Drug under test brings hope for sickle cell in Africa

The clinical trials seek to investigate the safety of hydroxyurea as a supportive treatment in children with sickle cell disease. Reports from the trials team indicate that the drug makes the body produce foetal haemoglobin, which neutralizes sickle cell, and has shown substantial progress in the management of the condition. The article reports on progress being made on sickle cell disease. 90% of children with the disease will die of it before their 5th birthday. Even though the trials show positive progress, preventing inheritance of the disease remains key. A child can only get sickle cell if both parents have the genes.African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF

Kenya Science Journalists Congress III report : establishing effective relationships between science journalists and scientists

The third Kenya Science Journalists Congress included hands on skills building sessions. For instance diverse story telling techniques including new media and data journalism were presented, and sessions towards equipping scientists in handling media misquotes. Rural based journalists shared their experiences on reporting science within their localities. The congress allowed experts to share emerging issues and brought into focus key cross-border science issues and how to competently, objectively and safely cover these issues. Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) is an association of journalists and communicators who are specialized in environmental, agriculture, health, technology and development reporting.African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF

Antimicrobial resistance: a biopsychosocial problem requiring innovative interdisciplinary and imaginative interventions

To date, antimicrobials have been understood through largely biomedical perspectives. There has been a tendency to focus upon the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals within individual bodies. However, the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance demands we reconsider how we think about antimicrobials and their effects. Rather than understanding them primarily within bodies, it is increasingly important to consider their effects between bodies, between species and across environments. We need to reduce the drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at a global level, focusing on the connections between prescribing in one country and resistance mechanisms in another. We need to engage with the ways antimicrobials within the food chain will impact upon human healthcare. Moreover, we need to realise what happens within the ward will impact upon the environment (through waste water). In the future, imaginative interventions will be required that must make the most of biomedicine but draw equally across a wider range of disciplines (e.g. engineering, ecologists) and include an ever-increasing set of professionals (e.g. nurses, veterinarians and farmers). Such collective action demands a shift to working in new interdisciplinary, inter-professional ways. Mutual respect and understanding is required to enable each perspective to be combined to yield synergistic effects

Exercise carried out by EuroHealthNet members, led by EuroHealthNet and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)

Portugal - Survey respondents and Workshop participants: Caldas de Almeida, Teresa - National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Head of Health Promotion Unit; Costa, Alexandra - National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Senior Technical ExpertExecutive summary: recommendations for action: The COVID-19 pandemic caught the world unprepared and has changed the shape of public health – and of our lives – for the foreseeable future. A group of senior public health officials from national and regional public health agencies across Europe came together to discuss current developments, the interrelated complexities and implications for their work in the near and longterm future. This report reflects their insights into some of the most pressing societal challenges and trends for public health in the years ahead, adopting a broad definition of health which encompasses social and environmental factors. Challenges considered include the rise in social and health inequalities, the increasing pressure on health systems, and negative impacts on population mental health. They reflect both direct as well as indirect impacts of the crisis on health, such as for instance unemployment and its pathways to ill-health. Climate change and (further) environmental degradation were highlighted as key longterm challenges. The exercise also included setting out opportunities, such as the fact that public health has been put in the spotlight and is at the centre of political agendas and public mindsets. The group concluded that “building back better” from the pandemic could provide an opportunity to strengthen health promotion and disease prevention, to bring more sectors together around the topic of health, including mental health and to enable citizens to adopt healthier, more sustainable behaviours. The importance of community action and social cohesion during the pandemic also provides opportunities to boost local level initiatives and networks. Over the next months and years, actions need to be taken to tackle the challenges at the root level, cushion the impacts of crisis and mitigation measures and encourage positive developments. Public health actors and agencies continue to have a pivotal role to ensuring a resilient, inclusive and sustainable recovery from the pandemic. This foresight exercise led to a draft set of recommendations for how different actors can help bring this about. The recommendations were discussed and validated in a EuroHealthNet partnership workshop in November 2020 and reflect this exchangeAim: EuroHealthNet and its member organisations have important roles to play in the future of public health in Europe, as well as on the ground in their home countries. They monitor, analyse and act to protect and improve the health of the population. This foresight exercise aimed to understand and discuss some of the trends and challenges but also the potential opportunities that have arisen from the pandemic, to inform members’ strategies and their work. It also sought to provide input for EuroHealthNet’s strategy for the coming years and explore how the partnership can positively contribute to “building back better”. The exercise, and this report, also aims to be useful to the broader stakeholder community, working on or around public health at local, national and EU level.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Virtual, November 17 - 20, 2020

