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Central distribution of the cervical vagus nerve in Old and New World primates.

The central distribution of the cervical vagus nerve was examined in Old and New World primates using anterograde transganglionic and retrograde horseradish peroxide (HRP) histochemistry. Crystals of HRP were applied to the cut central end of the cervical vagus nerve in two Old World (one bonnet, one cynomolgus) and two New World (squirrel) monkeys. Bright- and darkfield examination of coronal sections from the pons, medulla, and upper cervical spinal cord revealed two major concentrations of retrogradely labeled cells in the ipsilateral dorsal motor nucleus (DMX) and nucleus ambiguous (NA). DMX was heavily labeled, containing about 5 times as many labeled cells as NA. The anterograde distribution of reaction product did not extend as far in the rostrocaudal plane as did the retrograde distribution. Labeled afferent fibers entered the medulla at the level of the caudal dorsal cochlear nucleus, joined the solitary tract, and descended to the obex. Ipsilateral terminal label first appeared at the level where the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) abuts the IVth ventricle. The terminal field grew in extent and density, until at the level of the area postrema (AP), the distribution extended throughout the medial NST, ventrolateral NST, and AP. Contralateral terminal label was sparse and restricted to the medial NST. In the commissural division of the solitary nucleus, sparse reaction product was present bilaterally, with the denser concentration ipsilateral to the treated nerve. Examination of peripheral ganglia revealed labeled somata in the nodose, jugular, and superior cervical ganglia.

Animals↗

Olfactory input to the lateral hypothalamus of the old world monkey.

Responses of lateral hypothalamic neurons to 8 odors were studied in chronic unanesthetized old world monkeys (Macaca irus). Many neurons (54.5%) responded to a single odor only, and the number of neurons responding to 2, 3 and 4 odors decreased successively. No neuron responded to as many as 5 odors. Thus, the presence of olfactory input and a highly discriminative ability for odors were found in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). Neuronal responses to the same odors were also studied in the septum (Spt). In anesthetized old world monkeys, evoked potentials were recorded in the LHA and in areas of the Spt and the nucleus accumbens (Acc) during stimulation of the olfactory bulb (OB). When the Spt (and probably the Acc with it) was subsequently destroyed, OB-evoked potentials in the LHA disappeared. Next, by injecting horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the LHA, an olfactory pathway to the LHA was examined. Labeled neurons were found mainly in the Spt and the Acc, and only partly in other areas. However, labeled neurons were scarcely found in the prepyriform (PPF)-entorhinal (ER) area or in the olfactory tubercle (OT). The present study thus shows that an olfactory pathway to the LHA passes through the Spt and probably also the Acc, but not through the PPF-ER areas nor through the OT in the old world monkey.

Animals↗

High prevalence of skin cancer in World War II servicemen stationed in the Pacific theater.

BACKGROUND: A large proportion of our World War II patients with skin cancer had been stationed in the Pacific. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether a statistically greater number of World War II servicemen with skin cancer were stationed in the Pacific than the number stationed in Europe. METHODS: In a consecutive survey of 370 World War II servicemen with skin cancer who were stationed abroad, place of service, skin cancer types, skin type, ethnic background, and estimated average hours outdoors per day during their lifetime were determined. The number of veterans stationed in the Pacific and the number stationed in Europe with respect to these data were analyzed with the chi-square test. RESULTS: A statistically significantly greater number of Pacific veterans than Europe veterans had basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas. CONCLUSION: A few months to a few years of prolonged sun exposure in a high-sun-intensity area may result in skin cancer development many years after exposure.

Aged↗

Urban change in the third world: are recent trends a useful pointer to the urban future?

"This paper has three aims. The first is to examine the reliability of the data base for the statistics which are used as the basis for commenting on urban change in 'the Third World'. The second is to explore whether valid generalisations about urban change can be made for the Third World. And the third is to examine the validity of United Nations projections for the Third World's urban future."

Data Collection↗

The third world goes to town: will U.S. policy catch up?

