Insights for the future of health system partnerships in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic literature review

BACKGROUND: Despite growing support for the private sector involvement in the provision of public health services in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), a lack of clear information on the future of the provision of such services restricts the ability of managers and policy-makers to assess how feasible integration between public and private actors may be in these countries. This paper presents a systematic literature review which traces the dynamics and boundaries of public-private partnerships for the healthcare sector in LMICs. METHODS: A total of 723 articles indexed in Scopus were initially submitted to bibliometric analysis. Finally, 148 articles published in several academic journals were selected for independent full-text review by two researchers. Content analysis was made in order to minimise mistakes in interpreting the findings of studies in the sample. RESULTS: Public-private partnerships identified through the content analysis were categorised into four research areas: 1) Transfer of resources; 2) Co-production of health goods and services; 3) Governance networks; 4) Criteria for successful partnership development. CONCLUSIONS: The four main research areas supply suggestions for a future research agenda, and managerial and policy implications for partnerships in LMICs

Chlamydia pneumoniae in asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis.

We evaluated, in 415 patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis: (i) the prevalence of C. pneumoniae DNA in atherosclerotic carotid plaques and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC); (i..

POs To Enhance Farmers Position In Global Value Chains Case Study: Apulia Region And Ionian Island

The strong integration of markets occurred in the last 20 years both in and outside Europe has determined an exponential growth of competitive pressure on the agricultural supply side, especially in less advanced and developed regions. The need to deal with increasingly complex markets and trade dynamics forces the agri-food industry to find new forms of organization, coordination and management to assure their survival and enhance their competitiveness. This is a central issue especially for smallholders since they face higher transaction costs and lower bargaining power in international markets, thus resulting in the inability to control price formation and to have a solid position in Global Value Chains. This paper proposes a model for aggregating agricultural producers in order to allow them to get access to the international markets, enhancing the competitiveness of their respective local and national sectors. In particular, the paper analyses the sustainability of aggregating agricultural producers and processors at a transnational level, thereby proposing an Association of Producer Organizations to put together stakeholders from Apulia and the Ionian Islands, two strategic regions in the Mediterranean area

OLAP analysis of integrated pest management's defense rules:Application to olive crop in Apulia region

International audienceThe Agri-Food sector is facing global challenges. The first concerns feeding a world population that in 2050, according to UN projections, will reach 9.3 billion people. The second challenge is the request by consumers for high quality products obtained by more sustainable, safely and clear agri-food chains. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) could be an important instrument to help farmers to face these challenges. The IPM requires the simultaneous use of different crop protection techniques for the control of pests through an ecological and economic approach. This work explores the possibility to develop a framework that combines the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) with the IPM principles, in order to support the farmers in the decisional process, improving environmental and production performances. The proposed ICT tool is On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP), which allows performing analysis in the domain of time and space verifying for a single farm the respect of the IPM technical specifications

ICT Platform and Gaming to Social Change in Rural Areas

This work aims at the dissemination of learning processes in rural areas through the use of ICT in relation to programs of national and regional rural development. In particular we want to:  Spread the basic knowledge;  Provide tools and informations for a better management of learning processes through ICT;  Significantly reduce the digital divide present in the region;  Combine social development to the growth of competitiveness in the market

Chlamydia Pneumoniae in Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis

We evaluated, in 415 patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis: (i) the prevalence of C. pneumoniae DNA in atherosclerotic carotid plaques and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC); (ii) the distribution of C pneumoniae in atherosclerotic carotid plaques and PBMC from the same patients; (iii) the correlation between circulating anti-chlamydial antibodies and the presence of C pneumoniae DNA. Overall, 160 atherosclerotic carotid plaques and 174 PBMC specimens from patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis were examined by ompA nested touchdown PCR for presence of C pneumoniae. In addition, C pneumoniae DNA was detected in 81 specimens of atherosclerotic carotid plaque and PBMC obtained from the same patients. C pneumoniae DNA was found in 36.9% of atherosclerotic carotid plaques and in 40.2% of PBMC specimens examined (P=NS). With regard to 81 patients, C pneumoniae DNA was detected in 27.2% of atherosclerotic carotid plaques and in 44.4% of PBMC specimens (P=0.05). In 18 patients, the presence of C. pneumoniae DNA in PBMC specimens and atherosclerotic carotid plaques coincided (P=0.005). No statistically significant association was found between anti-C. pneumoniae antibodies (IgG and IgA) and positive PCR results. In conclusion, our results suggest that the detection of C pneumoniae DNA in PBMC specimens seems to be a first-choice method to identify the patients at risk for endovascular chlamydial infection