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Orthopaedists On A Humanitarian Mission: Sustained Help For Developing Countries
"Flying into a developing country, operating on people for a few days or weeks and flying out again helps individual persons but has nothing to do with sustainable development work." Professor Martin Salzer, Vice-president of "Austrian Doctors for Disabled" -- the Austrian society for medical development assistance -- is convinced that "it makes even less sense to fly in people from such countries for difficult operations, as humanitarian the motive may be. That money can be invested more effectively." For the group of physicians and medically interested persons around Prof. Salzer it is a question of sustainability in the field of development cooperation, something to which they can contribute their medical experience. "After care for the disability or sickness, our concern is networked interdisciplinary and sustainable rehabilitation. We also hope to thereby make a contribution toward combating poverty" Prof. Salzer says in summing up the main concern of the organization.

Teens Need To Hear About 'More Than Abstinence,' Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Says
Although it is "important for other young people to hear" Bristol Palin"s message "about how hard it is to be a teenage mother," her "lesson falls short by suggesting that any teen can successfully avoid premarital sex," a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial says. Palin, who gave birth in December 2008 after an unintended pregnancy and is the daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), has "changed her tune" since she said in a February interview that teen abstinence is ""not realistic at all,"" the editorial states. It adds that Bristol Palin -- now an "abstinence ambassador" for the Candie"s Foundation -- recently said that abstinence is "realistic" and that it is the "harder choice, but it"s the safer choice."The editorial continues that Palin is correct that "[a]bstinence is the only foolproof way to avoid pregnancy" and sexually transmitted infections. However, "any viable lesson about avoiding teen pregnancy should include methods besides avoiding sex, including the use of condoms," the editorial says. Recent studies have shown that abstinence-only sex education programs have had "no measurable impact on delaying teens from having sex for the first time," according to the editorial, which adds that teen pregnancy rates rose 5% between 2005 and 2007 after years of declines. Additionally, three out of 10 U.S. girls will get pregnant by age 20, a figure that increases to more than 50% for Hispanics and blacks. The editorial concludes that teens "need frank talk about premarital sex that includes all of the viable options to avoid pregnancy" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/15).
News of the day
New Piece Found In Colorectal Cancer Puzzle
Prostasin, a relatively unknown protease enzyme expressed in most epithelial cells, may play a role in the genesis of colorectal cancer. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Cancer have associated a reduction in the expression of inhibitors of the enzyme with malignant cellular behavior.
Sexual Health

Risk Factors For LRTIs In Inuit Children Identified In First Of Its Kind Study

Inuit children have the highest rate of hospital admission for Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) globally, but new research shows that lowering risk factors though public health interventions and an enhanced immunization program could improve health for Inuit children and lower health care costs significantly. The first-of-its-kind case control research was conducted by Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and researcher at St. Michael"s Hospital. "Infants of Inuit race were nearly four times more likely to be admitted for LRTI than mixed or non-Inuit infants," explains Dr. Banerji. "LRTI increases the risk of recurrent infections, chronic lung disease and asthma so there are many potential health complications." According to recent Statistics Canada data, the Aboriginal infant mortality rate in Nunavut is two-to-three times the Canadian average so exploring the effectiveness of immunization could have a major impact on children"s health and mortality rates. Respiratory infections are the leading cause for admission, medical evacuation and expenditure for Inuit children in the health care system and can result in serious health complications for those affected. Dr. Banerji"s key findings on the risk factors that contribute to LRTIs among Inuit children include: * Infants of mothers who smoked during pregnancy were four times more likely to be admitted for LRTI * Inuit infants were four times more likely to be admitted for LRTI than mixed or non-Inuit infants. It was not determined if this was a result of genetic factors or socio-economic factors * Overcrowded living conditions increased the risk of admission by 2.5 times * Living in a rural community without a hospital increased risk of admission by 2.7 times * Prematurity was not associated with an increased risk of admission * Infants who were not breast-fed were 3.6 times more likely to be admitted for LRTI * Infants who were custom adopted had 4.4 times the risk Dr. Banerji also conducted a cost analysis by age and location that compared the costs of administering Palivisumab prophylaxis vaccine, an antibody approved for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections. The vaccine is used only for prevention and is usually a monthly injection during RSV season. The results demonstrated that by immunizing rural Inuit infants with the vaccine, the health care system could save money - up to $8,000 per admission avoided. The analysis concludes that preventative measures in infancy can both improve the health of children and result in a significant cost savings for the health-care system. Dr. Banerji"s research papers are posted online as of today (Thursday, May 21) in the Published Ahead-Of-Print section of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal website (www.journals.lww.com/pidj). The research by Dr. Banerji is the second major study on Indigenous children"s health recently released by the Keenan Research Centre at Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael"s Hospital. Earlier this year, the centre released the Indigenous Children"s Health Report: Health Assessment in Action a project led by Dr. Janet Smylie. Tina Quelch St. Michael"s Hospital


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