The most current findings in science research and development on health, agriculture, technology and environment were presented during four days of plenary sessions at the African conference of science journalists (ACSJ IV). The conference worked to empower science journalists with tools to improve science journalists’ ability to detect and decipher disinformation, as well as to illustrate to journalists the interconnectedness of science (environment, health, agriculture, technology) and economic policies, learned through the impacts of COVID-19. The report provides a review of activities, presentations, events and outcomes of the conference

Human health effects of benzene, arsenic, cadmium, nickel, lead and mercury: Report of an expert consultation

Ana Isabel Cañas Portilla y Argelia Castaño Calvo del Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental (ISCIII) han participado en este informe como expertos proporcionando comentarios técnicos.Benzene, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and nickel are ubiquitous pollutants in ambient air. The main sources are industrial processes, electricity generation and fuel combustion. The main routes of exposure are inhalation for benzene, and diet for arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel and mercury. Inhalation of benzene, arsenic and cadmium is relevant for exposure in active tobacco smokers and people exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke. Epidemiological studies show that exposure to these pollutants is associated with adverse effects on the cardiovascular (cadmium, lead, mercury); haematological (benzene, lead); immunological, neurological and reproductive (benzene, lead, mercury); respiratory (cadmium, nickel); renal (cadmium, lead); and skeletal (cadmium) systems. Limited epidemiological evidence on ambient air pollution suggests adverse effects on the cardiovascular system (arsenic and nickel). Since benzene, arsenic, cadmium and nickel are classified as carcinogenic, the lowest possible exposure level is suggested to minimize the risk for cancer development in view of the no-effect threshold paradigm. Lead and methylmercury compounds are classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans. However, the available evidence is insufficient to warrant updating the air quality guidelines for these air pollutants. Evidence gaps are identified and these should guide future research efforts.S

Macroalgae Decrease Growth and Alter Microbial Community Structure of the Reef-Building Coral, Porites astreoides

This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the Public Library of Science and can be found at: http://www.plosone.org/home.action.With the continued and unprecedented decline of coral reefs worldwide, evaluating the factors that contribute to coral demise is of critical importance. As coral cover declines, macroalgae are becoming more common on tropical reefs. Interactions between these macroalgae and corals may alter the coral microbiome, which is thought to play an important role in colony health and survival. Together, such changes in benthic macroalgae and in the coral microbiome may result in a feedback mechanism that contributes to additional coral cover loss. To determine if macroalgae alter the coral microbiome, we conducted a field-based experiment in which the coral Porites astreoides was placed in competition with five species of macroalgae. Macroalgal contact increased variance in the coral-associated microbial community, and two algal species significantly altered microbial community composition. All macroalgae caused the disappearance of a γ-proteobacterium previously hypothesized to be an important mutualist of P. astreoides. Macroalgal contact also triggered: 1) increases or 2) decreases in microbial taxa already present in corals, 3) establishment of new taxa to the coral microbiome, and 4) vectoring and growth of microbial taxa from the macroalgae to the coral. Furthermore, macroalgal competition decreased coral growth rates by an average of 36.8%. Overall, this study found that competition between corals and certain species of macroalgae leads to an altered coral microbiome, providing a potential mechanism by which macroalgae-coral interactions reduce coral health and lead to coral loss on impacted reefs

Lane County guide to green building: working draft

7 p.The Green Building Initiative operated by the City of Portland, Oregon, defines green building as "innovative building and site design techniques that improve the quality and performance of buildings while simultaneously reducing stress on the environment." Green building utilizes a wide set of design standards, building techniques, and alternative materials that provide for energy and water efficiency, low toxicity, increased livability, and decreased waste production. Green building practices not only preserve the environment, they provide quality comfortable living, and long-term cost savings