"Third World cities are growing so fast that in the 21st century over half the world's population will be urban. This shift will need to be recognized by all aid donors, and particularly by the USA. Sustainable development will be possible only if Third World governments--central and local--can be assisted to meet the challenge of this massive rural to urban transition."

Americas↗

As children survive: dilemmas of aging in the developing world.

The decline in infant mortality now occurring in the developing world assures a growing population of older persons with a chronic disease morbidity burden that is predictable and costly. The health needs and related social requirements of the elderly are not always well met even in countries where resources are substantial. In the developing world, this morbidity burden can quickly overwhelm fragile and often underfinanced health infrastructures already unable to meet fully the prevention and treatment needs of a younger population with relatively low-cost, easy-to-prevent, easy-to-treat illnesses. Inappropriate application of costly technology could easily result, accompanied by diversion of resources from existing primary-care services, and paradoxically poor service to the emerging aging population. This paper examines the dilemma, and spells out the issues by examining several chronic diseases in detail. We conclude with suggestions for a policy-oriented research agenda aimed at the development of affordable and humane approaches to the health needs of aging populations, and the prevention and care of chronic diseases in the developing world.

Aged↗

Managing ecological upheavals: a Third World perspective.

This paper seeks to examine the genesis of ecological upheavals which are reflecting the smouldering ecological crisis in the world. The natural as well as man-made mass disasters have more propensity to affect the developing countries of the Third World. The data presented in tabular form in the paper reveals their increasing 'killer potential'. The present inquiry shows that the non-sustainable development patterns and practices by the Third World countries have brought them on to the brink of irreversible environmental consequences. The study underlines that due to lack of adequate disaster identification, prevention and management capabilities these countries suffer the worst. It suggests that a regional level cooperation, on the lines of the SAARC, is suitable to streamline joint efforts to combat mass disasters. The study also highlights the possible legal responses and role of lawyers in this respect. Some of the emerging international eco-standards provide a basis for resolving disputes concerning transboundary effects of disasters. A comprehensive global convention on mass disasters, encompassing sharing of data and transfer of disaster management technology to developing countries is now 'need of the hour'.

Accidents, Occupational↗

Health, just world beliefs and coping style preferences in patients of complementary and orthodox medicine.

This study was designed to compare health and Just World Beliefs, coping style preferences and the mental health of a group of patients that utilize complementary medicine (CM), a group that exclusively use orthodox medicine (OM) and a mixed group who use both. Each participant filled out a questionnaire consisting of four sections: a measure of health beliefs which attributed certain factors to the state of their current health and to their capacity to become healthier in the future; a measure of the extent of their Belief in a Just World; a measure of coping style preference when faced with a threatening situation; and a measure of mental health. The results, co-varying out demographic factors, showed differences between the group yielded significant differences on the beliefs about future health, with the CM group scoring higher than the OM group. There were no differences in coping styles, Just World Beliefs or mental health between the three groups. The results were discussed in relation to explanations for differences in illness behaviour, specifically the reasons for choosing complementary therapies against orthodox therapies for the treatment of illness.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Elderly mental health in the developing world.

Growing numbers of elderly in countries of the developing world presage an increase in those affected by organic, age-related mental diseases such as dementia. A simultaneous rise in the burden of non-organic mental disorders in elderly populations is likely because stressors in many countries are affecting the mental health of the elderly directly and/or indirectly by altering the ability of families to provide care for them. This paper reviews studies on the disease burden of mental health problems of the aged in the developing world. It examines evidence on how demographic change, economic change, education, urbanization, war and displacement, and widowhood influence elderly mental health. A look at policies and programs improving the condition of elderly mentally ill throughout the developing world emphasizes positive options for policymakers. Recommendations for future research both identify areas in which investigation would be particularly useful and highlight current methodological problems.

Cross-Cultural Comparison↗

The artificial worlds approach to emergent evolution.

