either continuous (n = 37) or intermittent ibandronate (n = 35). By 24 months, bone mineral density (BMD) had increased significantly relative to baseline in both active treatment groups. The continuous and intermittent groups showed statistically equivalent increases in lumbar spine BMD of +5.64% (±0.53) and +5.54% (±0.53) and in total hip of +3.35% (±0.40) and +3.41% (±0.40), respectively (per protocol population). Biochemical markers of bone turnover decreased significantly in both treatment groups. The level of marker suppression was similar, although the intermittent group displayed, as expected, more fluctuation over the treatment period. The frequency of adverse events was similar in the treatment groups. In conclusion, the intermittent and continuous regimens showed equivalent changes in BMD and bone turnover. These results confirm previous preclinical findings indicating that the efficacy of ibandronate depends on the total oral dose given rather than on the dosing schedule. This supports development of new flexible dosing regimens targeted to minimize the frequency of dosing, which are expected to improve convenience and lead to enhanced long-term patient compliance.

Health outcomes of children born after IVF/ICSI: a review of current expert opinion and literature

Abstract: The Sixth Evian Annual Reproduction (EVAR) Workshop Group Meeting was held to evaluate the impact of IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection on the health of assisted-conception children. Epidemiologists, reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists and geneticists presented data from published literature and ongoing research on the incidence of genetic and epigenetic abnormalities and congenital malformations in assisted-conception versus naturally conceived children to reach a consensus on the reasons for potential differences in outcomes between these two groups. IVF-conceived children have lower birthweights and higher peripheral fat, blood pressure and fasting glucose concentrations than controls. Growth, development and cognitive function in assisted-conception children are similar to controls. The absolute risk of imprinting disorders after assisted reproduction is less than 1%. A direct link between assisted reproduction and health-related outcomes in assisted-conception children could not be established. Women undergoing assisted reproduction are often older, increasing the chances of obtaining abnormal gametes that may cause deviations in outcomes between assisted-conception and naturally conceived children. However, after taking into account these factors, it is not clear to what extent poorer outcomes are due to the assisted reproduction procedures themselves. Large-scale, multicentre, prospective epidemiological studies are needed to investigate this further and to confirm long-term health consequences in assisted-conception children. Assisted reproduction treatment is a general term used to describe methods of achieving pregnancy by artificial means and includes IVF and sperm implantation. The effect of assisted reproduction treatment on the health of children born using these artificial methods is not fully understood. In April 2011, fertility research experts met to give presentations based on research in this area and to look carefully at the evidence for the effects of assisted reproduction treatment on children's health. The purpose of this review was to reach an agreement on whether there are differences in the health of assisted-conception children with naturally conceived children. The researchers discovered no increased risk in birth defects in assisted-conception children compared with naturally conceived children. They found that IVF-conceived children have lower birth weights and higher fat under the skin, higher blood pressure and higher fasting glucose concentrations than naturally conceived children; however, growth, development and cognitive function are similar between groups. A very low risk of disorders of genetic control was observed in assisted-conception children. Overall, there did not appear to be a direct link between assisted reproduction treatment and children's health. The researchers concluded that the cause of some differences in the health of children conceived using assisted reproduction treatment may be due to the age of the woman receiving treatment. Large-scale, research studies are needed to study the long-term health of children conceived using assisted reproduction treatment.

Mental disorder and clinical care in people convicted of homicide: national clinical survey.

Abstract: Objectives: To estimate the rate of mental disorder in those convicted of homicide and to examine the social and clinical characteristics of those with a history of contact with psychiatric services. Design: National clinical survey. Setting: England and Wales. Subjects: Eighteen month sample of people convicted of homicide. Main outcome measures: Offence related and clinical information collected from psychiatric court reports on people convicted of homicide. Detailed clinical data collected on those with a history of contact with psychiatric services. Results: 718 homicides were reported to the inquiry between April 1996 and November 1997. Of the 500 cases for whom psychiatric reports were retrieved, 220 (44%; 95% confidence interval 40% to 48%) had a lifetime history of mental disorder, while 71 (14%; 11% to 17%) had symptoms of mental illness at the time of the homicide. Of the total sample, 102 (14%; 12% to 17%) were confirmed to have been in contact with mental health services at some time, 58 (8%; 6% to 10%) in the year before the homicide. The commonest diagnosis was personality disorder (20 cases, 22%; 13% to 30%). Alcohol and drug misuse were also common. Only 15 subjects (18%; 10% to 26%) were receiving intensive community care, and 60 (63%; 53% to 73%) were out of contact at the time of the homicide. Conclusions: There are substantial rates of mental disorder in people convicted of homicide. Most do not have severe mental illness or a history of contact with mental health services. Inquiry findings suggest that preventing loss of contact with services and improving the clinical management of patients with both mental illness and substance misuse may reduce risk, but clinical trials are needed to examine the effectiveness of such interventions.

Food Security and Economic Growth: An Asian Perspective

Abstract: Food security is an elusive concept. Many economists doubt that it has any precise meaning at all. Having enough to eat on a regular basis, however, is a powerful human need, and satisfying this need drives household behavior in both private and public markets in predictable ways. Indeed, the historical record suggests that policy initiatives by central governments to satisfy this need for food security - at the level of both households and national markets - can speed economic growth in countries where a substantial proportion of the population does not get enough to eat. Paradoxically, in most successfully developing countries, especially those in the rice-based economies of Asia, the public provision of food security quickly slips from its essential role as an economic stimulus into a political response to the pressures of rapid structural transformation, thereby becoming a drag on economic efficiency. The long-run relationship between food security and economic growth thus tends to switch from positive to negative over the course of development. Because of inevitable inertia in the design and implementation of public policy, this switch presents a serious challenge to the design of an appropriate food policy.