Artificial worlds models of evolutionary systems are computer models that map the essential logical structure of ecological systems, defined as self-sustaining biological organizations. The artificial world comprises an artificial environment, with mass components, energy input, and physical states. It also comprises artificial organisms, including a genome, a phenome, and a (developmental) map that connects the genome to the phenome. Mass components are cycled and space is limited. The evolution process results, as in nature, from genetic variation combined with natural selection imposed by the finiteness of the environment. The selection criteria (fitness values) are not imposed, but rather emerge from the interactions of the organisms with each other and with the environment. The dynamics at the population level also emerges from these basic interactions. In this paper we describe the comparative properties of the EVOLVE family of artificial worlds models.

Artificial Intelligence↗

A reappraisal of the extent of world hunger.

The variation between different estimates of the magnitude of the world food problem are enormous. The author questions the basis of the major surveys of FAO, the World Bank, and USDA, and suggests that they have grossly overestimated the extent of world hunger. By analyzing the connection between population, food, and economic participation, a more realistic view is obtained, suggesting a return to targeted assistance programs for the improvement of maternal and child health.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗

Managing temporal worlds for medical trend diagnosis.

The medical trend diagnosis system TrenDx has been applied as a prototype for diagnosing pediatric growth disorders, and as a proof of concept in detecting clinically significant trends in hemodynamics and blood gases in intensive care unit patients. TrenDx diagnoses trends by matching patient data to patterns of normal and abnormal trends called trend templates that define disorders as typical patterns of relevant variables. These patterns consist of a partially ordered set of temporal intervals with uncertain endpoints. Bound to each temporal interval are value constraints on real-valued functions of measurable parameters. The temporal uncertainty in trend templates allows TrenDx to conclude both what trend pattern best matches the data and also when significant landmarks and phase transitions have occurred within the best matching trend. The temporal uncertainty in trend templates requires that TrenDx consider alternate temporal worlds in monitoring patient data. The number of temporal worlds grows worst case polynomially in the number of time slices of data. To manage the competing temporal worlds, TrenDx employs two techniques: beam search based on regression scores, and temporal granularity in the trend template definitions. These two techniques, described here in detail, allow TrenDx to choose different points in the trade-off between accuracy of trend detection and algorithm efficiency.

Algorithms↗

Gastroenterological aspects of AIDS in the Third World.

Gastrointestinal disease is the commonest presentation of AIDS in the Third World. Diarrhoea and weight loss are particularly common. Although many pathogens may be found, chronic cryptosporidiosis is the most frequent and there remains no specific effective therapy. Isospora belli is found in less than 10% of cases, but may be treated with cotrimoxazole, and long-term maintenance treatment to prevent relapse is effective. Oral disease, especially with candidiasis, is increasingly recognized and may be controlled with topical antifungal agents. The outlook for patients in the Third World who present with gastrointestinal opportunistic infections associated with HIV infection is particularly dismal. Specific antiviral therapy, which has at least brought some hope and longer survival to patients in developed countries, remains largely unavailable in the Third World.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Body worlds exhibition--visitor attitudes and emotions.

BACKGROUND: Plastination is a new technique for odorless preservation of cadavers. Public exhibition of cadavers has raised controversy but attracted many people. METHOD: A total of 1078 visitors of the "Body Worlds" Exposition 2003 in Munich were surveyed about their emotional reactions, attitudes and health intentions to assess whether they learned more about human anatomy and aspects of health care. RESULTS: Most, 81.4% visited the exposition to learn more about anatomic structure and function of their own bodies, 86.4% considered this accomplished. Many, 49.8% visitors also felt disturbed. About 74.5% named curiosity as their motive. At least, 40.6% were led to reflect on their own mortality. In total, 42.6% resolved to pursue a healthier lifestyle. CONCLUSION: The "Body Worlds" Exposition teaches medical staff and lay people more about human anatomy, as well as the transience of life. About 94.3% visitors pleaded against prohibiting the exposition. The Body Worlds exhibition could improve its reputation if more information and incentives for health care were provided.

Attitude↗

Models of high-dimensional semantic space predict language-mediated eye movements in the visual world.

In the visual world paradigm, participants are more likely to fixate a visual referent that has some semantic relationship with a heard word, than they are to fixate an unrelated referent [Cooper, R. M. (1974). The control of eye fixation by the meaning of spoken language. A new methodology for the real-time investigation of speech perception, memory, and language processing. Cognitive Psychology, 6, 813-839]. Here, this method is used to examine the psychological validity of models of high-dimensional semantic space. The data strongly suggest that these corpus-based measures of word semantics predict fixation behavior in the visual world and provide further evidence that language-mediated eye movements to objects in the concurrent visual environment are driven by semantic similarity rather than all-or-none categorical knowledge. The data suggest that the visual world paradigm can, together with other methodologies, converge on the evidence that may help adjudicate between different theoretical accounts of the psychological semantics.

Eye Movements↗

A vision of a world without polio: the OPV cessation strategy.

Once the eradication of wild poliovirus has been confirmed, the public health benefits of routine immunization with OPV will no longer outweigh the burden of disease either due to paralysis caused by OPV (vaccine associated paralytic polio), or by outbreaks caused by circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses. The eventual cessation of OPV use in routine immunization programmes worldwide will become necessary to assure a lasting eradication of polio. As the world moves towards polio eradication and its certification, preparations are therefore being intensified for OPV cessation, and the risk management framework for safe OPV cessation is being put in place. The framework includes bio-containment of all known poliovirus and potentially infected substances, development of an international stockpile of oral polio vaccine, ensuring a mechanism for continued global surveillance and response for polio after eradication has been certified, and national policies if countries decide to continue vaccinating with inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). It is ironic that the vaccine on which the world has depended for polio eradication will itself become a risk to eradication once the transmission of wild poliovirus has been interrupted. Final preparations for the eventual global and simultaneous cessation of OPV will require the same level of international cooperation and coordination that has brought the world to the verge of polio eradication.

Global Health↗

Analysis of the World Bank's pharmaceutical lending.

This article analyzes the World Bank's lending activity on pharmaceuticals and medical products (PMP) during the fiscal years (FY) 1999-2001 by regions, borrower and supplier country, and procurement method. Data for the study derived from the World Bank Project and the Business Warehouse databases. The information included all Bank projects approved during the study period. Information for the PMP procurement contracts was extracted for the health sector components of all sector projects awarded. Contract dollar amount was aggregated by borrower and supplier countries. A total of 365 contracts of PMP for a value of US$ 364.5 million (2001 prices) were awarded. International competitive bidding was the most common procurement method used representing 46.0% of the total PMP contracts amount. Domestic providers supplied 52.5% of the PMP contracts managed by the borrower countries. Twenty-two countries accounted for 97.0% of the total PMP purchased during the period of analysis. Only a small fraction of the Bank activity was directed to the pharmaceutical sector. There is a need for more involvement of the World Bank to increase accessibility, affordability and rational use of pharmaceuticals and medical products. An evaluation of the different procurement methods and their implications on drug quality and prices should be performed.

Databases as Topic↗

Achieving appropriate design and widespread use of health care technologies in the developing world. Overcoming obstacles that impede the adaptation and diffusion of priority technologies for primary health care.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and describe constraints facing the development and dissemination of technologies appropriate for public health care challenges and solutions in the developing world. METHODS: Review of lessons learned in development and introduction of numerous health technologies as experienced by a non-profit organization working on technologies for 25 years. RESULTS: Many obstacles prevent appropriate technologies from reaching widespread use and acceptance. These include low profit margins in developing world markets, regulatory constraints, and the need for systems changes. Strong public/private-sector partnerships and realistic approaches to working in these environments make a difference. CONCLUSIONS: There is a growing awareness of the need for new technologies and experience with strategies that can make them happen. Some technologies with documented value for maternal care in developing world settings appear to be stuck short of widespread acceptance and use. Understanding the factors impeding their progress can enable the public sector and its collaborators to organize and facilitate their progress more effectively.

Developing Countries↗